I had a fantastic time at Vogue Studios and would have given it 5 stars except for a couple of things:
1. The hefty pricetag. I knew it was going to be expensive but $190 for a single 8 inch x 10 inch print plus $25 for any photoshop effects is just ridiculous! There were so many beautiful photos and I was devastated because I couldn't afford more than 3 (plus the free photo I got with my voucher). The manager offered me flexible payment plans to try and convince me to buy more photos, but I really can't justify spending thousands of dollars on vanity shots.
2. Prints vs CD. This is the digital age. Most people want to share their photos on Facebook or other social media. I had to twist the management's arm to get her to put high resolution versions of the prints I bought on a CD and they didn't seem too pleased about it.
3. The studio was freezing! It's a big, drafty studio with high ceilings and no heating whatsoever. I had goosebumps all over me and at one point my teeth actually started chattering.
There were a lot of positives to the experience though:
1. The hair and make up were exactly what I wanted. I showed the staff member a picture and they got the look exactly right. It was very heavy, not what I'd wear everyday, but it looked amazing in the photos.
2. The photographer was very attentive and had a real eye for detail. They were relentless in his pursuit of perfect lighting and getting that perfect pose. It was good for someone like me who doesn't have modelling experience as I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. The shots were beautiful and dramatic. I wish I could have bought them all!
3. They ended up going overtime on my shoot. Instead of rushing me through my last outfit, they offered to do the next customer and then finish my shoot afterwards. It was wonderful of them to take the extra time and some of my best photos were in that last session.
In short, The studio need to rethink their approach going forward. Instead of getting customers in cheap and then charging hundreds of dollars per print, they should come up with a package that includes hair, make up, photo shoot and a CD with high resolution images of all the best shots. People would be willing to pay a few hundred dollars for an all inclusive shoot and they'd go home happy instead of feeling ripped off. It doesn't cost much to put images on a disk and then people can print the ones they like later.