The Echelon Scene, a gay matchmaking agency

The Echelon Scene, a gay matchmaking agency

The Echelon Scene is an offline matchmaking agency for eligible gay men all over the world who are looking for their equal partner in love. The agency is headquartered in London, with additional focus on New York and Toronto. Jacqueline Burns, the founder, travels extensively to meet high-end, genuine, fun, attractive, masculine, and ambitious men.

jacqueline-burns

What I love about The Echelon Scene is that it offers access to single men who would never typically join an agency like this. It gets you out on dates you are excited about, that can turn into lasting relationships.

I caught up with Jacqueline who had lots of questions for me about Hey Saturday to see if we would be a good fit for her clients.

At The Echelon Scene we only matchmake for gay men seeking their equal partner in love. Do you work with gay clients?

Absolutely. We’ve had feedback from some of our gay clients too, who have gone on to find a partner that they’re happy with. We work with clients from all backgrounds, ages, religions, genders, sexual preferences, abilities and nationalities. The one thing that they do have in common is that they are all single and looking for relationships.

Our clients are all seeking a long-term monogamous relationship. Are your clients using their pictures for that reason, or are some of them looking for more short term relationships? If so, do you take the picture differently?

I would say that most of our clients are using their photos to create a stand-out dating profile to help them find a long-term monogamous relationship. But we’ve noticed, in recent years, that younger millennials are booking shoots with us to update their social media feeds and for use on Tinder and Grindr and they are not necessarily looking for long term relationships but short term ones too.

We might approach their photo shoot differently depending on how they brief us. Ahead of the shoot, we ask all our clients to answer our pre shoot questionnaire so that they can take a bit of time out their busy schedule to sit and think about what they are after in their shots. The information they share with us also helps the photographer get to know them better and start to plan their shoot. If the client has a specific vibe they want to go for, then we’ll work with them to help them portray that.

How do you choose locations for each shoot and what do you do for the truly international clients who split their time between many places? Is location important and what do you aim to capture there? Our clients are based all over the UK, Europe and North America.

Hey Saturday shoots in some of the the main cities in the UK and also on the East and West coast of the US, in Los Angeles and New York City. We find some of the most photographic, colourful, vibrant places in those cities and offer our shoots there, for example Shoreditch, Portobello, the Southbank, Covent Garden in London, SoHo, the Lower East Side and DUMBO in New York City and Abbot Kinney and Silver Lake in Los Angeles. At least once or twice a month, we’ll have a client who lets us know they’re flying in from a foreign city (in either Europe or the US) to have their shoot with Hey Saturday. Some combine it with a business or leisure trip others fly in especially for their shoot. Most clients will choose a location that is easy for them to get to or that is perhaps important to them in someway or represents something about their personality. For example, creatives will often choose Shoreditch for their shoot as the vibe their is quite cool and edgy. Other clients might choose Notting Hill or Primrose Hill for a more sophisticated vibe. For clients who are unsure, we’re happy to talk them through the location options and help them choose one that suits them best. The location and backgrounds are important as they form part of the client’s vibe but that said, the client will always be the most important thing in the shot. The backgrounds and locations are there to add value, helping clients stand out for the right reasons.

What is the age range of your clientele? Our clients at The Echelon Scene range from 23-mid 60s but most tend to be around their 30s and 40s, however we have noticed some are much more comfortable in front of a lens than others and age has no bearing on this. Have you found similar results and for those who are camera shy, how do you manage that?

That sounds very similar to Hey Saturday. Our youngest clients tend to be early twenties and our oldest client, that we’re aware of, is 76 and she features on our home page as we love her shots so much. Age and gender don’t really factor when figuring out which ones are camera shy. It’s more likely to be related to whether they are introverts or extroverts and how much they love themselves at the time of the shoot. Hey Saturday is always keen to recommend that people work on their self-love and self-esteem before they start dating as it makes for a much healthier and more fun experience. Plus the photos are always awesome when clients are happy in their skin.

That said, we have a lot of experience working with shy and introverted clients. We work with over 1,000 clients a year in the UK and US so our photographers are working with clients regularly. I only choose to work with photographers who are not only talented portrait photographers  but also experts at relating to all kinds of people and helping them to relax into a shoot when they’re feeling totally out of their comfort zone. We get so much great feedback from clients saying how much they ended up enjoying their shoots despite often dreading it beforehand. Creating a great client experience is the most important thing for us.

At The Echelon Scene we believe the recipe of finding a long-term relationship is to have shared energy, complementing values, characteristics and also physical attraction. Is your aim to make someone look the best they can and incorporate all elements of their values and character too?

