Know What your Facebook Profile Picture Says

From self-shots or 'selfies' to abstracts and party pictures, here's a look at some of the most common types of pictures that people choose for their social media pages.

The relationship shot
Cute for some but a bit too in your-face for others, the lovey-dovey type photo is all about announcing to your friend list that you are indeed 'taken' , life is all peaches and cream, and that no member of the opposite sex should even try to hit on either of the two in the photograph.

The narcissist
This one works best for the inner narcissist in some people. There's no harm in taking the odd self-portrait here and there, but that typical shot of your reflection in the bathroom mirror, with the T-shirt pulled up to show a set of abs or a photo that's changed every half-hour , is a bit too much. Even some men display a level of self-obsession that really puts me off. It does tell you a lot about a person's mindset."

The family portrait
This type of shot can mean a frame filled with your near and dear ones or your kids. And justifiably so. We don't tend to change Our picture very often. I often forget to do so."

The selfie
A short form for the self-portrait , this is one of the most common types of shots. "For me and my bestie, taking a selfie upon seeing a mirror has become an involuntary function. Something that comes naturally. But pouts and selfies are something that everyone tries but only few get it right. It needs to be subtle, fun, genuine and pretty. As I tell my friends and homies, I may be vain, but never fake.

The cropped shot
You'll recognize this one as usually taken during a night out. It looks perfectly fine except for the various parts of someone else's limbs that appear in the frame. Or even someone whose face is cropped in half. The message this conveys is: 'look at me!'

The abstract
Nothing says 'I'm arty' like this kind of a shot. Most often , it involves close-up shots of say, a tree's branches with sunlight flowing through. Or perhaps, the ripples in the water of a pond. Or maybe something taken from a really odd angle.

A holiday picture
This could either display a very well known national symbol by itself (say, the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty or the Kremlin) or, perhaps less subtly , one of the owners of that profile standing in the foreground with or without a friend/spouse/partner.