7 Tips To On How To Smile For Pictures On Dating Apps

Smiling men are seen as trustworthy, attractive, and more dateable than men who don’t smile on dating apps.

This isn’t a groundbreaking finding. Women have been finding smiley men more attractive than their frowny counterparts for thousands of years. Despite this, many men still don’t flash a smile on their dating app photos.

This may be because they don’t take many photos, feel like smiling for a photo is contrived, or just don’t know how to smile.

In this article, we’re going to help you appeal to more women on dating apps by providing tips and instructions on how to smile for pictures for dating apps.

Look At Yourself

How do you even know you’re smile looks odd?

You have to wait for feedback or to see the photo to know if you’ve hit the mark. Instead of having your friend constantly telling you to try a different face when snapping photos for you, practice prior to the shoot.

Get in front of the mirror and practice smiling. Practice so often that you memorize the exact pressure you’ll need to apply on facial muscles so you can replicate this smile when in front of a camera.

Every time you’re in front of a mirror, practice cracking a smile a few times. Soon enough, you’ll know exactly how to form a killer smile that is guaranteed to convince her to swipe right.

Dating app photographer, and emlovz photographer, Krista Kahl advises going even further:

I highly suggest practicing in the privacy of their own home using their cell phone to take selfies unapologetically, or looking in the mirror and smiling just to see what they look like and try to lighten up about it. Try on a persona possibly waiting to come out.
This can ease the anxiety of shy guys or if they have any insecurities around smiling or being in front of a camera. Practice makes master!

Stop Posing

Overly scripted pictures have a tendency to look fake and douchey (because they are). In the ideal world you’d be captured flashing a big ol’ genuine smile or while laughing.

Look back at your photos and search for candid photos. You’re most likely to find candid photos of yourself that were taken at big events where a photographer was hired, like a wedding, birthday party, or religious event.

If that’s not the case you can always manufacture a candid picture.

There are two ways to do this.

1) Ask your photographer friend if they wouldn’t mind snapping photos of you the next time you two do something fun. That means the next time you go apple picking, to the bar, when you sing karaoke, or simply when you’re out with friends, ask them to snap some candid photos of you.

2) Set up a photo shoot with a friend of yours but don’t pose. Have a conversation, enjoy yourself, and all the while they’ll snap photos of you. Just remember not to pose.

Jessica Ruscello, a senior photographer here at emlovz says that you should take a step back from the contrived act that is posing and reset.

Sometimes, a client needs to reset after smiling for too long. I tell them to take a deep breath in, exhale through their nose and relax into a smile. actively breathing through the nose helps open the eyes and make the smile look more natural.
I usually prompt my clients to think about who their best friend was as a kid. Then I ask them to tell me a story about the time they did something ridiculous together, and they usually crack a smile before they do, and I snap the picture.
Last, people look better with a jaw that’s as sharp as possible. I often instruct people to push their jaw forward off their chest like a turtle. The trick is to keep a straight back and sitting or standing tall, and then move the chin forward. I assure them that it feels weirder than it looks. This helps lessen any double chin and squinting.

Whiten Your Teeth

Why is it that you’re not showing your teeth while you smile?

Are you a little embarrassed by your teeth?

Even if you’re a man, there’s a lot of pressure nowadays (perhaps more than ever) to look good, if not flawless.

You can whiten your teeth with whitening strips, or you can see a dentist about teeth whitening. Surprisingly at-home teeth whitening strips have been shown to work (if used correctly and consistently).

Whiter teeth might just give you the confidence you need to crack a bigger and brighter smile.

Stop Taking Selfies

The women of Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge don’t find selfies attractive.

Selfies make you look basic, friendless and are anything but genuine. They’re typically low-quality photos taken from the internal camera (which is worse than the external camera) and are often taken from less-than-flattering angles.

Study after study shows that selfies are not attractive (especially shirtless selfies).

Even if you have a Hollywood smile, the hottie viewing your photo will deduct points if it’s a selfie.

Separate Your Teeth

Think of the fakest smile you’ve ever seen.

