the people i meet | stephen

photo credit: london's original online dating photographer, saturday night's alright

The people I meet

I met Stephen through my cool friend Clive.  Any friend of Clive's has got to be OK, right?  He sure is.  Stephen is one of the good guys and a very cool film-maker.  I love hanging out with other creatives.  We did a shoot round the Barbican and the photo directly above is my favourite photo so far of 2013.  I think it's the gritty, edginess that does it for me.  It's very raw and masculine which makes a nice change from a lot of my work.

Name  |  Stephen

Age  |  Old enough ;)

What is inspiring you right now?  |  The sunshine

What is your ideal Saturday Night? |  It wasn't really a Saturday night more like an afternoon but the most recent fun Saturday I had was indoor karting a few weeks ago with friends for a birthday, it was awesome.....

What is the worst date you've ever been on?  |  I can't really recall ha! 

And the best?  |  The best date I've been on was at a place on the King's Road.  She'd arranged it so that at the time we would be the only people in the restaurant - we had the staff's undivided attention.  The gesture was unforgettable ;)

Where are you favourite places to go in London?  |   I like Victoria Park, the Regent's Canal, Shoreditch... to name a few

If you fancy some photos like Stephen's, then don't hesitate to drop me a line - I'm very sociable.  You can find me here at Saturday Night Towers or email me on saskia@saturdaynightsalright.com.

do you date like charlie brown?

image credit: Marcus Kaatari

"Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love" - Charlie Brown

Peanuts has been a topic of conversation here at Saturday Night Towers as my step-kids have been staying and admiring Snoopy who sits on my dressing table.  I'm very fond of him, (something to do with nostalgia and getting old) and it reminded me why I love Peanuts so much.  I thought about it in terms of online dating, as I tend to think about everything these days, and realised that the genius of Charlie Brown can help in the search for love online.  But how, I hear you ask.

1. He has vision and never gives up
Charlie Brown, you probably remember, is a total lovable loser.  He is shy, socially awkward, and regularly struggles with everything from love, life to baseball.  But you know what?  He still gives 110% to everything he tackles.  Despite his baseball team losing year after year after year, he continues pushing the team.  He organises, coaches, energises his team spurring them on.  This perseverance in the face of adversity is second to none.

Moral of the story?  Come on, if this is what you want then don't give up no matter how tough the dates, the rejection etc until you hit that boyfriend/girlfriend jackpot.  

2. He keeps the faith
All the characters in Peanuts are a little nuts, OK a lot nuts.  There is Snoopy who is effortlessly cool (ahh remember his Joe Cool?),  crabby Lucy, musically gifted Schroeder, dozy Peppermint Patty and smart yet childish Linus.  Charlie Brown is clearly the loser of the group yet he is the leader of the gang.  He is the one who keeps the faith.  He knows it's all going to come good in the end and I reckon it's this hope that keeps the gang on track and makes them look to him as their lynchpin.

Moral of the story? Keep the faith.  It's all going to work out if you keep on going.

3. He has a faithful group of friends
Although his friends are a little crazy they seem to keep Charlie Brown anchored and sane ultimately.  When times get tough they stick together and are super loyal to each other.

Moral of the story?  Had yet another bad date?  It sounds like time to gather your friends together and turn it into an entertaining story.  They'll love you for it and get you through it.  I know mine did.

If you've lost the faith and feel like giving up, check out my blog post on how to get your dating groove back.   And if you need some new pics to refresh your profile, give me a shout at saskia@saturdaynightsalright.com.  Let's get you back on track.

WebRep

currentVote

noRating

noWeight

the people i meet | cath

Photo credit: london's original online dating photographer, saturday night's alright

The people I meet

I met Cath through a very good friend of mine and am pleased to say that I now think of her as one of my very good friends.  I like it when life pans out like that.  We headed to balmy West London to take these summery shots.  Holla if you like them.

Name  |  Cath

Age  |  34, almost 35  :(

What is inspiring you right now?  |  My job inspires me every day with all the different, amazing, passionate people I get to meet. 

