We all do it… select our best picture as our profile shot. And why not. We’ve learnt the rules.
So what makes a good profile shot and what does it reveal about us?
Many posts and articles have been written about this very topic… and it’s now been revealed that one in ten photos uploaded to Facebook are profile shots! That’s a lot of fotos per person really. However, all articles on the subject tend to talk about the obvious in regards to the facebook profile foto ie who are you? “i’m a rock god”, “I’m a dad”, “I’m a newly married”, I’m a big pisshead”, “I’m a photographer”, “I’m an artist” etc etc… you can even visualise what each profile picture looks like as you read the descriptions, can’t you.
So… I thought I’d do this in a slightly different way. It’s true, I have a lot of fotos of myself, however there are some that have worked better than others for various different reasons. Some, simply because they are a unique, fun, serious, or some simply in the moment and good timing.
Profile fotos are traditionally and consistently meant to be a full frontal, interesting face shot, with you hopefully smiling. We don’t always follow this to the letter, and so here’s a take on the ones that worked for me and an attempt to analyse “the why“. Click through the foto gallery to read the commentary I have provided… I’d love your feedback as to whether you agree with my comments. Of course – I haven’t done anything too negative – no point to that. Enjoy!
This is a similar approach to the bottle on it’s own but with legs… a hobby with legs. Yes, it sparks conversation about shoes and all sorts of things but same as the bottle – this is a short lived profile foto as not all will recognise you without seeing your face. Comment example: Antoinette Hunter: Lovin the legs girfriend!!! Whoohooo
Pulling it all together… think about what your thumbnail looks like.
Even Mark keeps it interesting… picture on the side, full face, black and white.
The fun quirky side of you always inspires comment. It’s never good to be too serious about these things. Be playful, mix it up… but in doing so – show your mouth or your eyes… always.
Everyone has one. A bestie. And we all want a foto with them in it, with us, looking cool, fun and down right gorgeous. So… we use the fotos and have a giggle… but they dont get many comments, other than from single blokes and friends and so it’s best to keep them short lived. One thing to note (as far as etiquette goes), always make sure your bestie looks just as good – if not better in the foto as you. We don’t want noses out of joint there, do we? Also, never use a foto of you with a member of the opposite sex if they aren’t your partner. It may have been a fun nite, but my advise is to simply not go there. And on that note – why do we have our partners in our fotos? Yeah sure, and OK for a brief time but in reality this is a page about YOU… so let’s see a foto of YOU.
The glam shot is always good as a pick me up. Seriously. If you feel good and are in your best dress, your friends will compliment you. This is a very good thing and worthy of consideration on days when you don’t feel so hot-shit, because you will after posting it. Of course if you always look hot-shit, try the opposite… post a foto of you in your housework gear and get them all laughing – that would be a pick me up too!! In essence… use your foto as a feel good. #goonyouknowyouwantto Comment examples: Steve Thomas: Wow. Fabulous dress for a beautiful lady. Sonia Brine: woo-hoo! Sexy mamma! xx
The foto of you doing stuff always works well with a couple of rules followed: a) you can see your face, full frontal b) you are doing something interesting c) you are respectable ie being healthy, loving life etc … not laying on the floor somewhere… #justsaying
We all have hobbies… and sometimes this will spill over into our social media world… or even be contained within. Using a representation of this is OK. Briefly. To be frank, people want to see a FACE. That’s why they are on Facebook – and it’s how they recognise you. These representations are OK for the majority of your Facebook friends – but not all… because not all will associate you to your hobby.
The “in the moment fun snap”. It works. Briefly.
The professional “look at me” shot gets people talking. As long as it has a clear face profile for the thumbnail you can keep these for a while, otherwise they are more brief happy days.
The person depicted as a cartoon – when done well either by hand or digitally always works and becomes a topical piece for conversation. The instantly recognisable features ensures people are still comfortable with conversation.
Designed, cheeky, and styled… the personal brand displaying the person in freelance world. This image has been my most popular, by far. A quick snap on a mobile fone, by myself and then edited… from Flickr to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+ , this image has been talked about and commented on. It didn’t need a professional… it just needed to capture the essence of the person. And it did that. Which is why it worked. #giveitago
Charlie-Helen Robinson 
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