The Match Artist Online Dating Photography

One of the most common questions we get is, "Is dating photography a thing?" Yes, it is quite literally a thing and the best thing ever for someone in the dating game. If you are unable to find the match that you want or are being looked over by women or men even on an app like Tinder, then it's important to take a close hard look at those dating photos. In fact, with many dating platforms being picture first, like Tinder, the prospect's first impression of your profile picture needs to be the best it can. It would help if you made a good enough impression for the prospect to tap on your picture profile and browse through some of those other pictures you uploaded before reading the bio.

The vast majority of people on Tinder, Bumble, or Hinge, for example, will never read the bio without first being lured in by a photo that, for them, has potential. It is often subtle cues that signal to a prospect they should take a closer look at you. Dating photography specializes in making sure that not only are you seen in the best light, but that those subtle cues are more prominent. That's why dating photography is an instrumental part of building a dating profile that helps you attract the right people. However, a lot more goes into dating photography, which includes research into what attracts the people you want to date. Everyone is different and is attracted to an entirely different set of physical or facial attributes. It goes without saying that specific facial and physical attributes are more attractive for some people than others.

Dating photographs need to be honest and show off those so-called "best attributes" without appearing overdone. Yes, we know it's confusing, but there is often a thin line between having an attractive dating photograph or one that comes across as being extensively edited. Today, people are much more capable of spotting a doctored image, which will almost always take points off your credibility score. If anything, you never want to come across as being dodgy in your dating profile.

Interestingly, when you hire a professional dating photographer, you are getting an edge over the competition, especially considering that 85% of people on dating websites use selfies. Many also have photos taken by someone they are close to and—worst of all—use a multitude of filters, all of which work to their disadvantage.

As dating photographers, we know that you have about 3 seconds to make an initial, great impression. Those initial 3 seconds can make or break your profile. That's why we work so hard to make sure our clients send out the right subliminal cues. Our dating photographers help you gain those extra seconds (long enough for the prospect to read your bio). Speaking of which, we tend to think your pictures a lot more critical than your bio, but a well-written bio will mean that a lot of those prospects attracted by your dating profile picture are motivated to contact you. The first step to ensuring that we get your dating profile right is to consult with us. Dating photography requires us to create a profile of who you're trying to attract and then take photos just for them. It isn't uncommon for us to take several dozen photos before we short through to figure out which ones will have the most impact.

Based on what you've read so far, you would assume that everyone needs online dating photography to find the right match. In reality, that's not the case. While everyone can benefit from professional online dating photography, just like everyone can use a new car, some people benefit from it more than others.

For instance, a young woman in her early to mid-20s can get away with selfies. Even average-looking young women may not have to invest in professional online dating photography. Often, young women looking for more mature men don't need anything other than a few selfies because, for many older men, that's enough. According to some experts, an increasingly fewer number of men read women's dating profiles; they swipe and message if it's a young woman in decent physical condition. That's why many women in their 20s are overwhelmed with messages and dating offers, so much so that they have to block people online.

On the flip side, younger men don't receive as much attention. Young men in their late to early 20s are seen as being immature. The selfies don't help their case either, because most women just swipe past them since it's similar to every other frat boy or young man to them. Even posting pictures of your six-pack will only get you so far. Don't get us wrong, most women aren't looking for a guy with a potbelly, puffed up face, or someone who likes dressing up as a cosplay character, but maturity matters. As professional photographers, we know what attributes attract women. Whether it's an older man or a young man, highlighting those attributes will help attract women of the right age and type.

So, here are a couple of examples of men and women who can benefit significantly from a professionally created online dating profile:

Young Men Looking for Women Their Age – If you don't want to be overlooked by women your age, you have to signal your maturity. Men in their 20s can appear more mature with the right pose, facial expressions, and clothes. Fortunately, here too, we've helped scores of our clients find more dates by simply changing the way they look in their dating profiles—in some cases, very subtly.

Below Average Looking Men – Honestly, we firmly believe that there is no such thing as an average-looking man. Every man is different and can attract a woman by exuberating the right subtle cues in their dating profile photographs. The key is for us to use our experience to best present you to your target audience in a way that gets them hooked. It can often take several pictures after a consultation to shortlist those few photographs that we think will make you stand out.

Older Women Looking For Men – Career women in their early to late 30s, 40s, and 50s are often overlooked by men their age. It's not always because they could look younger, but that these women don't show off those subtle cues that attract the men they want. Our approach to online dating photography for women is to understand the type of men they want to date, create a profile, and then start the actual photography. Each photograph is geared to that profile. The right approach, which means successfully presenting those subtle cues in an online dating profile bio, has, in our experience, delivered excellent results for clients.

