Gangnam photo studio for fast passport photos: Deokseu Gallery

A passport photo studio near Seolleung Station I found in a rush before traveling abroad

I'm going overseas soon, and I realized my passport had less than six months left before it expired… So I hurried over to Deokseu Gallery (덕스갤러리), a photo studio near Seolleung Station, to get passport photos taken! I wanted to receive the photos quickly without a long wait, and it looked like Deokseu Gallery retouches them right away, so I booked through Naver before visiting.

Deokseu Gallery location and parking

• Address: 401 Teheran-ro, B1F, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea (서울특별시 강남구 테헤란로 401 B1F)
• Hours: 09:30–19:00 (closed Sundays)
• Parking: Up to 3 hours free; parking unavailable on public holidays and Sundays

The studio is on basement level 1 of Namgyeong Center, so just go in through the entrance and head downstairs. I took the stairs, and the studio was right there as soon as I opened the stairwell door—it was so easy to find that I was almost surprised.

The powder room and outfits before the shoot

Once I gave them my reservation name, they guided me to the powder room, where I got busy touching myself up once again.

They also have outfits prepared, so I don't think you need to bring anything separately. Especially for job application photos, carrying a whole suit around—or adding one digitally—can leave a slightly awkward feeling. Since the outfits are all ready, it seems nice to arrive comfortably, slip into one of the provided pieces for a moment, and take your photo.

The vanity had all sorts of tools for getting ready for photos. I saw the hair dryer and curling iron and thought, well, every photo studio has those~ But the curling iron was Dyson!!! I quickly tidied my hair with the Dyson styling tool, tried to look even a little prettier, and touched up my makeup.

Can you choose the background color for ID photos?

The prices for each photo type are listed too. It didn't apply to me because I got passport photos, but for ID photos you can choose the background color, so it is totally possible to get ID photos matched to your personal color palette. Such a shame I couldn't choose the background for passport photos..ㅜ

The walls also have signatures from visitors, which made me think it really must be a popular spot for photos.

Details they paid attention to during my passport photo shoot

Once I was ready, I went into the studio for the shoot. Since it was a passport photo, it was important for my eyebrows to show, so they adjusted everything, including my bangs and angle.

After the shoot, you fill out an order form with your name, contact information, and the email address where you want to receive the files, then hand it to the photographer.

Natural retouching received in about 15 minutes

From the several photos taken, you tell them which one you like, and they retouch that one. Maybe their hands are just incredibly fast, but a completely new person appears in no time. I don't think it even took 15 minutes!!! Along the way, they asked whether there was anything else I wanted adjusted, and if I casually mentioned something, they fixed it right away. But it wasn't such excessive retouching that I became unrecognizable—it felt more like naturally refining my awkward face as it appears in rear-camera photos?!

They said I could also receive an ID-photo-size file by taking part in the Naver review event, so I joined immediately.

I can't share my face photo, but… it was my favorite passport photo I've ever taken!!! I received eight prints in total, and they also sent image files by email sized for both passport and ID photos. The retouching was so natural and not overdone that I used the emailed file to apply for my passport, haha.

Honestly, I disliked the photo in my old passport so much that I kept it tightly hidden for 10 years in case anyone saw it. Now I think I can carry my passport around proudly. I'll probably post about applying for my passport with this photo soon too~~

If you want to receive naturally retouched photos quickly, I recommend Deokseu Gallery.