What does it mean to be photogenic in 2026?

When it comes to photographs, I look like either an elf or a witch. I have no say in which I’ll resemble at any given moment, but in every photo one or the other prevails – and, honestly, neither would be my preferred outcome. I have never been photogenic in the strictest sense of the word, a quality typically tied to facial symmetry. It has never overly bothered me, though over the past year or so I’ve found myself interrogating images of myself more closely. 

Part of this is likely down to the fact that we see ourselves more than we ever used to. Video has become a primary channel of communication – Zoom and FaceTime mean we are constantly confronted with our own faces. Mirrors are no longer solely physical objects – they are flickering digital entities, woven into how we work and live at home. Add the growing normalisation of cosmetic surgery and it becomes clear that many of us are feeling significant pressure to “perfect” our faces.

A recent study by UCL researchers published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal found a 437 percent increase in UK practitioners of Botox and fillers in the last two years, while the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons reports that facial surgeries boomed in 2025, with blepharoplasties (eyelid surgeries) up 8 percent year on year. According to PolicyBee, one in five Botox bookings across the UK aesthetics industry is being made by 35 to 39-year-olds. Throw in AI retouching and it’s little wonder that many of us are becoming increasingly critical of how we appear in photographs. We are surrounded by faces that have been cosmetically or digitally altered. The bar for being considered photogenic has been raised almost impossibly high, but perhaps the word itself deserves a rethink – or at least a broader definition.

“It suggests there is a fixed quality someone either has or doesn’t have, when really a photograph is a kind of negotiation,” says photographer Rachel Louise Brown, who has taken portraits of some of the world’s most famous faces, from Judi Dench and Ian McKellen to Reese Witherspoon and Aimee Lou Wood. “It is about light, timing, trust, tension, atmosphere. Asymmetry can be beautiful because it stops a face becoming too neat. Often the ‘imperfection’ is where the charge is.”

The concept of facial symmetry as the litmus test for beauty dates back to ancient philosophy. Aristotle believed that “the chief forms of beauty are order and symmetry”. Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Vitruvian Man, depicted as a human ideal, featured a man with perfectly even proportions. Given how deep-rooted these ideals are, it’s no wonder that they’re hard to kick, but Louise Brown isn’t the only one who thinks facial balance isn’t essential to photograph well. “Being ‘photogenic’ is far less about having perfect features and much more about comfort, expression, posture, light, angles and confidence,” says Poppy Hollis, a Kent-based photographer specialising in travel and portraiture. “A good photographer also makes a huge difference. The camera doesn’t just record appearance – it records energy, comfort and connection.”

Noemi Alessandra has spent most of her career photographing weddings in her native Sicily, a profession that involves capturing people of varying ages, shapes and body types. “The common thread I see in people who photograph well is a mix of self-awareness and vulnerability,” she says. “They aren’t necessarily the most confident, but they are the most present. They have the ability to let go of control and stop performing. There is a certain generosity in letting yourself be seen as you are, without hiding behind a mask.”

What we see in ourselves is very different to how those behind the camera see us. In a world where we take selfies as regularly as vitamins, it’s easy to focus on our flaws. A photographer is searching for something different from stereotypical beauty. “I look for the features that make a face unique,” explains Noemi. “Often, after seeing the photos, people tell me, ‘I didn’t know I could look like that.’ There’s no trick involved. It’s simply because I’m seeing them without the weight of their own self-judgment.”

Often, our physical features and conventional beauty are the least important thing in creating a great picture. What makes the professional photographer excited is the parts that make us human. “I’m interested in the gap between how someone performs themselves and what slips through despite them,” says Rachel. “A portrait becomes interesting when there is some friction – confidence and doubt, control and vulnerability, humour and self-consciousness. The best pictures often happen when someone stops trying to be a picture.”

Of course, relaxing into the moment is easier said than done. As soon as I’m asked to pose for a picture, I turn into a twitchy plank, my smile so forced it could curdle milk. Even the famous and genetically gifted aren’t immune to self-consciousness when a camera appears. “I’ve worked with celebrities who arrive with a retouch map – precise notes around what must be protected or changed,” says Rachel. “I don’t judge that. It says a lot about the pressure people are under. Visibility doesn’t necessarily create ease. Sometimes it creates a more sophisticated form of self-protection.”

Perhaps the greatest reason for disliking having our picture taken is that we worry the world will see our aesthetic failings – wrinkles, crooked teeth or a few extra pounds we wish we didn’t carry. Increasingly, these aspects of real life are like endangered species – a rarity in an era of Ozempic, Botox and filters. “I edit my work technically: colour balance, contrast, tone, refining light, but I try not to alter the essence of what was there,” says Poppy. “Once skin is over-smoothed, features reshaped or everything pushed through heavy filters, something human tends to disappear from the image.”

All this is to say that conforming to a traditional model of beauty doesn’t necessarily result in being photogenic. "We should value age,” says Rachel. “Photographing a face is about nuance – tiny movements around the eyes, mouth, brow, jaw. Personality that can shine through. When everything is smoothed or fixed, some of that detail can disappear.”

Our faces are complicated and unique. Each bears our lived experiences, contours and memories. Relaxing into them is the best asset we have and, according to the experts, the fast track to becoming devastatingly photogenic. Time for me to lean into the pixie-witch hybrid.

Expert tips on becoming more photogenic

Move big or small “The camera is often kinder in transition. Don’t hold a smile until it dies on your face. Breathe out. Let the jaw soften. Move a little. Look away and come back.” – Rachel Louise Brown

Consider your lighting “Lighting makes the biggest difference. Soft natural light is usually the most flattering – window light, overcast daylight, early morning or late afternoon light all tend to soften skin and create dimension without harsh shadows.” – Poppy Hollis

Don’t force a pose “If you don’t feel like yourself, the camera will know. Listen to your body, breathe and occupy the space naturally. When you are truly comfortable, your inner light aligns with the external light, and that’s precisely when the magic happens.” – Noemi Alessandra

Tweak your angle “Tiny adjustments can completely change a photograph. For example, relaxing the shoulders or turning the body away a little from the camera instead of square on.” – Poppy Hollis