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09-30-2012, 09:22 PM   #1
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When an SLR just won't cut it

I had an interesting discussion with a group of women the other day about internet dating photos. Being someone who is into portrait photography (in particular "candid" portraits) I found it quite interesting to hear that in the eyes of these women an SLR was not acceptable when taking shots for use for internet dating sites. The general concensus was that smart phones and cheap point-and-shoot cameras were the best choice for taking shots of men for their online profile. I say "men" as this was the basis of the discussion we were having.

The women felt that if a man has "high quality" photographs on his profile he is revealing to others that he is vain and preoccupied with his appearance, therefore he would not come across as appealing to any of these women. I tried to make the point that with an SLR you can take equally candid shots, but it seems that because you can tell the image is shot on a "high quality" camera that it automatically makes it look as if the guy is trying too hard to impress (or as i said before he believes he is very handsome).

Speaking from a male perspective I really have no issue if a woman takes here photo with an MF, FF, APS-C or even an iPhone, it comes down to what the image is actually of. Also, if I noticed that a person of average beauty was using photos that looked like were produced by an SLR I would not automatically assume that they were vain...unless of course if the content of the photo suggested otherwise. My male friends agree with me on this, that a "high quality" image of a woman on a dating website is not necesarily a bad thing.

A male friend of mine wanted me to do some photos for him and he sent this link to me. Keep in mind that article is a little old now, but it does raise some interesting points about people's preconceived ideas about photography and what it says about the people in the image. Some could say these are sexist remarks, possibly it is just a preference of these women for their men to not be too preoocupied with their appearance?

I felt like opening this can or worms to get some discussion from both men and women about how they feel about this idea, that an SLR (or any expensive camera for that matter) is not the right tool for the job when it comes to creating portraits for people to use on their online dating profiles and what people really want are lower quality "ultra candid" photos instead.

TO CLARIFY: If you had two photos one from a smart phone (for example) and one from an SLR both are of the same person, taken at the same time and both are candid would you feel that the photo from the smart phone would make a person appear more desirable for dating than the photo from an SLR?


Last edited by noVICE; 09-30-2012 at 11:08 PM. Reason: Clarification
09-30-2012, 09:24 PM - 1 Like   #2
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Another interesting READ. A bit old as well, but interesting none the less
09-30-2012, 10:03 PM   #3
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My response as one dumb male photographer is, '...and your point is?"
09-30-2012, 10:22 PM   #4
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...As I said at the end of my OP, I am interested in the thoughts of others on this point? The people I was talking to were not into photography, but they had very firm opinions on what was a right and a wrong "quality" for a portrait for online dating. So in other words, if you were trying to make yourself more appealing to a prosective partner or vice versa, would you think that a shot from an SLR would create an undesireable photo?

Going deeper I guess I find it amsuing that we spend $$$$$$$ on photography gear and people pour over glossy magazines and see images everywhere of professional "high quality" photos which are supposed to inspire ideas of beauty and desirablitliy, yet when it comes to online dating it seems that the women I have spoken to on this topic feel that all this gear and technology has the opposite effect on the subject... it makes them less desirable. Does this seem odd to you?

09-30-2012, 10:30 PM   #5
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At my age, it all seems odd to me. Sorry, I can't be serious on this topic. I hope others can.
09-30-2012, 10:43 PM - 1 Like   #6
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For dating sites, I too am usually a bit wary of women who post glamour or formal portraits or photos that were obviously made 20 years before. The advice I have given to both women and men is that they have a recent head shot, one showing full body (ouch!), and one showing them doing something they enjoy. And above all, avoid using half of a "couple" shot with your ex having been cropped out of the other side of the photo!!!


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09-30-2012, 10:55 PM   #7
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Fair point Steve, and I too have heard this advice. So what are your thoughts on the use of SLR's for dating site photos? If you could see that the image was of high quality, but was a totally candid shot would you feel less atrracted to the person in them?

09-30-2012, 11:27 PM   #8
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The format and quality is incidental. Those who get formal type pictures of themselves do have a different attitude about themselves, and thus select a suitable camera. The order is - attitude selects camera, not camera gives attitude. Some pictures do show a narcissistic personality, and they will have used the best equipment to express it. That doesn't mean the reverse is necessarily true. In short, it is not the quality of the picture itself, but the quality of the content that disturbs them. A vein person will not settle for a substandard picture, so phone pictures are spared this type.
09-30-2012, 11:41 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by arnold Quote
The format and quality is incidental.
As I said I also tried to argue with these people that it is the content of the photo that "should" count, but they all agreed that if the image looked like it came from an expensive camera it would give the impression that the person was vain. So ignoring the pose, say it was totally candid do you feel that an expensive camera gives the subject a somewhat narcissistic look?

