VIP Portraits

Location

501 K Street

Hours

Mon-Fri 10AM-6PM

Phone

530-757-2187

1-800-647-3686

Website

http://www.vipportraits.com/

Payment Method

Cash, Check, Visa, Mastercard

V.I.P. Portraits, aka V.I.P. Studios Photography, is a professional photography studio. A large part of their clients are students from UCD taking senior portraits but they take pictures for all life celebrations and occasions and are willing to travel. V.I.P. Studios used to be the place for seniors to go and take their portrait for the yearbook for free. V.I.P. Studios Photography has photographed thousands of UCD seniors. To make an appointment for UCD senior portraits, log onto www.vipportraits.com. For all other types of appointments, call the studio directly.

• You sign up for an appointment online. Call if the appointment times do not work or if you have a special request.
  

• Show up ready to take pictures (nice clothes, hair, make-up, nails, etc).
  

• Take a bunch of pictures with different props. See gallery section of website.
  

• Proofs are sent to an address provided for free.
  

• Choose from your proofs which ones you like and pick a package.
  

• Mail, fax, call or deliver your order form.
  

• Final pictures can be picked up 7-10 business days after orders are placed or are mailed within 3 weeks. Final prints are copyrighted and have a copyright sticker on the back.
  

• Reordering with fewer options are available once you place your initial order.

Comments:

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2007-06-09 23:08:32   Getting the proofs and my first order was quick and timely just as they said. I put in reorders mid-May. I called yesterday and apparently they'll be ready in JULY. Not 7-10 business days but 7-10 WEEKS. They'll be nice the first time but screw you over the second. And they're incredibly expensive. Now that people do not have to go to them for yearbook pictures, I suggest shopping around or borrowing friend's old cap and gowns and taking your own pictures. —JoAnnaRich

2007-08-14 15:21:33   This place sucks. The main photographer does not know how to take pictures. She counts on luck to get the decent pictures. They're over priced! Highly do not recommend. Sears Portraits, J.C Penny or even Walmart is better and cheaper than this place!!! They charged me $50 claiming that I did not returned my proofs, when I PERSONALLY walked it in! B.S Studios is what this place should be called. —Sam

2007-10-13 23:38:14   I noticed that someone (probably a representative of VIP Portraits) made a copyright-related edit on this page today.

When my wife and I got married in mid-2006, we retained copyright to our wedding photos by paying extra and granting the photographer permission to use the photos for her business purposes. She definitely wasn't thrilled about the arrangement, but I wasn't willing to ask anyone but my wife for permission to use our wedding photos as I saw fit. Plus, I think she (the photographer) reluctantly recognized that this is the path down which progress is taking us.

I haven't worked with this studio (VIP Portraits), but if like me you're unwilling to pay for photos for which you don't retain copyright, you might try negotiating. Very little is ever set in stone, and persistence and chisels can take care of that which is set in stone. :)

—Graham.Freeman

2007-11-27 13:57:06   I'm a UC Davis Alumni and over the past years, I've seen my friends photos taken at this studio, V.I.P. Studios and I've been very impressed time after time. My friend's print quality are very professional looking and they were posed professionally in the photos. You don't get these qualities by getting your photos taken at the mall or the stores like Wal-Mart. The prices that my friends paid for their high quality prints at V.I.P. Studios were exceptionally reasonable. Based on the quality of work and services that I've seen my friends get from this studio, I would highly recommend anyone have their senior portraits done at V.I.P. —StephenH

2008-03-07 16:02:46   My roommate just showed me her senior portraits, and I was very impressed. The poses and expressions were natural and the picture quality was fantastic! I am graduating in the spring of 2008 and I will definitely be going to VIP Studios. My roommate recommends this photographer to all of our friends who are graduating if they want to have a fun, laid back shoot that produces awesome photos. —kikiwiki

2008-04-06 21:49:03   I just got my senior pictures taken and it was a great experience. I hate getting pictures done but the environment was comfortable and the photographer was very professional and yet still hilarious. She also was open to how I wanted to be photographed. I just received my proofs about a week after my photos were taken and I have so many shots to choose from. Recommended if you want high quality photos and not cheap prints like you get from the mall. —WendyWoo

2008-04-15 23:49:31   Had my sitting today and found it to be quick and pleasant. The photographer actually listened to what kind of poses I wanted, and let me pick out props and say no to ones I didn't like. I've been places before that tell YOU what to do for your own picture and that's no fun. I would recommend them for portraits if you're looking for a place with a more personal feel. —AynReyes

2008-05-15 19:29:45   I had a terrible experience here. The photographer was rude, she didn't ask me anything about what I wanted and made me feel really uncomfortable, which showed in the pictures. I would not recommend this studio. —ShanaRose

2008-06-09 19:17:48   I took my senior portraits in April, everyone at the studio was so friendly. I recieved my proofs in a week and as soon as I got my order in I recieved my prints in 3 weeks. The time that everything took was all expected because it says all that on the order form, nothing was late. My prints came out great and they look way better than anything I could have pulled off. When I first looked at the order I was a little overwhelmed with the prices, but I feel like I really got what I paid for when I look at how nice the quality of the prints came out. Plus they were very nice to me about editing one of my poses because I didn't like the background color. The photographer knows exactly what she's doing. I'll be using this studio again. —Adaleen

