What to wear in your online dating profile pictures

So you’ve got your Hey Saturday dating photo shoot booked, hurrah. Now what? I can guarantee you’re starting to panic about what on earth to wear for your shoot. OK so don’t panic, but it is well worth the effort spending a bit of time considering this and planning what you’re going to bring, to make sure your photos are the best they can be. Clothes, and how you choose to wear them, are important as they will help you tell your story and show people who you are. They’re an extension of our lifestyle, our personality, our mentality and even our social status, so you can be very sure that potential dates are paying close attention.

From the brands you wear to the style you favour, you’re giving them critical information which will actually go a long way to helping them decide if they’re interested or not – often subconsciously. Your clothes are making a statement about you and it’s important to check that they’re giving the right message about you. Interestingly, there’s scientific proof backing the idea that you should dress not how you feel, but how you want to feel. The clothes you choose are sending a message to those around you, but also to you, yourself. I love this. This means you can choose whether you want to portray yourself as bold, strong, sexy, in control, etc. Self-love is hugely important in online dating so this is a good time to revisit up your self-love. If your clothes are sending out the right messages about who you are, then you’ll start attracting better quality dates. Yasss!!

Wear what you’d wear on a first date

So the most important outfit you need to bring to your photo shoot is that outfit you always save for a first date. You know the one! It’s the one that one that makes you feel cool, sexy and confident. Your go-to first date outfit! Bring that. Everyone is different so this means different things to different people. We don’t tell you what that outfit should be (we’ll all about creating authentic photos that are representative of you) but hopefully you’ll just know. And if you’re thinking you don’t have an outfit like that right now, eek, it might be time to hit the shops and invest in one. Yes, I know, I know, it’s another expense, but you’ve got to invest in this online dating journey if you want to get good quality, fast results. Making the effort for your photo shoot just as you would for a first date guarantees that you’ll be looking at your most attractive.

And an added benefit is that you’ll actually turn up on the date looking like you do in your photos. A rare treat! Match.com said in a recent survey that the primary reason that people don’t get second dates is due to ‘unmet expectations’ i.e. they appear different in real life than they did in their dating profile.

Wear what makes you feel confident

What we’ve found in our years of experience, is that clients who come to their photo shoot rocking the self-confidence, end up with the best dating photos. It doesn’t matter how ‘traditionally’ good-looking they are, this has always been the case. This makes sense, the better you feel about yourself, the happier and more relaxed you’ll appear in front of the camera, plus confidence is super attractive. The good thing about this, is that it levels the playing field. You don’t need to be the most ‘attractive’ person in the room, instead focus on feeling good about yourself, happy in your skin. People are hugely drawn to that. With that in mind, make sure that all the outfits your bring make you feel really good about yourself. It could be that cool leather jacket that makes you look like a rock-star or those stilettos that make you walk with just the right amount of wiggle.

Wear an outfit that shows your more casual side

So you’ve nailed some shots showcasing your first-date outfit. It’s also a good idea to show off your more casual, laid-back side. You know, that version of you that will be chilling on a Sunday morning over brunch once you’ve started seeing someone. If you’re the kind of person who spends time in jeans and tee-shirts or similar, then you need to get a great shot of you rocking this vibe too. Think about what you typically wear when you’re heading out to catch a movie, or see an exhibition in town. But remember, even though you capturing some more laid-back shots, you still need to be super confident. So leave the old sweatpants and holey tee shirts at home! We want casual but you’re still out to impress. Leave the sweatpants for when you’re 6 months into the relationship (or 3 in my case, sorry Giles!).

Wear clothes that showcase your personality or personal brand

Online dating is really about reaching out and connecting with people in your tribe. And what is one of the biggest indicators of this in photos? Yup, your clothes. Our choice in clothes help place us in where we think we want to be in society and attract people who want to be there with us. Whatever you choose to wear will tell people who you are so make sure you’re sending the right message.

Think about who you are, what’s important to you, what your interests are and hopefully that will steer you towards putting together your remaining outfits. If you’re into going to gigs a lot, then choose a typical outfit you’d wear gigging. Into sports? Bring your running, cycling or yoga outfit if you want to show people how important it is to you. These sporty photos are known to attract lots of attention online too as people are always keen to match with someone who is physically fit and active. If you’re into designer labels, show them off.

Don’t forget to pack some bold accessories, which are great for showing your personality too. This isn’t just for women, of course. My boyfriend loves his bold jewellery and it’s a huge part of who he is.

Dating photographer

Embrace colour

As a visual creative, I’ve known for years the importance of colour in dating photos. People are naturally drawn to bold, bright colours in photos rather than more neutral colours so we always advise people to bring some colourful items to their shoot, even if it’s only your accessories. It’s OK, if you’re not into bright colour though, heck I only ever wear black it seems. Don’t worry, your photographer will aim to find some colourful backgrounds to add some vibrancy to your shots. But if you do love a bit of colour, then please bring it. Colour blocking works particularly well as does the colour red. Red represents love, passion, dating, romance etc. Basically red stimulates a faster heartbeat mimicking the feelings of the early stages of romantic love and lust. A big tick then for this!

Wear well fitting clothes

This seems obvious but actually it might be tempting to wear baggy clothes (perhaps if you’re larger than you’d like) or super tight clothes because you think they show off your figure. But baggy and super tight clothing does not look good on camera. Always choose well-fitting or shaped/tailored outfits to show off your physique to the best advantage.

And what to avoid wearing

If you want to know how to avoid giving a bad impression, Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner, who wrote the book “What your clothes say about you”, says “The worst clothing is the kind that tries to undo, ignore or hide where or who you are, or the kind that shows you didn’t pay attention to your body/age/situation ..”

And don’t forget the most important piece of advice