Clarity of mental pictures of someone

[A Tripolation]

So I've recently thought of something unusual that happens to me when I try to bring up a mental picture of someone. I can usually get a pretty good idea of what they look like if I know them very well, but if I think about an actual picture of them on facebook or something, I can get a much more vivid picture. I can see details a lot more clearly.

 

Is there any explanation for this discrepancy in clarity? Has anyone else experienced this?

 

Also, I put this in The Lounge because I didn't know where to put it. If a mod has a better idea of what category this falls into, I would be thankful for them moving it for me.

[Anura]

I think we human forget the details untill they are brought to our attention. Unless the details have been memorized. Im guessing.

Edited December 16, 2010 by Anura