A client said to me once about his match.com profile, “Since one photo is worth a thousand words, imagine what 10 great shots of me can say?!"
He was right, of course.
Though I haven’t used online dating platforms in years, I have friends and family who partake enough for me to know what an abysmal, under-valued self-branding podium it is.
I have sat with them as they swipe away and I find myself amused and slightly appalled at the dire condition of the profile photos I see float across their hand held screens.
The image-based world of online dating is vast and confounding. We spend all this time, energy and money readying ourselves for love yet, the first impression we get to make on someone online is wholly dependent on the quality (or huge lack thereof) of the photos we post of ourselves.
If we are going to go through the trouble of getting into in all this, then why are we not putting our absolute best “images” forward? Do we believe it’s just a numbers game? Swipe enough and hopefully grab the attention of someone who’ll take a chance on the pouty-looking half-lit selfie meant to reveal in a thousand words what a fun-loving, intelligent, down-to-earth, self-respecting soul you are?
Better to have only one lovely shot that says more about you then a half a dozen crappy ones that only show how little you value yourself or the effort you're putting into it.
People complain “there’s nothing for me out there,” or they'll moan about how they aren’t getting enough quality dates even though they’ve been at it for months.
Well, come on! There’s no point in doing any of it just to fall flat on your ass at the starting gate. You want quality “leads” you better show a quality product. Don’t want your inner book to be judged by your outer cover? Unfortunately that's not how it works. So you might as well make an effort to show at least one great, selling portrait that gets prospective connections to take a second look, maybe want to read your bio and then get to know your deeper self.
And you don't need to make a huge deal of it. A few professionally snapped lifestyle images of you at the beach, walking downtown, or sitting at a cafe, can do wonders to show off some of what you've got without looking like you're trying too hard. Then again, what's trying too hard when most people seem to be scraping the bottom of their personal photo barrel.
It's called making a investment in your personal brand. So stand out from the competition and show them what you’re worth. One beautiful, thousand-word-image at a time.
For more information on how I can help boost your online dating success email me at nicolette@NJPphotography.com or call 310.622.4580