New Data Reveals Americans' Perceptions about Themselves in Photos and Photos They Wish They Could Take Back

MELVILLE, N.Y. (Dec. 18, 2009) - Nikon Inc., world leader in digital imaging, recently announced the results of its 2009 “Picture Yourself” survey that reveals consumer attitudes about self-image.

Just in time for the holiday portrait season, Nikon’s “Picture Yourself” survey revealed that if people could turn back time, they would choose to retake a family portrait (25 percent), a high school graduation photo (21 percent), a driver's license photo (21 percent), a wedding photo (15 percent) and a birthday party photo (7 percent).

With the holiday season in full swing, Nikon provided the following tips for taking mantle-worthy holiday photos this winter season. Whether you are taking photos with a point-and-shoot or D-SLR camera, these simple tips are sure to deliver great results throughout the holidays:

• Keep your eyes on the camera and look at the lens not the flash to avoid red-eye and blinking

• Find a simple background. It’s about the people not the holiday props (so lose the elf ears)

• Focus on what’s important. Faces! It’s called a background for a reason, so keep it that way. Nikon cameras also offer a great face detection feature to help you

• Don’t get too close when using a flash, because too much light overexposes faces

• Lighten up on the flash! If you're shooting holiday lights try turning off your flash and holding your camera very steady for a more stunning photo

• Try new angles for posing. Once you have your family and background set, take pictures from different angles to add some creative variety

• Take lots of pictures. The more pictures you snap, the greater chance you will capture a special holiday moment

Data also showed that whether you like having your picture taken or not, it’s practically unavoidable. Nearly every American adult (92 percent) had at least one picture taken of them so far this year. Among all American adults, 79 percent believe they looked better in person than in pictures. This data was consistent in responses from both men and women; 79 percent of women preferring the real deal to a photograph, along with 78 percent of men.

“Due to the overwhelming popularity of social networking and photo-sharing websites, it is almost impossible to avoid having your photograph taken and shared with others,” said Lisa Baxt, senior manager, Communications, Nikon Inc. “In line with the needs of consumers, Nikon’s newest COOLPIX products offer innovative technology and simple features to help consumers to look their best and solve common photo problems including red-eye, uneven skin tones and lighting issues.”

When it comes to common photo problems, Nikon’s survey also discovered that the most prominent feature people disliked about themselves in a photo was weight with 26 percent. Other features that bothered people in pictures were smile or teeth (18 percent), red-eye (16 percent), wrinkles (8 percent), shiny skin (7 percent) and pale skin (6 percent).

Additionally, Nikon’s survey results also showed that men are beginning to steal the spotlight. This year, men have had nearly twice as many photos taken of them than women. Men have had an average of 73 photos taken of them, while women had only a measly 38 photos.

The Nikon survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 1,000 nationally representative Americans ages 18 and older between August 12 and August 18, 2009 via telephone using Random Digit Dialing. Wakefield is a research consultancy specializing in strategic and tactical research for corporate, non-profit, and political clients.

For information about Nikon’s complete line of digital imaging products, please visit http://www.nikonusa.com.