Charm offensive: Perfect portraits for Tinder & Co.

When great love is just a mouse click away: More and more people today are getting to know each other via platforms like Parship and Tinder. A good portrait is extremely important here in the search for a partner. But what should it look like? We asked dating experts.

Whether for a brief flirt or the search for a partner for life: Today, the search for (great) love is increasingly taking place on the web. Instagram or dating platforms such as Tinder, Elite Partner or Parship provide the appropriate forums for finding a partner.

Anyone who looks into the subject quickly notices three things about the profile photos on these sites:

Often, the selected portraits of the seekers do not correspond to reality or only very remotely.
The quality of the posted profile pictures varies greatly.
From party photos to professional nudes, almost anything can be found here.
But how best to present yourself in the partner search: What should the perfect dating photo look like? And what does a photographer who produces pictures for the dating app have to pay attention to?

Portraits must look authentic

We asked experts from Tinder, one of the world's largest dating platforms, and visited psychologist and flirt expert Stephan Landsiedel. The dating professionals agree: authenticity counts. Anyone who tries to hide their character on their portrait photo will be caught out by the first meeting at the latest. Of course, there is also room for maneuver in authentic pictures: Do I want to show myself with a T-shirt on the balcony? With a shirt in the office or with swimming trunks on the beach? Think in advance about how you want to appear and with which facet of yourself you want to present yourself to the other person.

What are you looking for?

If you're looking for a quick fling, you can post a strongly sexually charged photo; if you're looking for true love, you should focus more on sympathy and seriousness in your image selection. In practice, it's now a matter of bridging the gap between these more conceptual considerations and the actual photo.

Here, based on Tinder data, the following aspects in particular should be taken into account:

1. sympathy counts.

Refrain from taking selfies and instead go for authentic-looking and likeable portraits. It is best to ask friends or acquaintances to take photos of you. As with all portraits, the big challenge here is to retain naturalness and to bring out the essence of a person. This is much easier if the model and photographer know each other well. Bright backgrounds and homogeneous light create a pleasant atmosphere and flatter the skin. Loose shoulders and a relaxed mouth provide the necessary naturalness.

2. a dog is always helpful.

Shots with dogs lead to five percent more likes on Tinder. Apparently, people who love animals also seem more interesting as partners.

3. vacation photos are popular.

There are several reasons for this: Vacation snapshots speak for authenticity, because who organizes a staged photo shoot on vacation? In addition, everyone can present themselves here without a guilty conscience while relaxing and also sometimes in bathing attire. However, be careful when the sun is high in the sky: harsh sunlight creates unattractive shadows under the eyes. It's better to shoot in the morning or evening against the light and make sure that the exposure is correct and your face is bright enough.

Camera and posing

For a good dating photo, a good smartphone is usually enough as a camera. The quality of the photo depends primarily on the photographer. For a reasonably full-frame portrait, as the photographer, either get close to your subject or work with the telephoto lens. Take enough time, let the sitter(s) warm up to the camera. Go through the resulting images together again and again and look for the expression, the pose and the positions that look particularly advantageous.

Image editing

Don't go overboard with retouching. Image editing apps tend to be way too smooth and soft. After all, you want your counterpart to recognize you on the first date - no matter which web platform you met on.

 

Picture above: © cottonbro