Bad business practices...we booked online and confirmed via phone ahead of the date then arrived and the place was packed. We were told despite having an appt there was a 45 minute wait. REALLY!? We we booked the time frame specifically around the nap times for our 2yr old. The 6yr old and 12yr old were frustrated and hard to keep occupied in a crowded waiting room. Talking to others waiting it seemed they had booked appts 10min apart - then groups take another 30min to choose their shots. Only 3 staff working with 4 rooms and they didn't apologize or have a manager able to rework the way things were being run. read more

I've had my Grandson's pictures taken here every 6 months for the past 2 1/2 years. They tend to email coupons with great value. It's always been convenient to pick up the photos within a few hours of the photo session. The specialty items arrive within a few weeks. (There is a handling/delivery fee for the specialty items). The past few sessions I was a little disappointed in the sessions but continue as they are the only studio that offers same day prints in the Des Moines area. Because of this I know they tend to be busy this time of year. However after our experience today we will not be back. We arrived at 4:05 for our 4:10 appointment. With a happy 2 1/2 year old. The studio was packed to the point of 2 chairs remained free. We were checked in and informed it would be a few minutes. At 4:45 the happy Toddler was turning rather cranky. My daughter tracked down a worker to inquire how much longer we could expect. She was informed they were running an hour behind schedule. At 5 pm the Toddler threw a level 10 tantrum fit . Again my daughter inquired about the time and was informed that they had openings for Thursday and they aren't nearly as busy then. I pointed out our coupon ended today and we asked if it would be honored if we rescheduled and was told no as new coupons would be coming out. We tried to wait it out but another toddler fit came out and his clothes were ruined. We did some research and plenty of Des Moines photographers have great rates!! They give you all phot rights which Walmart & Walgreens offer same day prints and even offer specialty items such as the canvas we like. read more

I took my 3-year-old grandson for his bday pics - as I always do with my 2 grandsons. This time, the photographer (Tammy) fell WAY SHORT and I had a problem finding even one picture I loved for his picture package. My usual problem is too MANY to choose from that I love! I called and spoke to the store manager (so she said on the phone), and all she said was come back and have the pics retaken. The problem is - my grandson lives 4 hours away from me and they made a special trip to my house to celebrate his birthday and get his pictures taken with me, so that is not feasible. NOT happy when I left there the last time...which I believe will be the LAST time for both grandsons. Very disappointed. Not what it used to be! read more

This is my first time here with my family and I am disappointed. We went in on Sunday to be told the printer is not working. Expected the photos out the door, same day as stated on their website. I still had to pay the full price after our session. And today, Thursday, no word on when I will receive my photos. No discount offered for my wait. Next time I will go to a different photo studio. read more

Great team. Awesome customer service, fast, and convenient. If you do have to wait (not long at all) they have a comfy waiting room with activities for the little ones. Overall a great experience and highly recommended for family portraits read more

We like going to Portrait Innovations. It is best if you have an appointment. They get you in and out in a reasonable amount of time.

We went to a store at another location. Under the impression the service was low-priced, my mother-in-law booked an appointment for our visiting three month old. Husband and I live out of state and we were here so our son could meet his family. To start, our photographer wasn't very welcoming. We arrived on time, put him in the setting, and it was clear that her responsibility wouldnt exceed clicking the shutter release. He was unfortunately very fussy by the time we changed him into his second outfit. As we were fumbling to change him, she just sorta stood there and watched. We asked if there was any place we could set him down (like the couches out in the lobby) and she nonchalantly said, "Well, there's a changing table in the bathroom." We couldn't get him to settle down so I suggested comfort nursing him, which takes up to a minute, but she wasn't willing! She told us it would take too long as if the endless rocking and rattling was more useful. She told us to come back in an hour and try again. My mother-in-law wanted to just purchase the shots we did take (they did seem to look good) but it was all or nothing-- she told us we'd have to come back, finish the shoot, and review all of the pictures. Our only option was that or to opt out, she explained. So we came back and got what we could. We sat down and did the review and was ambushed with product after product. She was certainly friendlier then. My mother-in-law asked about the $19.95 deal she initially read about and the photographer told us that we could choose one pose for $19.95, which means we could've purchased what little photos we got instead of waiting and returning! It was a clear foot-in-the-door sales technique. We purchased a package that came with a bunch of "freebies" but it wasn't much of bargain in the end in my opinion. Long story short, not very helpful or accommodating. The pictures were adequate. Maybe don't go to the photographer who "serviced" us. There was another photographer who was very enthusiastic.. we wish we would have had her. read more