Anyone Who Has Not Seen Results – By this, we mean anyone who has had an online dating profile for a while across multiple platforms but has not seen much in the way of results. This could also include older men and women returning to the dating game after a significantly long hiatus. Most likely, you are an older male since women swipe on only 6% of male profiles. Also, women who haven't been able to attract the type of man they want can benefit significantly from professional online dating photography.

Each day we meet with men and women who feel anxious about getting back into the dating game. Men and women who have been in a single relationship for a long time are often the hardest hit. While we advocate that you kick off your online dating journey with professional dating profile pictures, the other question we often get asked is, "What types of pictures work best?" In our experience, there are 5 types of photos that your profile should have and are offered as part of our dating profile pictures photography service.

The Headshot with a Smile

99.9% of people visiting your online dating profile will start by seeing your headshot. Whether it's Tinder, Bumble, or Facebook, that headshot gives a prospect their first impression of you. In the world of dating profile picture photography, pulling off a truly fantastic headshot needs more than just a beautiful simile. It needs to be interesting and intriguing enough to get a prospect to tap or swipe on it. So you don't want a headshot that resembles more of a close-up. The picture is usually framed from the chest up. Also, this isn't a passport photo, so try to smile. If anything, it goes a long way to make the person considering your profile feel more comfortable. The blurred background is fine since the emphasis is on you. But the most critical element, second to perhaps your smile, is the lighting. We try to avoid using overhead lights, which make the features appear too harsh. Our team uses eye-level lights which accentuate your facial features. Also, the goal is to produce a portrait that does not look flat. That's why it generally takes a pretty long time to frame and take what we consider to be a winning headshot for a dating profile.

A Candid Portrait

Candid photos are an excellent way to show off your personality. When done right, or professionally (we must add), it will impress people who are looking to find someone who likes having fun. Candid shots, by their very definition, need to be taken when the subject isn't aware they are being photographed. The majority of candid shots are faked, and the subject tries acting natural, which is perfectly fine if it is pulled off with perfection.

Our dating profile pictures photography service achieves candid shots with careful planning and positioning. We also find the right angle for the shot to get that impromptu look. In our experience, it helps immensely if the shot is of you engaged in some activity like maybe fetching drinks from the counter, playing the guitar, etc. However, the key is to get our clients to relax and rehearse the shot before it is taken.

Shots of Your Hobbies

We don't mean pictures of your stamp collection, but instead, you engaged in pasting stamps, maybe. While platforms like Tinder have proven to be instrumental in connecting people, the opportunity to learn about the other party is almost non-existent without contacting them. However, you can communicate your hobbies and passion via a series of photographs. If you like reading, playing the guitar, or doing Pilates, a few photos in your natural habitat helps communicate to the prospect what you enjoy doing.

As professional photographers, we know that every picture tells a story. That's why our goal is to try and convey as much information as possible. Also, these photos help you steer clear from the otherwise monotonous, repetitive rut other profiles seem to find themselves in. So this is an opportunity for you to connect with a prospect, which ideally is a like-minded person who shares your passion.

A Full Body Shot

We usually recommend a full body shot to avoid any misunderstandings. A full body shot shows off how you look. However, as dating photographers, these are among the hardest to get right because you need to find the right pose, optimal angle, and the best lighting, not to mention get the look right.

Ideally, you'll want to take the shot outdoors, an hour or so before sunset. Again, the primary light source is set at eye level, making it the best time for this natural light shot. Though if the same shot were to be taken indoors, we'd use artificial lighting that's at eye-level with a wide aperture lens. Our goal is to get everything from the waist up in the frame while blurring out the background to eliminate distractions.

A Selfie

We did mention earlier that selfies aren't exactly the best idea for a dating profile. However, there is an exception to this rule. Don't use a phone selfie as a professional portrait—even the best front-facing camera isn't going to capture what needs to be captured for a profile photo. But it can be included in your profile.

The key to a selfie photograph is to embrace the fact that you're taking a selfie and not try to hide it. Selfies are always fun. They are personal and tell the potential prospect about you. It isn't about the eyes or lighting, but you can try to angle the phone so that it points slightly down or up. Angling the camera and tilting your head can make for some interesting shots.

You can also take selfies with an actual camera. Cameras have much larger sensors, and the resulting images are understandably of a much higher quality than those taken with a phone. However, you might need some help to mimic a so-called "selfie-like" portrait.

The only thing you'll want to avoid is the use of filters. Filters make a photo appear what isn't necessarily a natural representation of your skin and face, which can come across as being disingenuous when used on a dating profile.