Do you look much better in person than in photos or the other way around?

Ask a bunch of people this question and you might get a bunch of different answers. Everyone has a different opinion about their looks and features. One of the problems of course is bias -- when you look at a person in real life, you don't just see a frozen, unmoving outer shell, these people are animated and you will subconsciously read a lot about them from their movements and expressions, distorting your perception of the outer shell/appearance whereas in a photo you tend to see just a frozen frame. A picture can freeze a moment of your life, your emotions & your exterior that’s it. Beyond this though, it all really depends upon the studio equipment & photographer who is taking the picture, if he/she is good.

Most people look better in person. A photo is just, well, a snapshot in time. In person, there is movement and expression. By the time you start to notice something about someone's face, it's moved, changed and the moment is gone forever. In real life there is beauty which really lies in the eyes of beholder and people’s opinion will vary. You tend to see a lot of emotions, gestures good or bad, when interacting with a wide variety of people.

As for myself, I look terrible in photos and not much better in real life. I guess I am just not a photogenic person. No matter which camera angle is used, I just don’t look right. I guess I should stop comparing my own pictures to the professional pictures that I see everywhere since the photos in magazines, newspapers and other places are usually fake though as they have been airbrushed or photo shopped most of the times. So, I must ask you all: Do you look much better in person, or in pictures? Have you ever had an occasion when you felt like you just did not look no matter how hard you tried?