Starshots

Happy customer – I have had about 3 sittings with star shots for my 40th my 50th and now I'm 60 ill do it all over again. Each time I've had a fun pampered experience and have been extremely happy with the results! I highly recommend them the quality and the finished product was very professional! Val Rence

Avoid at all costs!!! – I'm a previous editor for this company, still chasing invoices from over a year and a half ago! absolute joke of a company (the Qld version is no better - super rude and unhelpful). Extremely unprofessional unorganised company who don't reply to emails and don't answer calls - they have clearly gone south and hiding from the damage. No staff on hand here (probably didn't pay them either) - AVOID!!! Please don't waste your time or money here.

Lovely people who sadly just don't listen – We purchased a package at the Melbourne Dog Lovers show which included hair and makeup, a photo shoot in 3 outfits and a print at the Melbourne studio. We wanted a fairly casual shot of us and our pups to go with a photo we had done several years ago. I'll start with the good which is that the staff at the dog show as well as in the studio… Read more

were very chatty and friendly and very accepting and accommodating of canine visitors which was great ( some places offer pet shoots but clearly don't like it which isn't the case here). The photographer was also quite good and patient with the pets and the hair and makeup lady did a good job.

Our negative experience comes from the fact that while we explained what we were after, which was a nice casual shot of us and the dogs, the studio spent far too much time focusing on what they thought we should do, not what we actually wanted. We were still told to bring a formal and semi formal outfit as well as casual since three outfits were included in the shoot, and we may as well shoot them anyway. However despite us saying that all we wanted was a casual shoot with us and the pups, the photographer insisted on doing the formal and semi formal photos first. Many of which were only of us without the pups. By the the time we came to taking the photos we were there to take, too much time had been spent on the other outfits and the session was almost over, meaning we had to rush them, and the dogs had run out of patience and were less focused and far more restless than before.

This last minute rush, as well as the dogs now restless nature resulted in the photos we wanted not turning out very well, with no where near as many options to choose from as the many formal photos taken.

The selection process is also very pushy. We were very clear about only being interested in the casual photos but were still pressured into considering the formal ones. By the time it sunk in that the casual photos were all we wanted, the sales person became clearly disheartened that we had fewer photos to choose from as most of the significantly less casual ones taken didn't work out too well, and the tone shifted all together to somewhat cold when we ended up settling on a photo we weren't all together happy with because it was included in our package. We were open to purchasing multiple extra prints too if we liked the photos, which sadly we didn't.

If customers are not happy most studios I've worked with offer to take the photos again or invite you back another time to take them correctly. If they had done this we probably would have accepted and they probably would have made much more money of us, but sadly since we weren't interested in any of the photos they forced us to take, we were pretty much shown the door as unsatisfied customers. A shame. It is also worth noting that they said the print we did end up settling on, which can be said as being acceptable at best, was going to take 4-6 weeks. It has now been 9 and we haven't heard anything about getting it back.

In short, staff were lovely and friendly, but we would have had a much better experience if any interest had been shown in what we wanted rather than what they thought we should want.

I wouldn't even give them 1 star – I won a comp to have a family photo with my little one and my partner. When we arrived at the fortuide valley one in Brisbane the ladies were Lovely and kind. The make up artist was lovely but I told her I didn't really like it and it was to much I just wanted to look natural but she continued with the make up where it just looked to heavy on me.… Read more

When it came to taking the photos the lady was nice but it all seemed to rushed all my photos that where taken with my son were terrible not at all flattering there was only 4 photos we really liked n we wanted. At the end they took us to the showing room where an older lady who looked grumpy was showing us our photos at the end of showing us she started to pressure us in to buying photos. I said to my partner lets just get the one free one. But we both really liked another 3 the lady told us it was $1,200 for 3 photos that's so crap what a rip off I was like no way but she pressured n continued to pressure is that we ended up paying $650 for 3 photos plus a free one. I did not likely experience what so ever I wouldn't recommend anyone getting there photos done here unless u want to be ripped off with there prices!!!

Terrible. Inexperienced. Expensive – I had a session with them couple of months ago in Bankstown, they're not shooting like professional. They just trial and errors, and the price is RIP OFF. STAY AWAY FROM THEM!! Dont be lured by vouchers. You still pay nearly 10 times more than a local professional photographer even with a voucher. All they do is lure you in and RIP you off.

