5 Dating Profile Photo Tips Every Woman Needs to Follow
What are the top five online dating profile photo tips for women? These should help you no matter what reason you decided to try online dating or what state of disarray your dating profile is in.
We get it, nobody thinks dating is easy. Dating online today can be difficult. So you need to take advantage of every tip and trick to make sure that nobody ends up dating your partner but you.
Whatever the reason you started online dating, these online dating photo tips for women will work for you. Unlike meeting in person, online dating sites come with a whole new dynamic for getting people’s attention. They won’t get attracted by your laugh or that embarrassed smile you use when you said something awkward. Instead, they have to be intrigued by you in photos and in writing….but honestly once you use an online dating site the first time you realize that it’s all about that primary online dating profile picture. If they don’t find your photo appealing and it catches their eye then they never click to your actual profile so they can read it and find out how amazing you are.
There are five shots you need to stand out and attract the right man, or men, for you. You want to have three to five photos because too few will make potential dates feel like they don’t have enough information. Too many and they might feel like they know everything about you and don’t have enough interest to learn more. Strike a balance and you’ll have a good amount of high quality people lined up.
So here you go, online dating profile photo tips for women.
5 Online Dating Profile Photo Tips For Women
The Profile Picture
If you’ve been on any social media site before, then you already know what a profile picture is. It’s the picture that shows up next to anything you post and it’s the first picture people see of you on any platform, whether it’s on dating sites or social media accounts or LinkedIn. They tend to be smaller almost thumbnail images.
Out of all of the online dating photo tips for women, this might be the most important. Without this picture, no one is going to want to learn more about you on dating sites. No pressure or anything.
For that reason, this picture should be a head shot or a close up. It should basically go from your chest to just above your head and it should be of you and only you. You can use Instagram or Facebook to find inspiration. What profile pictures capture your attention? It might be a picture with a really cool backdrop, or cool clothes. Use those as inspiration.
If you have a picture of yourself that you love, but it’s a full body shot, you might be able to crop it… however, sometimes this cause more problems than its worth since this might distort the photo or make it too small of grainy.
Show off your edges
The next picture should be a full body shot. If you’re self-conscious about your body (who isn’t), wear an outfit that makes you feel really good. It’s also a good idea for this outfit to be different than the one in the first picture.
Even if you take the pictures on the same day, wearing different outfits and having a different backdrop makes it look like a different occasion. This gives people the impression that you’re fun and photogenic whether that’s true or not.
The idea with the full body shot is that guys will know what they’re getting into. When they say they want to go on a date, you’ll know they’re sincere. They won’t feel hoodwinked by illusive pictures. That’s also why you should use pictures that are current. Even if you haven’t gained much weight, a picture from five years ago isn’t going to cut it.
A good rule of thumb is to make sure the photos on your dating profile are no more than a year old. You can use the same pictures across different dating sites, social media and LinkedIn but don’t let them get too outdated.
It’s not all about looks
Your online dating profile usually includes a portfolio for you to showcase additional photos beyond just your primary profile photo. Use your portfolio to showcase your interests. When it comes down to it, 64% of people who use online dating sites are looking for someone they have something in common with, and 49% say they are looking for someone with physical characteristics they are attracted to. Unfortunately, no matter how much time you put into your description, some guys won’t read it. Whether they read your bio or not, the brain process images faster than words. The small details you include in the photos will help them imagine what it would be like to be with you.
In other words, this is an action shot. You can be kayaking, snowshoeing, playing board games, running, hiking, walking your dog. Whatever you love to do! The one thing you want to make sure you’re doing though is smiling. Even if it’s a half grin. A good smile will make you more attractive and inviting.
Also, try to pick photos without other people in them. If you do decide to put other people in your pictures, don’t put that picture first. You want to be the star of the show. Be aware that you will be compared to the other people in the photos on your dating profile. If there are other people, make sure it’s clear which one you are. Be in the foreground and with nothing obstructing your face like shade from a helmet or hat or sunglasses.
If you’re a social person, being in a picture with other people can showcase that part of yourself. That’s okay if that’s a detail you want to show off. Again though, make sure you’re in the spotlight. This dating profile is about you finding love. Hence, these dating profile photo tips are designed to get results, not another BFF.
- Affirmations and Practice
Sometime today, go to a mirror and compliment yourself on at least five areas. Say to yourself, “I love my smile because I take really good care of my teeth,” or “I love my calves. They’re sexy.” Yes, this exercise is going to be uncomfortable. Many of us aren’t used to being kind to ourselves.
This exercise is beneficial for two reasons. One, when we learn to love ourselves, we’re more attractive to other people. Confidence is sexy as hell. Two, you can use one area you love to feature in a photo.
Models look great in every photo for a few reasons, one of those being that they practice their “look” in a mirror to know what works and what they feel is their “Best Side” you can do it too! If you know you smile too wide and hold your chin too high, you can fix this by practicing in a mirror. Get locked in on how to hold your face and posture that’s flattering. If there’s one side of your face that you like more than the other, turn a little bit to that side.
