GUIDELINE FOR PROFILE PHOTOS THAT ATTRACT
PLEASE NOTE: You do NOT have to look like a supermodel or a movie star but you have to provide us with professional, high quality, elegant, sophisticated images that reflect your personality and show your inner beauty
TYPE OF PHOTOS RECOMMENDED FOR YOUR PROFILE THAT WORK THE BEST
The main purpose for the photo and your profile for the matchmaking database is to engage, provoke interest, deliver the right message and attract the right person to you!
TIPS TO TAKE THE BEST PROFILE PHOTOS:
FACIAL ATTITUDE: Is the person smiling? Staring straight ahead? Doing that flirty lip-pursing thing?
SMILE WITH YOUR EYES: Just a smile is not enough. Your eyes usually will show weather your smile is fake or not. Even if you’re friendly, funny, or just plain happy, smiling is not necessarily the best way to go. Women (when they look directly into the camera) received more contacts when they made a ‘flirty face’ than when they smiled. On the whole, however, smiling is still better than not smiling for women. Men’s photos are most effective when they look away from the camera and don’t smile. Next best? Smile, but don’t look at the camera.
EYE CONTACT: Making eye contact with the camera is effective for some facial expressions, but less so with others. The worst attitude for women? Making a ‘flirty face’ without eye contact. Women who look directly at the camera while making flirty faces or smiling tend to get more messages than those who smile or look flirty without eye contact. For both sexes, not smiling while making eye contact is an ineffective pose. The optimal pose for guys’ pics: don’t smile, don’t make eye contact. The second best? Smiling, without eye contact.
PHOTO CONTEXT – Is there alcohol? Is there a pet? Is the photo outdoors? Is it in a — bedroom? Create a story with your photos; add action into the shot that will reflect your personality. Want to show how social/well-traveled/fit you are in your picture? What you show yourself doing in your profile photo can affect the number of connections you make. We recommand you use photos 1) where you are full of energy, happy and alive 2) with animal 3) traveling 4) reflecting your hobbies or passions.
SKIN – A little skin – helpful or harmful? How much skin is the person showing? How much of your face? Breasts? Ripped Abs? Show much skin… but not much cleavage. Sexy but not vulgar. Feminine, elegant, sexy, romantic images. Dress like if you were going to a romantic date with a man of your dreams.
MUST TO DO
HIRE A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER – Check our special offers (call me for a recommendation for a photographer who will be the right fit for you and your style)
HAPPY COLORS – The photo shall send a happy sunny message, not a dark or dull one.
LOOK NATURAL – Look natural! Don’t forget youth = beauty in this culture.. The more healthy, youthful and natural you look, the better.
PROFESSIONAL MAKE UP AND HAIR STYLE – Don’t even waste money on the professional photographer if you are planning to do your hair and make up yourself. Natural lighting, natural makeup, natural hair style… Any lip color darker than natural will add age to your face in the photo.
DIFFERENT LOOKS: Make sure you have photos showing different sides of you:
- portrait – natural youthful look, reflecting your personality with an accent on your eyes and lips, with no distracting details from your face
- romantic – sexy and attractive look, like if your were going on a romantic date with your dream partner
- casual look showing you in your natural and comfortable environment
- individual look reflecting your personality, passions, talents, interests, hobbies, life style, work, dreams
WHAT TO AVOID
GLAMOUR SHOTS – looking like a model in your profile may generate lots of responses, but is likely to disappoint when you actually meet, if you’ve been made to look glamorous by a good photographer. Hollywood Glamour Shots are welcome to be added to the gallery of your images but shall not be the profile photo. Glam Shots tend to intimidate. They do not engage and invite connection, and that’s what your main purpose should be.
PICTURES WITH OTHER PEOPLE IN THEM – Not only is it not nice to have someone’s picture online without their permission, but at first glance it looks a little strange. Is that your brother? Husband? Ex-boyfriend? Best friend? Which of the two faces belongs to the profile? It’s plain confusing. Avoid pictures with anyone else in them. They’re buying in to the idea of contacting YOU, not joining your family or social circle!
POOR QUALITY PICTURES – dark, light, fuzzy, yellow, blurred, taken with a cell phone, it all speaks volumes about how seriously you are looking.
HATS – Choose a picture without a hat – and that especially applies to guys, who seem to have a tendency to want to show off their hat as much as their face!
SUNGLASSES – unless you really do have something to hide.
HAIR IN FACE – too much hair over the face again gives the impression of someone who has something to hide.
SPARE BODY PARTS — Stray arms or hands in the edge of the picture – whose are they? Is this a picture of you with your ex? Not exactly the best impression you can give. Cutting them off or blacking them out can look just as bad. You’re saying you haven’t bothered to get another picture taken since the relationship ended – which doesn’t give a potential date confidence that you are willing to move on and meet someone new, does it?
TOO MUCH BARE FLESH — Yes, it may get you a lot of attention but how much of it is serious? Men especially, choose a photo where you’re wearing a shirt, however rippling your muscles are! Risqué or sexually inviting shots are definitely NOT recommended.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR PHOTO SESSION
I hear the same things from clients all the time:
“I hate getting my picture taken.”
“What will the portrait shoot be like?”
“Why do you schedule two hours? Does it really take that long?”
“What can I expect?”
“I’m not really comfortable getting my photo taken” “I’m not photogenic”.
Most people have little to no experience with photo shoots and getting your photo taken can be intimidating. I love helping my clients navigate their portrait shoot and feel good about themselves. I love to watch the process of a person opening up over the course of the shoot and begin to relax and actually enjoy the process. Often people tell me at the end of a shoot “actually, that was kind of fun!”
Personal portraits’ clients often use our images for multiple purposes: for business, WordPress, as family gifts, and often for online dating. These photos need to go reach beyond good smiles. They need to convey personality; show enthusiasm, quirk, approachability, and joie de vivre. They need to be fun. Business head shots can take five minutes, but enabling a client to become comfortable in front of the camera takes skill, rapport, and dedication.
I can help with wardrobe decisions, location choices, and expectations ahead of time. Personal portrait shoots can run up to two hours long. I always shoot this kind of a portrait on location–either in my client’s home or in a park or public location of our choice. Kristina and I went to the Olympic Sculpture Park for her shoot. You can see the wonderful variety of backgrounds and photos we can get just by wandering around a four block square area. Variety is important, both in wardrobe and in framing and expression.
I start by encouraging my clients to move around, to practice modeling, to try not to force a smile and not to be fixated on the camera. The more a person is willing to move let go of their natural awkwardness the more I will have to work with. Freezing in place and trying desperately to smile is not an option with me.
I love candids as much as smiles. The goal my shoots is always to capture the best and most natural and engaging pieces of the person I’m photographing, and to give my client photos that they love and will be able to use for more than they imagined.
~ Jennifer Richard Photography
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