The pictures were good, however not great especially for the amount of money I paid. They did not allow me to fix my daughters hair in between shots and when I did they still took the shot as I was trying to fix her hair and made those shots as one of the ones I had to choose from. So some shots had my hand in it and others had her hair messy and in her eye. As for pricing, I asked to see the package levels and she completely ignored me and said that for all of the pictures she took I'd be paying over $500. Not what I asked for so I asked her again and instead of telling me whet the different packages consisted of, she said "well we can start deleting pictures to get the package more in you price range". I was extremely frustrated because as I kept insisting that I wanted to see the package levels she said "well here, let's delete a few more". And I still ended up paying well over $300 for my daughters 1st year pictures. I will not recommend Portrait Innovations because reading for others reviews, this seems to be a very common experience. If anything, I recommend you DO NOT COME HERE! I had a not so great experience and was extremely over priced for what I received. Very shady, will not discuss price with you. read more

Every year it's seems to get worse! I arrived 10 minutes early the place was completely packed. They told me they were running ten minutes behind. Well actually it was more like fifty minutes behind! I watched a family scroll in and they took them right back I had to ask how that was they seemed to be fifty minutes late But they got them right in. Not sure why they ask who's getting their pictures taken especially when they are children if their not going to be on time! The girl at the counter told me Corporate has them booking every five minutes that is totally insane. The topper for me is that I paid almost two hundred dollars and was told I would copy rights on the package I bought and when I put the CD in that was not the case. read more

Pictures were good but NOT worth the insane price! You're not given prices beforehand until after pictures are taken. You then go through all the pictures selecting the best of 3 out of all your pictures. You end up with several selected and a $800+ package price. You can then narrow things down but the people working there seem to be paid on commission bc I felt like they were trying to sell us a used car. Still ended up paying $400 which was still insane to me but my mother and sister were ok paying that price. We used to use picture people and could get the same quality and amount of pictures with a CD for $150. I was quite disappointed as I was hoping this would be a new picture place for my family since we get them done yearly but we won't be back. read more

I get pictures done every year of my kids and there cousins #cousincrew pics. I used to go to picture people every year but unfortunately they have closed down. My mom found this place online. Our appointment was at 10:30 on a Sunday so we were the first people there we got in right on time. The photographer was super friendly and did a great job with the kids especially my two year old (he's at that stage) We did one outfit change and it moved pretty quick was pleasantly surprised she was able to get so many great shots so quickly because all the kids are 6 and under and the attention span isn't that long. The only qualm I had was there weren't any packages to choose from. They start off with it being $750 and then you can go down by removing pictures we got it down to $350 which was still higher than I would have liked to pay. The studio is big and comfortable with nice seating areas, clean bathrooms, clean changing room and friendly staff. We had to wait a bit for the flash drive and cd but luckily its a nice area and we took a walk to get a smoothie. Im not sure if we will be back only do to the pricing issues but if you don't have a problem with the cost I would for sure recommend it. Advise though- get there early because they fill up fast with people and I could tell people were getting impatient. read more

Portrait Innovations - Photography Stores & Services Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Decent pictures but ridiculously priced. I think I was bamboozled by the rep. I was told my selections would be on the disc. Got home and there was only one pic. This really pissed me off. The studio was crowded and made it really uncomfortable to pose for pics with everyone starring us down. I felt rushed when selecting the pics I did like. And like another review stated, I felt like I was buying a used car. The rep was rushing us so I'm not even sure I picked the best pics. The process of arriving, being called to take your pics, selecting your poses you want to purchase and then picking the pics up needs to be better streamlined. I will likely never take pics here again nor will I recommend anyone else to do so. I was highly disappointed as my family hasn't taken family portraits in over 26 years. Best choice is to find an independent photographer who will likely be more passionate about taking your portraits rather than a corporation rushing to give reps commission for selling large portrait packages. Or go to Walmart or maybe even JC Penney. I was told they really give you a disc with your portraits. I should have listened to the advice I was given before I scheduled the appointment. Shame on me. Anyway..... lesson learned! read more