Wonderful, fun and comfortable photo shoot – The ladies at Starshots Photography Central Coast made me feel so comfortable. From the moment I arrived I felt like family, they really do love their work. The hair and make up was very natural it didn't feel heavy. The photographer directed me the whole way telling me how to pose and chatting to me which made me relaxed. The photos were stunning I couldn't believe I looked like that. I can't wait to receive them.

Rip off – Received a $495 package which was to include a free print and 3 outfit changes. The package was for one person but they offered me to have my boyfriend included at no extra cost, which I thought was very polite. After arriving we were greeted by 2 extremely friendly staff members, made us feel very comfortable, showed us around explained what… Read more

would happen, etc. They asked us if we wanted a 'sexy' theme as well, we said no and they pushed. We stuck to no.

They started my make up and hair, make up was stunning but hair was weird. They claimed their camera made hair look flat so poofed it up to accommodate for that. Looked strange and weirder in the photos. Make up artist was very friendly but prying also, kept asking about my face scars from old piercings and then my boyfriend (who was not there at that time) and what he does and what his salary was and that he was cute and what not.

Once we started the photoshoot it felt extremely rushed. The photographer was not giving us much guidance. He took ages to change the backdrop, it was ridiculous. He announced we were done, yet we hadn't done our third outfit yet. When we came out of the studio the other staff asked if we were sure we didn't want to do a sexy shoot, they kept pushing for one, felt very uncomfortable.

When we viewed our images, we weren't very excited. Some were stunning but most were not very flattering at all. The woman also kept commenting on how stunning my boyfriend individual photos looked, never commented on mine. Then had the nerve to say to me that they can photoshop my weight and large breasts and smooth out my cellulite. I thought this was extremely rude of her to say to my face instead of ask me what re touch I would like done.

After being told we had to buy a print to receive the free one, which was NOT in the terms and conditions, we decided to buy just one. They started pushing us to buy more, they were so pressuring that we ended up buying a wall frame package without the frame, just to shut them up. We could not afford it whatsoever so we went on a payment plan, we asked if we could opt out at any time and just receive what we paid for already and they said it was ok. Our package came to a whopping $750 for 3 prints and 1 free one. We paid $250 and made the minimum deposit required so we could pay whenever we want. They decided to change this, AFTER we signed a contract saying the prices were final, they said our deposit was not enough and had to make it reach $500 or they will delete our images.

We could not afford it so we went in and asked to opt out of our plan and get the free print and 1 we paid for. They said we can't do that and we can't find your contract, so we asked for the manager and she was out. We came back when they said she was in and once again she dissappeared. They claimed to have found our contracts and printed them for us. They had NO signatures on them, did not have our package details on there, nothing of relevance. They tried every sceezy way to cancel our order and keep our money. We threatened with consumer affairs, contacted head office and nothing ever got done.

As a photographer myself I know that the prices are not expensive per say but for the town of Frankston based on other businesses it was overpriced.

I would not recommend this place to anyone, ever.

Terrible, Very expensive, pressured to buy the photos – I had a voucher from Easter show bags so I booked in... have to pay $ 50 for extra person on weekdays! Have our make up done I wasn't happy with mine. Anyway, to cut long story short ...waiting to see the photos & when finally ready it wasn't that great for the amount they charge ($ 395) small pics. The lady pressured me of buying framed… Read more

portraits but it's way too expensive & have to tell her my budget and I ended up buying 4 photos for $1015 portrait... I still think I been ripped off ! So , be warned don't be a fool like me..don't go to starshoots ever !!!!

Terrible Experience Ever – I have got a gift card as a Christmas present from my boy friend. It is paid for 3 female shots including the make ups. (Extra money paid for the 3 female). When I all the way drive there for pre-shoot session, the stuff there are very unfriendly and unprofessional. They insisted my card is only for two people and I have to pay extra AGAIN for the… Read more

3rd person. I explained that my boy friend already paid extra and was told by the shop manager this is card is for 3 females. They didn't listen and firmly told me it is impossible. I asked them to check with the manger who sold the card to my boy friend. (She was mot at the shop at the time) but they expressed there is no need to do so. The per-session took only 15 minutes to ask questions but the argument to deny what I claimed took more than one hour! Very bad feeling and experience already even before the shoot! Later on the manager called me to apologise for what happened earlier and attitude of their stuff and confirmed my card is for 3 females!!! By then I have lost the interest for photo shot completely.

