Tired of cramming you and three, maybe four of your friends into an old-school photo booth and having it dispense an overexposed or washed out colour strip of photos?
Or do you find yourself wishing for much longer arms so your smartphone can capture absolutely everyone in your group?
And are you put off by high-priced “sitting” fees professional photographers charge?
Those are some of the questions Carbo Ngai asked herself when she was devising a business plan after seeing a crop of 20 or so selfie photo studios during a trip to Hong Kong last year.
What she immediately took notice of was the traffic they drew and the excitement they generated as customers set up their shots — many draped in all manner of costumes, sporting outlandish props and positioned in front of studio quality backdrops.
“I thought it was a great idea that I had to bring back home,” said Ngai who is co-owner of The Selfie Room which is tucked away in a portion of Trapped Vancouver, an interactive, room escape game business located in a strip mall on Alexandra Rd.
Ngai said the service offers customers a 50-minute session in a small studio space where professional lighting and a camera fixed with a wide angle (40mm) lens takes images using a remote control which allows everyone to be in the photo.
The images are instantly displayed on a flat screen monitor in the room so decisions on what to keep or delete can be made.
There’s no limit on how many pictures can be taken during the session, and all are downloaded to a USB device customers bring themselves or purchase at the studio.
“Then, they can take those photo files to somewhere else where they can get prints made, or we can help them download them to their phones or post on social media sites,” Ngai said.
Cost of a session depends on how many people, or even pets, are being photographed. For a couple it’s $23 per person. For eight or more, the fee drops to $15 per person.
Since the doors were opened at the beginning of January there has been a steady stream of clients spanning ages and ethnic backgrounds.
“We’ve had families, couples, groups of friends, even wedding parties,” Ngai said. “Then there’s been business people, too, who see this as a cost effective way of getting their photographs done without having someone charge a lot of money and tell them which way to sit and pose.”
While the business clients may want to play it straight, The Selfie Room offers a host of costumes and props for people to add some action and humour to their photo shoot.
“Sometimes, there are customers who start out being a little shy about how they want to pose. But usually they warm up and get into it and pick out props and costumes,” Ngai said. “Others, they are almost constantly running back and forth from the prop room, dressed up in all kinds of things. It’s a lot of fun.”
Clients who are stumped on what to do can press a handy buzzer button in the studio to call for staff to help them.
After the initial investment of lights and camera equipment, Ngai said there is a commitment to constantly expand on the array of props and costumes to keep things fresh.
