[BlurredSevens]

When it comes to online game, guys spend 99% of their time talking about 1% of things that matter.

Guys talk about openers, the culture of online dating, which cities are best for Tinder, texting, what to put in their profile, what to do if a girl goes cold, etc.

Those things tally up to about 1% of what’s important in online game.

What makes up the other 99%?

Exactly ONE thing.

Your photos.

There are 7,700 posts and 2.3 million views between the Tinder and OKC threads, and yet nobody is talking about photos. There are even now multiple threads about bots that guys have built in order to get more matches online. This is missing the point entirely, and demonstrates a lack of game knowledge. Many guys still think that if you spit a few lines then girls are going to line up to fuck you.

In my opinion, if you don’t have professional photos, then you haven’t tried online game. You showed up to the stadium but you’ve been sitting in the locker room the entire game, talking about the weather.

Laugh if you want, but online game (Tinder specifically) is the real deal. Models, actresses, and hot, horny 19-year-old college girls around the globe are using Tinder to get laid. If you want to fuck them, you need to get your shit together. That selfie from the bar in 2009 just isn't going to cut it; I don’t care how clever your bio is.

This is the golden age of easy pussy and you're blowing it with shitty photos.

So I’m going to break it down for the forum, and show you why good photos matter, give you examples, then walk you through getting your own high-quality photos taken.

What this thread is not: a debate about whether looks matter. That’s been discussed ad nauseam on the forum, so please don’t bring it up here.
What this thread is: how to look like your BEST self in photos, and why it matters.

The vast majority of guys doing online game fail to understand that girls are EMOTIONAL creatures. Girls respond to emotional stimuli and with online dating, that stimuli is visual. Online dating is NOT your canned opener, your witty profile, your age, your location, or whether you have a six-pack. It’s whether or not the girl FEELS something when she first sees you.

To get girls online, you need to stimulate them visually. You need to hook them with an interesting image. NOT an image of you doing something interesting, but a photo of you that is itself interesting.

That is the key difference.

It's *very* different than saying you need to be attractive. Being attractive is great, but nothing trumps a photograph that evokes an emotion, and you don't need to be attractive to do that.

Need proof?

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I’m going to kick things off with a picture of one of the ugliest known humans on the planet: Steve Buscemi. His face is a train wreck, he’s scrawny, and he generally looks like a 13-year old boy trapped in a 65-year old man’s body. Or maybe the other way around. Either way, he’s fucked.


Here is what he looks like when caught off guard:



Not so good, eh?

BUT, put him in a tailored suit, get him with a professional photographer that understands lighting, and he turns into the most interesting looking man in the world:



All of a sudden, the ugliest person known to man transforms into a person that looks like a guy you’d want to meet, and who generally doesn’t give a shit what you think of him.

For a girl, he turns into a man that they want to figure out: “Who is this guy? Why is he wearing that? Why doesn’t he look like all the other guys I know? Who took the photo?” etc.

THAT is what I’m talking about with “visual stimulation.” A good photo gets the hamster spinning. He’s still an ugly motherfucker, but the photograph is interesting in and of itself, and that’s all you need to hook a girl online. The fact that he’s ugly doesn’t even register in the girls head - they’re interested because he makes them FEEL something. In this case, it’s intrigue. How could you see that photo and not want to know more about this guy? Game is still paramount, but not if you can't hook girls in the first place.

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Here is what most guys look like online:



That's a pretty sorry lot. I can hear the pussy drying up from here. Looks like the most boring, average crew of guys out there. They might not be, but their photos certainly won't be getting any girls hooked.

1. Abs guy with low quality photo. Thinks that girls want to fuck because he has a 6-pack. Cliche gym photo. Misses all the subtlety of game principles.

2. Outdoorsy nerdy guy. Girls probably like this guy in real life, but his photo makes him look like a dweeb. Weird angle, low quality image. Is that a bow and arrow in his hand? Come on.

3. Dude might be attractive, but he’s alienating girls with the weird dog pic, and is hiding his entire body. Bad lighting too - his skin looks orange. What’s in the background, is he at a wedding? Seems like a dime-a-dozen bar bro. Why would a girl want to meet him?

4. Average looking dude with a stupid car selfie and hiding a man’s most important features: his eyes. Nothing interesting in this photo AT ALL. Why would anyone want to talk to him? Hell, he doesn’t even have a cool dog.

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Let’s contrast this with another photo of the infinitely ugly Steve Buscemi:



Now, that is a cool looking dude! The photo is crisp and high quality, indicating that he is a high quality man. His presence is dominating, he looks different than other guys out there, he’s dressed well, his expression is intriguing, and most importantly: he’s not trying too hard. He’s just a cool looking motherfucker and you can feel his vibe through the image.

With a photo like that, do you think his online dating profile would need a witty bio? Or a clever high-energy opening line? No way. That shit is irrelevant, because in that one single photo, he looks more interesting than every other guy in a 50 mile radius.


So let’s recap:
- Girls are emotional creatures.
- Therefore, you have to hook girls emotionally.
- Online, the only way to do that is visually.
- Therefore, you need photos that are visually interesting and evoke emotion.
- Game and building attraction comes in after you have hooked them; just like the real world. But if you don’t hook, you don’t have an opportunity to build attraction.

Conclusion: GET PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS!

