Galen had been on and off dating apps for years.
He wasn’t new to Hinge. He wasn’t clueless. And he wasn’t struggling to get matches.
He was struggling to get the right matches.
After a recent breakup — and a reset that included losing weight and re-centering on what he actually wanted — he reached out to me about dating photography, ready to approach dating differently this time.
Not more swipes.
Better alignment.
He wanted his dating profile to reflect who he actually is: playful, active, thoughtful, and ready for a relationship that could go the distance.
Like most men, Galen had assembled his Hinge profile from photos he scavenged from his camera roll. They weren't bad, but they weren't working to attract compatible women.
He had several photos from one ocean-side hike with his buddy, unfortunately he's wearing sunglasses in every shot so you can't get a good look at his face.
He also had a photo with a fresh tattoo. Other than "I have tattoos", this photo has very little life context and again, you can't see Galen's face well because it's in shadow.
Then he had some photos with a really cute dog. Unfortunately, it's not his dog which matters more than most guys think (here's why the only dog on your dating profile should be your own)
And he had a nice shot with mom and dad but we agreed that it didn't belong on his profile (mom and dad enter the scene after a relationship is established, not before).
None of this was “bad.”
It was just incomplete.
Galen's Hinge profile clearly signaled: active, fit, outdoorsy.
It didn’t yet signal: socially dynamic, date-ready, emotionally available.
So we tossed most of Galen's existing Hinge photos, but not all of them.
Galen had two bangers in the mix.
This shot is powerful — it shows commitment, athleticism, and intensity. And it makes it immediately clear that CrossFit is not a casual hobby for Galen, it's a big part of his life.
By far the best of Galen's hiking photos. The close-up perspective feels intimate and inviting (like we're there with him), plus you can clearly see his face (no sunglasses), and his expression and body language are genuinely joyful.
Both keeper photos were attractive and had authentic signal value.
They just needed support.
To attract the right woman, Galen’s profile needed:
Galen lives and works in Fremont so it was a no-brainer to do his dating photography session there. Plus, the colorful neighborhood vibes align with his personality.
We started at Triangle Spirits for bold, date-ready energy.
Then Galen changed clothes and we migrated to The Barrel Thief for a casual beer.
We walked around and captured some dating headshot photos along the streets of Fremont, including a stop by the Indoor Sun Shoppe.
We also hit the Burke-Gilman Trail for some bike shots and lifestyle context (at the time Galen got around mostly by bike).
The goal wasn’t “cool photos.”
It was dimensionality — making it easy for Galen's personality to shine through and for compatible women to be drawn to him for the right reasons.
If you’re curious how these sessions are structured? Here’s how the High-Signal Half Day works
If you're noticing that Galen has a beard in some photos and not in others, it's because he shaved mid-photoshoot.
Many clients over the years have discussed shaving partway through their photoshoot (so they end up with dating photos that have different facial hair situations) but Galen was the first to actually do it.
Right there on the side of the road, using the car window as a mirror, quick and dirty. It was hilarious and perfect — a mini-transformation with major personality.
Now, I love a good facial hair transformation. The various in-between beard and mustache combos, it's too good!
When I asked Galen to slow down and let me get some shots before we got all the way down to stubble he was totally game. And not only that, his attitude and persona morphed to match his facial hair, lol!
Here are a few highlights (a little bit sexy dirtbag, a hint of Freddy Mercury, I was crying from laughing so hard).
That’s Galen in a nutshell: He's playful, he's not taking himself too seriously, and if you've got an idea for some mischief, he's all in.
Bottom line, Galen is FUN.
A lot of what I do as a dating photographer is to get to know people, and then capture their real personality. For some people that requires a little bit of coaxing, reassuring, inviting. For Galen, it was easy because he just fully showed up as himself for his dating photoshoot. This is the best possible scenario for dating photography and I think the proof is in Galen's photos.
After his photoshoot I curated Galen's High-Signal set. It included:
These are the dating photos (and in this order) Galen used on his updated Hinge profile
The photos are colorful and objectively high-quality but what's most powerful about them is that they are high-signal. They communicate immediately and accurately that Galen is:
Active.
Playful.
Social.
Grounded.
Real.
If you want to see how this plays out across other Seattle dating photography clients, check out more dating photography results.
Things moved really quickly after Galen's Fremont dating photoshoot. Here's how it played out:
Timeline
📸 Dating photoshoot: September 21
🚀 New Hinge profile live: October 28
💥 Matched with Ashley: November 1
🍻 First date: November 2
Less than a week after launch, he matched with Ashley.
They matched on a Tuesday.
First date Wednesday at Chuck’s Hop Shop. Followed by banana cream pudding at Communion.
First kiss that night.
And they haven’t stopped talking and laughing since.
Here's how Ashley describes her first impression of Galen on Hinge:
"Galen came across to me as a fun outdoorsy person, I remember he had lots of photos where he was laughing. I love laughing and joking around, he had me hooked!"
Ashley also said:
"I didn’t know Galen's photos were professionally taken until he mentioned it awhile later! They just looked so candid."
That’s the goal.
When dating photography works, it doesn’t look like a production.
It looks like clarity.
If you’re curious what other clients have said about their experience, read some of my 5-star reviews.
A year after his Seattle dating photoshoot, Galen sent me this:
“There were fireworks between us from the very first date... I am so in love with Ashley. She's the one."
I linked up with Galen and Ashley at Three Forks Park in North Bend for some sweetie photos and to capture a bit of this moment in their love story (these photos are going to very fun to look back on).
Since then?
They’ve moved in together.
Met each other's families.
Navigated a year of long distance love when Ashley's work took her overseas.
And are making plans to buy a home.
Ashley says:
"We are loving life and I’m excited for this next chapter of living together."
Galen's dating photos didn’t create the relationship.
They simply clarified the signal and gave him a shot at meeting someone like Ashley.
If you’re a Seattle professional who’s serious about finding the right partner — not just more matches — let’s build a profile that actually reflects who you are.