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Mirrors-our best buddies

Fitilla

Banned
Joined
Jul 2, 2012
Messages
157
Have you noticed the way you look in defferent mirrors?

in one you look ok,the next one even better,change the angles / different positions due to lighting and stuff with different results in every mirror. And then on some you really look like a locust,I know they do put mirrors that make you look slimmer in boutique shops..

I gotta say that I've been thinking that I do it frequently at every opportunity
 
My full length bedroom mirror makes me look long and shiny and the lighting makes me look smooth as hell. My kitchen window makes me look real big and shows details im sure I havnt got lol. I Add 20lbs and removes about 5% bodyfat just walking down stares lol
 
Think carnival mirrors. This is a pet peeve of mine, factor this into my response

Have you noticed the way you look in different mirrors?

in one you look ok, the next one even better, change the angles / different positions due to lighting and stuff with different results in every mirror. And then on some you really look like a locust, I know they do put mirrors that make you look slimmer in boutique shops.

I gotta say that I've been thinking that I do it frequently at every opportunity

You have good eye. I don’t think most people are aware of this, or in my opinion are aware of this phenomenon
but choose to ignore it or use it in favor of an image the best represents what they want to look like; think they
look like while totally disregarding all other images as irrelevant, not accurate or flattering, etc. . . .

The use and application of inaccurate camera angles and lenses is nothing short of an epidemic here (and on the
web in general to be fair). We have become so desensitized to reality that we would not recognize it if hit us across
the face like a used catfish. Really sad. Trust me, most people look nothing like the images the images they post here.
You would be very disappointed if you were to ever meet them in person. There are exceptions, but mostly I think
I am pretty right-on. This is my bizz (people fotos) . . . I know that people look like and what a camera can and can’t do.

The members that are competing and show competition pics are the real bodybuilders and these images are by far
the most accurate as they show ratio, perspective and comparison and they are typically taken with a long lens
which reduces the distortion that the internet poses tend to favor.

Years ago (2008; and yes, I have been around that long) I did a post that was turned into a ‘sticky.’ It is called
Physique Photography 101. It is in the Members Photos section and I believe it is still relevant. One could do worse
than by reading it and abiding by its general principles, that is if you are interested in an accurate representation
of oneself, something to compare ones progress against. Or . . . keep taking the bathroom cell phone pics if you are
interested in something different . . .
 
I have been hit across the face with a used catfish - and let me tell you it is NOT pleasant

Good Lord you are right though... I have seen pics taken and angles that it looks like a contortionist couldn't even do... But - looks good brah!!! That's all the wanna hear - not reality
 
Last edited:
Definitely lighting plays a big part of it. I Always joke that I gain 10lbs from walking from the squat racks to the dumbells at my gym. The way I look in the mirrors next to dumbells is much better. I don't know exactly why but it is definitely the case.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Alfresco, thanks for the insightful post. I too have always wondered if the way mirrors are made could cause some distortion, but being an ex-photographer, I really noticed the lighting seems to be a culprit too. I just didn't think that it was as much of a factor, because most gyms have lighting that is evenly spread out.
 
more info

Alfresco, thanks for the insightful post. I too have always wondered if the way mirrors are made could cause some distortion, but being an ex-photographer, I really noticed the lighting seems to be a culprit too. I just didn't think that it was as much of a factor, because most gyms have lighting that is evenly spread out.

In case anybody is really interested in this stuff . . .

Actually, it’s not really the mirrors that are responsible for the distortion, although ‘bad’ mirrors
can contribute. (FYI . . . the best mirrors, zero distortion and near 100% reflectivity, are beyond
expensive. They are used cinematographic and photographic and cannot be touched, are cleaned
by a spray-on cleaner, you get to peel the cleaner off. :cool:) It is really the wide angle that usually comes
with your camera. (I have a camera in my phone and I have never used it, have no clue how to use it.
I do not have a ‘smart’ phone . . . my wife says I am too dump for a smart phone . . . haha)
Seriously . . . the wider the viewing angle, and the angle of lens (not parallel to the subject) and
being way too close are typically what is responsible for all distorted physique fotos / selfies we see.

And yes, lighting is a culprit too, flat or evenly spread out on the gym floor and in the bathroom
where so many selfies are made, not good. Overhead lightening, like through a skylight was the best.
That is why so many of the great physique photographs came out of the original Golds Gym in Venice
(on Pacific Ave.), CA. It had great beautiful lightening, both from overhead (think skylights) and
the west facing street windows provided just enough ‘fill’. Clearly the bodybuilders knew this,
would covet this light, and the photographers knew it, knew when and where to stand their
models to take advantage of that, so the magazines sent them there, with Artie Zeller probably
being the most famous.

More about distortion . . .

To remove distortion I would advise using a telephoto lens. Arguably, one of the most famous
physique photographs ever taken was a double front biceps pose of Sergio Oliva taken by Inge
Cook in DeLand, Florida in 1971. Sergio was being trained by Arthur Jones at the time and he attained
his all-time best shape and conditioning (because of Arthur) and is the only photograph I am aware of
where the width of the bodybuilders arms exceeds the height of his head.. Arthur knew this and
so did Sergio, and so did anybody else who was there and knew anything about bodybuilding
(I just missed seeing him). So Arthur arranged a foto session to record this. And Arthur knew a thing
or two about photography having designed a special motion picture camera mount and a custom,
one-of-a-kind anamorphic motion picture lens, that I later recovered for him and helped him sell;
so he did all the right things to accurately represent Sergio’s extraordinary physique at the time
and never to be exceeded, sadly.

The resulting black and white photograph taken by Inge with a Leicaflex 35mm SLR camera using a
telephoto lens from a distance of about 50 yards from Sergio. This was done to remove all distortion,
to separate, isolate, the subject from the environment. How do I know this? Because I owned this
camera and lens; it was a gift to me from Arthur after Inge (who he later married) passed away.
We had talked a lot about that time and that image, all of which I have on tape recored.

And for added prospective, another thing to think about is the photographs taken at contests and why
they are accurate a (aside from side-by-side comparison purposes) representation of a physique.
They are not taken close-up, from the stage; they are taken from the ‘pit’ or audience seating which
literally requires the use of a telephoto lens, which in effect, reduces distortion. Case in point.

Now do you get it?
 
My full length bedroom mirror makes me look long and shiny and the lighting makes me look smooth as hell. My kitchen window makes me look real big and shows details im sure I havnt got lol. I Add 20lbs and removes about 5% bodyfat just walking down stares lol

LOL! I know too well what you mean... and this is precisely why I now only look at myself in ego satisfying mirrors... once I've checked my reflection somewhere and didn't like what I saw, I never go back and look twice... a bad mirror can ruin your day!! :eek::D;)
 
I'm 6'1, 275...11% bf. My Long, narrow and tall mirror makes me look slender and actually smaller. Plus the light is not fostering in my bedroom. My bathroom shower sliding glass door, shows the true monster I am(or I think I am lol) I look more condensed, fuller, the lighting is perfect and gives shadow in my muscle striations. If all else fails, take a pic through Instagram and filter that ish lol!
 
LOL! I know too well what you mean... and this is precisely why I now only look at myself in ego satisfying mirrors... once I've checked my reflection somewhere and didn't like what I saw, I never go back and look twice... a bad mirror can ruin your day!! :eek::D;)

naah,you have to master fidning the right pose to get a satisfying look in every mirror lol
 
mirrors are mean, if I'm looking good, great! If I'm not, sad city.
 

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