In saying that I have taken photos with my K7+FA77 for one of my female friends for her profile (She did not ask, I offered and I selected the camera). She really loved the images and was shocked at how nice she looked in the photos. She is FAR from vain and I would go on to say that she has some strong self esteem issues. So in this case she is not a vain person, but by me choosing to take a photo of her on a K7 and not an iPhone was I creating an impression of her being vain?
09-30-2012, 11:58 PM   #10
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To put things another way: (speaking from a male perspective obviously)
We see people in magazines that are deliberately posing in very high quality, professionally done photos and we find them attractive. If someone asked you would if you would consider going on a date with the person in the photo (let's say a model for Nike shoes or Levi Jeans) are you likely to say no? Would you assume they are too vain?

Now let's say the same model took a photo for their Facebook page and it was clearly done with a nice camera with nice bokeh and DOF, assuming they appealed to you physically, would you not consider a date with the person because you felt they were too vain?

Now imagine that you are presened with two photos of this model from a dating site, one is clearing done with an SLR and the other is from a smart phone. The two photos are identical expect for the contrast, DOF, BOKEH and sharpness (the characteristics that we photographers like in an image) would you feel that you would prefer to date the person based on the smart phone photo rather than the SLR one? Does the SLR photo make them appear more vain?
10-01-2012, 12:26 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by noVICE Quote
The women felt that if a man has "high quality" photographs on his profile he is revealing to others that he is vain and preoccupied with his appearance, therefore he would not come across as appealing to any of these women. I tried to make the point that with an SLR you can take equally candid shots, but it seems that because you can tell the image is shot on a "high quality" camera that it automatically makes it look as if the guy is trying too hard to impress (or as i said before he believes he is very handsome).
LOL! This is just women being women. They want men to be very handsome, without being vain. They want men to have a high income, without being greedy, nerdy and without being at work a lot. And they want men to be able to cry, without being a sissy. Oh, and those opinions are all dependent on their hormone levels at that time. Just ignore it.

A camera, high quality or not, doesn't make a person vain. Vanity makes a person vain. If a professional photographer is going to take pictures with a Hasselblad, of me with my greasy hair and my 3 day beard, trust me, nobody is going to think I'm vain. And a portrait shot with a smartphone of a hot girl, doesn't suddenly make her look like a slob.

I think it only influences how professional people view that dating agency. What I mean to say is: Who's going to view one of those internet personal ads sites as professional when they only use phone-images?
10-01-2012, 02:15 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Clavius Quote
If a professional photographer is going to take pictures with a Hasselblad, of me with my greasy hair and my 3 day beard, trust me, nobody is going to think I'm vain.
LOL. Thanks Clavius, but in this case the answer (for these women at least) is YES, you will come across as vain. Personally I find it massively hypocritical and very odd, but this is the opinion held be several different women, from different circumstances, who have different ideas of beauty in men....but they all agreed on this point.

I would really like to hear some opinions of female photographers on this forum.
10-01-2012, 02:28 AM   #13
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The more I think of it, the weirder it gets. The logic of the women you speak of is faulty. (Confirming certain stereotypes.) When using an SLR with reasonably sharp lens attached, any imperfections will be very clearly visible. Vanity would drive someone to use a soft phonecamera instead because this will hide those imperfections. Does this dating agency promote their clients to hide other unwelcome details about their lives as well?
10-01-2012, 03:55 AM   #14
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I think you should find more discerning women to ask.

A bloke gets some nice pics taken; therefore he is vain. Or is he just trying to present himself in the best light. Showing he can afford to do something more than I-phone junk, and cares about his 'on line' persona.

I also think that a person is more than what is presented in a photograph, be it a junky PnS or a top of the line Hassy. The pic is only the wrapping of the present, the real gist is what is underneath.

Find some women who think a little more and look a little less and you will be happier.

It is also a form of reverse snobbery to consider a fella who cares about the quality he displays about himself as 'less' than some slob with an I phone pic. These Gals have issues.
10-01-2012, 04:35 AM   #15
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LOL, thanks WizofOz. This is not about me finding women, I don't use online dating. Unfortunately this IS what online dating is all about though. Many of my friends use dating websites and many of them (men and women) concede that it is a meat market. Most people who are looking to date online will quickly skim over your profile and have a look at your pics and decide pretty quickly if you are worth contacting. But this is getting off topic...

Your point about a person trying to present themselves in the best light is basically where I stand. I think that if a person wants to have photos done with a high quality camera good for them, but I am into photography so maybe I am viewing this differently.

Please don't think that this is an isolated incident. I have had this conversation with different groups at different times and I usually find that there is a high number of people (mostly women) who hold this bias against people with high quality photos.
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