Guys: Take Better Dating Profile Pictures

Anonymous

An online dating profile is your resume letting others get a glimpse of who you are. In this 30 seconds or less age, when people are swiping through perhaps dozens upon dozens of profiles, just like a resume, you need something that grabs a girls attention in those first 30 seconds and makes her want to linger or chat with you. I don't care if you are the greatest wordsmith in the world, if you have some sad lame pictures on your profile, odds are, you're probably going to end up with no takers.

1. A Photo of your face and body

Guys: Take Better Dating Profile Pictures

Guys: Take Better Dating Profile Pictures

When you meet someone for the first time, you're usually concentrated on their face. If every photo of you is 20 yards away, it's hard for a stranger to make a visual connection with you. Even worse if every photo of you has a hat and sunglasses on like you're in witness protection. We connect with someone via their eyes and smile. Have at least one photo where it's head and shoulders and we can see your eyes.

Conversely if every photo of you is a tight shot of your face, what does your body look like. I don't mean you need a photo of you basking in the sun with your shirt off (though that can help--just saying), but a potential date kind of wants to see what she's working with. No body shots tend to imply you're trying to hide something or lack self confidence. Post at least one shot where you can see you from at least, the waist or knees up.

2. A photo with your friends

Guys: Take Better Dating Profile Pictures

Guys: Take Better Dating Profile Pictures

Dating is a social thing and people are usually out looking for someone who can socialize and who has friends because on a subconscious level that usually means, you aren't sitting at home alone in your basement all day just playing video games or being a creeper. Take a good photo with your best buddies, or showcase some type of event where you were with a lot of people BUT, you don't want to post the you and 20 other girls shot. Remember, you're trying to appeal to girls, not guys, in how social you are, and you with a bunch of girls can be a total turn off.

3. You and your (real) pet

Guys: Take Better Dating Profile Pictures
Guys: Take Better Dating Profile Pictures

Pets tend to be catnip (pun intended) for girls. We like a guy who loves his pets. Take an easy going funny picture with your pet. You don't want to be too posy because it can look cheesy like you're trying too hard, but just you playing fetch with your dog, or your cat on your shoulders, or riding your horse, whatever. Make sure though that it's a real photo of your real pet and not just one you borrowed. You don't want to start of being fake just to get girls, because they'll sniff that out.

4. Travel/Volunteering/Exercising/Hobby

Guys: Take Better Dating Profile Pictures
Guys: Take Better Dating Profile Pictures

If these things are your passion, and better yet you are looking for a girl who shares these interest, by putting them out as feelers, they are going to attract women who may be into the same things or at least find them interesting enough to want to get to know you and to hear about them. You don't want to overdo it with 16 pictures of you volunteering with the orphans in Africa---we get it, you're a good guy, but one snap is good. Also shots of you in an outdoor setting, or working out, or enjoying your favorite hobby tend to always be appealing.

5. You dressed up

Guys: Take Better Dating Profile Pictures
Guys: Take Better Dating Profile Pictures

We all look good dressed up. One shot of you in a suit or in "I put effort in" attire, works really well in your favor.

Additional Tips

1. Five or six pictures is ideal

2. Take or post photos with good lighting where the images are clear and not grainy, too dark, blown out, or blurry.

3. Be real. Don't post fakes like you next to a bike, and you've never ridden and it's not your bike.

4. Photoshopping out a few pimples is fine, because those are temporary. Photoshopping you to look bigger or smaller than you are, or with more hair, or in front of a green screen backdrop is not going to work because you will have to meet people in real life and may be called out on it.

5. If you find that you've got nothing going on in your life, no hobbies, no friends, no ambition, no dreams, and you can't find photos to illustrate anything going on in your life, maybe it's not the pictures that are holding you back, but your lack of these things that are attractive to the opposite sex.

Guys: Take Better Dating Profile Pictures
49 Opinion