Online Dating Has Changed. Except For One Thing.

Over the last few years, there have been hundreds of articles about how online dating has changed since the start of the pandemic.

One of the changes most commonly mentioned, is that over 50% of people using dating sites and apps, are still more than willing to arrange for first-time meetups with a video-chat, (Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, etc.) rather than in person.

That’s a good change for a few reasons. It can lower the intense feelings of stress and anxiety most people have about getting ready and going to first dates. Connecting with someone virtually is also a lot safer than meeting up with a total stranger in person. And it’s much easier to leave a virtual meeting without worrying about conflict or confrontation.

Another positive change, is that over 60% of people on dating apps and sites have said that they’re a lot more clear and comfortable being really upfront about their needs, boundaries, priorities, and expectations. Demographically, nearly 80% of female-identifying people, have said they now have zero tolerance for bad dating behaviour from potential matches.

When asked what they look for in a potential match’s profile, about 70% of people said that they now take more time to read the details carefully before deciding to contact or respond to someone. Rather than really quickly skimming through someone’s profile, many people are now putting in more thought and effort before making a decision either way.

Unsurprisingly, there is one major factor about online dating that hasn’t changed at all. Dating profile photos are still the number one thing that determines whether or not someone is interested enough to find out more.

Across all demographics (age, race, gender, income, location), the key to an appealing dating profile, has always been and still is: The photos people use.

Images that look natural and relaxed. Images that aren’t heavily filtered or overly retouched. Outdoor photos that don’t look too posed or staged. A good variety of different shots. (Smiling, serious, above-the-waist, full-body, with pets and/or hobbies, without pets and/or hobbies.)

How we present ourselves online, says a lot about who we are. A person who makes the effort and takes the time to have really good quality, current, professional dating photos, is presenting themselves as someone who knows that the important things in life are worth doing well.

That’s always been an incredibly attractive quality, which is why the importance of having great online dating photos in your profiles, hasn’t changed at all.

—————————-

Tamea Burd Photography offers dating profile photo services in Vancouver, BC.


Cited sources:

The Changing Spaces of Dating Apps since COVID-19

https://www.family-institute.org/behavioral-health-resources/how-pandemic-has-changed-dating-emerging-adults

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/single-and-ready-to-mingle-how-dating-has-changed-during-covid-1.1697475

https://medium.com/practical-growth/why-your-profile-picture-is-preventing-you-from-scoring-in-the-date-department-a357fe755e47

In Celebration of Live Music

Live music is returning to bring us joy, and comfort, and a reason to dance again. In celebration of music and those who share it with us, here are some of my favourite shots I’ve taken over the years, of musicians performing (or about to be).

Tamea Burd is a professional photographer from Vancouver, BC.

Favourite shots from 2019

It’s been a bonkers year for the whole world, and I’m no exception. Some of the strangest jobs I’ve ever had, some of the most difficult, some of the most fun, some of the most meaningful… Here are a few of my very favourite shots I took in 2019.

Photo by Tamea Burd Photography

Photo by Tamea Burd Photography

Photo by Tamea Burd Photography

Photo by Tamea Burd Photography

Photo by Tamea Burd Photography

 

Tamea Burd is a professional photographer in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

The Beauty of Laughter

When I’m hired as a photographer, my job is to capture people at their best, and at their most attractive. Sometimes it can take quite a while to put people at ease. And over the past few years, I’ve noticed that it takes longer than it used to.

I think it’s because a sense of comfort and happiness feels a lot less common for most of us these days. We’re constantly faced with worry, about our own lives and well-being, and worry on a larger scale as well.

It’s my opinion that a crucial part of being a good photographer, is empathy and connection with my clients. So whenever I can, I take some time to just talk to people before I even take out my camera.

Taking that time and making that connection, makes a really big difference, always.

Over the years, I’ve found that my favourite shots of people, are those taken in the completely unguarded moments of laughing.

Quite often, those are my client’s favourite shots as well. Because it shows the real them, being truly natural, happy and genuine. A real laugh is one of the most appealing and beautiful things a person can do.  Not only in how it looks, but also in how it feels.

So the next time you find yourself in front of a camera, and you want to smile or laugh, absolutely you should. Don’t hold it in, just let yourself feel one of those lovely but rare moments of joy. You’ll look beautiful, I promise.

Tamea Burd is a professional photographer in Vancouver, BC.

Continue your way…

A few months ago, I received the sweetest thank you ever.

Whenever I get inquiries from people looking for a job as my assistant photographer, I always take the time to reply. I’m blunt and honest about the difficulty in making a living as a photographer, especially in Vancouver, where the outrageous cost of living is a massive obstacle in so many elements of my job. I then give them some suggestions as to other possibilities they might want to look into for at least part-time or contract photography work. Then I sincerely wish them good luck.

