Knowing somebody's bio photo may not help you when they cut in front of you in the lunch line. Recognition cues there are very different.
Also, recognition is a lot about context. When you see him in a black turtleneck on stage, you're primed.
I was once visiting a pal Google and ran across Eric Schmidt. Turns out his office was right next to a development team. I could have easily picked him out of a set of photos, but I wasn't expecting him to walk out of a small office in a random part of the building. It wasn't until he was walking away that I said, "Wait a minute. Was that..." And that was seeing his face, rather than the back of his head.
Also, recognition is a lot about context. When you see him in a black turtleneck on stage, you're primed.
I was once visiting a pal Google and ran across Eric Schmidt. Turns out his office was right next to a development team. I could have easily picked him out of a set of photos, but I wasn't expecting him to walk out of a small office in a random part of the building. It wasn't until he was walking away that I said, "Wait a minute. Was that..." And that was seeing his face, rather than the back of his head.