Dating photographer London: Ian Kobylanski
Dating App Profile Photos for Tinder, Bumble & Hinge
Dating profile photography services by Ian Kobylanski. Based in London, Ian specialises in creating and directing natural, engaging lifestyle portraits with 10 years of experience. He helps singles make a great first impression on social media and dating apps like Hinge, Tinder, Bumble and more.
Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Ian brings a warm and friendly approach to his sessions and photography work, ensuring you feel comfortable and confident in front of the camera. He makes relaxed-feeling portraits feel effortless.
The individuals featured on this page are real people, not models: they have either never been in front of the camera before or rarely have.
Whether you’re working with a professional dating photographer like Ian or shooting with friends, check out his 70+ lifestyle photography poses, prompts, and ideas for dating app photos (with examples), which he uses with his clients, and his guide to the best dating photos for Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge.
“A dating app started the conversation between my (now) wife and me.
She and I have been together for over eight years, we’ve moved to London from Vancouver together, and we got married in June 2025.
As a photographer and dating app success story, I understand how an impactful dating profile can be life-changing.
Dating photography is meaningful to me because it changes the way someone sees themselves.”
What is Dating Profile Photography?
Dating profile photography is all about creating authentic and engaging lifestyle images that tell your story and accurately reflect your personality.
These portraits are typically taken in both indoor and outdoor settings that resonate with your interests and lifestyle. The key is to avoid overly staged or edited photos and instead capture moments that feel genuine and relatable. That’s why professional dating photos are a must.
Ian's goal is to create images with storytelling that let potential matches understand who you are at a glance. Approachability is the underlying message of dating photos: they shouldn’t give the impression that you take yourself too seriously.
Looking for these kinds of lifestyle images, but for your social media, brand, or business? Ian’s Personal Branding Photography Services may be the right match.
How I approach dating photography: Ian’s perspective
Personal lifestyle photography for dating apps is a quiet art form. It’s done well when your intended audience has no idea it exists.
Cookie-cutter approaches to dating photography in London don’t work. My philosophy is to tell your story. The images we create are meant to spark conversation, reflect your personality, and feel true to how you actually spend your time.
I opt for directing with actions, rather than poses, so your body language feels natural. Rely on me for where to look and where to put your hands – no posing experience or preparation necessary. I’ve directed and photographed over 1,000 camera-shy individuals.
In practice, I work like a friend with a camera, documenting moments that naturally make sense. The goal is never to make someone wonder, “Why was this photo taken?” Instead of staged scenes, we create thoughtful, believable moments that feel lived-in and real.
As we shoot, you’ll see our photos in real time on a separate device. This creates a feedback loop to refine our approach, ensures there are no surprises, and relaxes our session when you see results that align with our shared vision.
When this is done properly, each image appears as if it were taken on a different day. Through planning and one-on-one collaboration, you’re relaxed, comfortable, and not making constant decisions on the shoot day. That’s what allows genuinely candid photos to happen, even though there’s more intention behind them than most people realise.
What makes me different from other dating photographers?
Many clients who were weighing up different photographers have told me that what stood out about my approach is how detail-oriented, personal, and planning-driven it is.
Before the shoot, I’ll lead us in physically mapping out where we’ll go, the types of images we’re creating, the story each scene is meant to tell, and how outfits or props fit into that plan. The aim is to remove uncertainty and decision-making from the shoot day itself – most of the work happens before it, and it’s all in the details.
That way, when the day arrives, we can simply follow the plan and enjoy the relaxed flow. It also allows us to create a varied, well-rounded set of dynamic images, mixing indoor and outdoor scenes and avoiding the “everything was taken on the same afternoon” look.
Most dating photographers take a more fashion-style or “just go shoot” approach: turning up and shooting repeated, posed portraits against nice backdrops they regularly frequent. That approach works well for a single image – your opener photo.
What’s much harder is building an effective dating profile from that approach alone. A profile needs more than one polished portrait. It needs images that illustrate personality, lifestyle, and context. That’s where believable scenes become far more effective. These are photos that look like they were taken naturally by a friend, where no one questions why the moment was photographed, and where your personality comes through without explanation.
The end result is images that feel effortless and authentic, even though there’s a lot of intention and choreography happening behind the scenes. Only you and I know how much planning went into it – there’s no substitute for that.
Lifestyle and portrait photography services in London
Environmental Portraits
Sessions in various indoor and outdoor locations that complement your personality and interests, creating natural and engaging images in environments that add context.
Lifestyle Photography
Capturing candid moments that show your authentic self in everyday settings that feel personal. Ian offers his East London loft studio to help facilitate these moments.
