Here are a few pictures from my recent shoot with awesome model Sandy.
What to show in online dating profile pictures.
Good pictures on your online dating profile can dramatically increase your chances to get an actual date. If you have ever wondered what kind of pictures you should upload to your profile please keep reading.
- Show at least a few pictures in which your face is in focus an clearly visible. Medium wide shots that show your face and your torso, while your doing something interesting, work best. It makes it easy for your potential date to see your body type and also see what kind of activity you are interested in.
- Don't just take and old picture of you at a party and crop everybody out or blur their faces. You should have at least one picture of you on your own.
- In most circumstances it is best to appear alone in the image. It can be very confusing for the viewer to figure out which one of the people in the picture is actually you. This rule especially applies if you are in a picture with a member of the opposite sex (for heterosexual relationships).
- Men should demonstrate pride and women should show happiness in their pictures.
- Women making a flirtatious face directly towards the camera get a higher chance of being contacted. Men have the best chance without smiling and looking away from the camera (according to OkCupid).
- Featuring drinking in your pictures is not a good conversation starter.
- If there is something really unique about your face like freckles or maybe a scar (eg. Harrsion Ford), don't try to hide it.
- Ask a friend or a professional photographer to take pictures of you but stay away from selfies taken in the bathroom through a mirror.
Cinemagraph: Triplets
Enjoy! Please check out all my other Cinemagraphs here.
Triplets
How to look good in photos
- Try not to focus too much on how you look. Do you ever really focus in your everyday life on how your face looks like at any given moment?
- It's important that you avoid a double chin, therefore try to move your forehead towards the camera in order to elongate your neckt and getting rid of a double chin and wrinkles on your neck.
- Make direct eye contact with the camera.
- Angle your head slightly to hide asymmetrical features of your face. The left side of the face is for most people the better side.
- Squint very slightly to give your expression confidence.
- Unless you have naturally a great smile that comes effortlessly while being photographed, it's better not to smile at all, relax your jaw and keep your lips soft.
Check out Peter Hurley's video and hear him talk about squinting/squinching:
http://www.youtube.com/user/peterhurleyphoto
How to take better head shots?
One of my favourite photographer and educator is Peter Hurley. When you hear him talk about photography, clients, techniques, lighting, coaching etc., you can sense honesty and sensitivity in his words that make him so intriguing.
Below is a list by Peter Hurley on what to look out for to improve your head shot photography and please check out his website http://peterhurley.com.
1. Headshot photography isn’t about a white background or fancy lighting. It’s about the person’s expression. If they’re sharing a genuine smile, that’s a good photo.
2. Keep the camera at eye level. That’s the most honest, genuine way to photograph.
3. Your job is to make the person feel good about the way they look. That’s not as easy as it sounds.
4. Teamwork is key. Don’t let the person think they’re interacting with a hunk of metal and glass. You need to work together, person to person.
5. As Bill Gove said, “Professionals are at their best regardless”. If you’re doing a shoot, you’re the professional. If someone’s nerves or expression start hitting the fan, don’t freak out. That’s when you’re at best.
6. Don’t look down at your camera between shots. Don’t even talk about tweaking settings. The moment you divert attention to the camera or your technique, you’ll intimidate the client and lose them.
7. “If I had 4 hours to chop down a tree I’d spend 2 hours sharpening my axe” said Abraham Lincoln. Photographers, your technique and setup should be completely sharp. Photograph friends and families for free to sharpen your axe. Don’t do a paid photo shoot until your axe is sharp.
8. Don’t shoot on burst mode. If you’re on burst you’re trying to get lucky. Also, 10 photos that are exactly the same are a pain in the edit. The client will want to see them all.
9. Jaw line is key. It should be sharp, because that brings out the shape of their face. To sharpen it, get the person to tilt their head forwards 2 or 3cm. Don’t make them look like a pecking chicken, but try to accentuate the jawline.
10. Retouching isn’t about removing wrinkles and lines. Keep your retouching to a technical level. Fix lighting and colours, but don’t try and make the person look 12 years old.