Almost 4 months later, when my boy friend tried to rebook the shoot and found the phone has been disconnected. What a doggy shop! Most expensive shoot price and worst service and stuff I experienced ever.

Terrible – Had a voucher for a free photo, found out after the shoot that we had to buy a photo to redeem the free one. Nowhere in the terms and condition did it say this. Also, the shots they did take where pretty bad.

Frustrating, Inconsiderate and Miserable experience – We had our session in April 2015 at Paramatta, Hair was badly done and make up session was a mere formality, Photographer came in, rushed through the shots for 3 outfits. Staff were so unfriendly and inconsiderate. Spent $2,000 for 8 photoes, for this kind of money, expected some amount of courtesy and professionalism from the staff and of course,… Read more

better results. Altogether, it was a frustrating, disappointing experience. AVOID this studio and save your money.

Not sure how they do business with those prices? – I received a Red Balloon gift voucher for an activity that I could unfortunately not participate in due to my pregnancy. So I swapped the voucher for something that looked really useful which was a maternity photo shoot with Starshots. Being a photographer myself, I am not able to take professional photos of myself and partner so I opted go for… Read more

this “makeover and pregnancy photo shoot” to make the most of my first pregnancy.

I had to attend a “pre photo shoot session” which was basically a consultant asking what styles and photos I liked from their current portfolio on an Ipad.

On the day, the makeup and hair was done quite well (but not without a lot of guidance from myself – you need to know what you want and not expect them to tell you how you should look) The lady although lovely, seemed a bit dizzy and conversation was awkward including her asking lots of probing questions about me and even “is this a planned pregnancy for you? What the!? I would never speak to one of my own clients or customers that way.

The photographer seemed professional however a lot of poses I ended up suggesting myself and it wasn’t until she saw them she realised “oh yes that’s actually really good”

We enjoyed our experience but it did come at a cost. Their sales tactics are very high pressured and they wouldn’t offer any form of digital images without paying for their digital package (15 images for $2,700!)

Their marketing material was not very professional for someone asking that amount of money. Their cheapest art package was $1195 with the most expensive being $2955. How they get away with this is beyond me. Even if I charged half of this myself, I would still be told I am too expensive.

They make light of this by offering “payment plans” so you can pay it off

My partner and I are not exactly struggling with money nor stingy but the charge for prints is just absurd! Even if I had won lotto I do not feel this business is worthy of that kind of charge.

In the viewing session, I asked why a lot of my shots had been unnaturally cropped as I found this strange.

We really loved the photos during the viewing session but felt pressured to purchase a wall art package it was very awkward in there.

We ended up purchasing a couple of small prints just to get out of there still spending an additional $500 for the privilege– I don’t like being pressured to spend a lot of money - especially being pregnant is such an emotional time already.

A word of advice – Get yourself an 8x10 or smallish print then you can save yourself a lot of money by knowing what to do with it. Or alternatively, just use a professional photographer that is a Member of the AIPP and has a good reputation with satisfied customers. A professional photographer will never push that hard or make you feel awkward just to make a sale. Also good to note, just because a business is located in a shopping centre, does not make it one that has great business ethics, reputable or value for money.

Rushed / Privacy Issues / Unflattering horrible photos / Poor communication – We went to fountain gate to have maternity pictures taken & upon our arrival there was no communication about what would take place. It was only half way through my hair and make up that I found out what the process was because I started asking questions. We had to leave our outfits on the floor in the hallway. My hair and make up took 2 hours!!!… Read more

My hair was not blow waved only straighten with an iron so my hair was lifeless and flat, was very unhappy with it. After 2 hours I would have expected it to look a lot better.

There is no change room, you change behind a little curtain that is within the same room that other people where getting photographed in. There is no way of checking your outfit before your photos are taken (a mirror would be helpful and somewhere to place clothes/jewellery - I had to change my necklace in a dark corner of a room)

The photo shoot was so rushed with minimal communication, my clothes were gathering in all the wrong places. Angles on most pictures were off too & very very unflattering. Other photo shoots I've had have help from photographer with your positioning, clothing & angles - we got minimal if any & it was very rushed.

