How To Put Your Best Face Forward On Tinder

Let me rant about yet another annoying thing about passing fifty — you get email spam like this:

And let me point out that I have no issue with the couple, who look quite fetching – and happy in an fake-ad way. It’s the god awful “SeniorPeopleMeet” issue. Seriously? We’re skipping grades now too? Going straight from “Middle” to “Seniors”?

Screw that.

I have loads of single friends in their forties and fifties who are beautiful and brilliant and would cringe if this hit their in-box. Most have experimented with online dating, and I can assure you that not a one would click on the ad above, having had varying degrees of success on Match, OK Cupid and eHarmony. And if you count “getting laid” as success, Craig’s List works in a pinch. Or for one.

But I’ve become fascinated by the new entry, the “straight” off-shoot from Grindr: Tinder. For those unfamiliar, Grindr is a gay geo-based mobile dating app, where one can swipe through photos of available half-naked guys in your area, and hook-up on the spot. Tinder was founded in late 2012 as the hetero version of Grindr and was quickly adopted by 20-somethings as a quick way to also hook-up with people in their neighborhood. It’s since settled down to a more mainstream way to meet people.

As with most technology made and adopted by the young, — like Facebook, Twitter, Pandora etc. — people like us realize it’s potential and wade in with one toe, eventually jumping in with both feet. At first when friends tried Tinder, they were horrified to find almost zero men over 40. That’s no longer the case. Even 40-something Joel Stein of Time Magazine wrote about his Tinder experiment a few weeks ago here, where he and his wife Tindered to see who would fare better if they got a divorce. She won.

How do you win?

I met photographer Karina Louise at the Blogcademy Conference a few weeks back. She specializes in social media profile pictures, including photos for dating sites like Tinder. According to Karina’s site, statistics show that a person is over 3 times more likely to get a positive response based on a good picture than without. If that doesn’t have you running for the camera — or Karina’s number (415.606.3464), nothing will!

Lucky for us, she offered up these great tips on how to take a great photo that work.

Karina’s Tinder Tips – Get Swiped Right!

As an online dating photographer, perhaps my favorite description of Tinder comes from their Wikipedia page: “Tinder is a location based social app that allows users the superiority that comes with rejecting someone without the hassle of dating them first.”It’s fast, it’s furious and anyone who has used it knows that you have about 3 seconds to make a good impression. Since it is my work to make you shine online, the following are my best tips for getting swiped right!

1) Wear a bright color. Color catches the eye and since you have such a short time to get attention, this is a solid start. Studies have shown that pinks and reds get the most attention from men. On this one, I would trust the experts.

2) Smile. Use a great headshot of you smiling and looking into the camera as the main photo. But make sure to follow up with secondary photos that show more of your figure and potentially your personality.

My dear friend Kelly graciously volunteered to have her social media profile photos taken by Karina Louise. Note the smile + color!

3) Avoid Glamour Shots. Use soft natural lighting and if you hire a professional photographer make sure you still look like you. I would also suggest going easy on the photoshopping. Generally speaking, less is more when it comes to attraction.

4) Leave little mystery. Only post around 5 photos. It’s always advisable to leave them wanting more.

5) Avoid old photos. There is nothing worse than showing up on a first date and surprising/disappointed the person you are meeting because you look much older in person. Showing your natural and current self from the beginning can help you to avoid this.

6) Show a little skin. Think bare shoulders or a cute summer dress, but stay away from sexy poses, lots of cleavage, etc. There are ways of showing your figure without posting a bathing suit photo. You may get more attention, but not from men who want a long-term relationship.

7) Mix it up. Remember if you’re not getting the amount of attention you want on Tinder, it’s not you, it’s your photos! Try a photo you like as your main profile pic for a week or two and if you’re not getting the attention you deserve, try a different one.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. How about just one great swipe right?

xo