In mid-july, French football player Kylian Mbappe posted a series of vacation photos on social media. Viewers quickly noticed a stark contrast between pictures reportedly taken by his girlfriend, Ester Exposito, of him, and those he took of the actress.

While Mbappe's photos were praised for their polish, Exposito appeared in less flattering moments. One X user suggested he needed to improve his photography skills. KLAB commented that even a famous actress could not escape being photographed poorly by her boyfriend.

This situation resonated with many women. In a Reddit discussion, one girl shared that she always captures her boyfriend's best moments, while he often saves her photos from unflattering angles.

Kylian Mbappe photographs Ester Exposito during a trip to Sardinia, Italy. Photo: El Pais

Many men participating in the discussion stated they did not perceive their girlfriends as looking bad in those photos. They simply saw a familiar image of their partner from real life, paying little attention to angles, poses, or lighting. Some preferred natural photos, believing they preserve genuine emotions better than staged shots.

From a psychological perspective, this phenomenon is known as "positive illusion"—the tendency to view one's partner more favorably than they evaluate themselves. Psychologists Pieternel Barelds Dijkstra and Dick P.H. Barelds, from the Heymans Institute for Psychological Research at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, surveyed 93 couples who had been together for an average of 14 years. Their findings indicated that participants consistently rated their partners as more attractive than the partners rated themselves.

One year later, the two researchers published a follow-up survey involving two groups totaling 320 married or cohabiting couples. The study, published in the journal Personal Relationships, continued to observe a tendency to idealize a partner's physical appearance. Individuals who exhibited this tendency more strongly also tended to rate their relationship quality higher.

Another study revealed that photos of a romantic partner can elicit different brain responses compared to photos of an acquaintance. Jarred Younger and his colleagues at Stanford University School of Medicine in the US used functional magnetic resonance imaging to monitor 15 students in the first nine months of a relationship.

When viewing photos of their partners, brain regions associated with reward feelings showed increased activity. The sensation of pain, induced by a thermal device on the palm, also significantly decreased. This response did not occur when they viewed photos of an acquaintance of similar attractiveness. However, the study focused on pain perception and brain activity, not measuring photography skill or proving that men are inherently worse photographers than women.

Beyond emotional factors, shooting conditions also affect image quality. Rai Robledo, a portrait and fashion photographer based in Madrid, Spain, noted that even experienced photographers find it challenging to create a perfect shot in crowded, dimly lit environments, or when the subject is unprepared. Photographers sometimes focus on capturing a memory rather than adjusting lighting, composition, and pose.

Adrian Magno, an Australian wedding photographer, experiences this despite his professional background. What his wife considers flaws are details he cherishes. "After 12 years together, I no longer know which side of her face is better, because every side is beautiful in my eyes," Adrian Magno said.

These explanations do not make the complaints disappear. Molly McNearney, an American television writer and producer and wife of host Jimmy Kimmel, once remarked that the gift many mothers desire on Mother's Day is simply a good photo with their children. She then presented a comparison of photos taken by women on her team of their husbands versus photos they received from their husbands, clearly illustrating the difference.

Ngoc Ngan (According to El Pais)