Another option is to look at pictures of yourself that you like and don’t like. Are there patterns? You can use this to decide which of your favorite features you want to highlight.
Here’s a quick trick; If you stand at a 45 degree angle, not straight on and not full on to the side, it’s the most flattering. If you tend to point a shoulder at the camera and look directly in the lens you can create a very powerful effect that even tends to make you look slimmer, whether you need it or not. You can also tend to turn your head to one side in every photo so you only ever see your “Best side” of your face.
Once you have it down, you’ll never look bad in another dating profile picture again!
If you’re unsure what to use as your feature image, eyes are a good choice. They’re the focal point of the face and everyone’s eyes are a little different. If you have blue eyes, you might wear a blue shirt or stand in front of a blue background. If you have brown eyes, you might get the lighting just right so there’s light reflected in them.
Be Unexpected
While your dating profile photo is key, having a profile picture that’s zoomed in on your face and upper torso are pretty standard. For your remaining portfolio photos try to find little ways you can sprinkle in your personality.
An unexpected element might be an unusual pose, a cool backdrop or a crazy print top. (On that note, a study was done that found people who wore red shirts in their profile picture got more attention on online dating sites.) If you don’t like the color red, then don’t wear it. You want to be comfortable in the pictures. If you aren’t, that will be clear in subtle body language cues. Remember, our brains process images faster than words. If you’re uncomfortable, other people will notice, even if they can’t explain why. The important thing here is to make sure that whatever unexpected element you bring represents your personality.
Find someone you’re comfortable with to take the pictures because how relaxed you are will shine through. It’s best if someone else takes them since it lets people know that you have friends without having them in the picture with you. (Another great hack for social people!)
That’s not to say you have to plan out a photo shoot and drag your friends along. They can be spontaneous. Grab a friend, invite them to an afternoon of memory capturing and go to a place you both love to hang out and explore. Make it about the experience first and the pictures second. You’ll love what comes out of it.
Bonus tips: Learn Photography Basics
Did you like these five online dating profile photo tips for women? If so, let us know in the comments what your favorite tip was. Once you’ve left your comment, here’s a final tip:
Even if your dating prospect doesn’t consciously care about the elements of photography, as you know, their brain will subconsciously process images using them. So a better photo tends to make someone stare a little longer at your profile picture, which improves your odds they will click on your photo to learn more about you.
There are a few essentials to any photo session. Some are easy to do yourself and some a bit harder but with some practice and skill you can learn how to be both the photographer and the model.
If you’re going to go it alone and do it yourself then here are some things to keep in mind:
1. Camera:
Besides all the technical attribute of the camera you are using, you need to decide if you’re going to shoot “high key” low key or more balanced. The ideal online profile pictures will have enough Bokeh to draw all the attention to the subject, you, and keep the back ground interesting but not distracting. Depending on your camera you will thus want to set the aperture as low as possible ( ie as close to 1.2 as possible) and zoom to get just the right depth of field to get the desired effect.
2. Posing:
There are a number of posing guides depending on what “look” you are going for but that said there are some clear “No-Nos” when it comes to posing. The very technical attributes of even moderns lens tend to flatten an image a bit. Hence, you never want to directly face the camera and “square off” to the lens. You always want to find a flattering angle to make the image more appealing.
In addition, becasue of the very nature of the technical limitation of even modern cameras you need to essentially contort your body to make it the most flattering to the camera. We call this “turtle-ing” and involve jutting your head and neck towards the camera during a photo shoot to enhance the 3d effect and make the image more appealing. A little trick that models learned long ago to create more separation and depth to their photos.
3. Lighting:
Lighting is always key to photography. Even with the technical capability to shoot at incredibly high ISO’s ( ie very low light) the ideal time to shoot is still the “golden hours” about 2 hours after sunrise and 2 hours before sunset depending on what part of the country you live in.
4. Framing / Composition:
Being in the dead center of any photo is usually not visually appealing. It’s better to follow the Rule of Thirds and make sure your eye line is as close as possible to the top two intersecting lines. Throughout photography this was found to be the most appealing location for portraits and will make some of the best online dating pictures for you.
If you aren’t comfortable with learning a completely new craft just to update your profile on dating sites, that’s okay, there are services that can help,
Everything from photographers to stylists, profile writers and even dating coaches and matchmakers ( if you want to take it that far ) that can help you get it right. We put these online dating photo tips for women (or anyone) into action! We have a curated team of professional photographers and writers who can take your dating profile to the next level. Why leave it to chance? The professionals can help find the most flattering poses, backdrops and angles so you can look your best.
Quality matters to us, so Online Profile Pros guarantees that the photos will be in focus and in good lighting. If you’re ready to book one of our friendly photographers or profile writers. If you enjoyed these online dating profile photo tips for women, share them with a friend!
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