Bookstore aisle
Bookstore Photos: Quiet Interests That Are Easy to Like
Quiet interests, low effort to like.
Some signals are better shown than stated. Writing that you read is a claim. Standing in a bookshop aisle holding something is a scene, and scenes are more believable than claims.
It also hands the viewer a specific thing to open with, which is the hardest problem on dating apps and one most photos do nothing to solve.
What to wear
- Layers with texture, such as knitwear or a corduroy or wool overshirt
- Warmer, muted colours that sit alongside the wood and paper behind you
- Glasses if you wear them. This is the one shot where they add rather than obscure
When to shoot it, and the light
Daytime, near a shopfront window. Bookshop interiors are usually warm and dim, and dim means a slower shutter and a softer face, so get as close to real daylight as the layout allows.
The mistake that ruins this shot
Holding the book up over your chest and chin, or reading it. Hold it at chest height, closed or half-open, and look up toward the camera. The look up is what makes the photo.
Where it goes in your profile
Third or fourth. It attracts messages rather than just matches, which makes it more valuable than its position suggests.