Where is the studio?
39 Baddow Road,
Chelmsford City
CM20DB.
The studio is based on the middle section of Baddow Road Chelmsford City near the Salvation Army, Zenxi Chinese & Q-Park car park. For detailed directions right click HERE(This link opens Google Maps). The studio is not far from the Army & Navy roundabout. What are the opening hours? We are open 7 days a week 10am-6pm. We have late night availbility upon request. Please phone the studio for further information.
Please note our Christmas and New Years opening hours may differ. Is the studio accessible for all?
Our premesis is all one level so is wheelchair and mobility scooter friendly. We are based on a road with a nearby drop kerb, and have a wide front door (just over 3ft) which is great for getting large/double pushchairs and wheelchairs through. We are also more than happy to adapt the sessions to suit your needs, so please do let us know. We've worked with a range of different requirements from lazy eyes to epilepsy, autism and physical disabilities. Be aware that the only measure we do not have in place is a handrail in the bathroom. Is there parking?
Unfortunately, the studio doesn't have any designated parking spaces. There are one hour parking spaces along Baddow road outside the studio, as well a two car parks nearby: Q-Park Meadows for info CLICK HERE and Baddow Road Long Stay Car Park for info CLICK HERE. Blue Badge Holders can park on the road for up to 3 hours free of charge when badge is on display.
Why a deposit is needed to book your portrait session?
A refundable deposit of £35 is required upon booking which covers your attendance to both your photoshoot and viewing appointment. The deposit will be refunded at the end of your appointments. 72 hours notice is required to change or cancel any appointment. If 72 hours notice is not given, it will result in a loss of your deposit and another will be taken to get you booked back in. If you are more than 15 minutes late for your appointment you also risk your deposit being lost. Your deposit payment secures time with industry professionals who are assigned to your appointment including photographers, make up artists, image consultants and retouchers. Please note, if you place an order with us, you have the option to use the value of your deposit towards your order total.
What can I expect from my session?
Your photo shoot will take approximately one hour for Family or Pet, two hours for Pin-Up/Boudoir and sometimes even longer with Newborn baby Art. We will capture a wide variety of images during your session using a range of different backgrounds, props and lighting styles. During family sessions we will capture all of the possible breakdowns for example everyone together, the generations, all of the grandchildren together, each individual family and more. For shoots with a same day viewing you will be with us for about two hours. Images will be unedited at the time of viewing, once and order is placed your images will be sent to our highly skilled digital artsists who will ensure your images are perfect. Can I buy lots of vouchers in exchange for lots of photos?
Sadly not. Our vouchers are an offer, and are limited to one voucher per family per year. Vouchers are not to be used in conjunction with any other offers or promotions. When using vouchers all terms & conditions must be met. There is no obligation to purchase further however we do have plenty of lovely options if you choose to do so. What happens after the photo shoot?
If you are not viewing your images straight after your session, we will book your viewing and ordering appointment for a later date. You will view them unedited, however your favourites that are ordered will be edited to print quality ready for display. How long does my viewing and ordering session last?
Most viewings last about 1 hour. If you think you require more time to view and order your photos, longer sessions are available please just ask a member of staff. When you're planning your viewing session remember to measure the wall space where you would like to hang your portraits. Do I need to bring my voucher? Can I claim my free image?
Yes, your voucher is exchanged for your complimentary print. All orders are placed on hold until we have recieved the voucher, so don't panic should you have forgotten to bring it along on the day just send it over digitally (even just a photo!) as soon as you can. Any prints included with voucher must be relevant for voucher type. For example Pet photo shoot vouchers must be of a pet, family voucher must be two generations and minimum of three people, etc. Your complimentary print cannot be exchanged for cash or an alternative product. With all of our vouchers there is no obligation to purchase further, however most customers choose to do so, please bear this in mind when purchasing vouchers for a gift for friends & family. What do I need to bring to the viewing?
Bring your partner, family members, anyone who you think would like to see the photos. Full payment is usually required at the time of placing your order at the viewing, however interest free part payment options are available upon request. We accept most credit/debit cards (with the exception of American Express) and cash.
We can only keep images that you order at your ordering appointment on file due to storage restrictions.
Can I bring the children to the viewing appointment?
Children often get very fed up when viewing; most customers prefer to view without their young children. However if you are bringing your children feel free to bring some toys, food etc to keep them amused. How much should I budget?
Most families that visit us budget between £400-1200 to invest in their wall portraits. This gives you options on how you'd like to display your protraits, such as print collections, wall products or even digital images. We also have various payment plans available to ensure you don't have to compromise on the perfect images for your home.
We have options to suit all homes, with Wall Proudcts, Prints both individualy and in packs, Albums, and Digital Files (but if you go with the latter, be sure to get them printed out, don't just let them sit on a USB!).
Our art mounted prints start at £89, digital packages start at £359 and Wall Proucts from £295. How long do you keep the images on file? If you would like your images kept on file we can hold them for a maximum of 1 month from the date of your viewing session in a password protected online gallery for which a £89.00 deposit is required. This £89.00 is not refundable, but can be deducted from the order you go on to make.
The above said, we'd recommend you make your decisions in the viewing room, at the time of your ordering appointment. It is always best deciding in the viewing room as that way you can see the options avaiable to you up close and personal. It also means we can really design things with you and your home in mind, and so you can see all details within the image.
The new GDPR Compliance Laws apply not only to data, but also include images, thus unless images are ordered or you have permitted us to use them for promotions/display they are not always kept on file. Can I view my photos online? The short answer - yes. That said, in order to really get the full impact of your beautiful images we ask that you come back to the studio to view them in our private cinematic viewing suit. We feel that this is by far the best way for you to see the full detail of your images in big at the studio rather than small images with our watermark over them. If an online viewing is something you absolutely require, it is £89.00 to do so, which will then be deducted from any order made. What shall I wear? CLICK HERE
We suggest clothing that suits your personality as a family; wheather its crazy patterns/ colours to simple classics such as a polo shirts and Jeans.
Ideally a good wall product suits the space within it, so if your house is vintage full of antique furniture, perhaps choosing waht you wear from a deeper/darker colour palette would suit it better. If your home is more modern and contemporary jeans and white tops are always good timeless classics and tend to not age. If your home is retro or white with bright colour accessories then we'd advise you stand out and wear strong primary colours.
Sucessful family portraits are best when family members are all in similar clothing. We don't need you all to match, but think about all wearing tones of the same colour, or wearing a combination of colours that are harmonious - think navy, white and red for example!
For makeover and/or boudoir sessions please see seperate page on our website for further info. Do you use photoshop? Can you make me slim?
All images ordered are edited using photoshop by our production team who will go through and check colour balance, crop, background cleaned as a basic. Further editing may be done should you wish, please discuss this further in the viewing room. When will my order be ready?
We quote between 4- 6 weeks depending on the product ordered.
Our wall products are hand made and are usually ready to collect within 4 weeks.
When can we come back?
At Hammonds we pride ourselves on our repeat custom, and advise that any families wishing to visit us again should leave 1 - 2 years before having another photo shoot.
Our packaging Please note we use minimal packaging for all orders collected, 90% of our packaging is recyclable.
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