This post is not about shaming anyone for online dating nor is it about presenting a list of temporary photo ‘hacks’. You need not outline past your natural lip line or find that perfect angle. The only thing you need to modify is your perspective. It’s not easy — I know this much — but being attractive is about *feeling* attractive. Radiating self-love and self-confidence is the sexiest thing you can do.
If you practice this daily, it won’t matter whether you prefer the glamour of red lips, the comfort of going au naturel, or both, depending on your mood. You will find in yourself someone genuine and more radiant than ever before. And the whole thing about finding a date match. Well, that’ll just be an added bonus. And now for online dating photo specifics.
->**Here are a few of her online dating photo secrets:**<-
This photo was captured at a networking event. Another woman asked Urasek to take a photo of her and offered to return the favor. Urasek prefers to pose with ‘[her] stomach in, chest up, butt out, and arm not directly pressed against [herself].’ What’s positive about this photo.
It’s an uncropped, full body photo in a social setting. She isn’t hiding anything. Urasek noted that she was ‘feeling good’ in this brand new dress. The lighting also works well.
Beat the small talk and include a photo of you doing something interesting. You can immediately connect with others who have had similar experiences or engage in conversation with curious onlookers. Urasek’s photo was taken while she was hiking at Antelope Canyon.
Many people reached out to her just wanting to know more about this location. Notice that even though she is a make-up artist, she included at least one photo, this one, with minimal makeup.
Have you ever taken a selfie only to find out it came out completely different from how you looked in the mirror.
Chances are it was bad lighting that caused the disparity, not you. Here is a photo of Lauren taking advantage of the lighting at a MAC store. This is her everyday look.
Urasek recommends these selfie tips: 1. Never zoom in. This will dilute the quality of the photo. 2. Don’t be afraid to shoot your “bad side.” Otherwise, you may end up with all your pics looking exactly the same. 3.
Hold your arm just above eye level. Any higher and you get the MySpace look. 4. Do not use Instagram filters. They over- or underexpose your photos and make you look washed out. Use apps if you want to tweak things; my faves are VSCO Cam and Enlight.
To take a decent mirror photo, make sure the setting is clean (wipe down the mirror or fix that tornado room of yours), look into the camera and not at the mirror, and reveal part of your personality. For example, Lauren received numerous messages about hockey after posting this photo.
Lauren Urasek is no longer on OKCupid, but uses a Tinder account where she does not receive harassing messages, according to Heavy, Inc.
She released a well-received book, *Popular: The Ups and Downs of Online Dating from the Most Popular Girl in New York City*, in October 2015.