Also I wanted a black and white photo in our formal outfit, by the time I realised he needed to change the lighting etc for those types of pictures we were already finished the photo shoot. Perhaps asking the client what they want to achieve at the start of the session rather than the end would be helpful!! We then waited 50min to view our horrible pictures. (It's set up like a production line.)

We struggled to selected one good picture. Total disappointment.

Most expensive session – The worst and most expensive session my kid had. 10 minutes of photography and 30 minutes of choosing photos, $650 later and they are just bigger than wallet size

Disappointing experience, privacy concerns, terrible service, complacent attitude – I had my session at Darlinghurst studio in June 2014. Spoke to manager before & was very excited by what she promised! Brought 3 outfits to wear plus costume jewellery to go with each outfit. Started with hair/makeup. Hair was badly done. Manager came in to help & curled it properly. Makeup choice of colours not good. Artist seemed bored,… Read more

disengaged. Makeup & hair took longer due to manager having to help out. 2 clients came in & they were doing makeup too. Photographer came in, rushed me through the shots. Some shots felt forced. A few minutes to help me to relax would have helped. Great photographers do this. Not him. Told him I didn't like some poses. When photos came out, they didn't look right. He rushed me through the shots for 3 outfits. I didn't get chance to wear my jewellery. Outside I saw him take photos on HIS MOBILE of some SEXY shots of other clients on the computer to show his friends. Complained to manager, this is privacy issue! After I complained, was given extra shots but my top was crooked & photographer didn't fix it. Poor attention to detail by photographer. A lot of trouble later to retouch photos for stray hair cutting across my forehead & crooked top. Altogether an most UN-enjoyable experience. Disappointed because I spent $295 each for 2 photos, 1 photo was $25 promotion. Total spent $615.00 for 3 photos. Only used 1 so far. For this kind of money, expected better results. I guess Starshots have become complacent. Manager offered compliment shoot at another studio but only gave 1 print. I am asking for 2 digital prints to redo the other two. Still waiting for approval.

Careless, poor attention to details, privacy issues, rushed experienced, not enjoyable, complacent attitude

Inconsiderate – I was planning to have our much awaited family portrait done and it just so happened that a voucher became available in Groupon for a discounted photography session in Starshots Glamour Photography. I bought 2 vouchers for me and for my sister as a gift for Mother’s day. I then called Starshots Glamour Photography Parramatta branch and was… Read more

informed that the dates allotted for the groupon vouchers are all booked out and was referred to the Bankstown branch. To book a session, I need to put a $100 (plus surcharge) refundable deposit for me and my sister apart from the Groupon vouchers I bought, this was ok as it was all mention in the fine print regarding claiming for the voucher. I was able to book a session together with my sister on a weekend as my husband and I cannot take a time off from work as well as my sister and her husband.

The lady that I speak to was very nice and accommodating and I was happy with their service until an unexpected turn of events on Wednesday before the Saturday Photo session. I had a surgery on my left ear that gave me stiches at the back and top of my left ear as well as shaved hair above my left ear. Obviously, I will not be up to the photo session because apart from the stiches I sustained on my left ear, blood were also coming out from the inner ear so I had to put a cotton balls and bandage over my ear so I rang the Starshot Bankstown as soon as I was discharged from the hospital the following day to re-schedule my photo shoot but to my disappointment, I was not allowed to re-schedule it on a weekend unless I pay a re-booking fee of $50 each again and the reason that the lady ( the manager of Starshots Bankstown according to her) gave me was because I booked using a voucher and that the customer paying a full price is priority over a customer with a voucher on a weekend booking!

when I asked her why I was able to book a weekend photo session the first time using a Groupon voucher, she told me that probably the person that I talked to when I booked the session is not aware that Groupon voucher is not allowed on the Weekend bookings which is by the way is not mentioned anywhere in the fine print! That is being inconsiderate of my situation and unprofessional to say that your employee doesn’t know your own store policy?! They left me with the options to just go ahead with my Saturday booking which is obviously not feasible or don’t go and lose all the money that I already shell out with a total of $160 or pay again for a weekend bookings which I will never try to deal with them again or schedule it on a weekdays which I can’t, that is why I booked it on weekend in the first place! I ended up with forfeited voucher and lost my holding deposits!