11 Dos & 9 Don'ts Of Online Dating: Photo Edition

When it comes to online dating, your photos really make a difference. You'd be surprised how easily you can sabotage your results with a poor choice of pictures. Some of the most innocent errors can become huge mistakes when you are looking for love online.

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Here are some common errors you'll want to avoid:

1. Photos with your children. People want to date you, not your kids.
2. Photos with your pets. If it's just one pet photo, you seem normal. Lots of pet photos make people wonder about you.
3. Messy stuff in the background. Clean up before you snap the photos! Neatness counts.
4. Cutting someone out of the photo. That's just tacky!
5. Distance shots. People want to see what you really look like, and they can't see anything in a long distance.
6. Sunglasses. Sunglasses hide your eyes which really are the windows to your soul.
7. Headshots. Yes, people want to see your entire body, please.
8. Group shots. Who can figure out which person you are in the shot if there are multiple people in every shot?
9. Cocktail in your hand. You're a social drinker and fun person, but you don't want to seem like an alcoholic, do you?
10. The same outfit for different photos. Mix it up for different looks.
11. Landscape shots or vacation photos. This is not your private art gallery. There are other sites for that purpose.

Stop and think for a moment. With online dating, site members read into everything you write and each photo you post. They literally make stuff up and add meaning to everything they see about you.

This is normal human nature and everyone does it. Given that, you want to take precautions so your photos show you at your very best, without any distractions or elements that polarize viewers or create stories.

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I've had dating coaching clients who took their own photos by holding the camera out in front of their face, lients who had laundry hanging behind them on the banister, clients sitting at a messy dinner table with a wine glass in their hands. At the very least, crop stuff out to clean up the photo so you can make a good impression.

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Here are some photo tips to attract more attention online:

1. Include a headshot, full body shot and one other photo . Three photos is the minimum and seven is the max if you don't want to look narcissistic.
2. Smile. If you aren't smiling, the photo shouldn't be on the dating site.
3. Stand up! You will always look trimmer when standing and heavier sitting.
4. Wear solid colors ... or very small patterns that aren't noticeable.
5. Wear something date-like ... so you look attractive to the opposite sex.
6. Have one photo doing an activity ... or something interesting.
7. Take outside and inside shots ... so the light is varied.
8. Get someone to take your photos...  who will make you laugh and help you relax so you'll look happy and natural.
9. Never stand directly underneath a light source ... which casts ugly shadows across your face.

That's the quick version of my "do's and don'ts" for online dating photographs. If you follow these tips, your photos will show off your assets. And at the very least, they won't make you look bad! As your dating coach, I'm hoping I've saved you from a photo disaster that could totally sabotage your love life.

To stay connected to Ronnie and get her free ebook "5 Big Turnoffs that Drive Men Away and 7 Surefire Ways to Become Irresistible to Men" click here!

This article was originally published at It's Never Too Late for Love . Reprinted with permission from the author.