Online Dating Photography FAQ

I usually feel awkward in front of a camera and have no idea how to pose, can you make someone like me look relaxed and cool in my new dating photos?

Lol! I wish I had a dollar for every time a dating photography client said something like this. You do not need to know what you're doing to have stellar dating app photos. Let me say it louder for the people in the back: 

**YOU DO NOT NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING**.

Your only job is to have a good attitude, be present, and follow directions. 

And re: awkwardness... a dating photo session with me is less like you're modeling or posing and more like you’re going for a walk with a bossy new friend and her camera. Yes, I will coach you on where to sit or stand and how to position your body so you look relaxed and attractive in your dating photos but mostly we'll be having one long running conversation and I'll be shooting the whole time.  

Where do we go for an online dating photography session?

We can rock an online dating photo session just about anywhere in the Seattle area (Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah, Tacoma, Everett, Renton, you name it!). For dating profile photos I typically I like to choose a location that’s relevant to you, whether it’s your hood or a favorite stomping grounds, or maybe it’s just somewhere with that gritty urban vibe that you love. We'll choose a rendezvous spot and shoot your dating photos in the surrounding area. For longer dating photo sessions we may drive to multiple locations.

I notice your website shows mostly dating photos of men. Do you do dating photography for women too?

I most definitely do dating photography for women! In fact, I LOVE photographing women and two of my dearest friends are women who hired me to shoot dating profile photos and portraits of them (shout out to Sarah & Marisa!). My dating photo website is heavy on photos of men because 70% of my clients are men. 

Anybody who has worked with me knows that I'm pretty direct so I won't mince words here--the Seattle online dating scene just seems to be tougher for men (in part, I'm sure because, demographically, Seattle has more men than women, and for that I think we an thank the tech industry). Plus I have a theory that men don't take as many photos of themselves or each other so when it comes time to choose dating profile photos it's just extra hard. 

In any case, whatever your gender, if you find yourself sifting through a short supply of low quality camera roll pics for your dating profile, it's pretty unlikely you're going to feel great about your dating profile and equally unlikely that your dating profile will effectively attract high-quality matches.

The people I work with know this, especially the  women.  Women will frequently tell me it's not a necessarily a lack of matches that's motivating them to hire a dating photographer, but more specifically a lack of matches with people they'd be excited about dating. With every woman I work with (and, honestly, with all the men too) I focus on planning a dating photoshoot that properly communicates the wonderful, multi-dimensional, real, lovable person that you are so you can jump in the Seattle online dating pool with confidence and catch the eyes of the kinds of people you'd be thrilled to date.
women dating profile pic

I don't live in Seattle but I'd like to hire you as my dating photographer. Do you work with people who aren't local and if so, how do we handle logistics? 

I shoot dating app photos for people from outside the Seattle area often! In fact a good chunk of my dating photography clients are from Oregon, and I've even had people come from as far as Minnesota & Alaska! We typically handle it one of two ways:

1. you come up to Seattle for your dating photoshoot (most clients who do this choose to stay with a friend or book a hotel room for the night before the photoshoot as we typically shoot first thing in the morning), or, 

2. I come to you. This would involve a fee in addition to the price of the dating photoshoot to cover the cost of my travel to and from the location and lodging if necessary.

What happens if it rains in Seattle on the day I booked you as my dating profile photographer?

We'll be in touch in the days leading up to your dating profile photo session and if the weather forecast predicts rain or freezing temperatures, we'll reschedule, no biggie.

As my dating profile photographer will you help me decide what to wear?

Absolutely! What you wear for your dating profile photos has a big impact on how your pics turn out so I've got your back on wardrobe. 

When you book the Whole-9 dating photography package you get the gold-star photoshoot wardrobe experience 😎. Your dating photography experience includes a one-on-one virtual style session with my favorite professional personal stylist. 

If you book the Level-Up dating photography package you get a detailed packing list (with photo samples!) that walks you through planning your dating photo shoot wardrobe. Want more help! You can upgrade your experience with  virtual dating ($175 and 100% worth it). 

For some of my dating photography clients, their photo shoot is a good kick-in-the-pants to improve their wardrobe in general (not just for the dating photos but for life!).

If what's in your closet doesn't reflect the current you, doesn't fit quite right, or maybe you've never had a wardrobe you love - now might be the perfect time to step up your style game. Tannya is my favorite personal stylist and the woman behind all of my best-dressed clients. She'll do for your wardrobe what I'm going to do for your dating photos -- figure out what's working, purge what's not, and shop for new items that are totally you.

Should I get professional hair or make-up done for my dating app photo session?

This one is about personal preference but I'll give you my honest take: No, you don't need professional hair and make-up for your dating photos. This goes for men and for women both. 

Your dating photos are marketing of sorts; you're marketing yourself. And if you're playing a long game here (you want to actually meet people and go on not just first dates but second and third dates), it's crucial that you represent yourself honestly. So having the level of polish to your appearance that typically results from professional styling, unless you regularly look that polished, could actually work against you. You don't want anybody feeling surprised when they meet you in person.

All that being said, if having a pro groom you would make a big difference in how you *feel* going into your dating photo session (more confident, more relaxed), then that's meaningful. Just be sure to ask for a super subtle, natural look and keep it as close to your everyday appearance as possible. For what it's worth, none of the people in the dating photos on this website had professional hair or make-up done before their shoot.

Do you edit dating photos? 

All of the photos in your dating photo gallery will be edited to look clean and appealing without looking modified.  I will adjust things like lighting, contrast, color, tone, etc., but I won't typically change how you look (let's call this retouching). You'll have the option, once you see your gallery, of requesting retouching on particular images for $25/photo but only about 1 in every 20 or so clients does this and only then on the occasional close-up headshot. 

The truth is that the photos don't need retouching (they're strong right out of the camera), and, most importantly, *you* don't need retouching. You are just fine as you are.  Plus, I assume you are hoping to connect with people on dating apps who will also think you are just fine as you are. Not to mention, it's pretty hard to get a second date if you surprise someone on the first date by looking different in real life than you do in your dating photos <--people *hate* when this happens.

Anyhow, you're hopefully getting a sense of my philosophy here. If you'd like changes to your appearance it's best to share them with me before booking your dating photo session so I understand what you're looking for. If you think you want me to make big changes to your appearance (like altering the size/shape of your body) I may try to gently talk you out of it; I may also not be the right dating profile photographer for you.

Do I have to buy photos from my dating photography session? 

Nope! Your new dating photos are included with the photo session. After your session you get a super slick private online gallery where you can download all your new dating profile pics--more than enough to try out different photos on your dating profiles and see which ones get you the most matches with the types of people you most want to match with).
Mobile dating profile photography gallery
Professional Dating Photo Gallery

More questions about online dating photography? Reach out and ask em! 

I'd love to chat

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