Portrait Mode is for your Online Dating Profile
As an online dating coach, one of the first things people ask me is “what’s one quick tip that you have to boost my profile?”
The answer I always give is this; fix your photos! More specifically, I tell them to focus on their first photo, commonly referred to as the profile photo.
Quite frankly, your first profile photo is everything. On Tinder or Bumble, 90% of people viewing your dating profile will see only this photo, your name, and your age (I know, we’re the worst). You don’t have to be Malcolm Gladwell to figure out that on a dating app you may have only one second to make a good impression on your potential matches.
So what should a profile photo look like? Across the board, most major dating apps, matchmakers and dating coaches agree that your first photo should be a headshot that clearly shows your face and what you look like. This photo tells your matches “Hey! This is what I look like. Hope I meet your bar for attractiveness!” Usually, in this photo, we like to blur the background to make you stand out. You’re showcasing yourself, not the dope-ass Airbnb you stayed in while in Mexico City (that’s more of a 3rd or 4th pic).
However, I’ve found that most people (especially men) don’t have these photos on hand. Most profiles are an amalgamation of low-quality photos, awkwardly cropped group shots, selfies with animal ears, and some don’t have any photos at all. In these photos, it’s often hard to see the subject and get a sense of what they really look like.
In the past, to get a clear headshot with a blurred background, you might have had to go to a professional photographer or an artsy friend with a DSLR camera.
Nowadays, technology has changed the game! Every iPhone since the 7+ and many Android phones now come with portrait mode. This means that you carry a device that can take these photos in your back pocket AT ALL TIMES!
Portrait mode uses the dual cameras to create a depth-of-field effect — letting you compose a photo that keeps the subject sharp with a blurred background.
The title photo for this article is a photo of me that I took in portrait mode. The background is blurred and you can clearly see what I look like in sharp definition without any distracting background images. It also took me 5 minutes to do.
So here’s your homework. The next time you’re with a friend and feelin’ yourself, kindly ask your friend to take a few photos of you in portrait mode. Now I know this might seem awkward, but trust me it’s worth it. You can offer to return the favor as well. Even on your own, with some clever device placement, you can get some great photos by using the self-timer in conjunction with portrait mode.
So is there really one quick tip to boost your profile? YES! Just pull out the supercomputer and professional camera that lives in your pocket and ask your friend to click a button on it while pointing it at your face. Then you can take the next step and tap 3 more times to add that photo to your dating profile.
For an online dating profile, your photos, and specifically your first profile photo are critically important in determining how many matches you’ll get.
We can all make excuses for our lame photos on our dating profiles, but with portrait mode so readily available on most phones, it’s never been easier to look great.
