Gettingit re photos, I dont rate them now. It's the description I look for. The Chemist's photo wasn't particularly good, not very close up but by this point I had set my radar to "Slightly geeky decent guy" and he kind of set it off.
Consistency, or lack of, is quite telling IME. Initial buzz means nothing, in fact fact nothing means anything until you meet. You can get on like a house on fire over text and email, and even phone, but only by face to face do you get all the other important stuff to work with (body language etc) and even after you meet, its wise (IMHO) to just let it wash over you.
They might sound like they are into you, but the truth is they dont know you so they are assuming, projecting and most likely enjoying the buzz of the moment. So take it with a pinch of salt.
Chemist and I didn't have that lightning-bolt stuff, which was fine by me, as had learned this means very little and sometimes means trouble. We exchanged regular, pleasant emails and then spoke on the phone, which went well, and then we arranged to meet. There was no flirting, no innuendo, no bravado or game-playing, just genuine interest on both sides.
And the rest is history 