Customized Sessions
We discuss and plan the goals of your shoot, selecting locations and concepts that emphasise what makes you unique, tailored to your audience.
Combined Use Cases
Use the images for dating apps, professional headshots, and personal branding to refresh all your profiles.
All packages include
✓ Introductory goal-setting discovery call
✓ Outfit and wardrobe consultation
✓ Posing and expression coaching
✓ Storytelling and mood board brainstorming session
✓ Shoot planning template for outfit, prop, location, and reference image planning
✓ Real-time view of the photos on a separate device while we shoot
✓ Location scouting custom to every client
✓ Ian’s furnished loft studio as our base (optional)
✓ Combined services with clothing stylists or hair and makeup artists (optional)
✓ Personalized selection gallery for you to pick your favourite images from after our shoot
Finding your style
I partner with creatives who are as passionate about their craft as I am about lifestyle photography. Need a wardrobe overhaul? I partner with stylists who offers personal shopping that flatters every body type and budget (optional).
The Step-By-Step Process
1. Consultation
We’ll hop on a call to discuss your goals, how you spend your time, and build familiarity.
2. Scene planning
I’ll suggest an array of scenes tailored to your interests and you decide which you resonate with.
3. Location Scouting
I’ll share images of suggested locations for our scenes, building a detailed shoot plan.
4. Wardrobe planning
The last step: deciding on outfits that are complimentary to the locations we agree upon.
5. Shoot day
We’ll have everything pre-organized for a relaxing experience and you’ll see all the images as we shoot.
6. Image selection
You’ll receive a gallery of images to select your favourites for for editing, retouching, and delivery.
New to Being in Front of the Camera?
Most clients have never had a professional photoshoot before, and that’s completely okay. I will guide you through every step, such as where to look, how to stand, and where to place your hands, and ensure you feel at ease and confident. To foster comfort and connection, I hop on a call with every client before the shoot, making sure you feel relaxed and ready. The goal is to make the experience enjoyable and to capture your authentic self.
With an approach like mine, we’ll be in regular communication leading up to our shoot day.
Who do I work with?
While I work with people of all backgrounds, over 95% of my dating photography clients in London tend to have a few things in common:
They’re personable, educated working professionals – often newly single after long-term relationships, recently relocated to (or visiting) London, or rethinking their approach to online dating. Most don’t have any recent, high-quality photos of themselves. They’re selective with their time and want to invest intentionally in their dating life to attract better matches.
If that sounds like you, you’re in good company.
No gimmicky dating coaching or pickup artist hacks, just photos for normal people.
I create authentic photos that match personalities – not fabricate them. They’re polished yet effortless-feeling images that are defendable to your interests and catch you in your best light.
If I do my job right, you’re equipped with an attention-grabbing first impression. London is the most competitive city in the world for online dating. Thousands of new singles move through London – and the dating app algorithms – every day. I make you stand out while never compromising on being yourself.
“11 out of 10. Ian (Koby) is such a sick artist, true professional when it comes to photography. Very chilled and easy guy to get on with and I could not recommend any more highly. Such a great experience shooting with him. He goes over and above with planning but also fully open to suggestions. The results were insane and you can easily see why he’s been doing this for over a decade at such a high level...Will get another one done again soon!”
“Shot with Ian recently and couldn’t recommend him more. He’s excellent at getting the best out of his subjects and collaborating closely to shape a shared vision, while also adapting on the fly to capture what’s working best in the moment.
One thing I particularly appreciated was how much he shared his results as we went along, which makes a huge difference — he really wanted to make sure we were aligned and nailing the brief. He put in a lot of work helping me plan upfront, was super responsive throughout, and turned everything around fast.
Due to my own poor scheduling, we ended up massively overrunning on our first shoot, but Ian kept everyone focused and engaged the entire time. Absolute grafter, great energy, and the results speak for themselves.”
“I booked a quick chat with Ian in 2020 and have since had four photoshoots with him. I couldn’t have been more impressed with his professionalism and vision throughout. I didn’t know what to expect for my first shoot but after some pre-planning the results turned out great. He walked me through poses and suggested various locations based on examples of photos I sent him. I had plenty of photos to use across my social media and professional platforms. Would highly recommend him for all your photography needs.”
“Ian is phenomenally personable and skilled at learning about you and your expectations. He took the time to throughly understand my goals, make suggestions, and ultimately be the creative piece behind bringing my photos to life. I’d recommend him to anyone!”
