Secured With A Selfie

So this is a question we get a lot – and in a filtered world where people aren’t exactly comfortable taking snaps of themselves au naturale, it’s understandable. But it is necessary, and here’s why: It comes down to creating a safe messaging environment where all users are verified.

We need a live photo of you that matches up with the face enrolled to use our facial recognition feature as this enforces trust between our users and halts the risk of nefarious activity (such as fraud, catfishing etc.) taking place. Simply put, we ask for a live photo so you and your contacts can be assured that the communication on the YEO app is as secure and private as possible. 

Trust us when we say, we understand the intimidation of taking a profile pic without at least a coloured filter added (we’re working on those). But it is our mission to provide the world with a secure, authenticated messaging platform. Here are some tips for getting the best YEO Profile pic:

LIGHTING

So this may go without saying, but lighting is the most important thing when taking your profile pic. The best lighting to use is natural light, so standing right by a window during daylight hours will do wonders in making your photos look great. Another, relatively cheap option, is using a ring light. These come with varying settings (if you’re feeling fancy) and can brighten up your snaps. 

BACKGROUND

As most avid photographers know, a profile pictures’ background can make or break your photo. You want a relatively plain background that won’t distract from the main attraction (you) – so no clutter! Having a solid coloured wall behind you with some small items in the background (such as pot plants, flowers or even a few, simple art pieces) can look so good in any profile pic! And it can give people a little insight into your personality. #winning

POSITIONING

If you want your photo to show off your best self, you gotta work those angles! Taking a page out of fashion models’ books, you can shift around slightly with each photo you take, looking for that perfect positioning of your face and upper body. This includes tilting your face slightly up, down and to the side, repositioning your body’s angle and even pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth firmly to reduce the appearance of a double chin and make your jawline look more pronounced – seriously, that last trick is a miracle worker!

Essentially, you just want to play around and flaunt what you have. Don’t be afraid of showing a bit of personality and being yourself. Following the above tips are a sure-fire way to achieve the best YEO profile pic.

Don’t have YEO Yet? Get it on the iOS Appstore or Google Play here!