You’ve learned the logistics, the lighting, and the technical side of photography; now it’s time to dive into the emotional side.

Does your photo reflect your personality, expressions, and inner spark?

A first impression is made in a matter of seconds (but its impact lingers).

It’s all too easy to appear unapproachable, but be super kind in reality, thanks to the RBF (resting b**** face).

RBF aside, we’re here with the deets on how to sample your personality in pics so you come across as attractive (and approachable) as you do in person.

We break this course down into four sections:
1. Showcase Your Passions
2. Best Locations for Personality Type
3. Pay Attention to Your Background
4. Socially Acceptable Social Photos

After this course, try out the tips, snap a few photos, then pop the shots on Photofeeler and watch your scores increase.

1. Showcase Your Passions

Although it sounds simple, capturing a photo of you whilst deeply immersed in your hobbies is an easily overlooked and underrated snap. Yet it gives people a great deal of information in getting to know you.

Next time you’re playing your favorite sport, engaged in your hobby, or just enjoying something you’re passionate about, have someone take a photo. Turn on the Live Photos or Top Shot feature to select a still frame from the moving photo– it’s a great way to find a natural masterpiece.

These photos work like a charm for any profile because:

• You immediately give people a great reason to start a conversation
• It shows a little about what you enjoy doing and your talents
• It’s more meaningful than superficial snapshots

More often than not, you’ll attract similar people who are genuinely interested in your likes and interests. You can still gradually connect with interested parties with a profile flooded with portraits, but why not cut to the chase and improve the chances of connecting from the get-go?

Some of our favorite photos showcasing hobbies include:

• Playing instruments in a band, solo, or at home
• Sports participation caught in action
• A laid-back shot of the person reading their favorite book.
• Artistic expressions such as painting, pottery, drawing, and dancing.

Chances are, as long as you’re doing what you love, you’ll find people who love it too. Even if you enjoy riding a motorbike with no helmet super fast and taking a selfie, like this guy (although we highly recommend against it):

Disclaimer: Although we’re all for top Photofeeler scores, it’s normal for hobby-based photos to rank lower than portrait snaps. But that’s okay. Don’t let it discourage you from putting a hobby pic on your profile. Instead, test a few photos to see which one performs the best. You’d be surprised by the minor adjustments people notice that make or break a high Photofeeler score.

2. Best Locations for Personality Type

If you’re not an outdoorsy person, avoid taking all your photos in the forest.

Seems easy enough, right?

The location of your photos is also a talking point. Recognizable places like landmarks, cool bars or cafes, and outdoor points of interest get people chatting. But most importantly, it’s important to shoot your photos in a place that suits your vibe or is a spot you frequent.

Allow us to provide some suggestions:

Creative Type

Take a photo wherever you work on your hobbies, whether it be an art studio, dance hall, pottery workshop, etc.

Physical Type

While we’re not the biggest fan of gym photos, if you’re passionate about workin’ on your fitness, post a pic on your profile tastefully.

Intellectual Type

If solving highly technical mathematical equations is your kink, or you’d rather spend a whole day reading a novel over basically anything else; a photo of you in a library, cafe, or any learning/work environment is your vibe.

Outdoorsy Type

Mountaineers, backpackers, scuba divers, hikers, kayakers… we could continue, but you get it. If you’re a fan of getting down and dirty while exploring nature, you need a photo outside doing what you love.

Life of the Party Type

This one’s a complicated one because you don’t want to send the “Hey guys, catch me at your local pub” vibe, but you’re totally a creature of the night. Here’s where the dress code in the pic is vital. If you’re dressed like you just walked to the bar from home without any preparation, it’s a no. Now if you look like you combed your hair and dressed to impress, it’s a yes.

3. Pay Attention to Your Background

One of the top observations on Photofeeler is “the background is too distracting.” Now, since we just told you to take a photo somewhere interesting, this probably gets you scratching your skull…

The bottom line is to make sure the background doesn’t overshadow you. It shouldn’t be the first place that our eyes dart toward. Similarly, if there’s anything blocking our view of you, it’s a distraction that you should remove.

Here are five common mistakes to watch out for in the background:

• Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Kidding; just making sure you’re still following along. But seriously, look out for random people/objects/bright and shiny things lurking in the background. Luckily, our modern phones can remove these distractions for us in a second.
• A pole/tree sticking out from your head. Try to maintain a clear space around your head area to avoid mysterious appendages.
• Clashing clothing. Some colors look awkward when combined. Make sure you’re not spinning the color wheel too much in one photo. Also, don’t blend in with the background, or you’ll become a floating head.
• Chaos. Too many people, too many friends, too much of anything– they’re all robbing you of the attention that you rightfully deserve. Eliminate them (from your photos, of course).
• Differences in exposure. Remember– with bright backgrounds, it’s better to set the phone’s focal point to the background and then adjust the foreground with editing; otherwise, everything appears overexposed. You can always bring up the subject by decreasing the shadows.

4. Socially Acceptable Social Photos

Okay, listen…

There are a lot of rules to abide by when it comes to social photos because, if you do it wrong, you’re going to pay a heavy price.

And that price is fewer matches because people are probably going to be looking at your friend, sister, mom, etc.

Unless…

You follow the Four Rules of Socially Acceptable Social Photos (it’s capitalized because it’s official as heck):

One should be the most attractive being in the photo.

Don’t put a photo of yourself next to anyone who might steal your thunder, like Beyonce or Chris Pratt… just don’t do it.

One should look single.

Don’t hug your sister/brother, girl/boy friend, or anyone that could pass for a significant other. If you decide to post a photo with you and an ex, we can’t save you.

One should be obvious.

Don’t appear as a speck of dust on the landscape or as a fraction of a face in a crowd of humanity.

One should be sober (or at least look like it).

Nobody wants to swipe right on a sad, intoxicated hobo who looks like they’re closer to puking on their phone than going on a date.

Let’s vibe!

Photo Tips? Check.
Angles? Mastered, check.
Lighting? Done and dusted, check.
Personality-infused pics? You bet.

We’re not seeking to override your looks or vibe – heavens to Betsy, no. In fact, these tips aim to enhance your natural attractiveness, play on your interests and hobbies, and get you a solid snap that screams, “This is the real me, baby!”

So, well done for completing all four sections of Photofeeler University. We hope that you’ve learned, tried, and tested every trick in the book and are really digging your new photos.

It’s time for you to let your photography wings fly; does your degree hold up in the real world? Test now to try your newly-honed photo-taking expertise.

Missed a lesson? Start at the beginning to get the full effect of amazing pics! Click any image below to revisit a lesson.