skip to Main Content

How Do I Choose a Profile Picture?

Your Locals profile is where Explorers turn to for information on your qualifications, personality, and interests, but also to get an idea of who you are!

One of the first things they’ll see is your profile picture. Be mindful of your personal brand and pick a photo that captures your interests, personality, and most importantly — your face.

Photo Requirements

  • Head shot: Make sure your photo shows your face. This is for aesthetic reasons, but also for safety reasons. Explorers need to be able to recognize you when it comes time to meet up for an Adventure.
  • Square Photos: Try to use a photo that has square dimensions (i.e. 1000px x 1000px). These will format well and display without cutting any parts of your picture off.
  • Up to date: Having a recent photo is important — Explorers need to see what you look like now — not 5 years ago. 
  • Take it outdoors: As the leader of an outdoor Adventure you want to emphasize your connection to the outdoors and taking your photo outdoors adds a nice atmosphere to your profile.
  • Use natural lighting: Taking your profile photo outdoors also leads to better photo quality because natural light is typically more flattering than indoor lighting. Take advantage of the natural light but try to avoid taking your photo in harsh, direct sunlight — the best time to shoot is either in the morning or in the evening when the sun is less intense.
  • Focus it: No one likes a blurry picture, and it’s so easy to avoid. Simply take the time to focus your smartphone camera makes your photo look more professional and shows off your face so you will be recognizable to Explorers.
  • No edits: Filters and over-editing photos looks unprofessional and is best avoided, besides, if you’ve used natural lighting and focused your photo, chances are it doesn’t need any editing at all!

PRO TIP:

Check to see if your phone camera has a portrait mode — this will automatically help focus your shot on you, with less emphasis on the background.

PRO TIP:

Ask a friend or family member to take your profile picture for you! While selfies are great for capturing your face, they look less professional than an amateur head shot, so enlist in some outside help.

Quick Checklist

☐ Your face is visible
☐ In focus
☐ Lighting is natural
☐ Outdoors
☐ Choose a photo with square dimensions