You really need to have a photograph posted on your dating site. Every company tells you that you’ll get more dates if you have a picture than if you don’t. The one point they may be missing is that there are some people who would be better off not posting a picture if they ever plan to get any dates.

        Of course there is a guy for every gal and a gal for every guy. I don’t care what you look like, if you plan on finding a mate, you have to be honest in the long run. The last thing you want is to have some gal shut the door in your face or to have some guy take one look and walk away before you can put on your coat.

So now that we have established that you need a picture posted you have to figure out how to do it. Get a digital camera and get with it. For crying out loud, it’s the twenty first century and you need to be digital. For those of you who feel the world has passed you by, ask a kid around twelve years old to show you how to get your picture posted on line.

Next you have to decide what picture to use. There are actually services that will take a professional photo to make you look your best. This isn’t a bad idea if you want to have an edge on the competition, but you can do it yourself and still be okay.
        Just follow a few simple rules: guys should post a picture of Brad Pitt and make it a little hazy so they just think you look like him and not that this is his picture you scanned from People Magazine. The girls should post a picture of Angelina Jolie and use the same haziness technique as noted with the Brad photo.

Actually if you wish to maintain credibility in the honesty and truthfulness department, you should use a recent photo – no photos more than a few years old at most. Try to post two or three pictures as this gives a better representation for that potential mate to evaluate. You really don’t want to waste anyone’s time, and if there is no chemistry, move on as fast as you can, or you will go on lots of very unproductive dates.

Make sure at least one picture is close-up enough to allow others to see what you look like, unless you are ugly. In that case, use a picture that is tiny and emphasizes other features like you body/build. If you have nothing going for you, go back to the hazy technique.
        Don’t post photos with posses that show attitude. I find it odd that some out there post pictures that look like they are trying to appear glamorous or tough or bold. Don’t go for the Gloria Swanson look or the Bogart look. Try to look normal. Yes, that’s rather direct, yet many people don’t seem to realize this.

Get goofy smirks off your face. Don’t look grumpy, for that matter, you don’t want to look like any of the seven dwarfs, or other Disney characters. Don’t post photos with your best friend, ex-spouse, the guys or girls you bowl with every Wednesday night, your therapist or your mom and/or dad. If you post a picture standing next to your mom or dad, you are telling your potential date just what you will look like thirty years from now – not a smart idea in most instances.
        Don’t post a cropped photo with your ex’s arm on your shoulder. It looks like you had just one photo that made you look good when you went to Aunt Gilda’s wedding ten years ago while you were still married to that creep.

At most, you can post a picture with your dog or cat, but make sure you aren’t posting the one where you are engaged in sex acts with Fido. And above all else, if you post a picture with your dog, make sure the person calling you has no trouble telling which one is you.

A picture is worth a thousand words is very true when it comes to online dating photos. With a little help utilizing my advanced detective skills I can easily teach you just what to look for.

Most people ignore the background. You can find some interesting information by looking beyond the person. Rather often you can see a glimpse of how this person lives. Notice the trailer park with all the neighbors sitting outside playing banjos. Without even looking farther down the page you can tell this person makes less than $10,000 a year. If you think out of the box, you may even be able to make the assumption that this person is on public assistance.
        On the other end of the spectrum, I looked at the picture of one woman who was rather attractive and I noticed she was posing with her hunting dog on an estate that led me to believe she owned horses and stables. I knew without looking that this woman listed “will tell you later” under the section about her income. You see, wealthy people don’t like to broadcast that they have lots of money, but if you are astute, you can figure it out. You’ll also find that these people live in exclusive neighborhoods, have hobbies that include attending charity balls, and investing or volunteer work listed under their employment. That means that just like the people on public assistance the rich people don’t work at a real job either.

Besides those two extremes, you may be able to get a real insight into their lives by looking at the background. The usual case reveals some of the tastes this person may have. You can see if they have modern or classic furniture, cheap or expensive accessories, too many pets to allow you to live with them due to your allergies and other assorted information not usually stated in their profiles.

