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INTERNET DATING PROFILE PHOTOGRAPHY 

Dating App Photographers

Yes - we are open - and always discreet 

Internet dating profile photographer Paul Pickard shoots discrete, relaxed, confident photography to help you find success with internet dating websites

GALLERY

Contact - 077202 38997   WhatsApp    staffordphototudio@gmail.com

Dating Photographer, Internet dating sites photos, Tinder photographer, Match.com Photographer

 

 

Internet Dating Profile Pictures & Personality Portraits

GALLERY

Sometimes we all need a helping hand in getting to where we want to be - and some of us like to do this without any fuss or embarrassment

Hopefully this is where I come in, by providing a really informal relaxed photo session in your home or on location to help provide a balanced and natural range of pictures for your profile to boost your chances of meeting someone special

Potential

Your potential internet dates are making decisions based on how you present yourself in your profile so it has to be important to make the best impression with your photographs

Dating Photographer, Internet dating sites photos, Tinder photographer, Match.com Photographer

Dating Photographer, Internet dating sites photos, Tinder photographer, Match.com Photographer

Profile Interest

Statistics suggest those people with more than 8 photos on their profile receive the most interest from potential dates.

Men are usually seen as more attractive when pictured doing something and often outdoors whereas photographs of women indoors are more popular on dating websites, however, having the option of both interior and exterior pictures will give you a more improved selection.

Online Dating Pictures Checklist

A selection of pictures that you can rotate on your profile, to include a very good headshot, a full length body shot, shots indicating an active life, shots with a natural smile.

The most successful pictures are generally thought to be colour pictures , shots that represent who you are, relaxed and uncluttered photos work best

What to Wear

Try not to wear anything too tight or too baggy as it may not be too flattering in camera, and because most of the shots will be from the waist up it's easier to bring along a few tops to give your profile that variety and make it look like the pictures were made on different occasions.  Also,  if you have one item of cothing that is a bright colour, bring that along too. You might want to bring an accessory or two like a holdall, bag or prop that relates to an interest or hobbie that you have and gives you something to do with your hands

Text or call Paul on 077202 38997   WhatsApp  to find out about pricing and availability or email staffordphotostudio@gmail.com  in total confidence. “Date-me docs” don’t follow a set structure, but they tend to be plain-text documents that include age, gender, sexual orientation, hobbies and interests, as well as a few of the writer’s best and worst attributes. Some look like polished websites, with clean design, photographs and embedded music tracks. Others look more like extended résumés.

 

Dating Photographer, Internet dating sites photos, Tinder photographer, Match.com Photographer

Mixing your Shoot - In studio and on location

We can shoot both in studio and on location . If you are self concious or a little camera shy it can be useful to begin your shoot in the studio and get you used to being photographed, and then venture outside once you have got used to the situation . 

Call 077202 38997 or text or WhatsApp to discuss your possibilities

Dating Photographer, Internet dating sites photos, Tinder photographer, Match.com Photographer

 

PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY

Take the first step to happiness - mesage me on 07720238997 today

 

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Photography helps you create powerful dating profiles by enabling you to visually share the story of who you are. The more stories you can tell with your profile pictures, the more you’ll be able to show people what it’s like to be in a relationship with you

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Saskia couldn't find anyone at all who was specialising in it, so she was effectively creating a new genre of photography when she launched her business Hey Saturday in 2013.

Explaining the name, she says: "It's like saying hello to the most important day of the week in the dating world."

 
Image copyright Saskia Nelson
Image caption Saskia's photo shoots are always outside, to get away from the "studio portrait" feel

Initially available in London, Hey Saturday has over the past four years expanded across the UK, and is now about to launch in New York.

Saskia and her team of seven photographers, all of whom are female, currently photograph up to 50 clients per month.

Saskia says that from day one she realised the photographs couldn't look too formal.

"I know that I didn't want the photos to scream 'I needed professional help'," she says. "So they couldn't be in a studio, or too formal - people run a mile from that.

"So I developed this ethos of [it looking like] one of your best mates happens to be passionate about photography. You are just hanging out, and taking photos."

 
Image copyright Saskia Nelson
Image caption The company says it has an even split of male and female clients

To create that feel, Saskia says that being outside is key. And if rain is forecast the client has the option to reschedule - particularly useful for women worried about their hair apparently.

Before the shoot they are asked to fill in a short questionnaire about themselves and the website suggests they might want to bring a couple of different tops and t-shirts (there are always nearby loos to change in).

And while Saskia found she initially had more female clients, she says it's now about 50-50, and increasingly she is getting younger people, no doubt more conscious of their online image.

 
Image copyright Saskia Nelson
Image caption Clients pay Saskia and her team for their time, not the number of photos

She says that most clients turn up in a rush, usually with no clear ideas of how they want the photographs to look. They then pay for half an hour, one hour or 90 minutes of actual photography.