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Hopefully, you’re convinced that you don’t need to be a model to look interesting in photos. If Steve Buscemi can do it, so can you. If you’re uglier than him, check out RVF’s own game success story from a guy who is *medically* facially disfigured, and learn how even he is able to bang girls! "Game Works, Even for the Facially Disfigured"

Naturally, you need a good photographer to get good photos. A lot of guys think “professional photos” means getting your headshot taken like you did for the college yearbook, with a photographer who is 60 years old and overweight. That’s NOT what I’m talking about here. I’m also NOT talking about photoshop, deceiving photos, digital manipulation, etc.

I’m talking about photographers that can bring out your best qualities in a single image. Photographers that are fashionable themselves, and that pay attention to modern trends in style and imagery, since that is their job. It’s not easy, but there are capable photographers in every city in the world. Instagram has lowered the perceived value of photographers, but you still can’t beat a professional at his own game.

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Types of photos you can get:
It’s important that your photos are congruent with your personality. The Steve Buscemi example is a good example for someone who is naturally an introvert, mysterious, etc.

But maybe that’s not your style. Maybe you are a high-energy guy, or a nerdy guy, and so you need to get images that reflect your vibe and aren’t projecting a fake version of you.

I’ve decided to take those 4 Tinder images above, and find professionally taken photographs of guys that look like them.

You can decide for yourself which photos are going to attract more girls.

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Shirtless guy looks like a dumbass in the gym. But he's got a great body, so no point in hiding it. Do it right and he's got a panty-wetting photo that doesn't make him look like a tool:



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A clean, well shot image of the outdoorsy guy would do him wonders. Let girls find out later what hobbies he has:



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Bar bro transforms into a cool dude when you put him in a sharp looking coat and get him into the daylight:



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Average Joe doesn't have a lot to work with, but get him in some fresh clothes, and in an interesting location, and all of a sudden he looks like a guy that hipster girls in his area would be down to meet up for drinks with:



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How to find a photographer:
You don't want a traditional “portrait photographer.”

You do want a Fashion or an Editorial photographer. Fashion portraits are what you mostly see in Calvin Klein ads and things like that. Editorial portraits are what you see in magazines like GQ and Esquire. By definition, Editorial Portraits are portraits that tell a story about a person. Those are the photographers you want to have taken, because a photo that tells a story is a photo that evokes emotion in girls; whether that be interest, laughter, intrigue, etc. The important thing is that the photo tells something about you.

Like I said, these types of photographers exist in every city in the world.

Google is the easiest way to find them:

Type in [your city] + “editorial photographer”
i.e. “Boston Editorial Photographer”

Click on a bunch of links, and find a photographer whose work you think is interesting. Read their “about me” page and decide if this person is someone you would get along with for a couple hours.

Pick up a couple issues of GQ or Esquire, and decide if the photographer you’re looking at could pull off the high-quality work seen in these magazines. OR, think about how you would look in one of their photos, and decide if that is a good style for you. If their work falls short, find someone else.

Once you find someone, email them and tell them what you like about their work. Photographers are ego driven like the rest of us, and if they know you took the time to look through their work, they are going to treat you like more than just another client.

Then tell them you are doing online dating, and you want to get photos that show your best qualities. If you’re not comfortable doing that, then tell them you want photos for your social media accounts, your blog, your website, etc.


How much it's going to cost you:
For 3-5 final photos, and 2 outfit changes, you're looking at $250-$375 in 2nd tier cities (Boston, Seattle, S.F., etc) and $400-$600 in 1st tier cities (NYC/LA/Miami).

That money will get you 2 hours with a photographer, in a mutually agreed location, and you’ll end up with 3-5 high quality digital photos, and you’re free to use those photos however you want.

Some of you will say: “That’s expensive, can’t I just hire a college student to do the photos?” Of course you can! You can also buy a salad at Burger King, but don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t live up to your expectations.

What to expect before the shoot:
You and your photographer will talk about what you want out of the portraits, as that influences the results.

Turn to them for ideas on a location for the shoot. They should have their city on lockdown, and they’ll know where to take you.

What to expect during the shoot:
During the shoot, the photographer will tell you how to pose, where to sit, whether or not to smile, etc. Just show up, and they’ll do the heavy lifting here. You don’t have to be a model and do crazy poses, they’ll quickly feel you out and decide what is going to look best for your vibe and personality.

Questions to ask the photographer before you hire them:
- What is the final cost, and how many digital images do I get?
- How many outfit changes will I be able to do?
- How should I prepare for the shoot? (grooming, clothes, props, etc.?)
- How many locations will we be shooting in?
- What types of portraits will you take? (i.e. full length, head shot, seated, standing, etc. You will want a variety.)
- Are you bringing an assistant?
- How long will the shoot take?
- What types of clothing (color, patterns, styles, etc.) should I wear?
- What happens if I don’t like the photos?
- Are you going to share the photos in your portfolio? (most photographers will share recent work on their social media - you might not be comfortable with this, so clear it up at the beginning)

Those are all valid questions, and the answers will determine if you want to hire that photographer for the shoot.

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Conclusion:
I know a lot of you are probably still skeptical. Or you think getting photos taken is lame, or corny, or that you don’t need to do it.

If you want to make those arguments, then that’s fine. Go ahead and do what every other guy is doing, and report back your results. I’m sure they will be average.

But, if you want to have girls *opening you* online, and if you want those girls to be attractive, then go get professional photos taken.

The money spent will directly pay dividends in the form of pussy. And you simply can't find a better investment than that!