Why do people look fat without a camera flash?

when i take digital photos indoors or outdoors without flash, people look fatter than if i took the picture with a flash. what's the deal here? does the flash make us look skinny or does the lack thereof make us look fat?

Why do people look fat without a camera flash?
The camera can't hide the truth. Your fat so hit the gym...LOL
Reply:really look at what your shoting and be aware of view points and angles,





round 105mm (3x on a compact) is generally the zoom i like to use for people, this is thinning or flatning, depends what you want,





so be aware of the zoom your using go tele as opposed to wide,





as for the flash not sure bout that
Reply:I shoot a lot of women in available light, sun light and with studio flash. It is not necessarily the flash that "makes" them appear heavier than they are.





The angle of light can accentuate certain portions of the body ... for the good usually.





The apparent increased weight can be caused by using a lens that is wider than a portrait lens. The wider the more the effect can be seen.
Reply:The on camera flash shouldn't be making someone look skinnier. Front lighting with a flash would actually widen a person's face. Side lighting makes a person look thinner. What is probably happening is that you are changing the focal length (zoom) of your lens. Zooming in slightly will make a person look thinner, zooming out flattens people, and makes them look wider.