What is your ideal Saturday Night? |  My ideal Saturday night is with a small group of friends, some great food (sometimes cooked by me), wine and lots of laughter, jokes and silliness. 

What is the worst date you've ever been on?  |  I met a lawyer for an after work drink, I thought I looked quite glam.  I've never had such bad chemistry with someone and there was literally nothing to say.  He answered all my questions with one word answers, didn't even ask how I was and then he told me his colleagues had lent him some clothes to wear in his profile pics to help him look cool.   Say no more.....

And the best?  |  I am still waiting for one to call the best!

Where are you favourite places to go in London?  |   Nice bars in West London, walks on the Thames, shopping in Westfield, markets, Alfie's Antique Markets, Marylebone, new restaurants and anything gastronomic. 

If you fancy some photos like Cath's, then don't hesitate to drop me a line - I'm very sociable.  You can find me here at Saturday Night Towers or email me on saskia@saturdaynightsalright.com.

the one thing you can do right now to transform your dating experience

Photo credit: london's original online dating photographer, saturday night's alright

How to effect positive change in your dating world in one sweet ninja move

So, are you dying to know what that one thing is?  Well apart from hire me, that is, to take some awesome, stunning, stand-out, fantastic dating photos for your profile of course.  If you haven't done that already, then you might want to read this blog post and then consider booking a dating shoot with me.  But enough of that and back to today's story.

The business of dating
When I started online dating, I was all about the notion of romance.  I always felt like there were signs that I needed to spot which spelt out whether someone was the one or not.  I don't know if you ever feel like that?  It became exhausting,  reading too much into things, always looking for meanings in my dating interactions that just weren't there.  In fact, I'd been brainwashed by society's notion of 'fairytale romance'.  I slowly realised that taking a romantic approach relied on chance and a complete immersion in instant attraction which wasn't based on anything real.

Then one day, I realised that this method was getting me nowhere fast and I decided to adopt a more business-like approach in my online dealings.  I decided to treat dating like I would finding a job. Romantic?  No.  Effective?  Absolutely.  I spent a bit of time thinking about:

* who my target audience were - where they hung out, what their interests were
* who the competition was - what I was up against - how other girls promoted themselves online
* what my USP was - what made me stand out from the crowd - what made me shine

Then I used that information to change up my profile, register with some new dating sites and most importantly leave the fairytale drama at the door.  By doing this, I was able to make sound decisions and weigh things up before diving straight into the next crazy-assed relationship.  And it worked.   

My advice?  Leave the romance for when you find an awesome person worth dating.

And don't forget, as I said earlier, the other thing you can do to totally positive-proof your dating experiences is to book me for an awesome, fun shoot.  If you're still undecided, check out my portfolio here.  

the people i meet | sean

photo credit: london's original online dating photographer, saturday night's alright

The people I meet

I was lucky enough to work with Sean a couple of weeks ago on a fashion shoot.  The brief was "rock 'n' roll, baby" and so I knew I had to be involved.  Sean is a great model to work with.  He knows his stuff, is easy going and fun to hang out with.  Can't ask for more than that.  I'm definitely going to be working with him again so watch this space.

Name | Sean (Seong -Il)

Age  | 20

What is inspiring you right now? | My work, my music, dancing and my girlfriend.  I am outgoing and hardworking.  I can't help being determined when I am doing everything I love.

What is your ideal Saturday night? | My ideal Saturday night is to go out with friends and dance really hard with my b-boys and b-girls.

What is the worst date you've ever been on?  |  My worst date would be with a girl who has a poor attention span, does not connect with me, has drastic differences in her opinions and is materialistic.

And your best? | A girl I met who is now my girlfriend.  We connected instantly and well, we laugh, we smile, we have loads in common, she's interesting, engaging and willing to try new things and have a laugh about it. 

Where are your favourite places to go in London? |  I love the South Bank, Trafalgar Square and walking around St James Park.