Yay sports! First of all, if you do not partake of anything you would technically consider a “sport”, this post still applies to you. Hear me out:
When people are asked to list qualities that are important to them in a romantic partner, there is one near-universal item on the list:
This does not necessarily mean you look visually athletic (lean, muscly etc.), although that can be a perk.
Rather, folks want a partner who is physically fit and active because the quality and length of a person’s life is directly impacted by the degree to which they (and their partner) take proper care of their physical health.
As a general rule, when you can show something (in a dating photo) rather than tell it (in your written dating profile), go for the show.
Which is why, if you do anything physically active as part of your regular routine, it’s worth considering including it in one of your online dating photos.
So, how do you create (or identify) a solid sporty dating profile photo? What makes one sporty dating app photo feel authentic and endearing and what makes a different dating photo fall flat or come across as try-hard?
In fact, you might be a total novice! It is 100% ok to have an online dating photo of you doing something sporty or athletic that you are a total beginner at. And if you’re concerned that potential matches will presume you are great at that particular activity, take the opportunity to mention it in the written part of your dating profile. It could look something like this:
Written:
The one thing you should know about me
is that I recently joined a Monday morning pickle ball league where I regularly get schooled by ladies my grandma’s age.
It’s funny, it’s self-deprecating, and it’s totally relatable. It tells me "hey, this guy is clearly up for trying new things and willing to suffer the humbling process of being a beginner" -- I love this about him, and I want this in a partner. 👉🏻RIGHT SWIPE!
If the environment isn’t an actual competition setting, you probably would not be wearing your uniform / full regalia. Instead, wear the clothes you practice in.
If typically rock hella lycra when you bike or inline skate and don’t feel comfortable with this kind of clothing for your online dating photos, you could dial it back with clothes for a more casual ride:
Then again, why not rock the full lycra! It's bold, unapologetic, and authentic and, (presuming you're not making a contrived hard-core all-lycra face), it can be completely disarming and endearing:
It’s also smart to make sure the gear you’re wearing (clothes & shoes) looks like it’s been worn before. I’m not saying wear dirty-looking clothes, but just… instead of buying brand-new bright-spankin-white golf shoes & glove for your new dating photos, just wear your usual stuff. It’s subtle but it signals that you do in fact golf regularly.
This one is actually pretty simple:
Selfies in general do not perform well on dating apps, especially mirror selfies, and especially if you are a man who dates women. Yes, even if you're hella yoked and super hot.
(one of my favorite dating coaches Blaine Anderson has a rule – no more than one selfie on your dating profile.)
A mirror selfie at the gym with those classic gym bro “look at my physique” vibes– honestly it can work as a repellant for women you would be really excited about matching with. I don’t know exactly what it is about a gym selfie – it feels lazy, it reads as self-absorbed…it’s just not good.
A note on weight lifting:
If weights are a big part of your weekly/daily fitness routine, telling an authentic story about your life through your online dating photos could and probably should involve a weight-lifting photo.
It is possible to create a weight-lifting dating profile photo that doesn’t give “gym bro” vibes. It’s all about authentic facial expressions and body language (and it just can’t be a selfie). Lifting heavy with a big toothy grin on your face does not feel realistic; a look of intense focus does.
If you're smiling and looking like you're having actual fun in an online dating photo, you invite the viewer (who might be your future spouse!) to feel good with you, and to picture themself joining you.
Looking fully present in the moment usually happens by *being* fully present in the moment, which can be really hard if you are an introvert who doesn't like having your picture taken. One of my super powers as a professional dating profile photographer is that I can create an environment where even my most camera-shy clients let go, have fun, and forget they are having their picture taken.
Everybody loves an epic sports action photo – I’m talking about the kind of photo where someone is flying through the air spiking a volleyball, or sprinting past the camera, making contact with a home run ball.
But those epic sports photography moments typically happen as candid photos when someone is in the throes of an actual competition.
1. Most regular folks can’t achieve a peak physical sport moment on demand (or at all, lol!), and
2. Photographically capturing it, in focus, in the frame, without motion blur is technically quite difficult (shout out to all the sports photographers out there!)
Think: getting suited up, putting on your cleats, taking a break between sets, stretching, catching your breath, taking a water break, etc.
Remember, the purpose of a dating photo involving athletics is not to brag about being great at a particular sport. Hell, you might be a total newbie at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and it would be ok to have a BJJ photo on your dating profile.
The goal of a quality sports dating profile photo is actually quite modest and achievable:
If you don’t consider yourself athletic, remember this:
If your version of “sporty” is going for a nice walk, that still counts! The point is that you’re active, you get outside, and you move your body. And this matters to most partners because it has a huge positive impact on day-to-day and long-term health and longevity.
And if you’ve gone full couch-potato mode and don’t currently do anything at all active, consider this your invitation to pick up something new today. It’s never too late! As a lifelong sporty gal, I firmly believe that the most important thing for sustainable fitness is finding activities that you truly enjoy.
Book your Seattle online dating photography session today
And if you’re not quite ready to hire a professional dating profile photographer, but your online dating photos are weak, check out 5 photos to remove from your dating profile asap.
I help people find love on dating apps like Hinge and Bumble. My superpower as a professional dating profile photographer is less about photography skills and more about my way with people. I make regular folks look confident, warm, totally genuine, and effortlessly magnetic in their online dating photos by making them *feel* confident, warm, and magnetic in real life.
