“A picture is worth a thousand words”. This is especially so for your profile picture.
By having an attractive profile picture, you’ve already won half the battle in appealing to your audience. A first impression is made upon seeing your profile picture and you want to make sure you leave a good and lasting first impression!
Profile pictures may come and go but you want to ensure that you have the best photo for every profile picture. Below are ten key points to bear in mind when taking and choosing a profile picture:
1. Choose a Recent Photo, not a Photo from When You were Four!
This may seem like a basic point, but there will always be a handful of people who will set their childhood photo or their dog’s photo as their profile picture. Instead of using your profile picture, make use of the cover photo on Facebook or Twitter for shots that shed light on your interests or childhood.
2. Find Someone to Photograph You
This may take a little more effort, but you’re likely to get better results if someone else photographs you. Not only will you be able to get a clear-half or full-body shot, you will also look more natural when interacting with someone else.
If you do end up taking the photo yourself, avoid taking pictures in the mirror.
Use the self-timer on your camera and set it up on a flat surface. The problem with certain self-timer camera is the quality of the photo may turn out lousy. Another method is to take a selfie; it is after all the ‘year of the selfies’.
3. Quality
This may seem obvious, but we’ve all come across countless profiles with blurry, dark, or low-resolution images. The truth is no one likes looking at low quality photos, so make sure your photo is pixel perfect (not pixelated).
To get really good quality photos, invest in a good camera. It doesn’t have to be a DSLR, just one that will take sharp and high-definition photos. For those who don’t like using a camera, you can always stick to your phone, but what’s important is taking photos that are not blurry or pixelated.
To avoid blurry photos, you can use a camera stand or tap the iphone screen to allow the camera to focus. One idea is to shoot in a continuous mode so that at least one photo is not shaky. Lastly, to avoid grainy photos, make sure the photos are not taken in a dark place.
4. Lighting
Great profile pictures are about great light; light that flatters your face and not cast shadows over it. Singapore is an extremely sunny country and it is a bad idea to take photos under direct sunlight. This will result in dark and harsh shadows on your face. When you get shadows under the eyes and nose, it is not very flattering.
When taking photos indoors, avoid overhead light as this will cast shadows on your face as well. Window light and the light from a lamp that illuminates you from a slightly high angle on the side are good light sources.
It’s important for your skin tone to look natural in a profile photo, so avoid artificial light. You don’t want to look like an avatar like in the photo below!
5. Clear Up the Background
Try not to have anything directly behind you for at least 2 metres as it can be very distracting. It is better to stick to solid or pattern walls. Great places to take photo include alleys and the sides of buildings.
To create a blurry background for that dreamy effect, choose a lower focal stop on your camera to limit the depth of field. The recommended focal stop is f/4.0 or f/5.6. It does not matter if your camera is unable to change the focal stop; many cameras have automatic portrait modes that will achieve the same effect.
6. Strike a Pose
Get creative and experiment with poses. You will eventually find one that you are comfortable with and looks natural on camera.
Here are several tricks to make yourself look thinner:
- Avoid facing the camera straight on
- Instead, angle your body about 45 degrees away from the camera, but keep your head looking at the camera.
- You can also try different ideas with your arms (straight-down, on-hips, one-arm on hips, arms-crossed).
- These movements make you look more relaxed and natural. Lastly, try stepping back with one leg to shift your weight.
Try to pose with the better side of your face; this is usually the side where more of your face is exposed after your hair is parted. For me that is the right side of my face so I tend to take selfies with the right side to the camera. You can always experiment and find out which side suits you best.
7. Clothes
According to Photofeeler, a profile photo testing site, dressing formally has a positive influence on perception. It is always important to be presentable and not sloppy. So avoid those baggy tee shirts and slippers. Dress up and look your best!
Read more at Love Out Loud Asia.
