I’m not an online dating expert by any means, but I know that pictures are essential in dating profiles, and the best online dating profile photos have a lot in common with great business branding photos. They need to communicate with the viewer and share who you are at your core. They need to be current and engender a “know, like, and trust” feeling in the person who’s looking at them. And, of course, you need to feel great about them so you’ll exude confidence. 

Remember when you started dating as a teenager? It was all exciting and new, and probably fun. If you’re coming out of a relationship or have been widowed and are thinking about starting to date again, it can feel like the polar opposite. It’s scarier than exciting for most people.

I jumped back into the dating pool after my divorce and I was definitely more scared than excited. The difference this time around was that I was doing it online, which is a whole new ballgame, and it felt like a game I had once known but had forgotten all the rules too! I was amazed at what people could find out about me with a simple Google search, and I was determined to make sure that my dating profile was an accurate representation of who I was and what I was looking for.

While I’m definitely not an expert on online dating rules, I can share some tips on creating dating images that you’ll be proud of.