Two-faced: What a difference symmetry makes

When people claim they have a “good side” and a “bad side” for photos, is it all a trick of the mind or are they really on to something?

Julian Wolkienstein’s interest in symmetrical faces was peaked when he heard that humans generally find symmetrical faces more appealing, but how much of a difference does it make if that symmetry is of the good side or bad side, if any at all? Now, you can decide thanks to his enormous collection of “Echoism” portraits.

“They were real people, not models, with specific features that interested me.” It’s remarkable how drastically their appearances change from one photo to the next, and it’s easy to imagine how strange it must be to see yourself with what essentially amounts to an entirely new visual identity. But the point of the project wasn’t necessarily to unsettle. “They can look at themselves in a new light,” he says. “It’s a time to reflect.”

Check out his app to participate in the project and see if your good side is as good as you thought.