# Seoul self photo studio solo shoot with 160 raw photos: Areye Studio - By Dajeong (https://superchart.com/en/@seat-at-nine/) - Written Sep 16, 2026 - Local places › Things to do › Mapo, Seoul - Sponsored: This visit and photoshoot were provided by the business. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@seat-at-nine/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@seat-at-nine/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/index.md) ## In short Areye Studio is a basement self photo studio on Dongyo-ro near Hongik University Station in Mapo, Seoul. Shooting alone for 30 minutes in Studio B, the larger room with more props and lighting, produced 160 raw photos, followed by 15 minutes to select and 15 minutes for retouching and printing: two main shots printed large plus a four-cut style strip combining the main and sub picks. The lighting at Areye Studio was so flattering that even the unedited photos looked good, which made choosing only four the hardest part. ## Good to know - **Location**: 188-1 Dongyo-ro, basement level, Mapo-gu, Seoul (B1 of the building with an art academy, black signboard) - **Studio types**: Studio A (cyclorama) / Studio B (larger, with more props) - **Session timing**: 30 minutes shooting, 15 minutes selecting, 15 minutes retouching and printing - **Prints**: Pick 4 of the raw photos (2 main, 2 sub) → mains printed large plus a four-cut style strip - **Props & outfits**: Artificial flowers, sunglasses, headbands, a cake prop, balloons (red, pink, sky blue, black), shirts and suit jackets - **Backdrops**: Light pink, deep pink, mint - **Amenities**: Spacious powder room (3 chairs), full-length mirror, clothing rack, slippers to change into *as written by the visitor on Sep 16, 2026* I came to the studio to record my younger days before more gray hairs show up 📸 I wanted to take photos alone, so I went to a self photo studio. 💞 ## Where is Areye Studio? B1 of a building on Dongyo-ro Areye Studio is in the basement of a building at 188-1 Dongyo-ro, near Hongik University Station, in the same building as an art academy! The signboard is black so it's easy to miss! The studio was way bigger than I expected. ![Entrance to Areye Studio, a self photo studio near Hongik University Station](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-01-j5idb-m-822.webp) ![Black signboard for Areye Studio in the building basement](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-02-5wyzq-900.webp) ## Studio A cyclorama or Studio B: which room to book at Areye Studio > Studio A (cyclorama) ![Full view of Areye Studio's Studio A cyclorama space](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-03-1eu90-900.webp) ![White cyclorama space in Studio A with lots of lighting](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-04-l5d7u-900.webp) ![Lighting setup in Studio A's cyclorama](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-05-yvpc0-900.webp) Type A had a ton of lighting. Both A and B were bright and white overall, so I thought the photos would come out well haha. There's Type A and Type B, and I picked Type B. > Studio B ![Interior of Studio B, filled with props](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-06-1lamg-900.webp) B is bigger than A and has more props. ![Light fixture hanging from the ceiling in Studio B](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-07-1r0la-900.webp) There's even a light fixture hanging from the ceiling? I'd never seen lighting hung up there before, so it was fascinating. I think that light might be the reason the photos come out so well... ![Shooting props including fake flowers, sunglasses, and a cake prop](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-08-1j13w-900.webp) ## What props and outfits does Areye Studio have? Studio B has a wide range of props to use while shooting, from fake flowers to sunglasses to headbands. There's even a cute cake shape and balloons (red, pink, sky blue, and black balloons too). The cake was so cute I was going to hold it for a photo, but the text on it said 'Marry me,' so I passed! Hahaha ![Outfit corner with shirts and blazers hanging](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-09-1nzje-900.webp) There are clothes next to the props too! Shirts and blazers! There's also a full-length mirror next to the props so it's easy to check how you look. ![Full-length mirror next to the props](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-10-6mk20-900.webp) ## Areye Studio's powder room fits six people at once > Powder room ![Areye Studio's spacious powder room](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-11-1ghij-900.webp) Areye Studio's powder room is really spacious!! (Even bigger than it looks in photos.) I've never seen a studio with such a big powder room in my life... You know how the mirror battle gets intense when taking photos with friends? There are only 3 chairs, but it's roomy enough for six people to do makeup together. It'd be perfect for taking photos with friends before heading to a party room in Hongdae for a girls' night. 