Tech From Here: NL · Sources
Why your selfies make your nose look bigger
The work this post covers and every source it draws on, each linked to the original.
Research cited
Images, slide by slide
- Slide 1
- Diagram of one face drawn front-on twiceImage: RN Collins studio, code-drawn. Checked against Ward B, Ward M, Fried O, Paskhover B. Nasal Distortion in Short-Distance Photographs: The Selfie Effect. JAMA Facial Plast Surg 2018;20(4):333-335, PMC5876805 (Results: about 30 percent wider at 12 in, essentially no difference at 5 ft). Source line drawn on the graphic
- Slide 2
- Diagram of a head in side view facing a camera close byImage: RN Collins studio, code-drawn. Checked against Ward B, Ward M, Fried O, Paskhover B. Nasal Distortion in Short-Distance Photographs: The Selfie Effect. JAMA Facial Plast Surg 2018;20(4):333-335, PMC5876805 (Methods: the face as planes at different distances from the camera). Source line drawn on the graphic
- Slide 3
- Diagram of a face seen from above with a camera close and farImage: RN Collins studio, code-drawn. Checked against Ward B, Ward M, Fried O, Paskhover B. Nasal Distortion in Short-Distance Photographs: The Selfie Effect. JAMA Facial Plast Surg 2018;20(4):333-335, PMC5876805 (distances 12 in and 5 ft; source line drawn on the graphic)
- Slide 4
- Diagram of a line running away from a camera, with the same head seen from above at about 30 centimeters and at about 1.5 metersImage: RN Collins studio, code-drawn. Checked against Ward B, Ward M, Fried O, Paskhover B. Nasal Distortion in Short-Distance Photographs: The Selfie Effect. JAMA Facial Plast Surg 2018;20(4):333-335, PMC5876805 (at 5 feet, essentially no difference). Source line drawn on the graphic
- Slide 5
- Labeled diagram marked Diagram: three bars of modeled nose widthImage: RN Collins studio, code-drawn. Checked against Ward et al. 2018, JAMA Facial Plast Surg 20(4):333-335, PMC5876805 (Results): at 12 inches about 30 percent wider (30 percent men, 29 percent women) than distortion-free; at 5 feet essentially no difference. Source line drawn on the graphic
- Ring frame
- Binocular telescope by Jan and Harmanus van Deijl, Amsterdam, 1789 (Teylers Museum)Frame: Alf van Beem, CC0, croppedMuseum or journal record
- Quotes and video
- RN's test clips at two distances, from her own cameraRN's own footage, 16 Oct 2026, Hotel Mariënhage, Eindhoven