Dating Photo Tips for Australians Over 60

Before anyone reads a word of your profile, they look at your picture. That is simply how browsing works, on any dating site and at any age, so it pays to give it a little time. You do not need a fancy camera or a stylist. The phone in the kitchen drawer will do nicely, along with some daylight and a helper willing to stand still for five minutes. These are the things that make the real difference.

Start With a Real Smile

Think of the face people pull while on hold to the bank, then aim for the opposite. A relaxed, genuine smile tells strangers you are friendly and easy to talk to, which is most of what they want to know at first glance. Forced grins tend to look forced, so try a trick instead: ask your helper to chat as they shoot, or to tell you their worst joke. Take a dozen frames while you are mid laugh and keep the best. Digital photos cost nothing, so be generous.

Find the Kind Light

Australian sunshine is lovely to live in and tricky to photograph in. Straight overhead at midday it carves dark shadows under the eyes and has everyone squinting. Early morning or late in the arvo the light is far gentler, and so is open shade under a tree or a patio roof. Indoors, sit beside a big window and turn your face towards it. A recent holiday snap can work well too, as long as you are clearly visible, because people love asking where it was taken.

Frame It So You Are the Star

Keep yourself near the centre of the picture, with a little space around your head and shoulders. Profile pictures are shown small and trimmed to fit the page, so anything at the outer edges may simply vanish. Ask your helper to hold the phone at or just above your eye line, never down near the belt buckle, an angle that flatters nobody. A tidy background helps as well. Move the washing basket. Nobody has ever fallen for a washing basket.

Fly Solo in Your Main Photo

Group shots from a wedding or a birthday lunch often catch us at our happiest, but a stranger cannot tell which face is yours, and they may decide they prefer your mate. Make your main picture just you. Cropping a group photo is fine if the result stays sharp. Pictures with a former partner, or with a husband or wife you have lost, are best kept back for now. Those stories deserve telling in your own words, once you have got to know someone.

Calling In Some Help

A portrait photographer can produce a lovely result, and some will come to your home or meet you in a local park, so it is worth asking around for a quote. If that is more than you want to spend, a patient friend with a decent phone can do almost as well. Whoever takes it, choose a photo that looks like you do now, not ten years ago. Someone who arranges to meet you deserves to recognise you when you walk in.

Next Steps

Once you have a photo you are happy with, add it and finish the words around it. Our guide to writing your over 60 dating profile covers what to say, and these first message tips help when someone catches your eye. It is free to join and browse, with members near you shown first.