As a graduate student at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, Eli reached out to me to take profile pictures for his dating profile on sites like Tinder, Match.com, Eharmony, and Bumble. In his images he wanted to capture his personality, what he truly looked like, & his hobby of skateboarding.
Hiring a D.C. Brand Photographer for his Dating Profile Session
Eli knew that a D.C. brand photographer like myself knew how to get the photos that would attract the right partner for him. Knowing that a profile image would be the first impression that a potential partner would see, he wanted to make sure that this image was of quality and reflected the best parts of himself.
Planning his Brand Session
Prior to our session, Eli and I met online to discuss his wants and needs in order to plan the session of his dreams. We talked a lot about who he was and how he wanted to express it in his session. Eli loves his new found hobby of skateboarding and when I suggested that we include it in his session, his face lit up!
Professional Headshots during his brand session
Being a graduate student and needing to put professional images out on LinkedIn, I also suggested that we take advantage of his session to create some professional headshots as well. This was the bonus!
Clothing for Eli’s dating profile session
Having a few storylines together, it was time to talk about clothing for Eli’s session. We decided to have three types of clothing options: street wear, jeans & a button up, and business casual. Having multiple options allowed us to create images that would add diversity to his gallery and reflect who Eli was in his personal and professional life.
Selecting a location that fit his brand session needs
Living in Williamsburg, Virginia didn’t reflect the type of lifestyle that Eli wanted for himself following his schooling, so we decided to hold his session in Richmond, Virginia in an area that gave off a more urban vibe. I suggested that we head to the Carrytown area of Richmond. Carrytown has an array of restaurants, shops, & interesting murals for us to work with…again, adding diversity to his gallery in a small area.
If you’re looking for a session similar to Eli’s, here are some tips that I recommend when planning a session for your dating profile:
- Include your hobbies
- Include aspects of your personality with your clothes, accessories, & hair
- Show who you are in multiple aspects of your life–personal and professional
- Make sure to groom yourself–haircut, manicure, beard trim,
Tips for selecting the best images for your dating profile:
- Have a clear image of your face
- Good lighting
- Exclude backgrounds that are too busy
- Quality is key!
- Avoid selfies & group pictures
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