TheFry is 2! That means photos at Mom’s Self Photo Studio!

Last year, when TheFry turned one, we took him to Igloo Self-Photo Studio in Seoul.  We were very happy with our purchase at Igloo and had every intention to go back, until we realized that all the pictures would look pretty much the same.  Also, since we’ve moved outside of Seoul, Igloo is pretty far away from us now.

 

Thus, we decided to look for another self-photo studio closer to our area.  After a couple of google searches, we found (and decided to go with) Mom’s Self-Photo Studio in Incheon, Gyeyang-gu.

 

Making the reservation with Mom’s was a big step for me because I did it entirely over the phone and in Korean (even though I found out later that the owner of the studio speaks fairly decent English).  Also, I didn’t have to pay a deposit to reserve my date, which was good, because I didn’t want to figure out how to navigate the website and pay the deposit online.

 

The studio itself is a little smaller than Igloo, having only two rooms instead of three.  One of the rooms is very geared towards babies than the other, which is larger and has more sets.  Also, there is a “dressing room” with outfits your child can wear.  As I didn’t notice the dressing room until after the photo shoot, I’m not sure if you have to pay anything extra for the outfits, but my guess is that the use of some are free (especially the hats), and that some of the more fancy outfits may cost you extra to use.

 

At Mom’s Self Studio you can bring your own DSLR camera or you can rent theirs for an extra 10,000 won.  Additionally, the rooms are equipped with moveable lighting fixtures which you can adjust based on which set you are shooting.

 

One thing I was not prepared for the last time I did a self-photo session was how exhausting it is with a mobile toddler.  Maybe it goes without saying that such an event warrants the use of multiple favorite toys and snacks, but I’m still kind of oblivious to a lot of parenthood and I figured that mess out the hard way, so I’ll point that out here in case you’re a self-photo first-timer.

 

At the end of our session we had taken 475 photographs, most of which were useless because of one or a combination of several of the following:

1) TheFry didn’t want to smile for almost any of his pictures.  He maintained a placid, almost dumbfounded facial expression for most of the sets.  No amount of joking or singing or cajoling could convince him to both smile and look at the camera.

2) TheFry refused to look at the camera.  He was just too busy playing with the sets.

3) TheFry really just wanted to sit around and try to eat the toy food.  Even after eating a sandwich halfway through our one-hour session, he still just wanted to play with the toy food, nibbling it and throwing it off the stage.

 

It wasn’t a total loss, however.  We got some giggle-worthy shots that won’t make it to the framed WALL OF FRY but will make it into a photo album of TheFry’s Silliest Moments.  We also got a dozen or so nice shots, which is really all you can hope for, and better than a traditional photo shoot might have been.  In all, we’ll have plenty to send home to Grandma and Grandpa. ^_^  At the end of our session, we walked away with all 475 photos on a CD, and we paid 50,000 won for everything together.

 

And now, without further ado, THEFRY:

this was his general expression 

 

Action Smile!

 

Ta-daa! 

yummy fake croissant 

  getting ready to throw a slice of lime 

 

 Ballet Poses #1 & 2

 

 This whole set was in between outfits.  We didn’t want him to get peanut butter on his nice clothes.  He enjoyed the diaper time.  But he wants you to see his SEEFOOD!

 Little rascal…

 Silly little “Naughty Face”

 Probably the best smile in the shoot, and I’m in the way of the picture! :(

 Please, please, sit still and do it again!

 

First day of school… 

…at Bible College! 

 

probably my 2nd favorite shot

 

and my first favorite.