Your Profile - Photo Do's and Oh God, Please Don't!

"Your Profile - Photo Do's and Oh God, Please Don't!"," And photos will get someone to look at your profile faster than they would look at a profile without photos.
 But this doesn't mean you should put up just anything (meaning no driver's license, passport, or old college ID photos).
 You do want to be up front and share a little about yourself-just not all at once, and on this type of venue.
 What about one of you participating in a sporting event, playing tennis, volleyball, windsurfing, camping, fishing, riding a horse, your bicycle or Harley? You get the idea.

Note: Leave out photos with your minor children's faces in clear view as I view this as a security issue.


Blacked out faces

I run the other way when I see photos with a lone guy surrounded by people with creepy blacked out faces -- the worst of which appear something like the four horsemen of the apocalypse surrounding a broadly grinning guy holding a beer bottle in one hand with his other arm lost behind someone's body.
, but
give me a break! Guys, you seem to be guiltier of this than women, but you're still not alone.
 If you can't take the time to actually crop the photo and make it look good, or just take a new photo, how do you think that makes you look?

As a woman looking at prospective date and seeing one or more photos of a guy surrounded by people with no faces
(and these faceless wonders are usually women and most of the time this is quite obvious), then I start thinking that this guy is not really serious about finding a nice person to date.
 And if he's not making an effort and taking time to present himself well, what does that say about him?

And what about a guy looking at photos of a woman surrounded by men with no faces.
 If you're skiing down a mountain or pointing out the migrating whales from a tropical beach, or wearing a wetsuit and mask, that's cool.
 I want to see your eyes.
 Don't waste your time arguing.
 Hey, I think it's great that you take care of your body.
 At the beach, running a marathon, playing sports, in the water, all fine.
 You know which ones I mean.
 Along with that type of pose, you usually see someone trying for that sly half-smile half-glance, come hither look.


My first thought is
""Oh Jeez!"" My second thought is
""Oh Jeez!"" To me, it can be a turn off.
 And more often than not, that's how these photos come across.
 And that's all, if that's all I'm looking for.
 I admit to walking a little more slowly past the magazine rack where Men's Health is displayed.


Smile for the camera

If I took all the fingers and toes of all the players in any major sports league, I still wouldn't have enough to count the number of times I've cringed at someone's main photo (not to mention their other ones).

Some of you actually grimace! If the first thing I see after your headline is a shadowy photo of a guy or girl not smiling, or actually grimacing, I flinch and
immediately X out.
 I'm going to find someone that looks friendly, at least in the beginning.
 Let's not go there.
 Someone whose judgment you trust.
 I'd rather see the webcam photo (see above).


Arm crosses

Body language is something to be aware of, especially when you're trying to attract prospective dates. 
 I'm not letting you in.
 What's the point of putting up several shots of you that look almost exactly the same? I still can't figure that one out.
 We all know it's all so subjective, but hopefully these guidelines will help you on your way to getting responses from the people YOU want to meet!