It can be easy to feel overwhelmed when selecting photos for your adoption profile. They are likely the first impression you will make on prospective birth parents in addition to a professional video profile, and they may be your first opportunity to prove that you would make a great adoptive family.
Choosing the right photos can help draw expectant mothers to your profile, but knowing 
which pictures to choose can be difficult. As you begin looking through photos for your profile, keep these helpful suggestions in mind.
- Keep them current. Old photos represent priceless memories, but your adoptive family profile should showcase who you are now. Using current photos will help potential birth parents visualize your life as it is today — the life you would provide to their child. If you already have children in your family, it is especially important to use current photos. Children often change very quickly, and your child may look very different than they did even a year ago. Try to use photos from within the past two to three years, and stay even more current when using photos of children.
- Include a wide variety. Your profile should showcase your individual strengths, personalities and interests, as well as your interactions with your spouse, children, other family members and friends. With the right photos, your profile can help birth parents imagine how you would interact with their child. Include a wide selection of pictures that show you doing a variety of activities with different combinations of people.
- Capture genuine moments. While it can be tempting to take your camera out for an all-at-once photo shoot, try to avoid taking all of your profile pictures at one time. You don’t want to be wearing the same clothes in all of your photos, and the best profiles include a variety of “action shots” — everyday moments that are real, relaxed and not posed. It may be a good idea to take some posed portraits of each of you individually, you and your spouse together and a few family portraits, but you should also include a variety of photos that capture your family in action.
- Use high-quality photos. Your photos do not have to be professional quality, but when possible, you should avoid using photos that are blurry, dark or otherwise hard to see. Better quality photos make a good impression and can enhance your profile.
- Make sure faces are visible. That shot of your family’s feet with a pair of baby booties is cute, but photos that show your faces are more inviting and help tell a better story. Especially when you have a limited amount of space to showcase your family, it is important for birth parents to be able to see your faces and get to know you. In addition, avoid using photos that obscure your faces with shadows, sunglasses or hats. Try to use photos that capture your personality and showcase emotion.
Your adoptive family profile is a great opportunity to make a positive first impression. Using the right photos can help prospective birth parents get to know you and showcase all of the wonderful things that make your family unique.
