Ever heard the phrase, “You look better in real life”?
While it comes off as a compliment, it really means your photos aren’t doing YOU justice. Let’s change that.
There’s a science behind what makes a good profile picture decent. Our team at The Match Artist has devoted hours of education and practice into perfecting the five main denominators of a well-liked, “wow this looks like you, and you look damn good” profile photo (an added bonus– you can use the shot on LinkedIn, any dating app, or social media).
It’s all in the facial expressions.
Your facial expressions communicate a lot about you in a short amount of time.
We’ve pinpointed the specific micro-expressions that convey confidence, joy, mystery, skepticism, fear, curiosity, etc. Plus, we’ve helped nearly 600 people discover how to enhance their appearance in photographs while still reflecting who they are and their personalities in the process.
Feel free to skip ahead to sections that you feel you need work on, or reach out to us directly for a free 1-1 call to get you photographing as your best, and most attractive self.
Deep breath now, we’re spilling the tea…
Secret #1: The Eyes
The soul gravitates toward the eyes. They’re the window into who you are as a person.
People say things like, “You have kind eyes,” for a reason. We’re designed to lock eyes in effective communication, but this also applies when looking at photographs of others.
How you control your eyes and eyelids for a photograph is directly correlated to how confident you look. Take a look at some headshots we’ve done for The Match Artist. Focus on their eyes— notice anything similar about them?
Each person’s bottom eyelid is slightly raised– conveying confidence. If you were to Google a model or celebrity, you’ll notice they all use this optical micro expression.
You might’ve heard the term, “smize” or “smizing,” made popular by Tyra Banks on America’s Next Top Model. It refers to smiling with your eyes, and, when partnered with a smirk, is a total showstopper.
Secret #2: The Eyebrows
Some people have extremely impressionable eyebrows. They’re even a hallmark for people like Martin Scorsese and Frida Kahlo.
Ah yes, extravagant, yet memorable.
Beyond the eyes, a nice set of brows makes a huge difference. It’s subtle though, and most people aren’t going to say, “He’s so attractive because of his eyebrows.”
Another thing we focus on at The Match Artist is eyebrow movement. A single eyebrow raise can soften an otherwise intense look and make you look more approachable or fun, which is ideal for some people.
Practice: Go look in the mirror and see what you can do with your eyebrows. Raising one eyebrow can give a sense of intrigue for some and look creepy for others. Raising both eyebrows can convey confidence for some and confusion for others, but should be avoided at a downturned angle.
Secret #3: The Mouth
Flash your real smile. Notice the small details in the curve of your lips, how much of your teeth are showing, the way your face lights up and contours, etc.
While we love a natural smile, there’s an art to it.
The ideal smile we aim for in most photos is the smirk. One side of your smile is raised higher than the other, like a half smile.
“Why the smirk?” you may ask…
A smirk can convey that you’re a bit mysterious, sneaky, or suave. Better yet, it doesn’t give everything away like a too-wide grin might. But don’t forget the eyes: smirks can look dorky when there’s a lack of connection with the eyes.
Secret #4: Neck + Jawline
This is one of the most common mistakes people make when taking selfies or professional photos of themselves. It’s natural to lean back from a lens, but it doesn’t do you any favors.
As professional photographers, we’ve repeated the phrase, “Bring your head toward the camera,” more than any other phrase in our lives. It doesn’t feel like a natural body position, but our clients are always amazed when they get their photos back.
Highlighting the jawline is simple. It involves stretching your head out like a turtle straight forward. Look in the mirror and pull your head back as you’d normally stand. Then push your head forward. Your neck will slightly shrink, your face will slim, and more depth will be created under your jaw.
It’s the optimal angle for headshots.
Secret #5: Three Degrees of Head Tilt
Our heads can pivot in a million different, tiny ways, but there are three main tilts to make your jawline pop! Every face shape is unique, so conduct trial and error to see what suits you best.
Up and down: When looking straight ahead, tilting your head up or down makes your jawline sharper. Tilting upward can make boxier jaws look more defined, but sometimes a bit too pretentious or cocky. Tilting downward can look a little creepy, but it depends on the person.
Side to side: Showing off your side profile is a great way to get a unique shot. A good rule of thumb is to keep both of your eyes in the frame. But we’ve also taken some great shots of people looking off into the distance with only one eye visible.
It’s vital to get the correct angle on side shots not to show too much of the whites of the eyes. We’ll teach you all of this in your photography session.
Puppy dog: This is where you tilt your head to the side—similar to how dogs do when something piques their interest. It brings a bit of playfulness and mystery to the photo. Mixing the first two with this one can have a cool effect.
Practice Time: Take a look at the photos below to see what these head tilts look like in practice, and then work with your angles yourself!
The last and final secret to an epic profile photo…
Hiring a professional photographer, even just for one photo session, is a valuable way to understand what works for your body type and face shape, and what doesn’t. After a shoot with The Match Artist you’ll know how to pose in business or casual headshots, completely avoid unflattering angles and feel like a photogenic person post-shoot.
It truly and honestly does transfer over to how you present yourself in real life, during physical reactions, and even in business.
Although it may feel awkward combining all these facial muscles, with practice, it’ll become like second nature. The goal is fully-formed micro-expressions that look effortless and true to who you are.
Through expert facial expression coaching, we help people convey their personable, unique traits to come off as more engaging and attractive in their dating profiles. Whether someone is expressive and goofy or sneaky and mysterious, we work with them to find nuances in micro-expressions and harness their facial features to communicate who they truly are.
If you’re ready to take your online dating profile to the next level and get more matches, we’d love to chat with you. Let’s raise those Photofeeler scores!