OGDEN, Utah — Most people would agree that a first date can be nerve-wracking — but can you imagine also having your photos taken on the date?
That’s just what Ogden-based professional photographer Calli Ann Tuttle does for her business, Calli Capture Moments Photography. She takes photos of people on their first-ever date.
“I'll be anxious about it, but then when they take off the blindfolds, they will be like, ‘Oh you’re cute!’ or ‘Oh you’re tall!’ and ‘Oh you’re just what I wanted,'" described Tuttle. “And I’m like, 'Yeah, I did that right.’”
Tuttle has been taking photos professionally of all kinds of occasions and moments since 2015, but in July, she started taking photos of strangers on their first dates after seeing the concept used in another state.
“I loved the idea of it,” Tuttle said. “So I was like, 'You know what? I'm going to set two people up, and hopefully, by word of mouth, it just goes,'" she said. "So I had one of my high school friends do the first photo shoot and I paired her up with a gentleman."
Tuttle’s friend Madilynn Holbrook says she is usually pretty camera shy, but the photoshoot felt like a fun way to get back into the dating world.
“I was single at the time, and it sounded like a lot of fun, so I said, ‘let's do it,’” said Holbrook. “I was very nervous about the date and the photo shoot, and it felt like, a really unconventional way to meet someone, but it ended up being so much fun to do."
Tuttle says the experience is no doubt awkward, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“People get nervous and it's a part of the process that I love,” Tuttle said. “Because it creates real moments. It creates moments where they don't feel too planned, and that's why my photography looks the way that it does.”
Individuals interested in participating in a blind date photoshoot with Tuttle will sign a form and answer a questionnaire that will allow them to share their preferences for the person they want to go on a date with. The application can be found on Tuttle’s website.
The photoshoot starts with each person blindfolded, then Tuttle gives them prompts for poses — only if they are comfortable, of course. Then she also sets up a picnic and lets the couple actually get to know each other.
Austin Jordan from Brigham City saw the opportunity on an Ogden Facebook page.
“It seemed like a fun thing to do," Jordan said. “You know, there's a potential to meet someone else. Dating apps and stuff aren't all that fun, yeah? So felt like something fun to try — something different.”
And while Holbrook and Jordan didn’t find their forever person from their dates, they both say the experience was a boost of confidence to just get out there.
“Since the photoshoot, it's made me confident enough to be back out in the dating world,” Holbrook said. “I actually met someone.”
As for Tuttle, playing Cupid makes her sing.
“Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match,” Tuttle broke into song. “Because it does really feel like it. I get to pair people up all the time and I feel like they have genuine good connections when they go on these dates.”