As we all know by now, it’s really hard to judge what someone is like just from their photos. The important thing is to actually meet people to find out if that physical attraction and shared energy is there. However, when online dating for example, the way our brains work is that we process images 60,000 times faster than written words. People also don’t spend that much time reviewing people’s profiles when swiping or scrolling so you have literally fractions of a second to grab someone’s attention with your photos. More than 90% of what people consider when deciding when to contact someone online is down to the photos alone, so those photos need to work hard for you or you’ll be missing lots of opportunities.

Our aim, at Hey Saturday, is to do three things: make people look good (first date good!), help them stand out online (using good quality images, incorporating colour, making sure they’re the main thing in the shot, using simple backgrounds rather than messy ones, that add value etc) and finally help tell people more about their character, and if possible, their values. We do that by advising them on the things they can do to showcase their personal brand like taking care over outfits they’re going to wear, thinking about the location of their shoot, the props they might want to bring, what they might like to be seen doing (e.g. cycling, yoga etc.)

We share photos when telling matches about each other and typically ask that the pictures are clear, smiling and not too corporate. However, although all of our clients are emotionally intelligent, fun and kind, some are serious business owners, professionals and entrepreneurs and most have a masculine energy. Do you find men harder to work with and loosen up than women?

This is difficult to answer. I guess the balance might tilt more towards men being harder to loosen up but at the moment we’re working with more male clients so it may just seem that way. Lots of women struggle to relax at first too. But I was aware that people were going to struggle with this when I set up the business back in 2013, so all our photographers have these great personalities where they can find ways to connect with almost anyone and help relax them and tease out great shots from them. Part of the way we work too, is to just try and have fun with clients out on their shoot (which we actually call an adventure as it doesn’t really resemble a formal portrait shoot, ours are more laid-back) and take a lot of photos so that they can relax into the shoot and not worry too much about having eyes closed, mouths open etc. Our photographers will then have a wide range of photos to choose from.

If you would like to find out more about The Echelon Scene, head here to get in touch with Jaqueline.

If you would like to go ahead and book a shoot with one of our awesome Hey Saturday photographers, just head here.

