Dog birthday photoshoot at Areye Studio, a Hongdae self studio

SponsoredBy YeoulWritten Sep 7, 2026Updated Sep 14, 2026

In short

Areye Studio is a self-studio (self-service photo studio) in the basement near Hongik University Station Exit 1 in Mapo, Seoul. For her dog Kkong-i's sixth birthday, the writer booked Studio B, one of two rooms packed with props, for a 30-minute shoot, 10-minute selection, and about 10 minutes of printing, ending up with one 4-cut print and two large prints. It's a quick, easy stop when you want a proper photo with your dog.

4-cut print plus two large prints laid out together

Good to know

Location: Basement level near Hongik University Station Exit 1; easy to find past the CGV
Studios: Two rooms, A and B; this shoot used Studio B
Shoot time: 30 minutes shooting + 10 minutes selecting + about 10 minutes printing
Results: 4 final photos chosen: 2 large prints plus 1 print with a 4-cut layout
Booking: Naver Reservation, hourly time slots
Parking: Parking yes/no option available when booking on Naver
Props: Large hearts in different colors, flowers, mirror ball, cake prop, suits, etc.

as written by the visitor on Sep 7, 2026

While looking for a self studio in Hongdae, I did a 30-minute self-shoot with my dog Kkong-i at Areye Studio, a self-service photo studio. September is Kkong-i's birthday month, so of course I have to run birthday events for her the whole month haha.

Getting to Areye Studio from Hongik University Station

It's really close to Exit 1 of Hongik University Station. Just walk past the CGV and you'll find it easily.

Path to Areye Studio near Hongik University Station Exit 1

Smart little Kkong-i, who clearly knows she's off to get her birthday photos taken, finds her way there just fine. Follow the Naver Map directions and head down to the basement. (Parking seems to be available too — when booking on Naver and picking a date/time, there was an o/x option for parking.)

Entrance leading down to the basement of Areye Studio

Sniffing around, Kkong-i wandered about getting used to the smell of the Hongdae self studio Areye.

Dog sniffing around and getting used to the studio interior

The midday sun was still pretty hot outside. But stepping inside, it was cool and bright. You can grab water or coffee while waiting.

Waiting area of the self studio where you can have water or coffee

Brightly lit waiting area inside the self studio

Two studios, A and B — what kind of props are there?

There are two studios, A and B, and the spot where Kkong-i and I shot our photos is Studio B.

Entrance to Areye Studio's A and B shooting rooms

Overall view of Studio B where the shoot took place

Peeking inside Studio B, there are so many props ready to go. So really, all you have to do is dress up nicely and you're ready to shoot. There are large hearts in every color, flowers, and a sparkly mirror ball too. (The square cake in the middle looks like it'd be great for wedding-related photos.) On the left there are even suits prepared, handy for anyone who suddenly needs formal shots.

Prop corner in Studio B with large hearts, flowers, and a mirror ball

Corner of the studio with suits and a cake prop ready

After finishing the shoot and picking photos, while waiting for them to print, I took a closer look around Studio A. There's a large mirror so you can check your look from head to toe, and best of all, the background is completely white, giving it the feel of your own private photo set.

Studio A with a white background and a large mirror

There are lots of photos stuck on the wall so you can see what poses other people struck for fun.

30 minutes to shoot, 10 minutes to select, about 10 minutes to print

Space used for the self-shoot and photo selection

The shooting time is 30 minutes, selecting takes 10 minutes, and then it takes about 10 more minutes to get the printed photos. But those 30 minutes fly by so fast. Kkong-i naturally photographs well since she's cute in real life, so it was really just me making all kinds of faces, pressing the remote, and the flash going off over and over. Once you pick photos you like and hit the slash button, they get marked in red, and from there you have to narrow it down to a final 4. Ah, there were so many pretty photos that I had to toss, so I really hesitated a lot while choosing.

The final photos with my dog

Two of the final chosen photos come out in a large size, and since the background is white, all the attention naturally goes to Kkong-i and me. Kkong-i's black-and-white fur is so vivid that she's basically a model just as she is, and this time I wanted to wear a color that would really set off Kkong-i's background, so I picked a bright, fresh green check pattern — and the two of us matched perfectly. Just looking at the expressions we made staring at each other, like saying "we're totally in love," anyone could tell we're radiating happiness. And it's not a forced smile either — just looking at, touching, or holding Kkong-i made the smile come out naturally.

Large printed photo with the dog against a white background

You wouldn't believe how much agonizing went into picking the final 4. Since Kkong-i has so much natural model charm haha, I picked from a bunch of different poses across all four shots. Thanks to celebrating Kkong-i's 6th birthday, even I got to bask in the spotlight and take some pretty photos.

Printed self-photo celebrating the dog's sixth birthday

Even a big smile doesn't feel like too much — you can just tell it's genuinely good to simply be holding Kkong-i, and I like that it shows. With this 4-cut print plus two large prints, it'll be fun to flip between them.

I showed the printed photos to Kkong-i. Our photo full of love, taken to celebrate her 6th birthday — do you like it?

Went to take my dog's photos and ended up with a great photo of mom too, haha^^

Great transit access and hourly booking slots make Areye a convenient Hongdae self studio to shoot at. When I showed the photos to a friend, she said she wants to go with her dog too.