On Facial Recognition: How is it for you?

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I'm basically faceblind. There's a scenario that happens over and over again, and I'm kind of sick of it:

Random Person: Hi!
Me (a bit, puzzled, can't place person): Uh, hi.
Random Person: What's up? How's ____?
Me: Ok. [Eventually figures out who random person is from contextual clues in the conversation, or someone addresses RP by name.) Oh, hi Frank. Sorry I didn't recognize you at first. I'm really bad with faces. I'm much better with names.
Frank (AKA Random Person): That's ok. So weird that you're bad with faces but can remember names. I'm the exact opposite.

I read about faceblindness around the same time I was diagnosed. Until then, I had no idea there was a term for it. I'd also gotten so used to identifying people by other characteristics (hair, body type, eye color, piercings/jewelry/tattoos) that I did not realize that most people actually recognize people by facial features alone. I was pretty far along into adulthood before I realized that "I recognize the face" was meant literally, not metaphorically. I had always assumed that "face" was a metonymy for the whole body.

I later realized that this impacted a lot of other aspects of my life. When I was a kid, I couldn't recognize actors in movies, which is probably partly why I preferred things like sci-fi films where everyone was wearing a uniform or cartoons where there were no facial expressions to worry about.

I have a little facial blindness as well. I also have great trouble remembering names and sometimes I go blank on names with people who I see very often. I find THAT part upsetting because it's rude.

i usually remember people by hairstyle, clothing, or something that stands out. i'm use to talking to people like i know them if they initiate conversation. my husband is good at telling me who i was talking to, after the fact. i panic about family members sometime. my sister tried to get my attention in a store once. i got really agitated because some strange woman was following me around (my sister had dyed her hair). i was really worried about being able to recognize my children after they were born. when they were little, i always dressed them in distinctive shirts whenever we would go to the park and i would never let them out of my sight. mostly it was a safety issue but there was always a small fear that something would happen and i wouldn't recognize them. i still make sure that i periodically focus on details about my husband and kids to make sure that i will always recognize them.

So, is it strange at all that I'm not face-blind, despite being on the spectrum?

Leonardo de Vinci (who some ppl say had aspergers syndrome) claimed that he could draw anything photographically from memory. but that for some reason he could never draw his mothers face.

If i don't see someone for a few months and then run into them i won't recognize them at first if at all, even if it's a family member!! If I'm not talking with someone regularly (not that that's something i often do, lol) i will get them mixed up and blurred in with many others. I combat my faceblindness by making effort to associate name with personality and voice and a memory of a conversation or laugh we shared. When in doubt I'll cover up my faceblindness by saying "i'm sorry, i forgot your name" -of course this only works with someone you've recently. met. Its harder for me as an adult actually because my faceblindness has stayed strong even as i have aged and i don't see allthe same faces at school on a daily basis now. I used to use shoes to remember ppl but adults often have multiple pairs. Now i try to focus on height and voice. I still remember when i went on my second date with my now husband and he had shaved his long hair off and gotten a tan. I didn't recognize him until he approached me. There was a time when i had a stalker... being faceblind with a medium built stalker was terrifying because i couldn't tell who was or wasn't him. Thankfully, he eventually was arreste for it.

Faceblindness is hard and can be an emotional thing, but Id rathet have my lot and be like Leo and have my autist talents if i had to choose aspie or NT.