Pictures: Rules and Tips

What do you see in the picture above? Do you see a pretty young woman, or a wrinkled old lady? It's a well known fact that men are visual creatures. It's also well known that profiles or ads with pictures are MUCH more successful than ones without a picture. So the pictures that we first see of you can make or break the deal. I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to go through what goes through my mind when looking at a profile, ad or e-mailed picture.

Rule #1: Never use fake pictures.
For the love of god, if you're going to put up a profile, put up an ad, or e-mail someone you're planning on meeting.... DO NOT USE FAKE PICTURES. I realize it's tempting when there are billions of images on the internet that may look similar to you, but don't do it. First of all, you'll be caught. This will either happen, when you actually meet him in person, leading to a bad first impression tinted with disappointment, or it will happen when he's looking at your picture and finds out it's a fake. How? There are actually websites that can tell you if a provided picture has been found elsewhere on the internet.

Rule #2: Use recent accurate pictures
Pretty similar to rule #1. Even if you use a picture of you, if it's from 10 years ago, or you don't look that way any more, then it'll still end up in disappointment when you do actually meet the guy. Depending on how polite the guy is, he can stand you up right there, call you out during the conversation, or not bring up the issue at all, and instead never contact you again. Either way, starting off things with a lie is never good.

Prep Work
So obviously you want to look good in your pictures, so take some time to pamper and prep yourself so you feel confident. Put on some makeup, wear your favorite jewelry, style your hair etc. If you want to get manicure/pedicure go ahead, but to be honest most guys probably won't notice.

I've talked about clothes here: http://sexmoneyfun.blogspot.com/2010/08/clothes.html
As always, try and aim for a "classy" look. Also, since guys are such visual creatures, I'd recommend clothes that show off the best parts of your body. If you've got a trim and fit body, don't wear baggy clothes. You want to show that off, so then the guy KNOWS that you are trim and fit. If you've got great breasts, pick an outfit that shows this, without advertising it like a neon sign. Remember, classy, not trashy! Got nice legs? Wear some great heels and show them off with a skirt. Since these are pictures, you have the power to control what is presented to the viewer. Take advantage of that power to show yourself in the best light with clothes that show how beautiful you are.

After you've prepped yourself, look at the location you'll be having your photos taken. To be honest the background is one of the most overlooked but important things.

• First of all take a look at your lighting. Ideally you do not want to be backlit (have a light source behind you) unless you're aiming for some artsy silhouette type picture. 
• Next try for a neutral background color. You want the focus to be on you, not the horribly bright wall you're standing in front of. 
• Lastly, clean up the immediate space around you. I can't tell you how many pictures I've seen where there's a pretty girl, but then there's piles of trash, dirty laundry, a pet walking by, bottles of bathroom products, a movie collection, or even a baby bottle. Seriously, that's not attractive. 

The Actual Picture
I strongly believe that a good profile picture doesn't leave any uncertainty about your looks. Ideally I should be able to see your face as well as your body. If one is missing, then I'll start to wonder if you are either ugly or fat. I also prefer that there's nothing blocking me from seeing you ie: sunglasses or a hat. If there is than it makes me question if you have crazy eyes or are bald. The same can be said about weird camera angles (taken from above or below), and if you are lying on your stomach.

In your pictures, you obviously want to be smiling. It doesn't matter if you're laughing out loud or grinning, but you want to convey to the viewer that you are relaxed, happy and friendly. That will in turn make us feel good about you. Sadly, I've seen a number of photos of girls who aren't smiling. They're either trying to go for some model look or to come across as sexy. Instead they usually end up looking unhappy, constipated and unapproachable.

At the same time, your eyes should be looking at the viewer. A guy viewing your pictures wants to feel like it's him that you're smiling at or flirting with. If your picture gives the impression that you're looking or smiling at someone else, that won't come off as well.

I also have to make a special note which seems to becoming quite popular with the younger girls. Please don't stick out your lips to make them pouty and as if you're going to kissing something. In all honesty it makes you look like you have duck lips or have had some surgery procedure gone horribly wrong. It's so bad, there's even a website against the whole look here.

A Guy's Thoughts
From a guy's point of view, here's a typical thought process as I look at a girl's picture. To be honest, the whole process takes a few seconds as I take in the details of the picture.

Is this a real picture, or was it stolen off the internet?

#1 Head

• Can I clearly see her Face?
• If she's hiding her face, is that because she's ugly?
• Do I find her attractive?
• Is there anything that stands out about her face (good or bad)?
• How is her hair?

#2 Body

• What kind of body type does she have?
• Is she fat?
• Is she trying to hide the fact that she's fat?
• What are her tits like?
• Is there anything that stands out about her body (good or bad)?
• Do I find her attractive overall?
• What are her pictures telling me about her?
• Is there anything weird going on in the picture?

Bam! These are the details that I personally take in as I skim your picture, and then move on to the next picture. If there's uncertainty about you because of your picture, I'll probably lean towards the negative. In my next post, I'll go into some additional aspects about pictures.