Venture Photography Studios Reviews 

Me my partner nathan and our dog Scooby had won a photo shoot. When we arrived we were greeted with friendly smiles and absolutely amazing people. Hannah was our photographer and she made the experience for us just out this world she treated Scooby as if he were her own. And the results were absolutely incredible. No words can describe the beautiful pictures that were taken. All staff there were amazing and scooby loved them all too. They brought out the playful dog that he is with his big personality ❤️ I cant thank everyone at venture studios enough for everything they did from start to finish everyone was just soo wonderful. I would highly recommend venture studios Birmingham to everyone and anyone, from capturing what you want to even going above and beyond to get incredible pictures.. thank you all again Scooby definitely made some friends 🧡

We recently “won” a “free” voucher through a Facebook advert for a photography experience at Venture Photography Stockport. It covered the studio session and included a print, and we paid a £25 deposit to secure the booking.

Before the shoot I completed a detailed online form explaining exactly what we wanted. We were very relaxed about it and simply wanted authentic family photographs. Despite this, I received another call asking what we wanted from the shoot. As a busy business owner, I explained I’d already provided all of this on the form, to which I was told it was mainly to check we were still coming.

The shoot itself was absolutely fine. Our photographer, Ben, was great and our daughter really enjoyed herself. I have no complaints about him or the actual studio experience.

Unfortunately, it was what came afterwards that completely changed my opinion.

We returned for our viewing appointment and were sat on a sofa in a darkened room to watch an emotional compilation of our family photographs. Luckily, we’d done our research beforehand and read other reviews, so we already had an idea of what was coming next: the sales process and, in my opinion, extremely high prices.

I think this could be incredibly overwhelming if you attend without knowing what the products and packages cost. This is my biggest issue with the whole experience: the lack of upfront transparency around pricing.

My heart genuinely goes out to new parents who “win” or receive one of these “free” vouchers thinking they’ve received a lovely complimentary family experience, only to become emotionally attached to photographs of their new baby/family and then discover what it will cost to actually take those photographs home. Some of the options presented to us ran into hundreds or thousands of pounds.

In the end, we purchased a USB containing around 30–50 LOW-RESOLUTION digital images — suitable for social media, but not supplied at a resolution intended for quality printing.

The cost? £575.

Our “free” voucher/print value and £25 deposit were put towards that.

Would I do it again? Absolutely not.

And importantly, that isn’t because the photographer wasn’t good. Ben was lovely, our daughter had fun and we got some nice family photographs. It’s because I fundamentally dislike the lack of transparency surrounding what customers are likely to spend after their “free” experience.

Why not publish your prices clearly? Why not provide a price list when somebody books?

Let people know BEFORE attending that if they fall in love with their photographs, this is approximately what it will cost to own them. Customers can then make an informed decision about whether Venture fits their budget before investing their time and becoming emotionally attached to the images.

I wouldn’t personally recommend the experience unless you’re comfortable potentially spending £500+ afterwards. If you’re attending because you’ve “won” a free voucher, please research the pricing and read reviews beforehand so you know what to expect.

I’m genuinely relieved the process is now finished. We’ve collected our images and I’ve unsubscribed from the marketing emails, which continued promoting further “free” or low-cost offers.

I’m only leaving such a detailed review because I wish I’d fully understood the model before our studio session. Had I known from the beginning what purchasing the digital photographs would cost, we personally wouldn’t have booked.

Venture clearly has talented photographers, and Ben deserves credit for making the shoot enjoyable. Unfortunately, the pricing and sales model completely overshadowed the experience for me.

Publish the prices upfront. Give customers the information they need to make an informed decision before they walk through the door. Transparency would make this experience feel completely different.

Absolutley fantastic experience from start to finish. Emily and Beth are amazing, our photos are beautiful, would highly recommend!!

