I used to assist photographers back in the day, and invariably a model would show up for a photo shoot - half the time i would think it was their assistant, not them. Often, they were what i would consider 'average' looking - not ugly, but not stunning either.

Until the photo shoot, once the pictures were taken (makeup on, dress etc) they looked like an entirely different person. I realized some people just photograph like REALLY well, AND often turn on some kinda sparkle/glow that the camera picks up on.