Hinge photos: which six to use, and in what order

Use six photos that each do a different job: a clear photo of your face first, then one full-length photo, one of you doing something you actually do, one with people, one in a place that matters to you, and one more of whatever you look most like yourself in. Order matters more than most people think, because the first photo decides whether anyone reads the rest.

1

Clear face, natural lightLead photo: you, at eye level, nothing in the way

2

Doing the thingBacks up your pizza-dough prompt

3

Full lengthAnswers the question nobody asks

4

Mid-laughShows you when you aren't posing

5

With friendsOne group shot, you easy to find

6

A place you loveGives them a first-date idea

What each of the six slots should do

Think of your photos as answers to the questions people have but won't ask. Who are you, what do you look like, what do you do with your time, who do you spend it with. Each slot answers one.

1. 1Clear face, natural lightLets people see you before anything else. Eye level, no sunglasses, no group.
2. 2Full length, standingAnswers the question everyone has and nobody asks. Taken from a few metres away, not a mirror.
3. 3Doing the thing you mentionedTurns a prompt claim into proof: the climbing wall, the pottery wheel, the pizza oven.
4. 4Candid, mid-laughShows what you are like when you are not posing. Ask a friend to talk to you while they shoot.
5. 5With friends, you obviousShows you have people. One photo is enough, and you should be easy to find in it.
6. 6A place that matters to youYour local café, your allotment, your Sunday route. Gives someone a first-date idea.

You don't need all of these to be new. Most people have the right photos already, scattered across three years of camera roll. The problem is usually choosing, not taking.

The order that works

1. Lead with your face. Daylight, eye level, no sunglasses, nobody else in the frame. If you only fix one thing, fix this.
2. Second, the full-length photo. It settles the question early so people can get on with being curious about you.
3. Then alternate. Something you do, then people, then a place. A run of three similar photos (three hiking shots, three nights out) makes a profile feel smaller than you are.
4. Put prompts between them. On Hinge your answers sit between your photos. Put a photo next to the prompt it backs up: the climbing photo near “I go crazy for”, the market photo near “I'm in my element when”.

Photos that quietly work against you

• Sunglasses or a cap in the first two photos. People want to see your eyes.
• Group photos where you're hard to find, or a group photo first.
• Photos that are all from far away, or all close-ups.
• Heavy filters or face-editing apps. They're noticeable, and they set up a disappointing first date.
• Five-year-old photos. If you've changed, the photos should too.
• Every photo being a selfie. One is fine; six reads as nobody to take them.

Make your photos and prompts tell the same story

The strongest profiles are consistent. If your answer to “Two truths and a lie” mentions a dinosaur-costume marathon, the photo of it is worth more than any photo of you smiling at a wall. If “The way to win me over is” is about your pizza dough, show the oven.

That's also why we choose photos after the interview, not before. Once we know your stories, we can pick the six photos that back them up and say why each one made the cut. You can test how specific your written answers are with the free prompt checker.

If you need new photos

Ask one friend, pick one afternoon, and go to one place you'd genuinely be. Shoot in open shade or early evening light. Have them talk to you while they take photos, so you're mid-sentence rather than mid-pose. Ten minutes in a café, ten on a walk and ten doing your hobby will cover most of the gaps.