[Seamus]

(02-16-2015 01:09 PM)BlurredSevens Wrote:  

(02-16-2015 11:18 AM)Seamus Wrote:  

1) What's the right balance between professional photos and "action" ones? It seems that a professional photo = you somewhere by yourself. This is great, but how about pics with girls at the club, sports pictures, travel pictures, etcetera? Is a well-taken professional photo better than a lower quality pic of you at the beach in Rio, playing pick up basketball in the park, or at the bar with a girl on each arm? Do you give girls more emotion through the composition and framing, or the activity? I have no idea.

1. There is this false notion that Demonstrating High Value through photos somehow trumps an evocative portrait.

A good portrait evokes questions, it makes viewers want to learn about you, it makes them want to figure you out. If you play all your cards up front, what is there to learn? Look at those Buscemi portraits - they pose more questions than they answer, and in game, that is very powerful.

Why would a girl care that you went to Rio? Or that you play basketball? What emotions would that evoke? You're a stranger. Lots of people she doesn't know have gone to Rio and play basketball. Doesn't make you special.

That said, adding in a few lifestyle photos into your profile is a good move, but *only* as a compliment to your professional portraits.

Good response, and I see your point. I was browsing through the Tinder thread, and a prevailing thought seems to be that you should craft an identity of who you are through different "genres" of photos. For example a travel pic to show you're worldly, a sports pic to show you're athletic and have hobbies, a club pic to show you've got basic social skills and can attract pretty girls, etc. I'm not saying any of that is true, but it made sense to me when I read it.

That said, you've definitely convinced me to get a few professional shots. The only way to truly gauge the difference is to try both and compare results.