Put these photos in your profile. What to leave out will surprise you.

There is no need to slave over an album of profile photos. But these photos are essential to your success with dating apps. Here’s what I suggest:

Your primary profile photo is the most important. It deserves special attention.

Post at least one photo that shows your body head to toe. Your primary photo will show your face only and the other photos can show more. Most of your photos will focus on your face but make sure at least one is head to toe.

Post at least six photos that clearly show you. It’s OK to post photos that include friends, family and pets. But if you are not the only person in the photo, it must be clear which person is you. To make this clear, avoid group photos. Posting six photos demonstrates that you are serious and committed to the process. People who only post one photo don’t seem as engaged.

Post at least one photo doing an activity. Nobody wants to date a couch potato. Demonstrate that you go outside and do things like hiking, swimming, skiing, boating, etc.

Look presentable. It should go without saying, but don’t look like a slob. If the background of your photos shows the interior of your house, make sure it looks presentable as well.

Eliminate the photos that people hate. I’m looking at you, Man with Fish.

All your photos must be current. There is nothing more disheartening than meeting someone in person for the first time and realizing the person you are meeting is years older than their photos. And by all means, don’t post your high school photos. Believe it or not, some people do it.

Do they think I have a time machine so I can go back in time and date them when they looked younger? What are they thinking?

All your photos must be high quality. Any contemporary mobile phone has a camera capable of producing high-quality photos, so there’s no need to get a fancy digital camera. But photos that are grainy or out of focus seem old — even if they aren’t. And if they seem old, then you cast doubt on whether they are current. You don’t want to plant that seed of doubt in anyone’s mind.

And most importantly, show you. Believe it not, some people don’t show themselves — at all. Instead, their primary profile photo is a rainbow or an inspirational message. Believe me, if I’m looking for a vacation destination or self/help, I’m not using a dating app to find it.

These people are in La-La land. They believe that Mr. or Ms. Right will be interested in them, even though they don’t have the common courtesy to show themselves.

I don’t know about you, but I instantly scroll by or swipe left.

Remember, you have less than a second to get someone’s attention, and you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.

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