That my friend is because you lack the critical eye of an artist, such as my self or my budy Da Vinci
no seriously, may be you haven't done a guitar with figured wood, when you test on scraps, that's when you understand the concept of staining and what makes it look good or bad, and THEN you tend to see this defects stand out in front of you. Unfortunately, these defects are a lot more visible on pictures, like everything else.
I've done figured tops but when I look at pictures I tend to glance and go with my gut reaction. If you study anything long enough you'll find a flaw! Might be why I won't own a Gibson any more.....