I guarantee that person is looking right at the camera, their face looks taught, and their teeth are touching.

Touching the bottom and top rows of your teeth is a telltale sign that you’re faking it. Instead, separate your teeth a little while smiling. If you have full control of your face and can coordinate every part of your face this advice will serve you well. However, if you can’t do so, ignore this advice, as it can make you even more confused and result in an even more awkward smile.

Relax And Enjoy The Process

Nothing ever good comes from being stressed.

No one has ever said if only I had been a little more nervous, that would have gone better.

Taking better photos is all about being in a relaxed state. Play music you like, be in a good mood, joke around, and put yourself in a happy environment. Doing so will result in happy, smiley photos that are worthy of posting on dating apps.

Lisa Damico, emlovz’s professional dating app photographer, is a literal pro at taking swippable dating app photos.

When it comes to enjoying the process, this is her advice:

Before your photoshoot, come up with your own “laugh track.” This a list of happy memories, funny stories, jokes, scenes from movies, etc., that always make you smile or laugh when you think about them. This way, when it’s time for an authentic smile or laugh, you can pick something from this list to focus on, and the smile will take care of itself.
Try to get out of your own head and instead think about the person you want to attract and meet. Pretend that the photographer is a date that you’re really excited about walking up to you for the first time. She’s probably a little nervous, too, so give her a big, warm smile to put her at ease and relay your excitement.
If all else fails, try doing a fake laugh. The awkwardness of it will make you (and the photographer) laugh and smile for real.

Don’t Forget About The Background

A photo of you flexing your best possible smile is a great start to taking a good photo, but it’s not the only ingredient you need.

A picture of you smiling in a dark, sad bar won’t win you any likes.

Take the background and activity into account when taking a photo.

Make sure it’s an attractive background that further convinces her to swipe right on your profile.

In fact here are a few other non-smiling related things to take into account when snapping a quality picture:

Photo must be HD
Don’t wear glasses, hats, scarves, or anything that obscures your face
Make sure the viewer knows who you are (don’t post a bunch of group selfies)
Take pictures of you doing what you love
Make sure the lighting work
Dress well (include at least one GQ shot in your profile)

Dating Decoded

Interested in learning how we here at emlovz can help you crack a smile and attract more women online and IRL?

We teach our students the shortcut to finding their ideal match by MegaDating. MegaDating is our dating philosophy and it shapes everything we teach here at emlovz. Simply put MegaDating is dating prolifically with the specific goal of going on 20 dates in 90 days. This will give you ample women to compare and contrast so you can refine your not only your dating skills but who your ideal partner is.

To teach you how to quickly find highly compatible women in just weeks and become the most eligible bachelor in town you’ll have a team of romantic experts, each skilled in their own unique area to support you.

Our Team

Emyli (me), co-founder, curriculum developer, head coach, and I host two coaching sessions every week
Thomas, co-founder, and coach. He’ll lead the biweekly Man Cave event where men come together to talk dating, bond with one another, and support other single men
Cat, Brooke, and Audrey are mock date specialists. Go on a practice date with them (and receive feedback) before your next date
Hailey is your new stylist. She’s worked with celebs from every industry and is now about to raid your closet
Tilly is our holistic sex & intimacy coach. She’ll help you get the most out of your sex life so you and your partner are happier between the sheets
Aundrea is an award-winning fitness coach. Are you ready to eat right and build muscle?
Mia is our social media expert. Revamp your Facebook and Instagram profiles with her help and start meeting women online

Our Community

And look, we realize that the single life can be difficult. If accepted into our coaching program, Dating Decoded, you’d be joining a community of supportive men and coaches who are there to listen, support, and encourage you as you navigate the single life.

Our program offers every student a lifetime membership (as if you’ll need it) so the support won’t stop until you’ve found your ideal partner.

If you’re ready to find your forever partner, book a Zoom session with our team today. Together we’ll talk about your dating history, your goals and show you how our program, Dating Decoded, can help you find your ideal partner.

Learn how our students have already improved their dating lives.