Rhi was fantastic at capturing our newborn son. She was so excited to see we’d brought the same props back after the bump shoot. She was fantastic at suggesting poses and matching the style and colours from our bump shoot so when we were viewing them they looked so great together. Rhi was so gentle and considerate in positioning our baby just right for some great images.
Also want to say Paige who did my wife’s bump shoot and Milton who handled our viewing were also excellent and clearly enjoy what they do to create some fantastic images. Thank you so much for the experience and we cant wait to see our finished pictures.

It was amazing! Jordan captured everything and more! It was relaxed and Jordan was very good with my son! Izzie was amazing too! She talked through everything with us and made sure we was happy with everything!

I was approached after entering the Frenchie competition and I’m so glad we said yes because we had such an amazing experience thanks to Steph from your Birmingham branch, she is a credit to your team. I was very sceptical with how my 5 year old, 2 year old and 2 year old dog would all behave together understandably chaotic but Steph produced us the most amazing photos. She made our children feel comfortable, constantly making them laugh and they have even asked to come back for another photo shoot in the future because they had so much fun!! It’s fair to say that our dog was in a world of his own but Steph had so much patience with him. We had our viewing today and wow, we are amazed. We can’t wait to receive our digital copies and framed images. The whole process has been brilliant, the prices may be expensive for some but you certainly get what you pay for and we have no regrets. Memories to keep for a life time!

Amazing experience had a voucher from buying a car, team was very professional and patient with the 2 dogs and a busy 1 year old. The picture showcase was outstanding along with the finishing photos overall very pleased with the outcome and 100% recommend and go back

Amazing customer service.
Made us feel welcome from the time we arrived to when we left.
During the photography session, the lady that did it. Made it so fun for my 1 year old (who refused to have a nap).
During the viewing session. The lady was so kind and patient. Specially when I was so indecisive.
The pics are amazing and they truly show my gremlins cheeky side.

Eleanor was great with our nervous dog, she was so calm and understanding with him and she took the most amazing pictures, we were in tears when we viewed them, they were stunning. THANK YOU ELEANOR!!!

Lei took charge of a photo shoot of me & the kids and the results were fantastic, just went in to look at the first draft and small edits (including entire head swaps for better composition) done quickly and efficiently. Kirsty too me through the images and she was brilliant as well. Looking forward to receiving my print!

⭐ 1 star — Misleading sales process and extremely poor customer service

We had an extremely disappointing experience with Venture Photography South Woodford following our newborn photoshoot.

At the end of the shoot, we were given a brochure stating that prices started at £995. This was well outside our budget, so we emailed that same evening to say we would not attend the viewing. We did this specifically because we didn’t want to waste Venture’s time editing and preparing photographs that we knew we couldn’t afford.

Despite this, we received two phone calls the following day encouraging us to come in.

We explained very clearly that we were reluctant to attend and that our budget was £200–£250. During these calls, we were offered 6 photographs for £200 (5 + 1 free) or 7 photographs for £250 (6 + 1 free). This was the only reason we agreed to attend.

Once we arrived, however, the experience changed considerably.

When I said I preferred the £200 option, the salesperson’s demeanour changed and he became visibly cross. He tutted, shook his head and spoke to us in what we found to be an extremely belittling and condescending manner. He questioned why we wouldn’t spend another £50, referring to it as “the price of a meal.”

He then disputed the price/package that had been discussed over the phone. The notes from the previous calls were brought up, but they did not contain the pricing/package information we had been offered.

What they did contain was a note describing our previous phone calls as “exhausting.”

This was genuinely shocking to see.

This was not a situation where we had arrived and tried to haggle. We had already cancelled the viewing because Venture’s advertised prices were outside our budget. Venture then contacted us twice and persuaded us to attend after offering a specific package that fitted the budget we had clearly stated.

If the £200/£250 offers were not valid, why were they made to us and why were we persuaded to attend on that basis?

And if our calls were considered “exhausting”, why were we contacted twice after we had already politely declined the viewing?

We have never experienced this kind of treatment from a business before. The combination of repeatedly encouraging us to attend, subsequently disputing the offer we had been given, and then speaking to us in a visibly angry and belittling manner was extremely disappointing.