My husband and I took our daughter here last weekend to get baby portraits. The place was empty when we arrived. We began to discuss what we hoped for with the older man working there. He was pushy, rude and manipulative. It felt like trying to buy a used car! We simply wanted to know what the packages cost before the pictures were taken. He refused to discuss prices so we left. We actually took some adorable photos of our daughters in front of the fountain near the shop since she was all dressed up! We found a private photographer that is upfront and direct instead. I wouldn't waste your time with this place. read more

Hope you got your checkbook handy. I want to start by saying the photo session it's - self was very nice. We got our newborn pictures done here the other day. It was easy, fun, and the pics were pretty good. Now why this place is so terrible is because they are very shady and won't discuss and pricing with you before hand. We were told a month before the puctures, all you had to do was buy one picture and you get the CD with all the pictures from the session. They wouldn't talk price though. The day before we showed up to schedule our appointment, and again they avoided telling us any prices saying "oh we have several packages with varying prices." So the next day we show up for our pictures, again they dodge the price talk. The photo session goes great. They sit you down at the computer to show you the pictures and ding! Over 500 dollars! This is our second child so we've taken a lot of pics with the first one. None have ever come close to 500 dollars. Infact we got her entire first years worth of pics including newborn for 300 dollars, by a professional photographer. So you can say we were blown away. We then awkwardly tried to work around the price, as they still tried to avoid it even though it was right in front of us. My wife wanted to just walk out but I wanted the pics (that's how they hook you.) So finally we got down to the lowest price of 150. And the lady had a huge attitude problem at this point. She looked mad was being rude and talking about us with other employees. Summing up you can get much better pictures for much less money. read more

Hello Friends, I've had reservations about trying this company again after my last fiasco a few years back. The location is nice and spacious. The photographer was engaging and got the job done. My biggest gripe is after all the photos have been taken and its time to pay the piper. Their packages are just way to expensive for the job. One package was over 500 buck. That's Five Hundred US currency. Not to be a putz or anything but, anyone with a camera and a computer can (and do) this job. And that's no exaggeration. Heck even with your Galaxy phone can produce the same thing. NO Lie. I just don't get it. Maybe because i do photography as well but that still doesn't cloud my judgment when i'm seeing the obvious. I wouldn't have came here had it not been for the wife using a Groupon. Its just to expensive for the amount of things you get. That you could take to a Box store and have them do it for 80% less. Extra charge to put my photos on a CD. I could do that on my computer in less than 5 mins. Drag and drop to disk. Do yourself a favor and shop around. Go if you want. read more

We had an appointment for 4pm yesterday , we arrived on time , We got situated, got our son dressed , and was ready for our photo shoot . The photographer was great,our son however did not want to cooperate he was tired and ready for a nap, the photographer did everything in her power to get some amazing photos of our son and family . So once it was time to talk business, about which photos we liked and didn't liked. We got to the pricing and let me tell you ,They We're INSANE!! , way to high, I'm talking 700 dollars!! But once we started taking away photos the prices started to drop , we got to 300, and thought that was still too high, finally got it down to 180, and we just chose to stick with the 29.99 deal since that was the reason we came in anyways. The promotion is a great deal ,but just remember it's only one pose, and also 30 dollars per shot that you decide to keep. But when the lady showed us our pictures on the computer they were perfect and the coloring was light, then when we got home and looked at our pictures the coloring looks really dark, so that I'm not happy with. Overall our experience was great, but the pricing is way too high! read more

Portrait Innovations - Photography Stores & Services Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Came for my daughters birthday pictures. Bruce was the photographer and did a great job. Kept my daughter smiling and was so personable to work with. Bruce gave us an amazing experience from beginning to end! read more

Horrible experience. Pictures were terrible its like the photographer wasn't even getting my child to smile. A bunch of pics with the eyes closed. Portrait innovations has gone to shits or either this location needs new staff altogether. Do they even hire people with experience or anybody who can hold a camera? read more

