Online Dating Photos

1:31 PM |

I geta lot of questions from people about their online dating photos. They want advice on what you should wear, who should be in it, what kind of lighting you should have... Well, we've got a lot of those tips in an earlier blog post. The issue that I want to deal with today is the increasing number of people who ask me if they really have to put up a photo on their profile. For the most part, the answer is a big fat yes.

The only reasons not to have a photo on your online dating profile are job related. If your job puts you in the public eye a lot, it is understandable that you would not want to show your photo on your profile because people might contact you just because you are a little bit famous. The other main thing is if you are a teacher. I speak to a lot of teachers who are concerned that their students are going on to these dating sites and they don't want their students seeing their ad. Those are really the only two reasons why youmight not have a photo on your profile.

If this is the case, keep in mind that there is a big downside. Profiles with no photos get viewed 8 times less than those with photos. In this case, my basic rule of online dating applies: Be Proactive. You should never expect the person of your dreams to find you. It is your job to find them. When you don't even put a photo on your profile, it makes it almost impossible for them to find you, so you better be willing to get off your butt and make the first move. As an alternative to no photo, you might want to consider making your profile private. I know Match, Yahoo, FriendFinder, and a lot of other sites all offer this option. It means that you can see other profiles, but no one can see yours until you contact them. If you do this, the people you email will get to see your photos and no one will suspect that you have something to hide.

One excuse that is just not good enough is: "But I have bad photos."... Too bad, you have to get better ones. If you can't get that done with a friend, you can consider a professional. Do not use Glamour Shots. It is a whole lot of money, for photos that just look fake. We recommend Lookbetteronline, a company that specializes in Online Dating photography. If you go that route, choose a photographer who will come to you so you can avoid those fake looking studio shots. Click here for more info.

Next up "Let's Talk About Sex! Part 1

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