Venture Portraits is somewhere to go and get a family portrait with a difference. The pictures are stylish and contemporary with a white backdrop. It is an excellent place to get family picture taken or pictures of the kids. It is very pricey, but offers something that bit different. read more

We visited Venture in Darlington, after being given one of their packs as a gift. The shoot itself was wonderful and the photographer was excellent with my 3 year old son and really made it fun for him. The photos are very very expensive, which came as quite a shock to us but we still ordered some prints at the viewing, as they were so lovely. The staff are very friendly and helpful and answer any questions you have. A great experience for all the family. read more

There is no doubt that Venture really is unqiue and produces some beautiful photos. It's quite tricky to find though becuse it's up a little side street - it's best to ask for directions if you can. The whole place has a lovely feel to it and the staff are all rally nice. Not just anyone can walk in either you need to buzz on the right of the door to announce you're here for a session or a viewing. The photographers are really nice and come and chat to you while you're sitting in the luxurious waiting room - decorated with pretty much every style of photo to get you drooling after particular arrangements and a TV set. Anyway they chat about what you want with your pictures, when we went we opted for half silly and half more romantic and ended up walking away with the more moody romantic shots. The one thing is, no matter how much the photographer tried to relax me, I felt silly all the way through just because they get you to do some crazy stuff and you think I wouldn't do it at home, why am I running round doing it here? However I tried to ignore the silly feeling and found it quite amusing and fun - we took space hoppers which were quite fun - though I wasn't able to master the spontaneous laughing they asked me to do all the way through! The viewing is deliberately set out to make you want to buy ALL the photos. They give you a hot drink first - nice hot chocolate for any particular hot chocolate lovers out there and then you go to the room. They can be quite pushy with sales so you have to be ready to stamp your foot down as the prices are really really high. However it still is hard to prevent yourself from buying all the photos, I'll warn you now! Just make sure you set yourself a reasonable budget before you head out! It's definitely worth it though. read more

This is a fantastic experience. The actual photoshoot is so funny, you have to do some really stupid things. If your shy it might bring you out of your shell but if your not up for a laugh it's no good for you. I've been twice with two different photographers both of which were excellent and really friendly. The experience is second to none. When it comes to buying pictures they're really expensive but worth every penny. Everyone compliments ours. They do an offer for £25 where you get a photoshoot and a 7x5 photo, it's definitely worth it. read more

This was one of the best photographers I have ever been to! The staff were brilliant. The photographer basically said "be natural" so we did!!..we were jumping about pulling faces, the whole experience was just fun fun fun!!! the photo's that were produced from the shoot were brill! The cost is more than some would pay but i would recommend going here!! read more