OP: Online Dating: Profile Photos

In the fast paced world of online dating, a well-chosen profile picture makes a great impression, fast. Not only will you get more interesting people clicking on your profile, but you're more likely to get a response back to messages you send - as well as more willingness from potential dates to meet with you. Skimp on your profile photo and there'll be less room for forgiveness and more Friday nights spent alone.

Well selected photos can work in your favor in any number of ways. They can portray the different layers of your personality, demonstrate your hobbies and interests, and speak volumes about your best qualities without you ever needing to say a word. You don't have to be the hottest single on the web to attract the kind of attention you're looking for. There's also no need for showing off your body, flashing fancy bling like cars, clothes, and jewelry … or including photos of yourself with the opposite sex just to prove that you're a catch.

Appropriately chosen pictures also give readers a positive, yet accurate representation of what you look like - without need to use photos of better days gone by (you know, like when you were ten pounds thinner or actually had hair). And last, but certainly not least, good pictures differentiate you from the competition and generate interest among those who peruse the plethora of available singles - who, by the way, have probably already wised up to the fact that pictures are a must for online success.

Here are 5 top tips to help you get it right:

1. Smile
One of best strategies to make a great impression is to simply smile. A head shot that highlights your pearly whites and a happy expression is the key to making anybody's heart melt. This can come in a number of forms, such as you in the throes of laughter, beaming at your precious pooch, or looking straight into the camera lens with a relaxed, genial grin.

2. Keep it simple
Oftentimes a simple picture is more effective than any grandiose or impressive photo could ever be. When it comes to narrowing down the options for your profile photos, it could mean anything from cropping out unnecessary background clutter, selecting snapshots that highlight you rather than your ‘stuff’ (see number 3), and opting for shots that focus on you, rather your entire baseball team.

There is one exception. Keeping it simple doesn't mean that you can't include photos yourself interacting with others (see number 4) or showing off the products of your special talents (e.g. your most recent artwork or a newly restored classic car). If you're exhibiting an array of pictures, go ahead and include one or two with friends, or of your latest creations. The secret is to choose pictures that don't distract a reader’s attention or, worse, generate interest in someone else in your photo!

3. Be genuine
Be yourself; there's no point in going to all the effort of putting together a dating profile if the only responses you receive don't interest you in the slightest. Regardless of whether you only want a casual relationship or a long term commitment, attracting the someone who sees eye-to-eye with you means putting yourself out there in a way that represents the ‘real’ you.

So unless you truly are a bit superficial, the way to achieve a more appropriate match is to skip the pictures of your ‘stuff’ and focus more on expressing what really matters to you, such as the activities you enjoy pursuing, or what you might potentially like do on a date. People read into photos much more that you might think, so be conscious of the message you put across and how it might be interpreted, or misinterpreted, by others.

4. Show off your other relationships.
No, this doesn't mean you get to flaunt pictures of you posing with the five hotties you met in Vegas, or getting liquored up with your gang of buddies. Not only will this give potential dates the wrong idea about your priorities, it'll turn some of them completely off. C'mon, you're on a dating site - why are you wasting the few available spaces for photos to give the impression that you're a floozy, you party too hard, or are more interested in showing off trophies of the opposite sex rather than who you are as a person!?

So instead of alienating your audience, stick to a shot or two of you with good friends or family, and make sure you include captions to demarcate that they're only that. Photos like these demonstrate your ability to maintain close relationships (a big plus for many seekers) and shows that you're capable of being sociable.

5. Choose pics that say the things you don't need to say.
Instead of saying in your profile, "I'm fun, outgoing, and adventurous," - which generally comes across as very cliché in an online dating write-up - use photos to actually back it up and demonstrate those elements of your personality. Not only that, they provide a ‘hook’ to make it ultra-easy for curious singles to strike up a conversation with you. Here are some examples:

show your fun side by including shots of you in a Halloween costume or cooking up a storm on the BBQ wearing a chef cap & a goofy apron,
illustrate your outgoing nature, which is as simple as pictures of you interacting with just about anybody, or
prove that you're adventurous by showing practically any travel or adventure photo.

Final thoughts
Use your best judgment when picking photos for your online dating profile, and if you aren't certain whether a photo will help or hinder, your best bet is to ask a friend (preferably from the opposite sex) to use their instincts in interpreting what your photo says about you.

Posted: 18 Aug 23:38