Home kitchen
Kitchen Photos: The Most Disarming Shot in a Profile
Domestic and disarming.
Nearly every photo on a dating profile is taken outside the house, which is why the kitchen shot lands differently. It shows you somewhere private and ordinary, doing something useful, and it implies a Tuesday night with you. That is more persuasive than another photo at a bar.
It is also the one shot where not being styled helps. A slightly cluttered counter is more convincing than a spotless one.
What to wear
- A plain tee or an open shirt with the sleeves rolled. The room is warm, so a coat looks wrong
- Nothing you would worry about splashing, since that shows in how you stand
- Skip the apron unless you actually wear one, because it reads as a prop
When to shoot it, and the light
Early evening with the kitchen lights on, or late afternoon with window light across the counter. Overhead kitchen downlights on their own are the worst light in any house, dropping shadow straight into your eyes, so get a window or a lamp onto your face.
The mistake that ruins this shot
An empty, staged counter. Give the photo something to be about: a pan going, something half-chopped, a glass already poured.
Where it goes in your profile
Fourth or fifth. It rewards someone who is already interested enough to keep scrolling.