Please meet Blaine, a dating coach for men based in Austin, Texas. We’ve collaborated on photos for her clients, and I wanted to share a quick Q&A we did about dating app photography.

Why do you recommend clients get professional photos for dating?

Having great photos is an essential part of successfully dating in the digital age. Great photos are essential if you’re dating online using apps like Hinge and Bumble, but photos are still important even if you don’t use dating apps — you can bet that girl whose number you got at the bar last weekend will Google your name before she agrees to meet you for dinner. If the photo of you that surfaces is unflattering, it can literally cost you dates!

What recommendations do you make to clients about pro photos for dating apps?

Highest level, photo quality matters, but authenticity is paramount. If every photo on your Bumble profile is obviously staged and shot by a professional, it can actually be a turn-off. You don’t want the first thing people think when they see your profile to be, “Did he hire a pro to shoot his dating app photos?”

To attract high-quality partners, you need photos that truly and organically capture who you are. Deliberately identify a few scenes you want to capture (e.g. if you love cooking, you should have a photo of you cooking!) and coordinate with a proven pro to bring them to life.

Which types of locations do you recommend for dating app photos?

As a rule of thumb, I recommend locations for dating app photos that either:

• Communicate something about your interests (e.g. if you love biking, a photo of you on your bike on the Lakefront Trail is a lot more effective than just stating “I like to bike” in your profile).
• Accentuate your appearance without creating distraction (e.g. sunset along the River Walk creates a lovely scene that can help you look your best)

What type of outfits do you recommend and how many different outfits should I wear for the photo session?

I virtually always recommend clients prepare two or three distinct outfits for their photo sessions. This is because:

• On one hand, you shouldn’t use more than one photo in the same outfit on your dating app profiles (i.e. you’ll walk away from your shoot with as many usable photos as outfits you prepared)
• On the other hand, more than three outfits is impractical (e.g. you don’t want to manage >2 outfit changes on one shoot!)

One trick that I love is to use layers to create the appearance of more outfits on a shoot. For example, wear a sweater over a t-shirt, or wear a jacket over a button-down.

Thanks Blaine!