SizeComparedWhy you look shorter (or taller) in photos
Photos are unreliable for judging height. Four things change the result far more than people expect.
1. Camera height
A camera below eye level makes people look taller; a camera held above the head makes them look shorter. For a fair comparison the lens should be at about half the subject’s height.
2. Distance from the lens
Whoever stands closer to the camera looks bigger. A step forward can “add” several centimetres, which is why group photos are poor evidence of celebrity heights.
3. Wide-angle distortion
Phone front cameras are wide-angle. Close up, they stretch whatever is near the edges of the frame and shrink what is in the middle.
4. Posture and footwear
Slouching can cost 2–4 cm; trainers add about 2–3 cm and heels 5–10 cm.
A to-scale drawing avoids all of this: every figure on the SizeCompared board is drawn from its measured height.