Getting Your Dating Profile Photo Just Right

Ask anyone over 60 why there's no photo on their profile and you'll hear one of two things. Either there isn't a decent recent one, or they'd rather the whole parish didn't know they were on a dating site. Both are fair enough.

But a profile without a face is very easy to scroll past, so it's worth getting this bit right. Here's how, in five steps, and none of them involve buying a new phone.

1. Smile Like You Mean It

Most of us have one camera face, perfected over years of passport photos, and it says "hurry up, would you". Hold a smile for the count of four and it turns into a grimace. The trick is timing. Get whoever has the phone to say something daft, and take the picture just after you laugh. That's the one that looks like you, and it's a lot friendlier than the passport face.

2. Mind the Light (and What's Behind You)

Daylight does most of the work, and in Ireland you may need to grab it while it lasts. Sit facing a window on a bright day and the light falls soft and even across your face. Avoid the bulb overhead at ten at night, which puts shadows under your eyes, and the bathroom mirror, which has never done anyone any favours. Outdoors, a walk on the strand or a spot in the garden works well and gives people something to ask about. Before you post it, check what's behind you. A house name on the gate or the sign over the local shop tells a stranger more than you meant to.

3. Frame It Properly

Put yourself in the middle of the picture. Photos often get trimmed at the edges to fit different spaces on a page, so anyone standing off to the side can lose an ear. Head and shoulders is ideal, with a bit of room around you. Hold the phone a little above eye level and look up at it slightly. From below, everyone gains a chin they didn't have at breakfast.

4. Which One Is You?

Your best photo might well be from a wedding, with four cousins and an uncle in it. Use it by all means, but further down your profile, not as the main picture. Nobody should have to guess which one you are. And leave out photos with an ex, or with a late husband or wife. Not to hide your life, but because a photo can't tell the story, and you'd rather tell it yourself, in your own time.

5. Call In Some Help

A good photo doesn't have to mean a studio in town. Ask a grandchild, a niece or a nephew. They've been taking photos of themselves since they could hold a phone, and they'll enjoy telling you exactly what you're doing wrong. If you'd rather go professional, a local photographer can do a simple headshot, and the family gets a decent photo of you out of it too.

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