Paper frame prints at Areye Studio, a Hongdae self photo studio

🎈Today's star is none other than me! Hahaha, right after getting my hair and makeup done, I set off for the self photo studio while still riding high on that fresh, glowy feeling 💨 Turning thirty-three already, and honestly aging is starting to feel a little sad these days, so I've been taking a lot of 📸 photos to hold onto moments like this. Let's record today too!

Where is Areye Studio in Hongdae, and how do you book?

Areye Studio runs as a horizon rental and self photo studio, operating on a ⭐️reservation-only⭐️ basis. It's a 2-minute walk from Hongdae Station, so access is great — just head down to basement level 1 of Samjin Building! I was tempted by the thought of eating galbi (grilled ribs) on the way, but I resisted and went straight down~

What is Room A, the horizon rental space, like?

Room A is the horizon rental space, described as the ideal business partner space for professional photographers and commercial shoot teams. With a clean white horizon backdrop and professional lighting equipment, it's specialized for model profiles, brand lookbooks, and product ad shoots, and you're free to use your own equipment while shooting there. There's a space inside where you can check your appearance, so it's nice to tidy up before shooting.

How the 30-minute self shoot in Room B works

Room B is the space where you take self shots, set up with cameras, lighting, and a real-time monitoring system, so all you need to do is press the shutter and shoot freely. You can use various props in a private space, and the flow goes 30-minute self shoot → 15-minute photo selection → 15-minute retouching and printing. It's long if you think of it as long and short if you think of it as short, so if you fully plan your concept, poses, and outfit before visiting, you can shoot without a mad scramble.

What you take home: two paper frames and a four-cut print

After the shoot, they print in 4x6 size and give you two paper frames plus one four-cut photo strip. Since you can shoot however you like, just keep clicking that shutter! You'll be able to leave with a much wider variety of shots 📸 In the early minutes you might fumble around a bit, and once time passes you may not end up with photos you actually love — and that would be a shame, right?!

After taking a bunch of shots, you just pick your favorite 4 — and I realized afterward that almost all of mine ended up being full-body shots?! I thought of this only after the fact, but try leaving a time-lapse of your memories too~ Striking all sorts of poses makes time fly by in a blur, so it's fun later to watch the time-lapse and think, oh, that's how it went!

This one didn't get picked but it was too funny not to snap it, hahaha. The camera and lighting are great, and since you can check everything with real-time monitoring while shooting, don't hesitate — just keep pressing the shutter and you'll come away with tons of natural, pretty shots of yourself!!!

Tips for shooting alone at Areye Studio

At Areye Studio they gave me plenty of time for the self shoot, and after I picked my photos, the photographer retouched and printed them for me. I went in thinking about what concept to shoot, but once you get swept up in the chaos of shooting, you might end up with nothing but full-body shots like I did — so it's a shame, and I'd recommend planning ahead for the two paper frames and the four-cut strip too! It's nice to shoot properly, pick the photos you love, get the retouched versions, and then be able to print them bigger later, right?!

Oh right! The photographer at Areye Studio shares the data with you through a Naver shared folder that's kept for a week, so make sure to download it!!! It was a great place to visit alone, but since photos are all that remain in the end, why not visit with a friend, partner, or family and make unforgettable memories??? You can also shoot with pets, so keep that in mind~ If you want to discover your most authentic self, I recommend capturing this moment at Areye Studio just like I did!