How To Choose The Perfect Dating Profile Picture (To Meet The Perfect Guy)
Which angle is the best?!
In the wonderful world of online dating, you won't get anywhere unless you can attract your perfect match. To do that, you'll need the perfect picture. The question is, how can you tell which photo is the best one to use? And is there a way to really create the perfect picture that can capture who you are in just a single image?
There are a ton of sites that offer you tips on how to get great shots for your profile picture, including several ways not to take them, which can be just as important.
It’s no question that in this digital age, people are going to swipe first and figure out how much you have in common later on.
Your picture is going to be the ambassador representing you to the dating world. Potential dates won’t know how much you like to volunteer, or your love of animals, or what an amazing cook you are just by a quick look at your profile, so you’re going to want to put your best face forward so that they’ll be able to learn those things about you later on.
In this YourTango expert video, image consultant, matchmaker, and YourTango expert Kimberly Seltzer explains the science behind selecting the perfect picture for your online dating profile. "Pictures are very important when it comes to making a first impression," she says.
There is also some dating profile picture etiquette that comes along with choosing the perfect selfie, because no one wants to be “catfished.” Your picture should be a good — and current — representation of yourself.
"No matter if you're a man or a woman,” says Seltzer, “the rule of thumb is that the picture shouldn't be more than two years old." And there’s a good reason for that!
Have you ever met someone who clearly looked nothing like the version of themselves in the photo? It can be a big disappointment to find out that the person you’ve been talking to is selling themselves as something that they haven’t been for several years.
And while it might seem shallow to judge someone on the image that they give you — or for them to judge you based on your picture — it really isn’t. People can be very visual creatures, and there are certain things about a potential partner that they’ll like that are tangible, like your hair, or your eyes, and certain things that will be intangible, like your voice, or the way you laugh when you’re delighted. Physical attractiveness is very important in picking a partner, so your picture should show off the best aspects of you that it can.
Want to learn more about how to take a great dating profile picture? Check out the video above!
Kimberly Seltzer is a dating coach in the Santa Monica, CA area whose work has been featured on sites like Huffington Post, AskMen, Cosmopolitan, and the Washington Examiner. If you want to talk to Kimberly about a relationship problem, you can contact her here.