The Catch… Your Dating Profile Picture

One of the first things singles need to look at is your dating profile picture. Unfortunately, looks and first impressions do count for a short space of time… namely that window of time that gets people hooked. However, few people seem to know exactly what a winning profile picture actually is, despite the prevalence of selfies and Instagram.

According to video game artist Helen Zhang of Quora, a great start is to put up pictures of yourself involved in something interesting or unusual. These often help to start off conversations. According to her, inbox messages almost “exploded” when she put up a picture of herself cleaning a car… in a bikini. During a blizzard. Naturally, the bikini bit would have attracted most of the attention however the novelty of it being during a blizzard does she that she has odd quirks, like having a good sense of humor as well as being ready to take risks.

Added to that, Zhang recommends the use of a good quality camera. You need something that will do you justice. According to her, "DSLR will allow you to take pictures with a shallow depth of field."

Travis Noddings, a data expert at Coffee Meets Bagel, also added his two cents when it came to the different types of photos you should put up. Selfies were naturally a big no, as were things like “duckface”. Pictures that gathered positive attention included smiling in pictures and posing with pets.

There were of course other tips from users on Quora:

• Avoid wearing sunglasses.
• Always smile.
• Try not to be in a photo with a large group of people.

But What About Content?

A picture without content can be disheartening. Jordan Gray, a relationship expert, states that people have to take a bit of time in order to craft their profiles properly so that they really get their personality across. Other tips include doing more to show yourself rather than just making statements. Instead of saying, "I'm a funny guy," then just be funny in your profile. And of course, sometimes it may be a good idea to not go on for too long… After all, you do want to leave them wanting more!