Anyone doing any online dating needs to learn basic photography skills. This is not hard: you need a little bit of time, money, inclination, and a camera. The data are clear: better cameras get better results. You need to get better pics if you want better results.

Photography is the manipulation of three basic settings (aperture, ISO, and shutter speed) and the knowledge of a handful of other factors (light quality, lens length, sensor size, and framing). That's it. A reasonable person can learn almost everything important about these factors with an afternoon of Googling and experimenting with a camera.

Women I've met via online dating consistently say that my pics look better than most guys' and that I can actually write in complete sentences (they say this is rare, although I don't know if it is or not). In an age of cell phone pics, a real camera will go a long way to improving your overall rate.

I am not even advocating something like camera game, which I don't do and can't speak to. I am advocating for basic skills that are likely to accentuate who you are and improve your overall outcomes. As with many things TRP, this is another small boost and it will not compensate for weak game, cutting all simple carbs, social anxieties, and other problems that scupper men. A while ago I wrote about why you should ride a motorcycle. A motorcycle and camera in and of themselves will obviously not get you laid and will not compensate for poor fundamentals.

They, however, can augment your overall vibe and, used correctly, make you stand out and be more seductive. Both have skill components that are attractive to women. Judicious use of good photos on social networks like Snapchat may also lead to dead leads coming back to life. I do not advocate using social networks very much as for the most part they are a waste of scarce time, energy, and attention, but today's reality is also simple: most women are on them, a lot.

For example, if I have a reasonably strong connection or dead FWB with a woman, I will ping them to re-start in six to twelve months. This doesn't work incredibly often but it is a quick way of picking up some easy lays without much work. If a woman likes a picture (they only look at pictures—don't bother writing), I assume she wants to sleep with me. Often this isn't borne out (ha ha! if only it were reliable), but it's a useful enough heuristic. Women are photo-centric and so being able to shoot good pics effectively, especially with other women (implicit social proof) is useful.

You may not know what camera to get. Here is the open secret: it DOESN'T MATTER. On the Internet camera geeks endlessly argue. Fuck them. I will tell you to start with a used Sony RX-100 III. This camera has a large sensor, a wide aperture, and a flip-up screen that allows for selfies. Women fucking love selfies, so the flip-up screen is key. It should be about $400 - $600. Right now Amazon Warehouse deals offers them for $525.

If that is too high, try an earlier RX-100 version I, which is still a good camera. Something more substantial is an original Olympus EM-5 with a Panasonic 20mm lens. But the camera isn't that important and if you can score an old Canon or Nikon that will likely work fine.

Obviously it's also fun to take hot pics of sexy women, but you already know that so I won't belabor the point. Most contemporary women want to feel like models and want to pose for sexy guys.

I'm also aware that many people here are opposed to online dating, in which case I hope you skip this post. There are many places to rehash whether online dating is good or worthwhile, so let's try to make this one about how to do it effectively.

(I am slowly migrating my old RP posts to a new blog, both to make them more visible to search engines and to preserve them for the day when the admins realize their commitment to SJW bullshit is stronger than their commitment to free speech. If you have a question you'd like to see addressed there send it via PM.)