For a business positioning itself as a premium photography service, we expected a much higher standard of customer care.

Unfortunately, we were also disappointed with the final photographs. They looked very heavily airbrushed/over-processed to us, and we did not feel that the finished images justified the price. In our opinion, there are photographers offering more natural-looking newborn photography for a fraction of the cost.

Our issue isn’t simply that Venture is expensive. We knew the prices were high and had already tried to cancel. We attended because Venture repeatedly contacted us and offered us a package within our stated budget.

The entire experience left us feeling pressured, belittled and extremely disappointed.

If you’re considering Venture, I would strongly recommend getting any verbal offer confirmed in writing before attending the viewing and being very cautious about feeling pressured into attending after you’ve already decided the pricing is outside your budget.

For us, this was an experience we would not repeat or recommend.

I highly recommend Venture in South Woodford: not only are the pictures truly exceptional, the team makes it a wonderful experience end-to-end. Our photographer Emma was very thoughtful and creative in bringing our family dynamics and closeness to life and the after care team have shown so much patience and care in selecting the right images and format for our wall space. This is a great investment in forever lasting family memories that are also a great piece of wall art. Highest recommendations for Venture in South Woodford :-).

Great, fun experience. Steph managed the photographing well and we got natural happy images. And the sales pitch didn’t feel pressured either, giving us time to peruse the images.

Amazing service with very friendly staff who support us even before and during the photoshoot.

Starting from the photoshoot, the viewing session, the staff that took our photoshoot session was so lovely, i forgot her name. the staff Evleyn that attend to us during the viewing session was also lovely, and she explained every detail of the package for us. It was a lovely and beautiful experience.

An enjoyable process all round that has resulted in beautiful photos of my newborn, my husband, and my mother that will stay with us forever!
Thank you to all of the team!!

Venture studios were great from start to finish, Matt in milton keynes made us feel very comfortable. And cant speak highly enough Emma at south woodford for the newborn shoot, she made the process very comfortable and easy all whilst entertaining the baby. Thank you very much!

Very enjoyable experience. Amazing photos taken by Emily , listened well to our requests on styles and preferences during photoshoot. Then we had a very relaxed time viewing the photos a few weeks later with Ellie who helped us choose the perfect package and photos for our home. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Amazing service with very friendly staff who support you even before the photoshoot starts!
Our dog photoshoot with Kayleigh went amazing and despite our two energetic dogs definitely making it a challenge she was able to get some amazing shots of them and us, which we then went through in detail with Meg during our viewing appointment where she was able to help us with great deals and making sure the photos were just perfect for us!

An enjoyable process all round that has resulted in beautiful photos for our dogs that will stay with us forever!
Thank you to Kayleigh, Meg and the rest of the team!!

Emma, our photographer, was fantastic. Professional, patient and very accommodating. It was a pleasure working with her.

I received a voucher for our photo shoot when I bought my car from Wessex garage , little did I know it would end up being a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, Rhi made the whole experience fun and relaxing for everyone and gave confidence to us all when taking part in various poses.
Rhi was so focused and ready to work with our requests, we all had a great time.
I would like to thank everyone who helped make this experience possible, tissues were definitely needed when we came to view the finished product, be prepared for plenty of emotions, we left with hearts full and smiles so wide.
Thank you so much Rhi and team .

Won a free family photo shoot worth 245 and a free picture. Didn't bother to tell me until the end of the photo shoot prices with a single picture costing 95 there cheapest package deal 495 for a couple of pictures. I think its very misleading and should state the prices before the photo shoot. They do it at the end to guilt trip people into paying the extortion prices after they have seen the pictures. Im a single mum of a toddler and currently don't work and currently tied down to paying for there 795 (deal) with 25 off because I paid a holding fee and the free print I dont get because they woudnt of been able to set it up for me to pay 65 monthly over 12 months. Which is a way of them getting there money faster. Discussing 🤢