The myth of being photogenic | Winston-Salem Portrait Studio
“pho·to·gen·ic
/ˌfōdəˈjenik/
adjective
adjective: photogenic
1. (especially of a person) looking attractive in photographs or on film.
”a photogenic child””
“Photogenic.” I hear this word all the time as a portrait photographer. It implies a natural beauty that always looks gorgeous no matter what lighting or angle or mood. I’m here to tell you that being photogenic is a myth - or, more specifically, a misconstrued idea.
As a photographer, I can tell you that I can get a bad picture of anyone just like I can get a good photograph of anyone. Just recall that viral photograph from a few years back of Beyonce performing where she was caught in an intense awkward face and every single muscle and vein in her body was on high alert. It wasn’t the most flattering, right? And that’s my point. Anyone, even Beyonce, can wind up with bad photographs of themselves.
Now, we’ve only addressed the first portion of what it means to be photogenic. In fact, if this idea was a photograph, we’d still be sitting with it in the Developer. It hasn’t moved to the Rinse or the Fix yet.
Let’s not ignore the secondary definition of photogenic as it pertains to biology - “BIOLOGY (of an organism or tissue) producing or emitting light.”
I. Love. This. Definition.
Why? Because photography, back before the first camera was invented - the whole idea behind photography - and then with the very first photograph ever taken - photography, is simply capturing light.
The whole reason photography works is because of light. Without light, there is no photography. Without getting too geeky (because, this science really gets me excited), here’s where I’m coming from.
We are all organisms - made of living tissue. All organisms and tissue, all matter, is made of atoms and energy; they emit and reflect lightwaves which is where colors come from. The different frequencies of light and how they are reflected by or absorbed by an object determines the colors that are visible.
We are all biological creatures producing or emitting light.
Have you ever watched someone who was sad laugh at a joke? Have you ever noticed the “pregnancy glow?” Maybe this will may seem too “woo” but I see science : The energy at which that person’s matter is moving increases and it emits a noticeable light.
And that, right there, is why I see being photogenic as a misconstrued idea.
When your likeness, your essence is being photographed all the camera is doing is capturing the light emitted off all the objects in the camera frame.
Everyone, by the science of it, is photogenic. It’s not a standard by which to compare people or judge yourself.