I’ve noticed a really strange thing over the last few months that could be damaging for online dating sites – the rise of the bad online dating photo .

More and more of the photos that are being used are low quality and completely unsuitable. This is definitely more true when it comes to the male profiles which is a worrying trend.  Women are able to use make up and seem to be better at taking photos, but lots of them are turned off by the low quality of male photos. As a leading dating coach this is the last thing I want to happen

I think a lot of problem is because dating apps have become so common.  While they are fun and easy to use, members don’t know the difference between a great and a bad online dating photo.

Most people make an instant decision on whether they want to get to know you based on an extremely quick glance at the photos.  So if you have a bad online dating photo then you’ll dismissed before they even start to read your profile.  What this means is that thousands and thousands of perfectly decent men are getting ruled out.

So what is a good online dating photos?  It’s so easy. It needs to look like you on a good day.  You should give the impression you are a fun, relaxed person who isn’t a threat in any way. The quickest way to do this is simply to smile!  But so many people forget this.  The most important thing is to use a cropped headshot, so only the head and shoulders are in the shot.

However, it’s not just the responsibility of the individuals to upload good photos. The online dating sites themselves should be weeding out the low quality photos and rejecting unsuitable images. But it seems like standards have really dropped of late, with quantity being more important than quality.

Before I wrote this article I logged in to a client account on one of the best online dating sites in the UK.  I was shocked to find that FIFTEEN of the first thirty photos were absolutely useless and would should never have been accepted.

I’ve recently seen all sorts of odd shots, mostly from men, including:

Bad online dating photo round up

  • One chap smoking a bong

  • Photos with no heads – just torso

  • Selfies with cameraphones in the shot

  • Sunglasses galore (It’s a dating site not a beach holiday!)

  • Several guys sitting down looking bored

  • Hats of all shapes and sizes

  • People looking to one side

  • Men with their eyes closed..yes really.

  • Group photos – some with their friends/ ex partners heads cut off

These online dating sites need to be educating their members about what they need to do if they want to attract the right sort of attention. Many of them do but for others quality control should be improved.  Yes, it’s fine to have a wider selection of images in your online dating album, but they will never get to see that if your initial bad online dating photo is turning them off.

If you are currently using an online dating site or dating app then I PROMISE you’ll have a much higher success rate if you spend a little time getting a decent photo.  Almost everyone has a high resolution camera on their phones nowadays so there is no excuse. Just ask a friend to take one for you – in fact as many as you like.  You can delete the ones you hate and keep coming until you are happy.  Or check out a reputable photographer who specialises in taking photos that work online.  I can recommend a couple of fantastic ones if you drop me a line.

I’d love to hear what your experiences have been when it comes to bad online photos.  Have standards slipped?  Add a comment to this blog.

Of course, if you’d like me to personally coach you online dating success then you can book up now from my dating coaching store.  We can either meet up face to face or if you aren’t in London we can do it on Skype.  I help clients all round the world to dramatically increase the amount of dates they get.  I can even manage your account and profile for you if you don’t have much spare time.