#3 Camera
I’m going to work on the premise that you don’t have a expensive digital camera, in fact the only camera you might have is the one in your mobile phone. Well to get you going this will be adequate. A bit of techies boring stuff :- your mobile phone camera is probably about 1.4 Mega pixels, might be 2 Mega pixels or more. Some of the new phones have 8 mega pixels cameras, and that is better then some professional cameras where not so long ago. A 1.4 Mega pixel camera produces a picture that will fill most of a web page. When you upload pictures to the dating website they will reduce the picture’s size. So your basic mobile phone camera is good enough for the job.
However, one of the first issues you will have to deal with is who is going to operate the camera? If you can enlist the help of someone you know that would be great, it would make things much simpler. However, this does lead to those awkward questions, what do you want the pictures for?, oh your not on one of those dating websites are you?. If you do have someone to operate the camera, make sure it is someone you can relax with. A stranger off the street, “can you take a picture of me standing by whatever it is” that’s just not going to work !!. Someone you can really relax with is going to make a world of difference. Imagine what it would be like to ask you mother to take the pictures of you for your dating profile, I don’t know about you, but that’s scary!!
Ok so there is nobody to operate the camera, however most cameras, including the ones on mobile phones have a delayed timer mode of operation. This does mean looking though those camera option menus on the phone, but its worth it. If you can’t find how it works yourself, pop into your local mobile phone shop and they will find it for you, and they won’t ask you what you want the pictures for. The delayed timer could be your best friend in this situation, if it has a 10 second delay your made !!
So its either grab a friend or use a timer delay, but don’t ask someone from the street.
#4 Lighting
In photography amateur photographers think about equipment, professional photographers think about money, and art photographers think about the light. You’re going to become and art photographer, well one small step in that direction. To get a good picture you don’t need flash lights, reflectors, a studio etc etc, all you need is the great big light blub in the sky. Its the best light source there is, but you have to use it the right way, here are some simple rules :-
Take your pictures outside or if indoors by a large window.
Avoid direct bright sunlight, it will highlight the wrinkles and pimples etc
Best time of day is about mid to late afternoon, not the middle of the day. Sunlight a couple of hours before sunset produces a warmer set of colours.
What you want is a bright overcast day, plenty of light but nicely defused by the clouds, this makes the skin look softer. If it’s a bright clear day you will need to be in the shade. Bottom line is a location where you do not cast a shadow, if you cast a shadow so does your nose and every imperfection on your face. The object of the exercise is to create a good photo, not an award winning work of art, the end result from a photographer’s point of view might seem a bit flat, but for your purpose this is fine.
#5 Composition
This is about you, and the location where you are going to take your picture, both require a little preparation.
Location and background. The photo you are creating is about you, not your living room, not your kitchen, not some tourist attraction, not you at the pub. So what we are looking for is something very plain and simple. A plain brick wall is good, a garden fence, green shrubbery. In other words what we are looking for is a featureless background of one simple colour, not the sky its too bright. Top choice is a white or gray wall. Look at some of the fashion pictures in some magazines, eg Hugo Boss, great pictures with a grey concrete wall as the backdrop. The net result is that the only feature of interest in the photo is you. So you need to do a little research, find one or two suitable locations.
Now lets talk about you, as you’re the subject of the photo. We are going to aim to take a half body picture of you, ie head, shoulders and chest. The head because it shows your face and hair, shoulders and chest gives an indication of physic. When it comes to taking your photo you want to feel good and look good, so some tips :-
Guys make sure you have a shave before, even if you’re taking the picture in the middle of the afternoon. Unless you look like Brad Pitt or David Beckham etc, designer stubble does not look good. It will make you look older and greyer, it is unlikely to make you look sexy.
Hair, make sure its neat, so you might want to avoid doing this on a windy day. For the girls hair blowing in the wind is a nice relaxed but dynamic look, but you ready need to leave this for a more professional photographic session. Otherwise you can end up looking like you have a bird’s nest on your head.
Girls as regards makeup, keep it simple, imagine your going for a job interview.
Cloths, Its your face we are really interested in, so again keep it simple, so nothing too flashy or bright. No bright bold patterns, no big strips. That said wear something that you feel good in and reflects you. Guys unless you really feel its part and parcel of what you wear each day, no tie. For the guys a pain shirt works well, its crisp, clean and smart. Girls, unless you ready feel its part of your character nothing too low cut, for mainstream dating websites you ready want the guys to focus on your face.
Girls, the picture of you in the Little Black Dress, evening makeup, nice ear rings etc is a real winner, but get yourself a good photographer because the lighting composition and pose will make a big difference.
Guys, if you’re into sports or some other action activity, pictures of this can make you look like you have a life. But again get yourself a professional photographer, probably with a long lens and a high speed camera.
Accessories, if you usually wear items of jewellery, or a scarf of something like that then try it is the picture. Take some pictures with and some without, and decide afterwards.
State of mind, this is really important. If your fed up, or feeling down when you take your picture, it will come across. So get yourself into a great state of mind, feel good, be happy, taking your picture for your dating profile is going to be fun. It’s going to make a big difference to finding the person you want in your life.
So far so good
So just to recap :-
Camera sorted, mobile phone camera, with or without a friend.
Lighting sorted, middle of the afternoon on a bright overcast day.
Location sorted, pain single colour wall, white or gray if possible.
You sorted, hair, makeup, cloths, state of mind, you’re really to have some photo fun.