Saskia Nelson was chatting to Jacqueline Burns 

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I think I know which photo is gonna be her ‘talking point’ pic 😆 Our favourite dating profile pics are those that make people feel happy, curious, interested and energised when they see them. This set, taken by Vanessa in Los Angeles, makes me feel all those things and more! Loving them, Vanessa. I love how the client turned up with the energy she wanted to showcase in her photos, dang🔥🔥 Photo credit: Vanessa for Hey Saturday, Los Angeles. #datingapp #datingtips #datingprofile #datingprofilepic #datingphoto #onlinedating #datingphotos #datingpics #onlinedatingtips #datingadvice #single #happysinglelife #brandidentity #personalbranding #personalbrandingtips #visualstorytelling #modernlove #modernromance #datingapps #datingmindset #goodtimeswithgoodpeople #goodtimes
Come for the cool dating profile pics, stay for the ...um cool dating profile pics. Today's big shout out goes to Kimi who shoots south London Loving the vibe of this shoot shot in Peckham. Photo credit: Kimi for Hey Saturday, London #singleandhappy #modernlove #mindset #loveyourself #datingwithapurpose #datingadvice #datinglife #profilepictures #profilepic #profilepics #profilephoto #onlinedating #datingphototips #happylife #happysingle #relationshipgoals #personalbrandingtips #datingapp #datingapps #datingadviceformen #datingadviceforwomen #profilephotography #visualstorytelling #onlinedatingphotographer #datingphotos
I'm in a New York state of a mind today and thought I'd share the vibe. I'm loving these shots taken by Alison in and around SoHo. Photo credit: Alison for Hey Saturday, New York City #singleandhappy #modernlove #mindset #loveyourself #datingwithapurpose #datingadvice #datinglife #profilepictures #profilepic #profilepics #profilephoto #onlinedating #datingphototips #happylife #happysingle #relationshipgoals #personalbrandingtips #datingapp #datingapps #datingadviceformen #datingadviceforwomen #profilephotography #visualstorytelling #onlinedatingphotographer #datingphotos
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Our photoshoots are an adventure, not a chore. Loving the adventure Vanessa and this client had in Abbot Kinney, LA. These photos are sweet as... Photo credit: Vanessa for Hey Saturday, Los Angeles #singleandhappy #modernlove #mindset #loveyourself #datingwithapurpose #datingadvice #datinglife #profilepictures #profilepic #profilepics #profilephoto #onlinedating #datingphototips #happylife #happysingle #relationshipgoals #personalbrandingtips #datingapp #datingapps #datingadviceformen #datingadviceforwomen #profilephotography #visualstorytelling #onlinedatingphotographer #datingphotos
We see a crazy, bright dating future for this client. Huge shouts out to Alison, who shoots in and around Soho every week, creating dating photo awesomeness like this. Loving these. Photo credit: Alison for Hey Saturday, New York City #singleandhappy #modernlove #mindset #loveyourself #datingwithapurpose #datingadvice #datinglife #profilepictures #profilepic #profilepics #profilephoto #onlinedating #datingphototips #happylife #happysingle #relationshipgoals #personalbrandingtips #datingapp #datingapps #datingadviceformen #datingadviceforwomen #profilephotography #visualstorytelling #onlinedatingphotographer #datingphotos
Time to get out the party poppers 🎉 …. these shots are a whole nuther level of gorgeousness. Huge shouts out to Nicole for these gems, J’adore them so much. Photo credit: Nicole for Hey Saturday, London #singleandhappy #modernlove #mindset #loveyourself #datingwithapurpose #datingadvice #datinglife #profilepictures #profilepic #profilepics #profilephoto #onlinedating #datingphototips #happylife #happysingle #relationshipgoals #personalbrandingtips #datingapp #datingapps #datingadviceformen #datingadviceforwomen #profilephotography #visualstorytelling #onlinedatingphotographer #datingphotos
The real flex is creating dating profile pictures that stand out and help you do you. J'adoring these bold, colourful shots from Livia in the Northern Quarter. Photo credit: Livia for Hey Saturday, Manchester #singleandhappy #modernlove #mindset #loveyourself #datingwithapurpose #datingadvice #datinglife #profilepictures #profilepic #profilepics #profilephoto #onlinedating #datingphototips #happylife #happysingle #relationshipgoals #personalbrandingtips #datingapp #datingapps #datingadviceformen #datingadviceforwomen #profilephotography #visualstorytelling #onlinedatingphotographer #datingphotos #manchesterdating #manchester #manchesterstyle
We’re not just all about the city streets, we do park shoots too 🌿 and… well these profile pics are just a breath of fresh air. We're heading to the parks of Clifton Village in Bristol for these gorgeous shots, taken by our Bristolian super star, Suze. If you want some park photos, autumn is a beautiful time of year to do this… 🍁 Photo credit: Suze for Hey Saturday, Bristol #singleandhappy #modernlove #mindset #loveyourself #datingwithapurpose #datingadvice #datinglife #profilepictures #profilepic #profilepics #profilephoto #onlinedating #datingphototips #happylife #happysingle #relationshipgoals #personalbrandingtips #datingapp #datingapps #datingadviceformen #datingadviceforwomen #profilephotography #visualstorytelling #onlinedatingphotographer #datingphotos
Holy dating photos, I love these. Nicole does her thang at King's Cross with these cool shots. Sweeeeeet work, Nicole. Photo credit: Nicole for Hey Saturday, London #storytelling #visionboarding #datingapp #datingadvice #authentic #authenticity #tinder #newprofilepic #profilepictures #datingphotography #datingphotos #onlinedatingphotographer #datingphotographer #brandingphotography #personalbranding #onlinedating #goodtimes #goodvibes #confidence #menstyle #brandidentity #romance #modernlove #joy #happylife