🌃 ![Coat hangers at the back of the powder room](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-12-13uik-900.webp) There are coat hangers in the back too ![Flattering powder room lighting good for selfies](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-13-12ci1-m-900.webp) The lighting is so pretty that selfies come out great here. ![Slippers provided for entering the studio](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-14-tdhra-900.webp) You can't go into the white studio with outdoor shoes on, so you switch to slippers. 👟 ## A 30-minute solo shoot and how the remote works > 30 minutes of shooting > 15 minutes to select > 15 minutes to retouch and print ![Shooting space with a full-length mirror and monitor for checking shots](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-15-106ww-m-1200.webp) There's a full-length mirror and a screen where you can see exactly how you're being captured by the camera, which made shooting alone easy! ![Checking framing on the camera screen](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-16-1ev8i-m-900.webp) You shoot with a remote control! ![Remote control used for self-shooting](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-17-1b06f-900.webp) Press it lightly and it focuses, then you need to press it firmly once more~ and the flash fires and the photo is taken! 📸📸 At first I was pressing the remote too gently and nothing was happening, so I asked the owner in the next room, and they explained really kindly. They even checked that the photos were coming out well and the framing was good before leaving. Since the owner is in another room, the great thing is you can ask right away if something's not working or you have a question! ## Backdrop colours: light pink, deep pink and mint > Backdrops ![Light pink and mint colored backdrops](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-18-xpw0v-900.webp) There were light pink, deep pink, and mint colored backdrops. I was actually shooting without a backdrop, but the owner let me know (so sweet), so near the end I set up the mint backdrop and took photos. ## How the self shoot went: raw photos already look good thanks to the lighting > Self shoot review I've taken all kinds of photos before — resume photos, profile shots, passport photos — but I think Areye Studio's lighting makes me look the prettiest. (For real.) Something about it: before the flash goes off, I'm like ugh, my face looks... not great, but then once the flash fires and I look at the photo on the monitor, it looks pretty haha. Maybe it's because it's a basement? The lighting was so pretty I kept wondering why. Thirty minutes of shooting flew by so fast it felt like it was over too soon, which was a bit of a shame, but when I looked at the raw files, there were 160 shots haha. I'd do one pose, click!, think about the next pose, click!, so it felt like fewer shots than that. > Look up various pose references before you go!! Even just changing your top gives the photos a totally different feel, so I think it's a good idea to bring two tops and shoot two different versions. (That's what I did.) ## Selecting in 15 minutes: picking 4 photos from 160 was the hardest part > Selecting ![Screen for selecting raw photos](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-19-1jxrt-900.webp) More than 10 shots came out looking like career-best photos, so selecting was incredibly hard. Usually looking at unedited photos is a mental gut-punch, but here the lighting is so pretty that even the raw photos looked good!!!! Ugh... I had to pick 4 out of the raw photos, so I first narrowed it to 16, then to 12, and then I couldn't narrow it down any further, so I called the owner over and we picked together. 📸📸 ## Retouching and printing at Areye Studio: 2 main and 2 sub shots > Printing ![A retouched, printed main photo](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-20-10r18-m-900.webp) ![Print in a four-cut photo booth style](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-21-erm4a-m-900.webp) ![Both printed items placed together](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo-22-cyvr9-m-900.webp) Once you pick 4 photos, the owner retouches them for you. Choose 2 main and 2 sub photos, and they print the main photos large, plus a print combining the main and sub shots like a four-cut photo booth strip. They said retouching would take about 10 minutes, but it took less than that. They retouched everything really quickly, and the results looked like celebrity photoshoots, which made me so happy. I'll show this to my kids someday. (Not even married yet though ;;;) If you're a bit shy about striking cute poses in front of a photographer, a self photo studio is perfect for you haha. If you're looking for a studio with pretty lighting, I recommend this one~ ## Where it is - Areye Studio (스튜디오어라이) - 188-1 Dongyo-ro, B1F, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 마포구 동교로 188-1 지층 - 37.5569827, 126.9223988 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%8A%A4%ED%8A%9C%EB%94%94%EC%98%A4%EC%96%B4%EB%9D%BC%EC%9D%B4/@37.5569827,126.9223988,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@seat-at-nine/hongdae-arai-studio-solo-self-photo/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt