Monday 2 January 2017 is going to be THEbusiest day of the year for the UK’s online dating industry with thousands of single people up and down the country logging on to their favourite dating sites and apps (and probably signing uptosome brand spankingnew ones) to take advantage of the New Year optimism that everyone feels at the beginning of the year. To give you ahead-start, here are my top tips for creating and choosing the best dating profile photos.
I’m going to start with guys first as there are some slight differences between men and women’s dating photos.
Avoid looking directly at the lens sometimes
So yes, this is a biggie. For guys, while you obviously need a smiling, happy shot direct to camera, especially for your main profile photo, you also need some supporting shots that show you staring off to the side, looking past the lens not directly into it. There was some research undertakenby Zoosk that said some women may find that too many photos, where you’re staring directly into the lens, can be a bit intimidating. And OK Cupid backed this up by saying they found the most effective photos for men, were those when they were looking away from the lens. That said, your main profile photo should have you smiling and looking into the lens so that you come across as engaging.
Not smiling is OK too
While men love photos of women smiling and looking happy, according to that same recent OK Cupid survey, women like to see photosof guys that portray pride so it’s totally cool for men to use photos where they’re not smiling. The reason for this apparently is that women associate pride higher levels of masculinity, which in turn show a man’s ability to provide and care for his family. In addition to that, some previous research has shown that happiness is often associated with low dominance and femininity, which might also explain why men are attracted to women displaying happiness most.
Outdoor shots get a big thumbs up
Men get 19% more attention if their photos are taken outside. It makes you look masculine and rugged and us women like that a lot, it seems. The benefit to taking your photos outdoors is that you get some great, natural light which is actually more flattering than flash. In fact, flash photography is known to add seven years to your face so there’s a reason right there to step away from flash and head outdoors. Here are Hey Saturday we LOVE outdoor shots because they help capture you looking relaxed and natural as though one of your mates, who’s great with a camera, has captured you.
Use colour to stand out
The one simple thing you can do that will make your dating profile photo jump off the page and stand out to all those online daters is to include some bright colour somewhere in the shot. Sean Rad, CEO of Tinder, backed up what Hey Saturday has known for years, that profile photos with bright colour in them will help attract tonnes more dates. Either wear some bright clothes or, if like me your prefer more neutral colours, find a bright background or something bright nearby to include in the shot and watch your click-through rate i
Use props or backdrops to tell your story
The one thing that your dating profile photos should aim to do, is tell people a little bit more about who you are and your personality, while still being as natural as possible. Perhaps choose a background or location for your shots that make you feel comfortableand tells people a little bit about you. Having a prop with you in your photo is also a great way of giving people clues about your interests and life-style.
Include a full body shot
One of your supporting photos should be a recent full body shot so that women have an idea of your body size and shape.
So guys, I hope you found these tips useful. Don’t worry about following them all to the letter, you need to do what feels right for you and everyone is different but hopefully these tips will ensure you’ll be making yourself as attractive as possible to women while you do that.
I just wanted to end with a check-list of dating photo no-nos, which is just a reminder as I’m sure you’re aware of these.
Dating photo no-nos for men:
Selfies – 29% of women are turned off by this (it’s not so bad the other way round though, men quite like them for women).
Shirtless – 1 in 3 women find shirtless photos ‘offensive’ and an ‘almost instant dealbreaker’.
Racy pics (I think you know what I mean)– 75% of women say overtly sexual photos are the biggest dating turn-off.
Hiding behind glasses and a hat – 23% of women name this as their biggest pet peeve.
No photo at all – you wouldn’t go into a bar with a brown-paper bag on your head so don’t take the same approach here.
Thanks for reading and if you have any questions, drop me a line at [emailprotected]
