Having pictures taken

Don't you hate it when people try to take pictures of you or try to make you join a group picture? It's something that has made me feel awkward ever since I was a kid and nobody seems to respect my boundaries.

I was never comfortable with anyone taking a picture of me. Even as a kid the schools would call my mom to come down and force me to have school pictures done. All my school pics have frowns in them. I dont know why i dont like my picture taken , its just something i dont like. I'll let my wife take my picture, but its still not something i volunteerto do.
Group pictures were the worse, as someone has to get in my personal space.
I understand what your saying, people treat you like theres something wrong with you because you dont want your picture taken.
In reality they have a problem not accepting our choices. Its just a picture, leave us alone.

Yes, I hate it. Usually happens during holidays of course, where my mother wants to take pictures of us and I always end up looking bad. But its' not a big deal since no one ever sees the pictures. But the one thing I truly hated was when I was hanging out with my stepsister when we were younger, and she would constantly snap pictures of me, in horrible situations where I looked really bad. For example, waking up in the morning with no make-up. And then, I'd be so angry and try to get her to erase it but she never did. And she would end up putting it on FB. She thought it was hilarious.

But yes, I can never ever look good in pictures, and I hate it when they are shared with others. It's extremely embarrassing.

- EGD.

I've never liked it, and I try to avoid it as often as possible. When my ex and I were just starting to go out, he would take a lot of pictures of me, and I couldn't get out of the situation, and actually started to cry.

I also hate having pictures taken of me, but maybe for different reasons. It is not the act of having a picture taken that really bothers me, it is the subsequent photograph. When I look in the mirror, I find myself attractive (not perfect, but reasonably attractive), but when I look at pictures of me I do not like what I see at all and it typically makes me depressed.

I haven't had pictures taken of me in years. I refuse. I'm always the one taking the picture. Even on my mom's desk at work, she has a picture of me from like 3 or 4 years ago and she forced me into some ugly pink sweater that I hated. I absolutely despise pink and I keep telling her to get rid of the picture. I don't like people knowing what I look like. However, I'm fine taking pictures of myself. I only do this when I first dye my hair, so I can compare the colors later and figure out which was the best, etc.

I take pictures of myself once in a while, but I usually end up deleting them because I don't like how they turned out. I like having control over that.

rootbeer wrote:I also hate having pictures taken of me, but maybe for different reasons. It is not the act of having a picture taken that really bothers me, it is the subsequent photograph. When I look in the mirror, I find myself attractive (not perfect, but reasonably attractive), but when I look at pictures of me I do not like what I see at all and it typically makes me depressed.

I just saw on another board here... the dysmorphic disorder board.. that a mirror only shows up your non symmetrical features once while photos do twice ( I don't know ) so that is why photos make you look worse than you think you look in the mirror. You can look at other people in the mirror and see they look good too.

I always thought I looked good in the mirror but photos would horrify me. Much worse when I was fatter. I think mirrors give you a false image of yourself. Sadly the photo image is what everyone else sees.

One thing I am working on is that there are tricks you can do, that I suppose introverts don't do, to make yourself look better in photos. For instance, take the photo a little high - focused down on you - and you will look better. Always stand with one leg in front of the other (you see this on red carpets) and when you smile .. think of something funny to make your smile look non forced.

Also.. don't think that other people don't go through 900 photos before they find one they like.. yes they do.

Pictures are tough. I used to be very self conscious when pictures were taken, and would sometimes blush. Nowadays I don't like having my picture taken, but I endure it. I have trouble smiling on command - another reason why I dislike photos.

Sara mentioned mirrors vs. photos. When I look in the mirror, I see what I expect to see: someone not especially handsome, not remarkably ugly. In other words, not attractive but not unpleasant to look at. Pictures on the other hand... in one picture I'll look very dashing. In another picture I'll look like a serial killer. Sometimes I don't even recognize myself. I don't get it.

Lady Mondegreen wrote:I take pictures of myself once in a while, but I usually end up deleting them because I don't like how they turned out. I like having control over that.

Do you ever sometimes like them for about a week then analyse them to the point where you then absolutely hate them and cringe at why you thought they were good?