2008-06-09 21:39:28   Evil. I'm sorry, but she screwed over Unitrans BIG TIME a few years ago. The picture quality was terrible, and when I asked for a re-print because you couldn't see faces, she asked me what my opinion mattered. When I told her my employees didn't want the pictures they paid for because they were terrible and it wasn't just what I thought, she said that in the grand scheme of things, the $20 each person paid for the pictures didn't matter. YOU DON'T SAY THAT IF YOU'RE IN BUSINESS. She ended up not talking to me because I'm a student, and would only do business with my General Manager. She eventually gave us reprints, except that it turns out she took a terrible picture to begin with so she only argued because she couldn't do any better. Big bummer. Big, big bummer. She wouldn't work with any of my co-workers, either, because "we're students" and beneath her. —ChristyMarsden

2008-06-11 19:29:44   I totally recommend this place for senior portraits! I was surprised to see how fast they gave me my order. They are also very friendly and will do anything to help. For example, there was a problem with two of my pictures and they simply reordered them and I got them in 3 days. The photographer is so friendly and made me feel comfortable during the photo session. The results were great! The photos are very high quality. For example, the paper is very nice and so is the retouching. I have no complaints! —leahgue

2008-08-07 14:27:08   I came to vip studios in june to get my grad photos and had a great experience overall. The staff was helpful and had my pictures ready in a resonable amount of time. I was very pleased with the quality of the photos and was happy to hand them out. Looking at all the photos in the studio i would definitely reccommend this place to families and other graduating seniors. The photographer is also good at positionig you for great shot.

—moorhead.k

2009-07-08 10:33:41   My pictures came out AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ara is such a fantastic photographer. My family will always remember this place for our pictures! —D.Csech

2009-07-09 14:54:07   In February, I had my pictures taken here. The experience was great. The sitting I had was quick and easy, and the photos came out great. VIP's picture quality is fantastic. Also, the proofs were ready quickly (less than a week) and the same for the photos that we ordered. All that said, this place can be a little pricey and the picture size and amount packages lack some diversity, but as I mentioned, the quality is fantastic and the service can't be beat. —loontune

2009-07-13 11:48:17   One of my orders were rushed while the other was regular, but both came in a lot faster than expected so that was nice. Plus, you don't have to pay for shipping charges if you're picking it up in Davis too. The quality of the pictures is excellent so you really do get what you pay for. However, it can definitely get very expensive considering their packages are pretty pricey. It seems they have a fee for everything like if you want to change the background color of a pose. So I think they should probably allow the clients to choose what color background they would like in the beginning. The photographers were pretty nice and seemed professional about everything. The only thing was that during my session, it seemed like it was a bit rushed. But I like that they take multiple shots and different poses, so you really do have a variety of poses to choose from. They'll also take some shots of you and whoever is there with you (so make sure they're prepared too). My mom came with me and we ended up buying the photos of us as well. And at the end, when you finally get your orders, they provide you with a feedback form where all you have to do is fill it out, return it, and they'll give you a free sheet of a pose of your choice (so I got 8 wallets). I thought that was a pleasant surprise. Of course the quality of the free photos is not as great as the actual orders you paid for, but still they were good enough, especially since it was free!

I would suggest that they try lowering their prices or at least come up with some affordable packages to choose from so that more students can have the option of taking senior portraits here. I must say though, that I am very satisfied with my experience here because in the end, the photos came out great and I loved them! I think that is ultimately what matters most because that is what you're there for. So overall, I would recommend this place to others. —Lianne

2009-07-14 10:53:27   What a wonderful company to work with, Ara and the staff and VIP have been great. Our family portraits turned out better than we could have ever imagined. My entire family was very impressed with Ara's creativity and design ability. We will use VIP Studios again and reccomend them HIGHLY! —EricandPaula

2009-07-14 22:29:12   I had a great experience with this photographer. Ara was very friendly and personable and was easy to talk to. My grad pictures came out great, probably some of the best pictures of me that I have, and were delivered quickly. My family's picture needs didn't fit into any of the pre-existing packages, but the studio was very accommodating and let us substitute the print sizes we needed. I highly recommend this photographer. —neweaver

2009-07-16 03:44:02   Ara made my photo session relaxing and fun. She listened to the specific things I wanted. She takes the time to ensure that her clients look their best in their pictures. For instance, she made sure that my tassel was straight at all times. The turnover time was also quick. My proofs were available within three days after my photo appointment. VIP Portraits also gives their clients ample time to decide on which pictures to purchase. —mumble

2009-07-26 17:17:47   I learned about VIP images through the grad fair at Davis. less than a month before graduation. Before I saw the sample grad pics, I was not even considering taking grad pics, BUT am i sure glad i did. The appointment was quick and easy to set up on online. When I arrived at the shoot, I was welcomed by a friendly receptionist into an environment that made it feel like I was at home. Ara(the photographer) was awesome! She made the entire shoot so much fun, that I didn't want it to be over. I only paid $25 for over 70proofs! Being as late as it was, and in a hurry to send out my grad invites, I was ecstatic that it only took 3days from the time I put in my order to the time the prints arrived! I definitely recommend that everyone take your professional pics thru VIP. Ask for Ara, she's great! —c.mac

2009-09-10 18:50:40   Great Place!! Ara was great to work with super fun and a great photographer!!! I liked the way my pictures turned out!! There were a few awkward poses in there, but overall they turned out awesome!!! I really liked that she let me go wherever I wanted...like she even took me to my sorority house and to campus as well as the studio!! Only negative comment would be that it is a little pricey, but professional photography is expensive!! Super easy to pick up the pix they were ready on time!! Overall I had a great experience!

—BSenne