Photogenic

Photogenic

A photogenic subject (generally a person), is a subject that usually appears physically attractive or striking in photographs, regardless of their physical appearance in real life. Photogenic drawing, coined by William Fox Talbot, also describes the earliest method for recording camera images.

A person described as being photogenic may not necessarily be particularly attractive in real life.

There are a few different possible causes for this. First, it's important to understand the difference between looking at someone with two eyes as opposed to through a single camera lens. With two eyes, the human brain is able to see the three dimensional aspects of someone's face, even when viewed directly from the front, and it gives much more information than most cameras. With a camera, the subject is viewed through a single lens, and thus much of the three dimensional qualities of the face are lost, and the face may seem narrower, less full, or with different proportions, especially when viewed at a close proximity. An interesting effect can be seen if one compares a close up picture of someone's face to a picture taken from twenty feet away from the same angle (particularly while directly facing the camera). The face will appear different in each picture, and the farther shot will give a better representation of the person's true three dimensional appearance. A more detailed explanation of this concept can be found in the US patent document for the "imaginograph". [ [http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5556184-description.html Imaginograph] ]

Another explanation for the fact that attractive people are not always photogenic is that part of their attractiveness may be due to the charisma they bear in real life due to the way they move, express, and behave themselves. While this will positively influence the subjective appearance of that person in real life, a still photograph usually fails to reproduce these attributes, possibly rendering a picture of the person less attractive than the real-life perception and contributing to classify that person as less photogenic.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Photogenic How To Be Photogenic at WikiHow]
* [http://www.dphoto.us/forum/archive/index.php/t-2716.html Forum about the definition of 'Photogenic']


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • photogenic — 1839, produced or caused by light, from PHOTO (Cf. photo ) + genic produced by (see GENUS (Cf. genus)). Originally in photogenic drawing, the early term for photography; meaning photographing well is first attested 1928 …   Etymology dictionary

  • Photogenic — Pho to*gen ic, a. Of or pertaining to photogeny; producing or generating light. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • photogenic — ► ADJECTIVE 1) looking attractive in photographs. 2) Biology producing or emitting light …   English terms dictionary

  • photogenic — [fōt΄ə jen′ik] adj. [ PHOTO + GENIC] 1. due to or produced by light 2. producing or giving off light; phosphorescent 3. that looks or is likely to look attractive in photographs: said especially of a person photogenically adv …   English World dictionary

  • photogenic — pho·to·gen·ic .fōt ə jen ik adj 1) produced or precipitated by light <photogenic epilepsy> <photogenic dermatitis> 2) producing or generating light: PHOSPHORESCENT <photogenic bacteria> * * * pho·to·gen·ic (fo″to jenґik) 1 …   Medical dictionary

  • photogenic — adjective Date: 1839 1. produced or precipitated by light < photogenic dermatitis > 2. producing or generating light ; phosphorescent < photogenic bacteria > 3. suitable for being photographed especially because of visual appeal < a photogenic… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • photogenic — adjective /ˌfəʊ.təʊˈdʒɛn.ɪk/lang=en/ˌfoʊ.toʊˈdʒɛn.ɪk,ˌfoʊ.təˈdʒɛn.ɪk/lang=en a) Generated or caused by light. The sunbather developed a photogenic melanoma on her back. b) Producing or emitting light, luminescent. The photogenic bacteria were… …   Wiktionary

  • photogenic — pho|to|gen|ic [ˌfəutəˈdʒenık, ˌfəutəu US ˌfoutə ] adj [Date: 1800 1900; Origin: photogenic produced by light , from photo + genic produced by ; influenced by photo and photograph] always looking attractive in photographs ▪ Helen is very… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • photogenic — [[t]fo͟ʊtəʤe̱nɪk[/t]] ADJ GRADED Someone who is photogenic looks nice in photographs. I ve got a million photos of my boy. He s very photogenic …   English dictionary

  • photogenic — photogenically, adv. /foh teuh jen ik/, adj. 1. forming an attractive subject for photography or having features that look well in a photograph: a photogenic face. 2. Biol. producing or emitting light, as certain bacteria; luminiferous;… …   Universalium

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