I often hear back from people, usually thanking me for being the only person who even bothered to respond. This was the email I received from a student photographer this evening:

“My English is not very good. And I am so sorry about that. I think you will find a lot of mistakes in my writing. I don’t really know how can I appreciate you for this precise, complete , useful and very comprehensive explanations you sent me in a kind way with high amount of care which is very specific and also rare among nowadays’ people.

You favored a lot to me and I acknowledge you and also encourage you to continue this generous manner to others and don’t give it up at all. Because, the world needs humans like you and noble people cannot be found easily.

Thanks a lot for your kindness, I wish the best for you and all people who are gentle like you and behave and treat like you.

Continue your way and don’t stop this substantial wave.”

– Me again. That last sentence resonated so beautifully in my heart. I’ve been saying it to myself often.

I’m sharing this with you now, because it’s a really lovely example of the power of kindness reciprocated.

Profile Photo Tips Infographic

Share this Image On Your Site – Copy this code:

<p><strong>Please include attribution to http://www.tameaburdphotography.com with this graphic.</strong></p>
<p><a href=’http://www.tameaburdphotography.com’><img src=’https://tameaburdphotography.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/top-10-profile-photo-tips.png&#8217; alt=’Profile Photo Tips Infographic’ width=’1940px’ border=’0′ /></a></p>

Vancouver Wedding Photographer

It’s wedding season again… So here are a few of my all-time favourite shots of some of the beautiful brides I’ve been lucky enough to photograph.

Tamea Burd is a Vancouver wedding photographer who specializes in small, intimate weddings. Her website: www.tameaburdphotography.com

 

An outstanding Canadian online dating assistant.

If you’re looking to hire an online dating assistant service in Canada, and you want good advice from people who know what they’re talking about, I highly recommend getting in touch with ‘As You Wish’.

What is it? ‘As You Wish’ is a service with a certified life coach, a professional photographer and a professional editor, who work together to give Canadians actual expert advice when it comes to online dating. The best choices for dating behavior, choosing the right online dating photos, and the right way to write your dating profile, etc.

Here’s a link to their website: www.asyouwishdating.com

And now I want to tell you what prompted me to write this post… Every year, I have dozens of photography clients who’ve either hired a dating consultant, or who’ve been looking for someone qualified to help them improve or create their online dating profile(s).

My clients who’ve hired an online dating consultant or assistant service, usually send me the information they’ve been given regarding their photos. Generally, the instructions/info my clients receive has obviously not been written by anyone who has even a clue about fashion, or styling or how professional photography is done. It often has grammatical and punctuation errors. Which really isn’t something you want in a service that’s supposed to help you present yourself well.

Anyway, reading those photo-instructions given to my clients, is how I started noticing that most dating coaches and consultants are not based in Canada. Most of them are based in the U.S. While there’s nothing wrong with that, I was surprised at how few Canadian  online dating assistant services there are.

Out of curiosity,  I then started looking to see how many of these online dating coaches and assistants – in either country – actually have professional qualifications of any kind. Any sort of counseling or coaching credentials, any sort of Arts or Fashion backgrounds, any sort of writing or editing experience. I looked at dozens of websites and what I found, really bothered me…

I don’t know about you, but when  I’m paying someone to provide me with a service, I want to be sure that I’ve hired someone who has professional experience and knows what they’re doing.

Most – in fact almost all – of these dating coach/assistant services seem to be people with no pertinent experience or qualifications. They’re presenting themselves as dating experts, when really, all they’re doing is giving their own personal opinions, and charging quite a lot of money for doing so.

Those prices are even more expensive when factoring in the exchange rate if you’re a Canadian hiring someone outside of Canada.

But after diligent (and to be honest, increasingly unimpressed) searching, I did find one really great service that fit my criteria. 1: Canadian owned and operated. 2: Run by people who are professionals, qualified to give appropriate dating help/advice. 3: Reasonably priced.

Which is why I’m writing this post to suggest using ‘As You Wish’ if you’re looking to hire an online dating assistant service. They’re fairly new, but their services and prices are exactly what I’ve been looking for to recommend to my photography clients.

And on a personal note, I contacted them to ask their permission to use their logo in this post. I explained what I was writing about and why. I was pleased by how quickly they got back to me, and by how friendly and polite they were.

Although I hadn’t been looking for any sort of exchange with them, I even agreed to be included in their list of photographers across Canada. If you’ve read any of my other blog posts, you’ll know that I’m extremely particular about endorsing or being associated with anything unless I completely support it.

Finally, here are some tips on how to be very careful when you hire a dating assistant or coach:

• Check if they have any typos, spelling mistakes, punctuation or grammatical errors on their websites or in their emails.

• Look for high quality, contemporary web-design and high quality, contemporary images and photos on their websites.

• Read their ‘about’ pages and look for professional experience in writing, editing, photography/arts/fashion/styling, and counseling or coaching.

• Pay attention to their overall tone on their websites and in their emails. Well written, polite professionalism is an important factor.

• Make sure they have a clearly stated policy about protecting your privacy and about what they do with your information.