Does anyone else have a real phobia about being photographed? Is it related to the image you have of yourself?

Not me but I know another jelly who does. :-)

I don’t like it. If forced to face the camera and smile, I feel as though I look like a dork, even though I’ve been told that I don’t. I hate posing for the camera. It feels so unnatural to me.

Funny thing is, my Mom was an attractive woman but hated it also. Maybe, that’s where I get it from (watching her reaction)?

Anyhow, whatever, I don’t like it.

I never used to be, but with all of this publicity about NSA storage and things following you around for ever, I’m more worried than I was before.

Back in the days of printed photographs (which are a pain in the ass to have made these days), you could be pretty sure of the safety and security of your pictures (despite the Robin Williams film). But now, the picture of me standing in the forest by a rive could be circulated to a million people and used to frame me for poisoning the river with arsenic.

Context is everything, and shared photos over the internet hardly ever have context.

Yes I do. I don’t want strange women putting me on Facebook saying we are dating, when I’ve never met the person for more 15 minutes.

No, but I hate it when the person taking the photo takes forbloodyever to take it.
You can actually see the moment a smile turns into barely contained rage, the photo turns out looking like a frustrated ventriloquist…gottle a geer.

I don’t have a phobia about it, but I don’t like being in pictures. Most photos people have of me are taken when I’m doing something and don’t know that I’m in the photo. My friends rarely purposefully try to take pictures of me at least.

For me, it’s not that I hate how I look either, it’s just I don’t think many photos of myself turn out well, especially if I have to pose for it. I probably subconsciously sabotage those ones.

I hate being photographed because I am not satisfied with my image.

I often wonder which image is more correct, the one I see of myself in the bathroom mirror, the one in the passage way, or the one reflected back from a shop window. I think what I am trying to say is, a photograph is just that, one part of a collection of images, so which one is correct?

Hopefully the image in my lovers eyes who thinks I am gorgeous!

My ex SIL hated to have her picture taken because she didn’t like the way she looked. I thought she was beautiful so I couldn’t understand why she felt that way. But any picture taken with her in it was practically ruined because she would turn her head so fast the picture would blur.
Maybe she was in the witness protection program.

I don’t mind, but my wife would really rather not be in any photos.

I am quite (very) phobic about having my photo taken or of being filmed. I have submitted to it when I really can’t avoid it but that just makes the outcome worse because I’m so uncomfortable. I had to give a presentation recently to some peers and one of my colleagues wanted to film the session so he could use it as a training resource. I said yes because I felt I should do it, then had cold sweats all night thinking about it! I had to say, no, you can’t film me.

I don’t know what has caused it. I could say well I’m older and not as slim as I once was but I can remember back many years to when I studied broadcast journalism (it included radio as well as TV which was why I took it) and I had to do a piece to camera.. far out. I was freaked out about that. I was a lot younger and I was slim and had no reason to feel self-conscious so I don’t know why it is. Although I never like photos of me. I can’t think of more than a handful that I’ve liked.

Still, I have submitted to the horror when required. My wedding photos were beautiful. Perhaps I was so happy and relaxed and busy I didn’t have time to stress?

That’s what I’m talking about @Bellatrix

It isn’t a fear of body image. We’re fine, live and in person (appearing for one night only!) but the image looks as wrong as hearing your own voice recorded.

It isn’t ME. It simply isn’t. It’s as if I’ve been captured and replicated.

Notice how I’m not looking at the camera?

edited by me

I didn’t use to but I do now. Only because family and friends feel it gives them permission to post your picture everywhere online.
Your fear can also possibly be that you know some really bad picture takers or you simply don’t photograph well.
When my daughter takes my picture, she will wait for the right moment before snapping it and will delete any I don’t like. My husband is perfect for working as a papparazzi. He can photograph the most beautiful woman in the world and snap her picture just as she makes a weird face and make her look like she is hopped up on drugs.

I hate it! I always look awful!
I will go and hide when somebody pulls out the camera.

I don’t mind being photographed, but I don’t like being told to smile or something. I’ll smile if I fucking feel like smiling, thank you very much.

I don’t have a phobia, but I am not very photogenic so I usually don’t like pictures of myself.

@Mama_Cakes The side view of your face is very pretty.

@Blueroses I HATE hearing my recorded voice! I always think I sound like a guy. Seriously. I don’t understand why the voice I hear when I’m speaking isn’t the voice I hear on voicemail or whatever.

My mom is the same way to this day. She always gets this strained over zealous smile when her picture is about to be taken. I have no idea if she beautiful or not. I don’t feel qualified to say.

For many years after I became concious of it I was the same. I had a boyfriend who loved taking pictures of me, well he liked photography in general. He took pictures when I was natural and unprepared. Then he showed me what he loved about them.

I also learned angles I felt were more flattering. Or to relax my face and lean in to impart warmness. How to communicate with the camera I guess.

The mirror is my friend. I look good in the mirror (although, I suspect there’s some mental photoshopping going on).

Not being very photogenic, I never look as good in photos as I (think) I do in the mirror.

In fact, my size plus my forced smile makes me look like a whale having a stroke.

Yes and certainly yes to both questions!

@bob_
Amen. I always show a natural expression. Smiling without true intentions is so fake in my opinion, and I can never do it well.

I absolutely hate it. I feel like asking the person taking the picture if they’re trying to break their camera by taking my pic, or if it’s a group picture, I want to ask “why do you want to ruin the otherwise nice photo by including me in it?”.

The mental image I have of myself is of someone younger, thinner, and better looking. Photos destroy that illusion. They can fuck right off, thank you very much.