“Ian provides an all-round excellent service. I would especially recommend him to those who have little-to-no prior experience with professional photography shoots, as he is particularly good at walking you through each step of the process in a way which is both informative and reassuring. Ian very much knows his stuff; he scouts-out some great locations and is full of tips and tricks during the shoot to optimise the quality of the photos produced. He has a very easy-going and friendly personality - which again helps to reassure and relax you during the shoot - but this at no point compromises the level of focus and attention that he brings to the session...”
Why choose Koby?
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Over 10 years of capturing portraits of 1,000+ individuals who aren't models. Ian will guide you through all the posing and expressions.
Read more about Ian and his background here.
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Bringing insights from Vancouver to London, working with a diverse range of clients and an outside perspective to the city, and dating photography.
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A friendly and approachable style that makes even the most camera-shy individuals feel at ease.
Meticulous planning beforehand means a relaxed, easy-going shoot day.
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Sessions are offered outdoors all over London: whether at your favourite cafe, in your home, around your neighborhood, or indoors at Ian's East London loft studio.
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Personalized approach to planning each shoot and capturing a day in your life. No two shoots are ever the same – that’s what keeps it interesting and engaging for Ian.
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High-quality images that are natural and engaging, perfect for dating profiles and social media. You'll receive a gallery from our shoot enabling you to pick only your favourite images for editing.
London Dating Photography Packages
No two dating photography clients are ever the same – and their photography packages don’t have to be, either. For my dating clients who may not know where to start on their dating profile rebrand in London, I offer three packages to help guide the process. For all my commercial clients or those with novel concepts, I provide custom quotes to fit the exact need and usage.
Not sure which package is best? There’s no need to make any decisions before reaching out. We’ll connect over a call to discuss your goals, collaborate on our approach, and then see if a package may align best – or if something custom may be better suited.
I treat all packages with the same care and preparation – the only difference comes down to the quantity of scenes we'll be shooting. Each package is designed for a different kind of person at a different stage in their journey.
What are scenes?
Scenes may include props, interacting with the environment, or other approaches to not give the impression of a staged photoshoot or make your audience wonder why the photo was taken. We want your photos to look effortlessly photographed in different places and on different days, like your photos naturally accumulated over time.
Dating photography London: Packages
Express
Quarter day
Who’s the express package for:
Made for individuals who already have strong images on their dating profile. The express package gives your profile a refresh that intermixes with your existing portfolio.
The focus is on one new leading image for your profile (think a traditional portrait that’s swiped on first) and two conversational portraits in authentic environments that highlight you in your best light. For these, we don’t want to over-engineer or complicate them because the other images in your profile should already show your hobbies, interests, and sociality.
The express package is a single session in one general location with different photography environments for us to use within a close area.
• Three looks and scenes (wardrobe changes)
• Up to 10 image selections for download, with the option for additional selections at any time – includes editing and retouching
Dating photography London: Packages
Core
Half day (most popular)
Who’s the core package for:
Designed to create a full dating profile portfolio together. It’s great if you already have existing, strong images, but dating apps like Hinge allow for six image uploads, and the core package curates all six for you.
The core package is the most popular because not only do we dive into scenes that tell a conversation-starting story about you, but shooting for a half day enables us to spend more time together. This is important because the longer we spend, the more relaxed and comfortable my clients are in front of the camera. The photos that they feel are the strongest are often the images from the latter half of the session because they’re relaxed.
We start with scenes with actions and movement to avoid stiffness, and end with the more traditional portraits. Not all our eggs are in one basket: you have options to test and curate the strongest profile for yourself.
The core package is a single session in one to two general locations with different photography environments for us to use within a close area.
• Six looks and scenes (wardrobe changes)
• Up to 20 image selections for download, with the option for additional selections at any time – includes editing and retouching
Dating photography London: Packages
Comprehensive
Two half days
Who’s the comprehensive package for:
Built for dynamic, robust dating portfolios for working professionals who may have use cases for their portraits beyond dating, or who care about curating the strongest rendition of themselves.
We create multiple options for your dating profile, personal branding for your LinkedIn or website, lifestyle imagery for your Instagram, and more. Tinder allows you to upload up to nine images to your dating profile. The longer we spend together, the more compelling and authentic our candid images become: you get to pick from the best to build your profile.
The comprehensive package allows us to divide our photoshoot across two session dates (max six weeks apart). Not only does this let us take advantage of different weather or locations across the city, but my clients are always the most confident with the images from our second session date. This is because we know each other well: we are familiar with each other, we know what works, and we carry momentum.
The comprehensive package is two half-day sessions in two to three different environments for us to use around London.
• Nine looks and scenes (wardrobe changes)
• Up to 30 image selections for download, with the option for additional selections at any time – includes editing and retouching
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