We hadn't taken family pictures in a long time so I booked an appt online price was reasonable so I thought ok let's do it. First off place was NOT FRIENDLY at all- Price was NOT what we were quoted online our pictures came to almost 200.00!! Picture WERE horrible! Not touched up and the man taking the pictures (owner) was not friendly he insulted me and my husband in front of our child by asking us to"move in closer" "you love him don't you?" I was appalled and shocked by his behaver! I DON NOT recommend this place I could have taken better pictures with my IPHONE! -unhappy customer read more

I took my family to portrait Innovations, and had a great experience. My appointment was scheduled for 6pm, and things started on time. Our photographer, Bruce was awesome for he made my kids laugh and feel very at ease when it came to taking pictures. He was very accommodating, and didn't pressure us to purchase anything as some places are known to do for a profit. Although we spent more than I would have preferred which was by our choice, I would recommend this establishment to someone else. Thank you Bruce for providing my family with a wonderful experience. read more

I originally reached out to PI because of a special they were holding for around $29.99. You get 33 pictures, 16x20 Canvas, etc. I thought, GREAT! Here's a great way to take some classic Easter pictures of my 7 month old to give to her grandparents and family members. The pictures are printed the same day and you receive the canvas about a week later, awesome! We arrived at my scheduled appointment time and had to wait at least 20-25 minutes before we got started. It was a packed house. When it was our turn, the photographer asked if we had a change of clothes for my child - which we did not. They take about 60 photos total. The gentlemen did a great job with handling the session and making my child smile. I was a happy camper. UNTIL we got to the part where you pick out the picture you want for the package. This is where the up selling begins. I understand it's a business and I even understand sales, I work in sales. However what I did not like was feeling pressured or guilt-ed into buying more then I expected to pay when I walked in the door. This was my first time at PI. I made it clear I wasn't interested in anything but the special and I wasn't paying for overpriced "school" pictures, I was told "well I haven't sold a one pose session in months". "Bring 200 dollars which you next time you come". Excuse me?! It was an older, gray haired gentlemen who was potentially the manager or owner of the establishment - who made these comments to me. It was there I decided I'd never use this establishment again. 1. The pictures are absolutely NOT worth what they charge. $300-$400 for "school" like poses and backgrounds, no thank you! 2. They don't understand time management and their appointments are made too close together. 3. If they spent less time on up-selling and more on making the experience pleasant, maybe they'd have more repeat customers that would have no issue upgrading to a higher package, especially if it's their first time even uses their services. If this is the type of experience and service you're interested in receiving, PI is the place for you. I'll pass! read more

Staff is incredibly helpful and sweet and the studio looks fabulous after renovations!

The only thing I liked about the place was, they had 2 cute ladies working at the time of our session. The package we inquired about was apparently never heard of when we arrived. We were sold the photos as if we HAD to purchase the singles. The total came out to $500+. My younger teen family members are social media heavy so they would take a pic & the people would get snappy. To top it off, we received some pictures we didn't ask for & even some other family's prints(We're black, the photos were of white people). For the amount of money I spent... I'd expect something like this to NEVER HAPPEN!! Will not be returning ever! read more

This has to be the worst place ever to take pictures. All of the props they use for pictures were old and out dated also very dirty. They advertised a special of $24.99 which only included one pose to add an additional pose is about $40 more for each pose out of the thirty you take. I ended up narrowing my package down myself to a $100 after the photographer suggesting a $400 package. The photographer however was great but I will never be back due to the lack of materials for the horrendous price. read more

