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Online Dating Magazine Interview with Mindy Stricke on Profile Photos

Bringing together her love of photography, her desire to bring people together, and her knowledge of the interactive world, Mindy Stricke founded SingleShots, a photography studio specializing in portraits for online personals. Since its launch this past June, SingleShots has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Daily News, CNNfn, and CBS News, among others.

Prior to launching SingleShots and helping hundreds of people find their match with a great photo of themselves, Mindy was a Producer at NBC where she developed a variety of interactive programming. Since she started making photographs, her work has been exhibited nationally, most recently in New York at the Makor/Steinhardt Center and the Salmagundi Club. As an educator she has also taught numerous adults and teenagers new ways of seeing through photography at such places as the Maine Photographic Workshops. For more information about Mindy and to see additional work, go to www.mindystricke.com.

Online Dating Magazine (ODM) recently had the opportunity to chat with Mindy Stricke and ask her several questions regarding profile photos.

ODM: It's always nice to see an original concept turn into a business. In this case, you've taken the idea of photography and have built a unique business concept around creating profile shots for people who use online dating services. How did you come up with the idea to formulate your business around profile shots and what did it take to successfully implement your concept?

Mindy Stricke: Last Fall, I took a portrait of one of my friends who was using Nerve.com after she had mentioned to me that she wasn't getting very much response to her profile, which she had spent a lot of time composing. Her original photo was small and slightly blurry, but it was the best one that she had. After she posted her new photo, a black and white casual shot in the park, she was getting an overwhelming number of responses every day, dozens and dozens. I had really enjoyed taking the photo of her and seeing her so happy, and I had already noticed how bad in general most people's photos are on the online dating sites. It became obvious that there is a great need out there for a better photo online, and the seed for SingleShots was born.

After I had the idea for SingleShots I spent a lot of time doing research into the online dating world and figuring out the best way to set up the business. I decided to specialize in shooting singles because I realized early on that it called for a special approach. The last time most adults have sat for a portrait was senior year in high school, and even then it probably wasn't even that great. I make people feel really comfortable and as result can get a great candid that looks like their friend took the photo, if their friend happened to be a really good photographer!

ODM: When you look at profile pictures that people put online, what are some of the general problems that you see with these everyday photos?

Mindy Stricke: There are numerous problems that I spot with everyday photos. One of the biggest problems is ones that are taken much too far away from the subject. It's hard to see someone's face and really get an idea of what he or she looks like, especially because the size of the photos on the dating sites are not that big.

Other major problems involve light that creates harsh shadows on people's faces which is very unflattering. The worst time to take a photo is in sunlight during midday. Or the photo was taken while out at night, with the only light being used a very small flash, making someone look like a deer in the headlights.

Many people, especially men, wear sunglasses or hats that hide their faces. They think they look cool, but looking at them it's hard not to think that they're hiding something.

Then, of course, there are the classic problems: a friend is cut out of the frame, the photo is blurry or out of focus, the person looks really stiff or has red eye, or the photo is out of date. There are myriad of problems with bad online dating photos.

ODM: So what do you do to fix these problems?

Mindy Stricke: There are many ingredients that go into taking a great photo. In terms of technical choices, I do a variety of things to make a good photo of someone, including getting closer to the subject, using flattering, soft lighting, and shooting a lot of photos from many different angles.

And then there are the intangibles. In the photos, I try to capture people's personalities as much as I can. There's a huge difference between a photo that looks posed and stiff and one that is relaxed. The photo on a personal site is the entryway to getting to know a whole person, and I try to capture that in the photo as much as possible. I do this by spending some time with each person, and then continuing to talk with them during the shoot. I shoot a lot, and I pause and chat a lot during shooting, to take the pressure off. It feels more like hanging out with a friend. People walk out of a SingleShots shoot telling me how they usually hate to have their picture taken, but that this was really fun and painless. I think that ends up coming across in the photographs.

ODM: If I was to participate in one of these sessions, what's the process that I'd have to go through after arranging an appointment? How would the process end with my new SingleShots photos online?

Mindy Stricke: After making an appointment for a SingleShots shoot, a client meets me at my studio, where we talk for a little while about what kind of photo they're looking for, what their experience has been dating online, and generally getting to know each other. The rapport between the subject and me is crucial to getting them to feel relaxed. There's an implicit trust that has to be there between us, which will directly contribute to getting an excellent photograph.

After talking, we'll do the shoot. Since I shoot digitally, I can see how it's going while the person is still there, and try lots of different things. I shoot fast, so the whole process takes about a half an hour. A few days later, the person gets a link to a web page with all of their proofs. I always encourage them to get second opinions from family and friends.

Clients choose two photos that I lightly retouch and resize for the online dating services, and then I email them the finished product. They can either upload the photo to the dating service or have me do it for them.

People are really loving the photographs, and have told me that they're really happy to finally have a flattering photo that reflects who they are to put up on a site. One woman wrote after seeing her proofs: "The photos are fabulous! I always considered myself unphotogenic and you have captured me beautifully."

Many people are getting a huge difference in response to their profiles once they change their photo. Amazingly, one client put the new photo up on Match and received over 1200 hits and dozens of responses! Not everyone has received this kind of response, especially because they also have to write a good profile, but it helps. Most people's photos on the dating sites are not very good.

ODM: Surveys show that a lot of emphasis is put on looks with online dating services and it's already been proven that profiles with pictures get more responses than those without. What tips do you have for people wanting to put photos online that help with the response rate?

Mindy Stricke: Obviously, the first thing is to put up a great photo of yourself! If you can't get a professional to do it, get a friend and do your own photo shoot. Have them get closer to you, shoot at the very beginning or end of the day for nice light, or in the shade. And shoot a lot of photos to ensure you get a good one. Once you have a good, accurate portrait, you can put other photos of you doing different things or with different people as the additional ones, to round you out.

After that, spend time on your profile. I don't specialize in helping people with their profiles, but there are many sites that do, including ProfileDoctor.com, and personaladmakeover.com.

ODM: When do you think a person should use a black and white photo versus a color photo?

Mindy Stricke: I think it all depends on personal taste. Black and white is beautiful, and has a more artistic feel to it. In general, black and white makes people look really smooth, including skin. Of course, some people think black and white looks too 'slick'. A lot of it depends on how the photo is taken though. A casual black and white photo is very different than a glamorous one.

ODM: Thank you for taking the time to share some of your insight into profile photos with our readers, Mindy. Any final thoughts?

Mindy Stricke: If you're going to put time and energy into meeting someone online, take the same time to get a great photo. There are elements of a high quality photo that catch your eye and make you look twice, which goes beyond what you look like in the photo. The way the light hits your hair, or the half smile on your face that makes someone want to know more about you. A good photo makes you ask questions-who is this person, what is she like?

All people who are dating online know that when they're looking at potential matches, the photo is the most important element. A good photo can be the hint of the chemistry that's to come.

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