This maybe the worst place to have pictures taken. My daughter spent $77 on photos of my 3 grandchildren. The youngest is hardly in the picture. The individual of her, they didn't take the time to adjust any of her close and head band. They just don't care. They snap the picture and move on. read more

I was skeptical about going here since I'd been in the past and always thought my portraits were so-so. I decided to give them another try and $25 later wish I wouldn't have. I will NOT go back again. I felt very pressured to purchase their $150 package and I finally told the guy that I wasn't happy with the photos, especially the baby who didn't smile (who I know can smile and has for many other photos I've had taken) and there was no way I was dropping that much money on pictures I didn't care for! That finally made him stop offering me all these "deals", but I could feel the tension after that. He wasn't very friendly at all from that point forward. I did purchase the $14.99 deal, but my total came to almost $25. All the "hidden fees" added up quickly. I did add $3 for them to ship me my "free" canvas tote so I didn't have to go back there. During the session I could tell the baby wasn't smiling like he could be. The photographer would just say, "I think we got a good one there," and move on. I being his mother obviously knew nothing. It seemed as though they're told to take X amount of time to do their session and don't go over, because our photographer wasn't about to spend any more time w/ us than necessary. Needless to say, I'm not happy with our trip there and I'm not even excited about the pictures I did buy. But, because it's such an effort to get three kids dressed and ready I bought them and will make do, but I won't be going back here ever again. read more

A family member recommended this place for some same-day family portraits. I almost cancelled our appointment because I started to read some on-line reviews, and many of the reviews are terrible. However, I thought they did a great job, the price was reasonable, and we got our prints within a few minutes. We had a pretty big group -- 2 families, 5 kids, and the grandparents. The photographer quickly and efficiently photographed the kids, the married couples, the grandparents, and everyone together, in a total of maybe 20 minutes. She was especially great with the smaller children, and even got some great smiles out of the shy 3 year old. After the photo session, you sit down with the photographer and go through the pictures to pick the ones you want. For each shot, you can get a single portrait or you can get a package that includes pictures of different sizes (I think an 8 x 10, 2 5x7s, and some smaller ones). They also throw in one 10 x 13 portrait for $10. The entire session, including photography and picking final photos, lasted maybe an hour. The pictures were generally very well done, although there were some minor lighting problems on some pictures. I thought the price was reasonable. We had prints made of about 14 or 15 shots, and the whole thing was about $220. I think many of the negative reviews are from people who feel they were "pressured" into "buying a lot of pictures." I guess people think they are going to go in and only get the $10 portrait. I didn't feel pressured, you can choose as many of the pictures as you want. As you are choosing your pictures on the computer display, it gives you the current price of what you have selected, so there shouldn't be any surprises. Overall, this turned out to be a surprisingly good place to have some family photos done quickly and efficiently. It's not as fancy as a higher-end photo studio, but is probably perfectly adequate for 90% of families who want some pictures of the kids or the grandparents. read more

I've been putting off my twins 2 year pictures. It's a struggle and we were late to our 9:10 appt because coinciding kids and a 40 min drive is difficult. Our photographer Payton was sweet as could be and expressed she still had time to fit in a shirt change. She quickly realized our daughter was struggling with some sensory issues. She slowed down, simplified the background and let us do our thing of singing a slow rainbow connection and the smiles finally came! A first for us. It helped that it was the first appt of the day and empty. Thank you Payton!! read more

I took my 4 boys in for a 10:10 appointment, and we got in the room about 10:30 with Shylah she took about 10 pictures, and said we have to go to another room. We waited while 3 other people took pictures, meanwhile keeping 4 boys happy. She got in the other room, and took about 5 more pictures. We did not get out of there until 12:30. Then when we came to pick up the pictures, she had cut one of the boys off on the edge, and the other ones wern't much better. They do not know how to take pictures, and are very slow. read more

I took my children (3 and 1) to get pics this week. My kids are somewhat shy and they're little, so it can be difficult to get them to sit still and smile. The woman that was taking their pictures was terrible. She would try to get the 1 year old to smile, but she wouldn't be ready with her camera, so she missed the smiles. Then she got mad at him because she couldn't get it on camera. What made me walk out of the session was when she yelled at my 3 year old after she wouldn't keep her hands out of her face. You just don't yell at a child in this profession. I've had so - so experiences there in the past, and this seals it. I'm never going back!f Be careful if you have little ones! read more

i wouldnt go back here if it were free. they clearly dont know how to take a photo, had peoples head half cut out of the picture and still charged an arm and an leg, horrible "talent" they need new ppl that actually know what they are doing, "lets put the kids in the back and the bigger guys down in the front" how stupid can you get?? i can not make this up, save your money and go anywhere else. read more