This past weekend me and my family had the worst experience ever here. We had an early morning appointment to accommodate our infant child's napping/feeding schedule. To make this review short and simple, the people here are not courteous of your time. They do not know anything about time management or being hospitable. After waiting for an hour and a half AFTER our scheduled appointment the photographer RUSHED us then had us wait another 45min for our pictures which were not ready due to some "printer jam". The place was super pack and you could feel the anger and disappointment from family to family. If there is a wait prior to your appointment I believe to keep good repor you should at least let the customer know upon arrival or at arrival. Then, an employee by the name "Bruce" took a family into another picture room with other backdrops and put them ahead of 2 families before mines!!! NOT ACCEPTABLE!! Talking with one of the families ahead of mine she was FURIOUS. I expected much more courtesy from the location being in a nicer shopping area but did not receive any. I WILL NOT BE RETURNING BACK!! read more

Horrible business practice. I booked an online appointment for my granddaughter and then received a call they were overbooked. The time was never available, and then the photographer acted like he was doing me a favor by squeezing me in at a later time. He wanted me to sit around for an undetermined amount of time with a 10 month old baby, really! DO NOT use this company. Spend the extra money and go to a reputable photographer who doesn't use the old bate and switch! read more

Had an appointment set for 2 weeks in advance for Christmas family portraits. I showed up exactly at my appointment time, my family and I were all dressed up. Upon arriving there, the place was jammed with wall to wall people, so I knew they were behind. When I went to check in, the person there said that they will call us in around 45 minutes! So, we decided to go shopping around. We arrived back 45 minutes later, and there was even more people in there!! Went to check in again and the person told us we had 5 families ahead of us! At this point, we left! I looked around and watched how they sales pitch everyone into a $400 package deal. This place is a money sucker! They spend so much time in sales pitching, that's why they were so behind. We just wanted a nice family Christmas picture to send some cards out! So, we went outside by the Christmas tree and had a nice man with his family take a picture of us with our smartphone. Boom! Nice family picture! read more

Can you give negative stars? Not only were they running 45 minutes behind schedule, they didn't even notify us. We drove 45 minutes, had hair/makeup done, and then they tell us it's going to be almost an hour. WE WONT BE RESCHEDULING read more

I really wish I would've read these reviews first. My husband has past experience with this place and actually had what he thinks One of the original photographers , take family photos. We actually got somebody that apparently was brand new to the business.... did not know how to use the camera we were constantly sitting on the floor with our six month old.... The poses and photos looked like Sears portraits but more expensive.... The one thing that really bothered me is that they kept touching my six month old son with an old raggedy disgusting toy on his face to make him laugh and it was scaring him.... The photographer thought this was a great idea, my usually smiley son did not have one good picture because of this. $400 later what a waste!!!! Save your money and just get a personal photographer it's cheaper and it's also more personable and you don't have to sit in the waiting room full of screaming kids for two hours for your appointment time! We will definitely be doing that next time! read more

0 stars made an appointment and still had to wait 3 hours! Staff was very rude. Quality of photos was terrible. Strongly deter anyone from ever coming here! read more

Not staffed well enough!!!!! 2:42pm and the place is loaded with people, which would be great if they were able to accommodate everyone in a timely manner. Highly recommend that they have more photographers or that they rework their business process. read more

I was a little displeased with the service, considering if you're a "professional photographer" and you have no eyes for small details. I don't remember the girl who took our son's pictures, she probably didn't introduce herself to begin with. We ended up paying for the pictures because that was the point of the whole session. We did NOT notice however that the child's (who was being photographed) sleeve was turned up in over half of the said pictures that we bought until after they were showed to us during the "preview" Surely one would consider themselves a professional would take the time to actually do the job right! So how does one actually miss this small detail, especially if it happens to be in practically every pose? Also my advice to you, take all the hats that this studio owns and throw them in the trash! THAT'S RIGHT TOSS THEM! If I want a hat on my child's head during pictures I will bring one! She did NOT ask to put the hat on his head because if she did I would have refused it! You do realize that this is how lice is spread?!?! So go ahead and toss those hats in the garbage! Also it would help if you actually hired people that have experience with small children! You wanted a review so there you have it! read more

