If there’s one mistake I see over and over again with online dating photos, it’s that people add images to their profile by going through whatever photos happen to be on their phone that maybe they could make work. This almost always results in mediocre photos with poor image quality, unflattering lighting, and weird crops, and gives people the wrong message about you and your interests. Potential dates are left wondering if the phantom arm around you is a sister or an ex-girlfriend. Are you drinking beer out of a trophy because your rec softball team won the championship, or is it because you still act like you’re in college 15 years later/maybe you have a drinking problem? Mediocre photos will get you mediocre matches every single time—and who wants to waste their time, money, and energy on mediocre dates?
Instead, you should build a portfolio of intentionally created photos that are flattering, show you as you are or as you aspire to be, highlight your personal interests and attract people with similar ones (or at a minimum, give them some easy conversation-starting questions to ask), and have been reviewed and approved by people who don’t know you as being your strongest images.
This is where working with a professional photographer makes a huge difference. It puts you in control of what story your images tell and you can rely on the photographer’s expertise to make you look your best.
If you’ve ever had to write your own “About Me” paragraph, you know how hard it can be to get the tone just right—you don’t want to undersell yourself, but you also don’t want to come across as too full of yourself either. Maybe there are 20 great things about yourself that you could highlight, but if you only have space for five, which five should those be? The same principle applies to selecting photos to use in your online dating profile. You (and your friends and family for that matter) have insider knowledge about you, which means you aren’t the best ones to judge how you’ll be perceived by strangers. For this very reason, I include an image review by a panel of past online dating clients for all of my clients so they’ll know exactly which photos from their session will perform best. If you don’t have something like that at your disposal, the website Photofeeler is a great option (only upload photos to your online dating profile that receive a score of at least 7.0 in one or more of the three categories).
Need better online dating photos?
Let me help! Get started by booking a complimentary consultation with me to discuss your photo needs. I’ll walk you through my process and packages to find the best fit for you to help next your online dating photos to the next level!