Is this for me?

• I really hate having my photo taken. Can you help?

  We haven’t come across many people who say “oooh yes, I love having my photo taken!” so you’re not alone in thinking that. But the way we work is that we wander around on the shoot, chewing the fat and getting to know each other and your photographer will work around you & will do their utmost to put you at your ease and get some great shots. But please bear this in mind, the more you put into the shoot, the more you will get out of it when you get your final photos back. Stepping outside your comfort zone is where the magic happens.

• Why Hey Saturday over other photographers or agencies?

  Saskia Nelson, our head honcho, has been credited by Time magazine and renowned photographer Martin Parr for kickstarting a new genre of photography – dating photography. Yes, we are the home of dating photography. She is the leading dating photo industry expert in the UK, Europe and US and has won awards in both the UK and Europe for her work. She is a huge fan of online dating having done it for 8 years until finding her forever guy on Guardian Soulmates. She believes everyone can find love online, they just need the right tools and the right mindset.

• I hate what I look like in photos. Can you still help me?

  OK, the quick answer is that we can help some people but others we can’t.

  So – if you’ve never had a decent photo taken of yourself and they all tend to be ones that your friends have taken of you and then uploaded to Facebook without even bothering to check out what you look like, then chances are that yes indeed we can help. We are professionals and know how to take a good, flattering, relaxed photo. More importantly we know how to edit out and delete the bad photos!

  If, however, you literally just don’t like how you look in photos no matter how good the photo or the photographer is, then we probably can’t help with that. We will most likely think you look amazing in the photos and would be puzzled that you didn’t think so too.

  I hope this helps. Honesty is important to us.

• Do you always shoot outdoors, even in winter?

  Yes, at the moment we just shoot outdoor photography. We believe it fits our brand really well as we can create natural, relaxed, unposed shots – very important for dating photos. Plus, we can keep the costs down – the streets and parks are free after all.

  Winter is actually one of our busiest periods – so yes we work all throughout the winter months. We do tend to work with more triathletes, Iron Man & Tough Mudder competitors though at this time of year, we’ve noticed, lol. However, if it gets too cold or it looks like rain or sleet, you can reschedule. Please see our FAQ regarding the weather. 

• Any chance I can keep hold of the RAW or unedited jpeg files?

  We don’t get asked this question very often but every now and again it pops up and so we wanted to share our policy on it. The answer is no, sorry, we don’t share RAW or unedited jpeg files. There are a number of reasons for this, but from a customer point of view we believe that you are paying for a finished product – which includes the editing/light retouching of each image. The images captured in camera represents only about 50% of the work we do to create our final image. Our photographers are just as passionate about the time they spend in the digital darkroom finalising the images as they are about the time spent out on shoots, it’s a hugely important and integral part of their creative process. To hand over RAW files would be akin to asking an artist to hand over an unfinished painting along with a paint brush and some paint or asking a chef to hand over the ingredients for an amazing dish for you to put together yourself. Thanks for your understanding.

• Who will be there on the day?

  Your photographer will be working one-on-one with you on the day. Each client is booked in at separate times so you won’t cross paths with another client. Sometimes one of our lovely photography assistants will attend the shoot to help your photographer but other than that, it’s just you and your photographer.

• Do you back everything up?

  We sure do but we only keep clients’ work for a few weeks after we have delivered your photos (due to space issues) so please make sure you store your photos somewhere safe. Dropbox or an external hard drive would be perfect.

• I have problems getting around. Can you still help me?

  We certainly hope so. Please feel free to talk us through any concerns you have at the time of booking and together we can find a location that works.

OK, I’m up for it but I’m worried about…

• What happens if I want to postpone or cancel my photoshoot?

  Please read point 9 of our Terms to get the full story but to sum up:

  Rescheduling

  Please do give us as much notice as you can and we will do what we can to accommodate you. Please note though, that any on-the-day rescheduling will result in a 50% surcharge fee for rebooking to respect and reflect the photographer’s time and loss of earnings for that day.

  Cancellations

  We offer full refunds right up to 48 hours before the day of your shoot, between 24 and 48 hours, we can offer a 50% refund and for less that 24 hours notice before the shoot day itself, we will retain all fees.

• As the shoots are outdoors, where can I change?

  Ahh the glamour behind the scenes! We choose shoot locations where you can access clean, spacious public toilets or cafe toilets.

  During a pandemic, this is not always possible though.

  It’s worth noting that most of our shots tend to be from the waist up as those work best for dating photos.

  Yes, you will need one or two full body shots but the rest are taken from the waist up so when you’re planning your outfits, focus mainly on the top half and how you might change up your look quite easily without relying on full outfit changes.

  Layering is a great way to do this. For example you might arrive in a leather jacket and switch to another jacket. Perhaps some shots without the jacket just in a jumper. Then you could remove the jumper for some shots in a shirt or tshirt. Then add another jumper on top etc etc.

  With a little planning ahead, you can easily create a variety of different looks on the go.

• As we’re in public, how do we avoid people staring?

