Photogenic
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The term photogenic refers to a subject, generally human, 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 look so photogenic in real life. Oftentimes, a person who appears attractive in real life may look less attractive in photograph. This phenomenon is caused by the three dimensional and two dimensional polarizing effect and could explain why a person looks "better" in two dimensions than in three or vice versa. Therefore, a person described as photogenic means he or she looks better in two dimensions.
An additional factor is the charisma a person might 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.
[edit] Media uses
Describing a person as being photogenic or not is a matter of opinion. Hollywood marriages may consist of photogenic persons who appear on magazine covers with the intent of public promotion for both parties.[1] In fact, nearly all modern well-known people in the media may be considered photogenic.
[edit] Alternative meanings
In biology, a photogenic or photocyte produces or emitts light, such as phosphorescent.
Photogenic epilepsy is a reflex epilepsy caused by flickering light.
