TYLER, Texas — In the age of dating apps, many young people are saying it’s becoming harder to find a genuine human spark while hiding behind a phone. This piqued the interest of a A Sweet Day Photography to offer a unique blind date photo shoot in an effort to bring that spark back.
On Wednesday, California resident Autumn McElroy and Tyler resident Justice Cox were waiting in a parking lot to meet each other for the first time. They were brought together by the owner of the photography business, Anita McElroy, who posted an advertisement on Facebook for people interested in the unique photoshoot.
She said this business strategy was brought up to her by a former potential client who asked here about "stranger sessions." Anita McElroy looked into it and is now offering this blind date special as an opportunity to give it a try.
Both Autumn McElroy and Cox said they are single and were willing to try something adventurous and leave it to Anita McElroy to play matchmaker for them.
"I hope it's fun we had filled out a questionnaire about the type that we're interested in or what we're looking for," Autumn McElroy said. "I think now that I'm here, I'm kind of just hoping that it goes smooth."
Cox said when it came to applying for the photo shoot, he still wasn't entirely sure what exactly he was looking for in a date.
"I'm hoping to just kind of take life by storm as it goes, taking it one step at a time," Cox said. "I'm really an empath so I already know whether or not I'm gonna like somebody from the moment I meet them."
Anita McElroy said she's been in East Texas for two years now and noticed that photography is very popular in the area. She felt the need to spice things up not just with her business, but with single people who are trying to find a genuine connection with someone with common interest.
"There's a ton of photographers in in this area so we have to keep it fun, keep it unique," Anita McElroy said. "I'm a sucker for love stories. I have everyone fill out a questionnaire. I look through them and I tried to see which one's were the best and today we are doing a match."
Both Cox and Autumn McElroy said they had similar nerves about meeting each other without knowing a single thing about the other. But they are glad Anita McElroy chose Lake Tyler to set up this romantic scene.
The two were set up with blindfolds by the photographer and multiple pictures were taken. Cox and Autumn McElroy were told to take their blindfolds off and started making first impressions. They shook hands, hugged and caught up about their backgrounds.
Anita McElroy also had them paint each other to break the ice and give them an activity. Once they finished, they struck poses and even tried a little dancing as Cox is actually a dancer himself.
Once they wrapped up they agreed to go on a second date -- this time for coffee.
A Sweet Day Photography is still taking applications for the blind date photo session and are need of more male participants. To get in contact with the business, check out this link here.