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So yeah, I did a thing… Hey Saturday now has a podcast mini series, ‘Shoot Your Shot - The Art of Dating Profile Pictures’, for all your dating profile photo needs in one place 🎧✨ Press play on this show for jam-packed mini episodes that will inspire you to experiment, have fun and aim higher when creating your profile pictures for online dating apps. I share my top mindset shifts and practical steps you can take to create dating profile photos that are both visually and emotionally compelling, to help you attract more and better quality matches on dating apps. This podcast is for people with a short attention-span but a big vision for their love lives 🙌🏽 Link in bio 👀 Hosted by me, Saskia Podcast logo and art by the incredible @teadayblogs from Coppie and Paste Produced by that cutie @northernmunki Podcast music by me @saskia_nelson in conjunction with GrooveApp (who did most of the heavy lifting to be fair) #datingpodcast #datingpodcasts #newpodcast #newpodcastalert #singleandhappy #modernlove #mindset #loveyourself #datingwithapurpose #datingadvice #datinglife #profilepictures #profilepic #profilepics #profilephoto #onlinedating #datingphototips #happysingle #datingapp #datingapps #datingadviceformen #datingadviceforwomen #profilephotography #visualstorytelling #onlinedatingphotographer #datingphotos
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Break time is over.. everyone back on the bus. Summer is speeding to an end but I still have our gorgeous summer shoots to remind me of warmer days. Loving the vibe of these shots taken by Alison in Dumbo - one of my favourite NYC locations. Photo credit: Alison for Hey Saturday, New York City #singleandhappy #modernlove #mindset #loveyourself #datingwithapurpose #datingadvice #datinglife #profilepictures #profilepic #profilepics #profilephoto #onlinedating #datingphototips #happylife #happysingle #relationshipgoals #personalbrandingtips #datingapp #datingapps #datingadviceformen #datingadviceforwomen #profilephotography #visualstorytelling #onlinedatingphotographer #datingphotos
I love all our Hey Saturday locations, but I ain't gonna lie, I have a HUGE soft spot for our Abbot Kinney/Venice shoots. They always inspire joy, love and good times every time I see them - perfect for dating profile pictures. Big ups to Vanessa for these crazy-good shots. Photo credit: Vanessa for Hey Saturday, Los Angeles. #datingapps #onlinedating #datingprofilepic #datingtips #datinglife #singlelife #datingphotographer #onlinedatingphotographersla #onlinedatingphotographer #visualstorytelling #personalbranding #brandingphotography #modernlove #tinderpic #newprofilepic #goodtimes #creative #datingadvice #datingafterdivorce #happylife #joy
I was invited on @unhingedandbumbledup podcast the other day & it was probably the most fun I’ve had recording a podcast. Ahead of the show, I had to give them both a dating photo challenge and they presented the photos they created to me during the show. Tune into to see who does it better, Phil or Jane. It was a super close competition to be honest… but there was a clear winner 👏🏽👏🏽 I also shared • What makes an awesome dating profile pic • Why good photos are so important • My 4 top favourite date spots around the globe (I just couldn’t choose one) and much more… Have you subscribed to this chatty, fun show that shares experiences and opinions on how to navigate the tricky world of dating to come out on top? Thanks for having me Phil & Jane 🙏🏽 #singleandhappy #modernlove #mindset #newpodcast #datingadvice #datinglife #profilepictures #profilepic #profilepics #profilephoto #onlinedating #datingphototips #happylife #happysingle #relationshipgoals #personalbrandingtips #datingapp #datingapps #datingadviceformen #datingadviceforwomen #profilephotography #datingpodcast #onlinedatingphotographer #datingphotos
…how would you show up? I get a lot of emails from clients asking how and where they can do their photoshoots without many people seeing them. Ummm …. To be fair, it’d probably be my first question too, if I were in their shoes. I’m not exactly known for being a natural badass in front of the lens (there’s a reason I prefer being behind it!). But, thing is, those people really don’t care about what’s happening in your photoshoot. And why would you concern yourself worrying about what people - you don’t even know - think about you for 30 seconds? Fear makes no sense, even after you unpick it and challenge it. It’s still there. Being fearless is actually really hard… however you could try this… choose to ‘act as if’ you’re fearless! Yeah, how would that look? How would you show up then? Really think about how you would approach it. And then, just as an experiment, do that. #singleandhappy #modernlove #mindset #loveyourself #datingwithapurpose #datingadvice #datinglife #profilepictures #profilepic #profilepics #profilephoto #onlinedating #datingphototips #happylife #happysingle #relationshipgoals #personalbrandingtips #datingapp #datingapps #datingadviceformen #datingadviceforwomen #profilephotography #visualstorytelling #onlinedatingphotographer #datingphotos
+ The Ex-Philes Podcast + I had the pleasure of being invited onto an episode of the dating podcast, ’The Ex-Philes: Break-ups, Broken Hearts and Moving On’ recently & was interviewed by the two awesome hosts, Clair Lofthouse & Janice Formichella. Thank you so much to both of you, I really enjoyed connecting & sharing my top dating profile picture expertise with you. If you are getting over a breakup? I would highly recommend tuning in & subscribing. Ex-Philes is a weekly podcast all about healing a broken heart, building your confidence, and moving forward in an empowered way. Their favorite topics include healing from heartbreak, dating, ghosting, no contact, toxic relationships, communication, self-help, attachment styles and more. Thanks Janice & Clair 🙏🏽 #onlinedatingphotographer #datingpodcast #singlewomen #singlemen #singlelifestyle #singleandhappy #modernlove #loveyourself #datingwithapurpose #datingadvice #datinglife #profilepictures #profilepic #profilepics #profilephoto #onlinedating #datingphototips #happylife #happysingle #relationshipgoals #personalbrandingtips #datingapp #datingapps #datingadviceformen #datingadviceforwomen #profilephotography #visualstorytelling
Dating profiles have the potential to be intriguing; they can be a window into someone’s mind, revealing their unique way of looking at & thinking about the world. Make sure you grab that opportunity to show people what you’re about & what you’re made of 🔥🔥 And remember, your profile pics are the most powerful way to share a lot of information about you at just a glance. #onlinedatingphotographer #singlewomen #singlemen #onlinedatingapps #datingphotos #singlelifestyle #singleandhappy #modernlove #mindset #loveyourself #datingwithapurpose #datingadvice #datinglife #profilepictures #profilepic #profilepics #profilephoto #onlinedating #datingphototips #happylife #happysingle #relationshipgoals #personalbrandingtips #dating app #datingapps #datingadviceformen #datingadviceforwomen #profilephotography #visualstorytelling
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