Without a doubt, an individual's online dating success is directly related to the quality of the primary image. If you ask most online daters they will tell you that they only search for other online daters who have photos, and they only contact individuals whose primary photo appeals to them.

The secondary images and the written profile are only reviewed when an individual is attracted to the online daters primary picture.

Be aware of how the dating sites transform uploaded images
Most online dating companies only require that the uploaded images be no more than 500kb and have a JPG extension. This sounds pretty easy, right? What they don't tell you is that the final images are going to be manipulated so that they are no more than 500 pixels tall, 72 DPI, and will be cropped or rotated to a portrait orientation.

People who upload their images without these transformations in mind run the risk of having their images distorted to the point that the image is unrecognizable. Knowing this, a photographer can shoot and produce final images that are not only within the specifications for most online dating sites but are within the parameters of the final output requirements and therefore, will not be distorted by the online dating site.

Understanding the subject's mentality
It's important to understand how your client may feel when offering your services and when dealing with you during the photo shoot. Not only are these clients unaccustomed to purchasing photography services, they are also apprehensive about getting their portrait taken.

Invariably what you will hear is that they want portraits that look "natural". In essence, they don't want anyone to know that they paid for formal portraiture. This puts you, as the photographer, in somewhat of a quandary. You want your client to get the quality of the professional photo shoot while making them look natural as possible, but not so natural that it looks like "Uncle Phil" took a picture with a Polaroid.

Retouching is a no-no
Besides following the technical specifications mentioned above, retouching your client's portraits is another big issue. It's not uncommon for clients to ask for extensive retouching of their images. "Make me look 10 years younger" is frequently heard.

Over retouching a client's dating portraits can only hurt them in the end. The number one complaint heard about online dating is that people often upload old photographs to fool people, followed by complaints about by overly retouched "fake" photos.

Therefore, it's best to make it very clear to your client upfront that any retouching will be minimal and that the client should come to the photo shoot dressed as they would for a first date. This usually takes care of any hair, makeup and retouching issues.

If you have difficulty convincing a client to go with an accurate picture, I recommend you let them read Claire Bahn's "Use an accurate picture for your online dating profile," at http://www.connectedphotographer.com/issues/issue200510/00001666001.html here in Connected Photographer.