Whether you are using a timer with your camera on a tripod, or having someone take the picture, you want the camera to have a great angle on you. Ideally, you want all of the lighting as even as possible (this is why alleys and the sides of buildings make great places to take these shots). It’s ok if the area behind you is dark, but what you don’t want is for it to be significantly brighter than where you are. Solid and pattern walls are good, however. Try not to have anything directly behind you for at least 15 or 20 feet, if possible. When you find your sacred photo spot, look at what will be behind you. Where there aren’t strong shadows on your face or objects around you. Find a side of a house or building where the sun isn’t shining directly on you. Where do you find said light? Open shade. What is good light? It’s light where the shadow transitions are soft, as shown below: Great profile pictures are about great light, and that will always look better than a great background. It’s all a matter of following a few simple steps.įorget the scenic overlook shot for your background. I’d go so far as to say that the beer-smelling camera you used at the club last week will work just fine. I say ditch them all, and get yourself a new pic! Now, before you freak out and start calling photographers in your area with an offer to barter images in exchange for social media training, you can actually get great results with most any point and shoot camera that’s available today. Oh – my high school picture, the cool shot of my aloe plant – which one to pick? Which will help me attract new friends? Too often, picking a photo results in a choice between some shot from a party that you don’t remember taking (or even attending), or some dated, blurry image from an event just to show that, yes, you do get out of your house. It says “This is me!” And, whether you like or not, people’s first impressions can be greatly affected by the quality of your photo. Not so surprisingly, this translates right into the virtual world, and it all starts with your profile picture. It all goes to show who you are, your personality, and your ability to not look like Pigpen with a laptop. We make sure that we have on clean clothes. In the real world, we all make an effort to look our best when meeting new people.