How can you find out which pictures will be most attractive for your potential partners?
On dating sites it’s crucial to stand out from the crowd. A gloomy selfie with a generic filter won’t do it for you; it will make site viewers feel that you are nothing special. You are better than this!
Quality profile photos can beat hundreds of your competitors in your area that have average pictures.
Your pictures should be flattering.
Don’t make faces. Don’t take pictures when you are drunk, too silly, just woke up, unhappy, or too tired.
To make flattering pictures you can use a lot of things: the right lighting, composition, background, camera angles, posing, eye contact, genuine smile, hand placement, quality make up and styling, right clothing for your shape, and so much more. You can create glowing look with a lot of light, or dramatic and intense, moody images. Or both!
If you want to build trust with your potential partners, use your best profile photos.
Your photos need to be true and genuine.
Avoid photos of things or people that aren’t of you. Use recent pictures of yourself. Lying is a bad way to start a relationship; you won’t make it to a second date, so what’s the point?
You CAN have flattering AND true pictures of yourself!
Professional photographers can help you with this and make you irresistible on dating sites.
Feeling confident and happy on your photos is also very important. Happiness is attractive and powerful. Happy pictures make people think about how fun it'll be next to you. That’s why the huge part of my photography services is creating a fun and relaxing experience, and making you feel unique and great looking.
The more confident you feel during the photo session, the better pictures you get, and the more confident you become as you see these pictures on your profile and all those people you attracted!
Post a variety of pictures.
1. The first obvious profile picture should be a close up photo of your face.
Don't hide your face in your images. Hat and sunglasses in all or most pictures will make people wonder what you are trying to cover up.
Your potential match wants to look into your eyes. Eye contact reads as confidence, and confidence is attractive.
2. Your second picture should be a full body shot.
According to Zoosk, using a full body photo increases hits received by 203%.
Don’t worry about your body shape too much; you still can look beautiful, if you plan your shots accordingly.
Every woman has concerns about her shape, even if others find her absolutely gorgeous. I had mine too. I learned my best poses and angles, and it gave me confidence. As a result, I looked great on my photos, even for my self-critical eye.
Yes, I can help you to find your best angles and most attractive poses, and other professional photographers can do it as well. And here is one important psychological thing to consider: if you see how flattering you can look on the picture, you FEEL beautiful and powerful, and this adds volumes on top of your beautiful full body shot!
If you feel beautiful, as you look at your pictures and get hits from the desirable matches, you will SHINE on your first dates with them!
3. Choose photos show your lifestyle, and reflect unique aspects of your personality.
Include a couple of photos that show your everyday life, but make sure that it is something that would intrigue your potential match. These pictures (action shots) show you doing something you love (playing sports, dancing, painting, hiking, or riding a motorcycle).
You want to be interesting.
You want viewers to identify with you and to want to be in your life.
Your lifestyle images will bring up different responses in people, and it’s okay. You can’t please everyone. You don’t need everyone. You need the right one that will match you.
Be true to your personality, values, and standards.
4. Add one family picture, of a picture with your friend.
Social picture makes viewers assume that you are caring and friendly and value people around you. It also increases trust in people and shows that you are real and open, that you are not some creep or catfish.
Don’t post large group photos though, unless you clearly stand out from the crowd.
For men showing their manly, leadership qualities is important. If you decide to use a group picture (group of friends, a sport team, etc.), you should be a focal point, the hottest guy that attracts the eye.
Stand in the middle of your group. According to psychological studies, it creates in viewers an impression of your importance as a person who others want to have around, especially if you are touching your friend’s art or shoulder.
And it’s better to avoid pictures of you and another person that is the same gender you’re looking to match. It looks shady and confusing, and raises a lot of questions. People won’t ask you if it’s your ex or your sibling; most likely they will just skip your profile and move on.
Choose the right backgrounds, lighting, clothes, makeup, and hair style.
Best backgrounds for the dating pictures are natural for you habitats. It’s important to show your personality and lifestyle. Choice of clothes, matching makeup and styling are also essential things to consider, if you want to look attractive and convey a certain message.
Pictures of people that take care of themselves show others that they are proud of who they are, and this is exactly how people will perceive them.
A poor profile picture makes you seem uninterested and sloppy. You can choose where to focus the viewers’ attention by choosing the right clothing and makeup.
Right lighting is crucial for the quality photos. I love natural light; it’s also the kind of a light that can give you the soft, beautiful look. The most flattering pictures are taken in a shadow, close to the sun or other lighting source.
Use a white or silver reflector to add more light to the face and bring life to the eyes.
If you can’t find a shadow, hold something (white would be best), to block the sun from above.
Pictures taken on a direct sun are not attractive, especially for women; they create deep shadows and emphasize wrinkles, lines, and skin blotchiness.
Men usually don’t care much about wrinkles and lines, but don’t look great on a direct sun light either. Some parts of a face is overexposed, and some are too dark and lose details.
I am not a big fan of a flash, but if you use it, set it at the 45° from your face. If you use it upfront, you might end up looking too washed out and flat. For men particularly it’s not a good look.
Plus, you will create a deep shadow behind or at the side, so make sure you stand far away from your background (for example, a wall).
Successful close up photos of men tend to have more contrast and dimensions than the women’s close up portraits. It generates a message to a viewer that the man is a strong, powerful, and desirable mate. More dramatic, intense look creates an impression of him as an alpha male.
For women I use a softer light, or create glowing by using a lot of reflectors and diffusers. If you turn your face straight to the light (face the window or the big soft box), this soft and big light fill in your wrinkles and dark circles (which are basically shadows on your face), and you will look more youthful and feminine.
So your online profile pictures have to make the right first impression.
I know that it can be overwhelming to create a good, catchy dating profile, and then have to take care of a successful variety of quality pictures to add on it. You need to think about lighting, locations, clothes, angles, and a right way to set up your camera. You have to research about tips and tricks, to design the set of images that makes you stand out from the crowd of your competitors.
That’s why I decided to offer a web portrait service to help anyone who struggles with their dating and media pictures. I know how important it is, because I went through the same process and talked to many people that were frustrated with their dating photos or pictures on the profiles they browsed.
I learned how to stand out on the online sites by researching and trying different things, and discovered the power of the right posing and expressions. My dating experience was fun and adventurous, and the best thing was meeting my true match on the online dating site. I couldn’t be happier with the result!
Professional photography education expanded my knowledge on this subject excessively, and now I want to help others on their dating journey. Check out my other articles with tips and advices about online dating. Feel free to message me with any questions, or if you seek the help of a professional photographer.
In one professional session, you can get different looks, including professional headshots in addition to the dating profile pictures.
Just relax and let me guide you through the process. I will look for what works and what doesn’t with you specifically, and make sure that you get exactly what you want, that you don’t look fake and don’t portray the wrong message to your potential partners.