Pictures: Small things can make a big difference!

Lately, it seems like my eHarmony response rate has risen dramatically. For a long time, I could count on around 22% of my matches to open communication with me.

That percentage has recently increased to 33%. And it's climbing.

And I haven't made a single change to my profile text.

I could just be lucky. But I doubt it.

And I have made some improvements to my photos. They're not huge differences.

But they seem to be making a big difference in my results.

Better Camera, better pictures. Duh!
First, I got a better camera. My old camera was a fixed-focus 3.2 Megapixel camera, made by HP (known to be cheap-to-mediocre). I've finally replaced it with an 8 Megapixel, autofocus camera, built by Canon (One of the better brands). The pictures are of noticably better quality, even after they get compressed and squished by eHarmony. And, like I said, small differences seem to be making a real difference. And, yes, if you've got any pictures taken from a cell phone camera - you need to replace 'em. Seriously.

Can't afford a good camera? See if you can borrow one from a friend. Or, if you don't mind taking out a Discover card, you can get this one free. (And, no, they're not paying me anything. But it is how I got my camera, so I figured that I'd share. I, and many others have spoken for the fact that they've been in business for a long time, and are reliable in carrying out their promises.)

If you've got a portrait mode, use it!
A little bit of soft focus does make you look better.

Let 'em see your eyes
Okay, I do have blue eyes, but that's not terribly unusual. But I have always noticed one thing - photos that are close enough for people to see my eye color rate significantly higher than those that don't. And, yes, when I got a better camera, it captured my eye color much better.

Crop, Crop, Crop!
Picture composition can make a big difference. If something in the picture is distracting or ugly - crop it out, if you can. If you can't, see if you can get some software to "airbrush" the distractions out. Oh, and you can "airbrush" other little imperfections out too. Like your acne breakouts. Don't get extreme - you want the picture to look like you - but a little touchup can be a good thing.

Don't be a loner
One long-standing rule among pickup artists is this: Don't do what everyone else does.

Do you ever notice how so many people either put up pictures with them alone? Or with other people awkwardly cropped out?

If you've got decent-looking friends, or you're at social events, don't be afraid to have other people in your photos. It shows that you socialize. That you hang around with other people who can present themselves respectably. All good things.

You can go too far. Pictures of you with your ex probably shouldn't be included. But if you're just socializing, and some attractive women are slightly out of focus in the background... that's fine.

Show yourself relaxing
Don't tense up for the camera. Keep joking with your friends. Lean back. Let them lean in toward you to get in the picture. Let them stiffen up before the flashbulb.


When you look relaxed - it makes you look like you're in command of the group.

Avoid tourist photos
Photos in foreign and exotic places are okay. But you want it to look like you're being social. Not like you're trying to brag about your travels.

Avoid the photos of you near obvious tourist traps. Use the ones where you're with friends, catching the more subtle flavor of where you are.

Tell part of the story
Don't leave long explanations of what you're doing in your profile. And don't provide explanatory captions. Let 'em wonder.

Trust me, they'll ask you.

Small things? Yes. But they've made a huge difference for me.

Let me know how they work for you!