Theory of Asymmetry

 

Part of a photographer’s job is to calm and distract the subject while taking their picture. This is not always easy, especially when they say, “I look terrible in photos” or “I might break your camera”. One solution is to describe the Theory of Asymmetry. It not only explains away some of their fears, but talking while you work distracts them from getting nervous. It goes like this:

Everyone’s face is asymmetrical. We are used to seeing ourselves in a mirror, which of course, gives us a flipped image of what we really look like. What we see in a photograph is what everyone else is used to but it is the exact opposite of our own reality.

This theory, admittedly, is my own creation and does not stem from any scientific research. I use it merely to assuage the common affliction that I call: Fear of Having Your Picture Taken.

Look at these two pictures. You can see quite a difference. When I see myself in a picture or a double mirror image, I think my smile looks crooked. In a mirror, or when I flop the picture, I think I look normal. I comfort myself by realizing that nobody else sees what I see.

The picture on the right is the flopped image.

~Janet Worne