The hands and neck reveal a lot about the person, as they usually age much worse than the rest of the package. And while you may want a handsome or pretty face because it’s a nice thing, just remember that once you get the cloths off, the neck is very often attached to the chest and stomach. So by observing the neck and the hands online in the picture, you get a glimpse of what you may find when you are engaged in acts of love and affection or when your new mate takes a shower in front of you.

By using some simple logic, you can make sure your pictures aren’t too revealing about your life of poverty so that others who know these secrets don’t ignore your listing.
        Post a picture of yourself while at the ski slope wearing a bulky down coat, heavy gloves, a hulking crocheted scarf and a wind mask. That’s perfect! While this is meant to be a joke, I can’t believe how some people actually post pictures like this.

It’s almost embarrassing that I have to tell you to comb your hair. I’m not your mother. You would not believe how many photos are posted with the most unkempt looking people. I suppose if that’s you, don’t try to look good. After all, you don’t want to meet someone and have to comb your hair everyday for the rest of your life. It may be best for some of you to remain lonely and forget finding a mate.

There are some pretty clever people out there who are even a step ahead of the best of us. It took me awhile to figure out what this one woman was doing by posting a picture of herself leaning over putting on a shoe. I know what you’re thinking: that makes absolutely no sense, and it makes the person look like they’re nuts. Who would ever post a picture in such an odd pose? As it turns out, I was drawn to this attractive woman in that exact pose and couldn’t figure out why. After looking at her picture several times over the week, I realized as she was bent over, I could look down her blouse. Now that’s a smart cookie. Using my brilliant deductive reasoning, I would have to guess that she was a waitress. Yes, waitresses have a secret. The ones who get the best tips from men are the ones who leave the top two buttons of their blouse unbuttoned.

Avoid the too formal pose; the ones some photographers offer don’t fit on these sites. A photographer can make you look great if he understands this isn’t supposed to be a wedding picture. You want a natural pose, a good smile (unless you’re missing front teeth) and a neutral background (not the formal ones used in studio photos). You can get this background at a park, by the sea, on the beach, or in your own back yard assuming it’s not cluttered with old tires, a mattress and a dismantled car engine. Also try to avoid a background that shows you live in a hut or a mansion.

If you have a terrible smile, use a photo without the smile, but try to look happy. If you have that fake looking smile, have someone make you actually laugh, and have the picture taken just as you’re coming off of the full laugh. That makes for the most natural good looking smile.

Avoid pictures that don’t flatter you. Avoid exposing your worst features. If you have a large nose, avoid profiles and go for the frontal shot. If your ears are real big, use duck tape to hold them back for this photo. If you are heavy try for the above the lips shot. While I am exaggerating here, you should get the point. You don’t want to emphasize faults, but you don’t want to be fake about it either. People don’t like surprises. Don’t figure that once they meet you, they’ll like your perfume, fall in love and over look that you have a wart on your nose and that there is no physical chemistry.

Play up your good features. Please guys, that doesn’t mean you use the picture with your ass-crack showing or any picture that involves having your zipper down. If you are buff, post at least one picture with your arms exposed. Don’t go overboard or you’ll be perceived as a narcissist.
        You ladies should be proud of that cleavage and don’t be afraid to show some. Again, don’t overdo it or you’ll look like a hussy. If you have great calves figure out a way to show them. Yes, you may want a picture of yourself bent over, putting on a shoe. Sound familiar?

If you want to avoid wasted time, include in your profile: I do not respond to those who don’t post their picture. I noticed this on some women’s sites and it is rather smart to consider.
        One woman told me she didn’t post her photo even though she described herself as attractive, because she didn‘t want her picture all over the internet. I can understand the need for privacy, but you have to take reasonable chances.
        Not posting a photo is a good way to miss out on may potential mates who never respond to non-photo listings. Posting a naked picture of yourself in the act of some sexual perversion would probably end up all over the internet – just be discrete, and don’t be afraid to post your picture.
        An interesting ploy I noticed being used by women involves pictures of themselves in the bedroom or bathroom wearing a slip or some scanty item of clothing. They say "sex sells," and it does. You will probably get many more hits if you look seductive. You should, of course, decide if that's what you want to be selling as it attracts a certain kind of guy who looks very much like a pig.