The online dating profile photo is your best showcase of who you are. It’s the first thing a person sees as he cruises through the list of profiles. Use it to your advantage. Think like a marketing expert. The photo is your chance to enhance your profile and give prospective dates a better understanding of who you are.
Any paid or free dating site give you the option of uploading multiple photos and selecting one to use as your primary photo. Think about this part of your profile as advertising. Your picture should be recent. Natural is better than posed. A smile helps. If you don’t have a good photo then get one! I found a local photographer who was running a special on profile photos for business sites like LinkedIn and Loveawake. For $50 I got several fabulous shots to choose from.
Using The Online Dating Profile Photo To Tell Your Story
· Use a current picture of yourself. The man or woman you meet is going to see you in person–they are expecting the ‘online you’ they saw on the profile. Be honest about your age and what you look like. (p.s. Guys-women care less about balding than you think) You can share photos from various times in your life, tagging them with dates or descriptions is a good way to let the viewer know what is recent and what is vintage.
· Your online photo tells a lot about who you are–unless you’re standing in front of one of those terribly fake looking backdrops. By looking at background of your picture we learn a lot. The art on your wall, the books you read, the plants on your back deck, a sink full of dirty dishes. The presence of dogs or cats. Your photo reveals details of your life. Use that to your advantage when you’re having a photo made.
· And, conversely be careful about what the photo shows. Don’t stand in front of your retail store, revealing where you work. Keep personally identifying information to a minimum.
· Use the opportunity to upload multiple photos and share the important things in your life–your garden, the new sailboat, the many locations you’ve visited. This is where you give the reader a sense of who you are and what things are important to you. It can attract people, but remember it can also weed out people. One of my photos shows me with my young granddaughter in my arms. I love the photo because it’s not posed. My hair is a little frizzy and I’m squinting. It is the real me…a devoted grandmother with a radiant smile. A male friend who saw the photo told me to, “Lose the photo with the DNA unit”. He said that men weren’t interested in the grandmother type. I ignored him. I want men to know that my family is a part of my life. Being a grandmother doesn’t detract from our attractiveness or our vitality–that’s important for me to convey. And, if it’s a turn-off to some guy, then he wasn’t the right match for me.
Things Not To Do With Your Online Dating Photos
Remember that the photographs you choose can attract or repel viewers. I’ve seen these classic mistakes time and time again. What were they thinking?
· Do not use your Driver’s license photo. No mug shots, wedding photo, or pictures of you drunk…. you get my point.
· Don’t show too much skin. She may not want to see your bare, hairy chest quite yet. And women who show lots of cleavage run the risk of attracting men who are more interested in sex than a relationship.
· Don’t crop your photo so that half of some woman or man is still showing. Is it the last person you dated? Are you still dating him/her?
· No bait and switch- No one wants to scroll through your photos and find the 12th photo which shows a significantly older version of you. It feels deceitful.
· If you love being a Mason and want to show yourself wearing a Fez, go right ahead. But……
· Don’t sit in front of your computer in a dark room and take webcam shots… you look lonely and a little depraved. You look like you don’t have any friends. The same goes for standing in front of your bathroom mirror with cellphone in hand.
Take the time to get some new shots of yourself. Ask a friend or family member or hire someone to take your photo–you’ll be glad you did. Your online profile is you. A great photo can be the difference between a quick glance and clicking to read more. Use every part of the profile–screen name, your favorites, music, books, the about me section and photos–to enhance your attractiveness to members of the online dating site.