Saskia says that a large part of the job is making people feel comfortable, she says, as the clients can often feel vulnerable and a bit self-conscious.

"No-one ever comes to us saying, 'I really want to do this.' They come saying, 'this is the last thing I'll do, because I really want to meet someone,'" says Saskia, who despite being a photographer, does not like being in front of the lens herself.

Hey Saturday has been helped by the fact that the online dating industry has exploded in recent years, fuelled by apps that people can use on their mobile phones.

There are now 10 million active online daters in the UK alone, according to industry group the Online Dating Association (ONA).

 
Image copyright Saskia Nelson
Image caption Clients can bring props and different outfits to the shoot

Andrew McClelland, the ONA's chief executive, says that having help with your profile, be it your photo or text description, can be helpful.

"I'm the worst person to tell someone else about me," he says, "but if there's somebody who can help me sell myself then why not?

"Of course there's the risk it might be more polished than I am, but the same is true in real life."

In the end, Mr McClelland says image counts. "We are social animals and we get an awful lot of information from when we look at someone, although you might argue that is not always a good thing."

 
 

'I found love via Hey Saturday'

 
Image copyright Saskia Nelson
Image caption It was this photo in particular that caught the attention of Samantha Lovell's love interest

Samantha Lovell found love after using Saskia's service

The 36-year-old teacher had hired a professional matchmaker who strongly advised her to get professional photos.

So visiting her sister in London she booked a shoot.

Her matchmaker showed the photos to one man, who really liked them, and Samantha arranged to meet the fellow online dater.

"We met up and hit it off immediately," she says.

 
Image copyright Jeff Johnson/Rebirth Photo
Image caption Wedding bells soon followed

"We were married in less than a year, and now I'm expecting a baby in the summer."

 
 

Saskia has grown Hey Saturday by word of mouth and by following a marketing mantra known as "know, like and trust".

To do this, she writes blogs and articles for both news and dating websites, takes part in podcasts, and offers dating advice. The idea is that people will get to know, like and trust her, and therefore be more likely to make a booking with Hey Saturday.

 
Image copyright Polly Rusyn
Image caption Shooting acclaimed photographer Martin Parr for one of his projects brought Saskia recognition in the wider photographic community

As the company has expanded, Saskia says her biggest challenge has been finding photographers who she thinks fit the brand.

Saskia, speaking to me at the launch of Metier, a project profiling women and their work, says: "It's so critical that we get people who can make people laugh, can be light-hearted and joke around, because you want to get natural, relaxed and happy shots."

Saskia says she is also notoriously bad with numbers - describing herself as suffering from "dyscalculia", or being dyslexic with numbers.

Luckily she has a banker boyfriend to help with the accounts, who, you will be glad to know, she met through online dating.

So much has changed since I started out as a photographer shooting bands and artists for the music press on 35mm film, the digital age has been a revolution, and a revelation

Making great photographs today, out on location or in people’s homes and gardens is now so much easier thanks to technological advances with portable studio lighting . High speed synchronised flashes are powered by their own battery packs, 500 shots from each one, enabling me to light locations deep in rural landscapes , stables, gardens, anywhere that once would have been impossible only a few years ago

 

My very early work as a freelance photographer for the music press was pretty varied to say the least, one week The Stone Roses, the next week, Tom Jones , a lot of fun, late nights, rubbish pay.

 

During this time , and in order to make a reasonable living, I took a job as a black and white darkroom printer,   lots of chemicals, lived in the dark, regular , but rather low pay. However, this helped me save up some money to equip myself to become a photojournalist. Incredibly varied, very dangerous, slightly better pay.

 

As a photojournalist you are in a privileged position, as you experience the vast highs and lows that life can give, and take away. Up close.

 

I have been lucky enough to shoot Wembley Cup Finals, images for the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, as well as be on the spot for the biggest news stories of the day.  However,  getting the best picture also puts you in the line of fire, and on occasions, in hospital.

 

Nowadays I shoot anything from fashion to home portraits to editorial to business headshots on location . Technology now allows me to load my full studio lighting kit plus my backdrops into my car and travel anywhere I am wanted - I don’t even need a power point.   It’s very empowering

 

As a photographer I am self taught, and still learning, and I hope it stays that way. Luckily, people say I have an eye for a picture, but anything technical has to be learnt , and re-learnt  because technology never stands still . Some of my early photographic influences are still favourites today.  I think it’s important to reference the greats , it keeps you grounded - photojournalist Denis Thorpe,   portrait photographer Irving Penn,  the ballet photographer Philip Hitchman  the enigmatic William Eggleston,  all are worth checking out

 

I am told my style of work is still journalistic - if that’s a word,- even if I am no longer directly employed by news organisations . I still like to capture the decisive moment, work impulsively , look for the unusual, or the unplanned. Although there will always be a brief for any shoot , I am still  looking for that extra something that turns an acceptable image into an exceptional one.

