Best Dating Profile Pictures for Guys: The Set and the Order, a Job Per Slot, and the One to Take This Weekend
The best dating photos for a man are not six good photos. They are six that each answer the question the one before raised, in the order she sees them. The sequence, and the one to take this weekend.
The best dating profile pictures for guys are a sequence, not a collection. Slot one identifies you: face, chest up, daylight, taken by someone else. Slot two answers “what does he look like standing up”: full length, clothes that fit. Slot three answers “what does he do”: you mid-activity. Slot four answers “who does he know”: friends, you identifiable. Slot five answers “is he fun”: the dog, the costume, the small disaster. Slot six answers “was the first one a fluke”: a second clear face. If you take only one photo this weekend, take slot one, because it is the only one everybody sees.
On this page
The set, in the order she sees it
- Six slots, six questions answered
- One: who is he? Face, chest up, daylight, by someone else, eyes to or near the camera, nothing covering you. Not your favourite photo; the one a stranger could describe you from in three seconds. The first photo has the decision by what you have.
- Two: what does he look like standing up? Full length, outdoors or in a plain room, standing naturally, clothes that fit. Not posed, not a mirror. It is the second most looked-at photo on every app.
- Three: what does he do? Mid-activity, in the place you do it: the climbing wall, the market stall, the kitchen, the bike. Doing it, not holding the equipment.
- Four: who does he know? Two to four friends, you identifiable in a second, ideally mid-laugh. Not a stag do, not the ex, not a child.
- Five: is he fun? The one that makes her smile: the terrible fancy dress, the dog that is judging you, the moment it went wrong. One per profile.
- Six: was the first one a fluke? A second clear face, different light, different expression, so that slot one was not a lucky frame.
- If you have four strong ones, post four. You are judged on the weakest photo she reaches, and an empty slot sends no signal at all. How many photos has the decision.
- Light facing you, in every slot. Window light, open shade, the hour before sunset. Light from behind makes you a silhouette; overhead light makes you a skull.
- Taken by someone else, or a timer from three feet. The selfies page has why arm’s length fails; taking them yourself has the weekend that fixes it.
- Recent. Within a year, same haircut, same weight. The set is a promise about the date, and the first thing she checks across the table is whether the promise was kept.
- The one photo this weekend. Slot one. Phone propped at chest height, timer, window light, three feet back, a dozen frames, pick the one a friend describes you from. Everything else can wait a week; this one is seen by everyone.
The same man, two sets
A friend scrolls his six photos.
Six photos chosen for being good, none chosen for its slot. No question gets answered, so she answers them herself, and the answers are not generous.
A set of six that does less than one clear face would.
Same friend, after the weekend.
Each slot answers a question in the order she asked it. The set reads as a person because it was built as a sequence, and the friend could describe him from it, which is the only test.
Six photos, six answers, and the first one was the one taken on Saturday with a timer.
The photos that break the sequence
- A scene in slot one. Boat, sunglasses, group, hat. The slot that identifies you is spent on a man who could be anyone.
- The mirror selfie anywhere. It reads as nobody takes his photo, and it distorts. Selfies has the case.
- Shirtless. The most common photo on men’s profiles and the one women most consistently dislike whenever they are asked. It says what you think she is choosing on, and she is not.
- Landscapes, cars, dogs with no you in them. Photos of things you like are not photos of you.
- Groups where you are hard to find. She will assume you are the one she likes least.
- Old. A different haircut or weight is a promise the date cannot keep.
A photo set is read in order, so build it in order
She sees slot one and decides whether to see slot two; she sees slot two and decides on three. Every slot is a question raised by the one before it, which is why six good photos in no order do less than four in the right one, and why the first photo is worth more than the other five together. Build the set as the sequence she reads it in, give each slot its one job, and the profile stops being a gallery of your best moments and becomes a description of a person. The Attraction Map: presentation is the step before any other step can happen, and on an app it is these six frames.
Go deeper: The Attraction Map: The Five Places Attraction Is Won or Lost
Questions
What photos should a guy have on his dating profile?
Six in order, each answering a question: a clear face taken by someone else (who is he), full length (what does he look like standing), you doing something (what does he do), you with identifiable friends (who does he know), the one that makes her smile (is he fun), and a second clear face (was the first a fluke). Four strong ones beat six with two weak ones.
What is the best first picture for a dating profile?
A clear, recent photo of your face, chest up, in daylight, taken by someone else, eyes to or near the camera, with nothing covering you. Not your favourite photo; the one a stranger could describe you from in three seconds. It is the only photo everybody sees, so if you take one photo this weekend, take this one.
Should guys use group photos on dating apps?
One, in slot four, with two to four friends and you identifiable in a second, ideally laughing. Never in slot one or two, because she has to find you and she will guess wrong. Not a stag do (a crowd), not with an ex (a question), not with a child unless it is yours and you want that known.
Do I need professional photos for dating apps?
No. A phone, a window, a timer and a friend produce the whole set in a weekend, and photos that look professional can read as trying too hard. Taking better dating photos by yourself has the three setups. A professional is worth it only once the set is built and you want the first photo to be better than the timer managed.
