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"We all know online dating&amp;#x27;s tough enough without worrying about your profile pic. So I asked renowned photographer Dan Martensen how to get an uber-flattering shot.Dan took my picture for The Badoo Project, a promotional event for social network site Badoo that features four fashion photographers snapping portraits of glammed-up New Yorkers. 24 lucky city dwellers will be featured on billboards around the Big Apple. So, yeah, Dan knows his stuff. In fact, dude is so good that he turned this salty, barnacle-crusted sea hag dredged up from a local tributary... OMG GET IT AWAY FROM ME...into what appears to be a human female: Not bad, right?Here are Dan&amp;#x27;s tips for recreating this at home. 1, Don&amp;#x27;t take the shot yourself, MySpace-style. Not only does this make it look like you have no friends (sorry!), but the whole weird upward-arm-framing thing isn&amp;#x27;t cute and always, always makes your arm look larger than it is. Instead, have a friend take the shot. 2. No cell phone pictures, unless you&amp;#x27;re at some kind of significant location (e.g. Niagara Falls, Mount Rushmore, Taco Bell) and don&amp;#x27;t have a regular camera with you. 3. If it&amp;#x27;s a full-length shot, see that it&amp;#x27;s from a flattering angle--not too low or too high. If it&amp;#x27;s a head-shot, try to keep your chin down but not so low that you get a double chin. 4. If you&amp;#x27;re indoors, stand against a plain backdrop like a wall so there&amp;#x27;s no peripheral visual business that distracts potential suitors from your super-appealing dome. 5. The best kind of light for a great profile pic is head-on, bright studio light, or, if you don&amp;#x27;t have access to that, soft, natural light. Despite the threat of red-eye, flash can be your friend sometimes, especially if you&amp;#x27;re taking the picture indoors. It&amp;#x27;s not good if you just look like a dark blob. 6. Relax and don&amp;#x27;t try too hard to be cool and/or sexy. The above photo is about as relaxed as I get when there&amp;#x27;s a camera, bright light and/or more than four strangers&amp;#x27; eyes on me, but y&amp;#x27;all should probably smile in your profile picture. 7. Try to avoid the crop-out because there&amp;#x27;s always some awkward body part still in frame, and it generally indicates some horrifically messy breakup in your past. I promise, there are many more great photos of you besides that cute one that also features Phantom Ex-Boyfriend Ear. More online dating profile snafus: *Online Dating Do Or Don&amp;#x27;t: Using A Family Photo As Your Profile Picture *The Online Dating Profile Video You Have to See to Believe (Seriously, Stop Whatever You&amp;#x27;re Doing and Watch This Now) *Reader&amp;#x27;s Dilemma: His Ex Still Has Pictures Of The Two Of Them On Facebook *Online Dating: Would You Pay Someone To Cyrano de Bergerac Your Profile?"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/blogs/smitten/2012/03/score-the-perfect-online-datin>