 

I am told by regular clients, that they can recognise my pictures from my photographic style , something I am not sure I see myself, but it’s very flattering to hear all the same.   

 

Despite all the changes in tech,  a good photograph  will always be a good photograph , whether is was made by Irving Penn in the 1930’s or by someone on a smartphone this year. The image is everything and technology is simply an aid to the getting a better image.

 

Like any job that you really love it still doesn’t really feel like work, however, as a full-time professional photographer I still have to put the hours in to bring in the work and this is something I have had to teach myself

My main marketing tool is Google, and I spend a lot of unseen hours working on SEO, Search Engine Optimisation. This is tedious to say the least, but it enables people to find me and hire me for a wide range of photoshoots, so the rewards of meeting new and interesting people justifies the many hours in front of a screen

 

I get my ideas from the everyday , I particularly notice shapes and anything graphic when on my travels . I also love painting and paintings, so when I am working away in a new town or city I try to get to see the local art galleries for inspiration.

 

I once shot a large wedding in Italy, along with 2 other photographers . After the wedding one of the guests, a motor vehicle designer, looked through all three sets of photographs and said: ‘ Paul sees shapes, he shoots shapes! ’ . Until that moment I had never considered that I see shapes, but ever since then I realise that I have always ‘seen shapes’ . It sounds a bit odd, but I get it now.   Photography is part geometry, part personality. That probably sounds pretentious, I hope not

 

I have been extremely lucky to meet so many interesting and creative people on my travels with my camera , one of my earliest experiences as a youthful beginner was shooting Sophia Loren in a 2 metre square room, just the actress and I. Everyone else just left .  I couldn’t believe it! She had this way of looking at you that made you swoon. And I don’t do swooning by the way, but she was the best flirt I ever met. And at the time, the most beautiful.

 

Actors can though, be some the most difficult people to photograph, not because they are being difficult, but because they are being themselves. They need a role to play, a character to get into.  Some of my more recent work has been photographing new up and coming actors , a role I enjoy playing particularly as I like to mentor people and pass on any advice and tips I can offer. I remember shooting Midlands girl Bethany Antonia as a 17 year old helping her get her first actor headshots, and so it’s great to now see her on the BBC in the Get Even series. I also photographed a young Rachel Shenton at my studio when she started out, so understandably I was over the moon when she won an Oscar two years ago. It’s fantastic!, you just never know how things will turn out.

 

There can’t be many jobs where you find yourself stood in the middle of a field in the English Midlands at one o’clock on a summers morning, with Miss Diana Ross. ( She had been flown over from the States to perform at a client’s birthday party, we were just chilling out and chatting in the countryside , it’s amazing really, I used to play Tamla Motown records as a kid and here she is asking me about the Cotswolds and what it’s like living in England )

 

I always say my best picture is my next one , but if pushed to pick a favourite it would be a simple black and white print of a girl on horseback on a windswept beach in County Mayo .

 

Some of the brands I have worked with include Time Magazine, Levi’s, BBC, Costa, Joules, Selfridges and Save the Children . Branded shoots usually involve a large team of people and lots of planning. The best compliment you can get is when the art director on a three day location shoot tells you he is not going to bother coming back for the last two days because he knows I can see his vision and trusts me to deliver the best pictures. Praise indeed, Pressure too!

 

To be fair to any business - it’s an accomplishment to simply still be in business during a pandemic . Key factors to help keeping going include being honest with your communications, there is no point saying everything will be great unless you plan for something great to happen. Clients seem to like an honest appraisal and hopefully I have the experience to anticipate any hurdles that we can then overcome.

 

Just out of lockdown I needed to provide a set of fashion shots for knitwear business , at this time I was not allowed to use a make up artist or stylist because of social distancing rules and using a studio then just didn’t feel quite right. So we came up with a plan and headed for the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham , it has lots of old and interesting doorways which helped frame the shots and the models were photographed using a long lens from across the street.

 

An ideal client comes in 2 varieties . They either know absolutely what they want , down to the last detail, or they will simply say ‘we trust you’ just make some great shots. I like both, and the processes involved.  Either way it usually  involves a mood board, a collection of existing shots that the client likes , or I like, depending upon the scenario. These give me the direction for the shoot , and also the style of the finished look

 

Social Media has had a huge impact on photography and how people see themselves . We are more aware of self image than at any time in history , but is it all for the better? I think the jury is out on that one.

 

The perfect photoshoot and dream collaboration for me might well involve the actor Emily Blunt, an up and coming British fashion designer, and a beautiful Cotswold village location , all at 6am on a warm sunny spring morning. Not a bad combination at all !