Choosing the Right Photos for Your Egg Donor Profile

A picture speaks a thousand words… so what will your egg donor profile picture say about you?

As you know, a big part of being an egg donor is your selfless commitment to helping someone else (usually a stranger) start a family. Even if you never meet this person, you’ll be playing a hugely important role in his/her/their life. And the life of a tiny human!

Of course, Intended Parents first have to sift through dozens of different profiles to find you. That’s why it’s essential to create a profile that stands out! 

At Family Source Consultants, we have a few requirements for our egg donor profiles. These requirements help us – and you! – to show a future Intended Parent/s why you’re the right choice.  

One of the most important requirements is great photos!

Family Source Consultants require 20 photos from each donor. That might sound like a lot, but a wide variety of photos will help show the different aspects of your personality and lifestyle. This will improve your chances of being chosen as a donor. 

Why are photos so important?

First things first: we know that your personality is your best feature. Your lifestyle, career, family, and overall health are important, too. But when someone is looking to choose the biological parent of their child, they’ll be browsing through dozens of different profiles. Why not make yours the one that catches their eye?

Your photos make the difference between someone pausing to learn more about you or just scrolling past. The photos you select for the application process are the photos that IPs from all over the world will see if you’re accepted into our egg donor program.

And remember, as an egg donor, you’re providing half your DNA to a future human being. Many Intended Parents may be hoping to find an egg donor with similar physical features to their own. There’s a chance that the baby produced from one of your eggs will look a lot like you! So your photos should be an honest representation of your natural appearance. 

Here are some tips for the types of photos that make a great egg donor profile!

How to provide the right photos for your egg donor profile

A range of ages

One of the things that Intended Parents may be curious about is what you looked like throughout your life. That means we want to have photos of you from babyhood and childhood through to adulthood. Be sure to note the age you are in each photo. This will help your recipients to get an idea of what their future offspring might look like — almost like giving them a glimpse into the future.

Angles

Your photos should also include different angles, including full-body and face-only. Include some photos taken straight on, at eye level so that your face is clearly portrayed. The best photos are those in which you’re sitting up straight, smiling naturally, and looking into the camera. 

A few full-body shots are also required. Your future Intended Parents will want to know whether their child is likely to be tall or short, athletic or curvy. Everyone’s shape is different, so be honest about yours!

The right lighting

Aim for photos taken in natural, outdoor lighting. Low or fluorescent lighting can change the tone of your skin or the color of your eyes. 

Be sure to choose photos in which you’re wearing a variety of styles and colors. These can also help with the overall impression of who you are. 

Go natural

Filters may be tempting to use, but remember, they won’t be an accurate representation of how you actually look. The same goes for wearing an excessive amount of makeup or enhancing your looks in any other way. Your potential IPs want to see what the real ‘you’ looks like. Being honest is not only important but required. 

If you’ve had any form of cosmetic surgery or dyed your hair, it’s a good idea to include photos of yourself before these changes. And avoid photos where you’re wearing sunglasses! 

Be yourself!

Your IPs want to see photos that show off your personality! Choose photos of yourself in your everyday environment. For example, at home with your family, hiking in the woods, running trails, dining out – whatever you enjoy doing. Photos of travel, with your pets, or at important events in your life are also valuable. It’s a great way to give some insight into your interests and background. 

Just remember that the focus is on you, so try to avoid photos that include other people.

Choose high-quality images

This should be a no-brainer. The resolution of a photo determines how clear it will look on a screen and in print. The higher the resolution, the clearer the image, and the better the photo! You want your photos to be beautifully crisp and clear so that your potential IPs know they are seeing an accurate depiction of you. 

Look happy!

Remember to smile! An egg donor who looks happy and relaxed is hugely appealing. After all, you WANT your IPs to choose you.

Things to avoid when choosing your photos

• Photos that are out of focus, grainy, blurry, or pixelated
• Photos taken from a distance
• Images that have been photoshopped, filtered, or adjusted to alter your appearance
• Photos taken in the car, in the mirror, or at unflattering angles
• Photos that are overly “revealing”

Need help choosing which photos are best for your egg donor profile?

The team at Family Source Consultants is always on hand to answer your questions about egg donor photos. Just get in touch!