We had the worst customer service experience we've EVER had anywhere on Oct 3rd. We had a shoot with 5 kids, three of them being one. We told the photographer to do the fall background with all the kids before she did any others so they wouldn't be fussy. She refused and took individual photos for 30 minutes which we told her we weren't going to buy. So when it came time for the group shot all of the kids were screaming their head off. When we went to look at the photos they were HORRIBLE. I mean it looked like a 5 year old did them. After we told her we only wanted one photo she got an attitude asking why we didn't like the others, and then another employee had the nerve to come up and say "you know you could have got the disk with all of them for $20 more, to which we said why would we buy them when they were awful and he replies with I guess thats why you didn't leave her a tip?" The only reason I gave this a 3 star was because a really nice guy named Dustin agreed they weren't good and offered to let us come back the next day. He also comped the package. If i ever go back i will be asking for Dustin. read more

Had a 1 o'clock appointment for an 18 month old that was timed around his nap schedule. We were finally seen a little after 2:30 with no real apologies for their poor scheduling and time management. The photographer became rude when we only purchased the special package and nothing extra letting me know they were losing money on me. The pictures were awful because he was crying by the time they finally brought him back so I wasn't paying for pictures of a crying baby. The one decent pose took everything we had to get and major cropping. I will never come back to this location again. read more

I would have given 0 stars if that was an option. I have been taking my kids to Portrait Innovations for years, but I will never go to this location again. I had the absolute worst experience this week. It started when I walked in and gave my name. The owner, Bruce, asked if I had a wardrobe change for my daughter. When I said no, he looked shocked and asked why. He seemed offended. It quickly progressed from lightly veiled insults to full-blown rudeness. Here are some of the comments he made during the 45 minutes we were there: "Why would you want cheapest package? It's just a bunch of wallets. You know what people do with wallets, right? They just throw them away." When I explained that our family was on a budget and that we couldn't afford a large picture package, he said, "If you have a credit card you can afford it." What?!? "It's costing me money when people use the coupon. We can't just give it away like candy." He continuously made reference to the "big mistake" I was making by only ordering the small picture package. I have never been made to feel like such a bad person for being careful with my money. I was on the verge of tears. I almost walked out several times. The only reason I stayed is that my 8-year-old had been looking forward to getting her pictures and she begged me to stay. I bit my lip and dealt with the insults, bu I will never return to Portrait Innovations. And Bruce is probably fine with that since it would just "cost him money". read more

I had a horrible experience at this studio. I had a 6 o'clock appointment and they had no record of it. I was treated as if it was my error. I was interrogated by the 3 people there (what did the person say when you were making the appointment) and the other site in Huntsville was phoned and I was told I had an appointment there. The guy there told me that the computer that takes the appointments deletes appointments all the time. I was asked not to "freak out' that they would take the picture, but it did not happen. They insisted that I was taking a business picture because I had on my church clothes. The one sheet of pictures that I was told I could get for $20.00 changed to $30.00 and then I was told I needed to buy a digital package that I did not want. I finally left at 6:24. Horrible, horrible, service. I drove 30 minutes across town, did my hair and so on....this was how I was treated. read more

Had a very unpleasant experience. The photos were very washed out and the gentleman that helped us was only concerned with getting us to buy a bigger package and mugs and books. I felt like I was dealing with a used car salesman. Sleazy and manipulative. Would not recommend it at all! read more