  I think we have to face facts: we will be in public doing something that you don’t see everyday so some people might take a gander. However, I think it’s important to remember that we will just be something these people think about for approximately 1 to 2 minutes before going back to their own thoughts. These photos, however, are helping you find love, something that is pretty important to you. I always say to my clients that for the time that we are together, we are in our own little world, focusing on getting some great shots of you. No one else really matters during that short period of time, especially people you are never going to see again. And if you do end up being recognised by someone you know, we’ll just say this shoot is for your Observer article that’s coming out soon.

• What happens if it looks like rain or snow at the time of my shoot?

  I love the British & NYC weather & their crazy, unpredictable seasons but I have to admit it can occasionally play havoc with planning outdoor photoshoots. If the forecast predicts relentless and/or heavy rain/drizzle/snow/hail at the time of your shoot, then do contact your photographer the day before your shoot, if you would like to reschedule. Also, if it looks like it’s going to be freezing cold at the time of your shoot making you uncomfortable, then that’s OK too,  As long as you let us know by 6pm the day before your shoot, you’re free to reschedule. 

• I’m over 60, does age matter?

  Oh heck no! We love working with clients of all ages. Our oldest client to date has been 76 years young. (And she’s showcased on our website no less)

• How does payment work?

  We ask clients to pay us in full at the time of booking so that we get all the boring admin stuff out the way and can then focus on the much more important and fun business of getting you some great shots.

• Do you have Terms and Conditions? If so, where can I read them.

  We may be all about the fun and good times but rest assured we are thoroughly professional in all we do behind the scenes. You can read through our Terms right here.

• What’s your complaints process, just so I know?

  We want to make sure you are completely happy with the service we give you. If you are not, we will do everything we can to deal with any problems. We will:
  – treat you fairly
  – respond promptly
  – investigate your complaint impartially

  How to complain
  You can complain however you feel comfortable: by letter, by e-mail or by speaking to Saskia Nelson, the Director of Hey Saturday.
  Her contact details are:
  Email: [email protected]

  What happens when you complain
  These are our main steps:
  We will try to sort it out within two working days of receiving your complaint. We will look into what has happened and will try and resolve it as soon as possible. If we have been able to sort things out straight away, we will write or call you to confirm.

  If we need more time to look into what happened, Saskia will email you promptly to acknowledge your concerns and will tell you what happens next.
  We will look carefully into the issues you raise. We might get in touch to make sure we understand your concerns and get more details. If you have any information that is relevant please send it to Saskia.

  We will be in touch to let you know the outcome of your complaint as soon as we can and within 8 weeks of getting your complaint

• When will the photos be ready?

  Our photographers are passionate about their work. And they value the time spent in the digital darkroom just as much as the time spent out on location with you. We shoot our images on large RAW files to ensure we’re working to the highest quality and then edit and lightly retouch them in Photoshop/Lightroom, which makes this process quite slow. It usually takes up to 7 days but may take longer at exceptionally busy periods but please bear with us. We are committed to providing images in the best quality for digital and we recognise that the time spent editing and lightly retouching the images is an important part of the creative process so we want to take our time and appreciate your patience on this. You may find some photographers turn their photos round in super quick time, which could be because they aren’t very busy, or they don’t take as much time and care processing their images or, in some cases, the RAW files are being sent off to India for editing and retouching (if you check the small print). Our photographers are talented artists and would never want someone else to edit their photos for them. Thanks for valuing our process.

Cool, that sounds good. Now, how do I rock this thing?

• Any recommendations for what I should wear?

  We send out a Welcome Pack at the time of booking, which goes into a bit of detail about what you might like to wear and what works well. But, I always recommend wearing clothes that make you feel confident and attractive, basically ‘you on a good day‘. Just to be clear, you will need to bring your own clothes and accessories to the shoot. We’re creating authentic photos of you and to do that, you need to wear your own clothes.

  Avoid wearing anything too tight or too baggy as these don’t work well on camera. So anything which gives  you a flattering shape works best.

  We love a bit of colour pop, as you can probably tell from the photos, so if possible do try and bring at least one item of clothing that’s a bright colour.

  Most of our shots are from the waist up or shoulders up so you don’t need to worry too much about the bottom half. This makes it much easier to get lots of different looks without bringing too much with you. Layering is always good: jackets, jumpers, shirts, t-shirts can be mixed and matched really easily.

  Women can also use accessories to change a look. It’s amazing how a change of lipstick and/or hair style mixes things up.

  And check out our recent blog post on this, right here.

• Do I need to bring anything to my shoot?

  Yes, you will need to bring the outfit(s) that you want to wear. Hey Saturday aims to create authentic photos that represent the real you and in order to do that, you will need to wear your own clothes. Please check out our answer to the question, ‘Any recommendations for what I should wear?’ for ideas on what outfits to bring. 

  If you want, we recommend that you also bring a couple of props with you as they give you something to do with your hands and they’re a great way to tell people a bit more about your personality – depending on what you choose. Books, headphones, bikes, cameras, hats, coffee cups, newspapers, magazines, yoga mats etc all make great props.

  Dogs tend to be a lot more problematic but we have made them work too!

• How can I express my personal style?

  Here’s a blog post I wrote earlier to help you with this. Or you can sign up below for our free eBook “8 Simple Steps to Transform your Dating Profile Photos”