Everyone is Photogenic | Jacques-Jean Tiziou | TEDxFreeLibraryofPhiladelphia

JJ Tiziou troubles our typical notion of what it means to be photogenic and makes the case that all people are naturally photogenic. He says that creating space for one's own and other people's beauty...
Jacques-Jean "JJ" Tiziou is a photographer specializing in portraiture and movement documentation; he has never encountered an un-photogenic person in his life.
He has been recognized as one of Philadelphia’s “Creative Connectors” by Leadership Philadelphia, and is the recipient of the Spiral-Q Artist Activist Award. His images are used both in corporate and editorial contexts as well as arts and activism; he also photographs weddings and hosts house concerts. His 85,000sqft How Philly Moves mural at PHL International Airport was recognized as one of the nation’s best public art projects by Americans for the Arts in their 2012 Public Art Network Year in Review.
Based at The Cedar Works in West Philadelphia, JJ uses his work to celebrate the beautiful people around him who are working to make the world a better place. You can find more of his work online at www.jjtiziou.net, www.HowPhillyMoves.org and there's a message that he'd like to share with you at www.EveryoneIsPhotogenic.com.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

[@amymadden4631]

Thank you for this wonderful talk! I have so much anxiety about this, I have had a legitimate depressive crisis over this. My face is strange. And I have been told I am beautiful but any time I get near a camera I freak out because I know i will look like a corpse. Its horrible. I am afraid of social occasions, I am afraid of getting ID photos. I am terrified someone will post pictures of me online. Its awful. So was searching for inspiration,and ran across this. I know that beauty is not magazine covers, I am an artist who understands beauty in a more holistic way, but can't get over my fear of photographs of myself. This talk made me feel slightly better, thank you so much.

[@therehasbeenamistake5587]

Amy Madden you my long lost twin. Feel the exact same way.

[@hope-uk5mf]

straight out of my heart

[@crazyman7587]

I feel the same

[@partlyironic]

This man has never met me, and it shows.

[@nikkiw2548]

I haven't listened to everything so I don't know if he's mentioned it but honestly there are people that take really nice pictures naturally (no fancy cameras or studio) and there are people who don't take pictures looking like that

[@orenhaim2965]

The problem is not beautiful or not, it's if you're symmetrical or not. Not a lot of people are symmetrical but some are way too asymmetrical and the camera hates it. With a noticeable asymmetrical people there is not much you can do, They won't be photogenic and that's a fact.

[@hope-uk5mf]

Harsh but true

[@jeffreybarnett8761]

JJ generates light, that's for sure. Thank you for your message and for your life's work.

[@crystalgonzalez7918]

Yay! Nice talk JJ. Omitting light indeed!

[@MosnoAlMoseeki]

Great talk JJ, Loved it! thank you for sharing it with us :D

[@zephaudi]

this dude is awesome

[@emm8378]

Wow i love this

[@irrelevantFJS]

I'm sorry, but there are plenty of people who just look way worse in photos than in real life. I think it has to do with our facial structures. So some faces create more shading or have yellow tones that are unattractive under a photographic lens. You can MAKE anyone look good, but some people are WAY harder to make look good. I'm not talking about people who have an awkward expression. I'm talking about people who have the same relaxed, beautiful smile as everyone else... but the overall quality of the photo just turns out poor.

[@Kittysuit]

i am like that. and everyone i've ever met has said i look sooooooooo much better irl. i have kinda accepted that i dont take great pics and thats okay, i just dont like people like this ted talk dude telling me that "i am photogenic" when i have a lot of proof that i am certainly not.

[@arttubelady4762]

thanks

[@asterixe1]

Wow, JJ is amazingly photogenic/telegenic. Can he make me photogenic?

[@painful1978]

Nah.. I believe that some people are photogenic and some are not.. Nice talk tho

[@rogue1303]

Just a sales pitch.