I had to rate this..they really don't even deserve 1 star.. I normally don't do bad reviews.. But, after the way I was treated yesterday(10-14-14) they've left me no other options:( Now where to start.. I arrived wasn't greeted in a very nice tone.. the girl at the front desk was as RUDE as RUDE could be.. from the minute we walked through the doors till we checked out.. she was a complete ASS.. even was snippy because I chose not to pay the extra fee to have the pictures sent to my house.. I've been coming to this same location since my child was born& can say I always came back for the friendly service& the photographers were always great with my children.. They've changed the whole set up of this store.. no longer offer same day picture processing.. which should have been stated when I called& arranged the appointment..this should be taken off their website as well if this is no longer a service that is offered.. the actual photographer was okay.. she did alot of nice shots.. I did explain that I had a certain amount of $$ I could spend... she didn't seem to understand that or for that matter want too.. she became very rude as well as we looked at pictures to narrow down for price point packages.. At this point I was just agitated that I was being treated like an asshole for not spending $300+ for pictures.. I told her I was picking 1 pose.. I just wanted to get the hell out at this point!! Then I had a coupon for a free picture tote bag that was offered on the website when you purchase any pictures from them.. she proceeded to tell me that I couldn't have it sent to the store to pick up when my pictures came in.. I had to pay a separate processing& handling fee & it would be shipped to my home.. sounds like a scam to me.. since when do they charge for a FREE item?? I passed on the bag also.. I will be contacting the DM over all of this& if they don't choose to rectify the situation.. I have full intentions of blasting them on social media.. I would hate for another person to go in there& get treated so poorly:( Kudos portrait innovations.. you lost my business:( read more

Went here to get photos of my kids since our old studio closed down. When it came time to look at the photos I told the photographer I didn't want to spend over $300 for these photos and even asked if I could not get just a few poses and some sheets of the photos as I also did not want a calendar and books. She told me the books and calendar were "free" and that we could take off a few more photos. She continued to imply that the package I was receiving was the cheapest route after deleting a few of the photos. I finally agreed since this was apparently the cheapest package according to her. While waiting for the photos, I went back to find an advertisement on their website and went to show her the deal they had online for one pose and 33 prints that was $29 and even went and asked the man at the register if I could cancel the $300 package considering half the photos of my children were not that good (my children's fault not the photographers.) I will definitely be finding another studio and wish I had read the reviews on Yelp before wasting my time and money here. Most photo studios show you packages and options instead of starting you out with an almost $500 package and working it down to $300. I have no problem spending that on wonderful photos from true photographers but it was hard to swallow for not so great photos from a place in a shopping mall. read more

Terrible, terrible customer service. My husband and I went to get a family portrait with our 1.5 year old, along with some shots of just our son. They took a few family photos and then tried to get our son to sit alone for his pictures. He got scared and kept running to me and my husband (as toddlers tend to do when they're in new places!). Since the solo shots obviously weren't going to happen right then, we suggested taking some more family photos until my son felt comfortable. They refused to do so, saying that they need to take 60-70 pictures and we wouldn't want to buy 60-70 family photos. They suggested we come back later, which we told them wouldn't work since it's a hike to get there. We asked if we could just pick from the family photos they already took, and again they refused. They said they needed 60-70 shots in order to upload the session to their computers. Very frustrating!! We ended up having to leave without any pictures, after wasting an hour there. Why they wouldn't just take our family photos as we requested is beyond me. We will never go there again and will be sharing our experience with everyone we know. Not very family friendly if you ask me!! read more

... Well. Let's just begin.. I wanted to give Portrait Innovations ZERO stars BUTT.. Any who we receive a promotional offer that includes 43 copies of 1 pose for $14.99 with a free 16x20 canvas or something of that nature. We travel the 45 min to get there with our lovely 2 month old baby girl. We show up and get signed in. My wife presents our coupon and the lady says were able to use it and to just hold it until your session begins. She tells us where the dressing room is and we proceed. When we come back out their all appear shocked, saying "ohh.. We thought you'all left". .. So after about a 15 minute sit in the wait area we get skipped by a group that came after us. After another little wait they take us back and the photographers awesome.. Get to the end and reviewing the pics... Then were informed that we can not get anything at all for the advertised $14.99. So what they present to us is minus the large canvas photo and double the price.. Okay at least put an additional pose on here but nope.. Either double for less OR we could choose one of there other lame packages hovering around $400!!. So after discussing it with the manager who is unable to adjust ANYTHING at all we end up with a trashy Portrait Innovations experience.. Even after making the manager aware that her front desk employee should have informed us of this from the start and we wouldn't have wasted our time.. Buttt Nope.. Truly truly disappointed.. Would definitely never recommend these jerks... Sorry about the angry ramblings! read more