Value is not there. Very expensive for product quality. The cost has escalated and the quality has decreased over the years. Take your own photos or go elsewhere. read more

What an awful company. Quality is poor; service even worse. They are incredibly deceptive in their pricing and packages. I tried to purchase a digital download and their system led me to believe I was buying a plain background. When the delivered image file had its default background, they would not replace and insisted I had to purchase another file. Customer satisfaction is not a concept they subscribe to. This company has been around for a long time and has been resting on their laurels. read more

Artona Photographers were in our school today to photograph both teachers, support staff and students. They were professional, organized and offered me a look at my photo before they took another. They had a good sized crew and the atmosphere was calm. Photo turned out great. read more

If i could give 0 star i would. The photos that were all taken on my graduation were awful and on top that this guys refuse to give me my refund deposit as they promised if i dont like the photos. I tried emailing multiple time and no one seems to be checking their mail. they stole my $60 and i will keep bugging them till i get my money. To save your self time find someone else or better still use your phone camera. This guys are a joke. read more

I am here for Grad photo's for my third child. I will now give Artona a 1 star rating. I feel bad, but it's honestly how I feel about this place. So for the third time around ... prices are through the roof. We made our appointment months ago, yet when we arrived it was utter pandemonium. Then we had to wait over an hour past our appointment time in addition to them requiring you to arrive 25min early. Artona does take amazing photos, however because they are so overbooked, the photographers are pressured to keep the kids moving like herds of cows. They miss important details such as hair out of place, clothing not place just right etc. They take nearly 50 poses/photos, but only allow you to choose 2 - 4 for their packages. Oh sure you can order additional poses ... at a price. read more

I am extremely disappointed to find out that the highest quality picture I can purchase is 2400 x 3000 at 8mp. the iPhone 5 that came out in 2013 has higher resolution, let that sink in. it's 2019, seriously guys? Furthermore, the photographer was unprofessional and didn't know what he was doing. He placed the light too far to the side and positioned me too close to the backdrop, creating a very ugly shadow behind me. photos costing upwards of 100 dollars EACH should not be this terrible. read more

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Refused to return deposit due to unclear instructions. Apparently you have to read the mailed booklet and return it for deposit, which was not communicated to me. Such predatory business practice should never be allowed in Canada, let alone having a contract with any school. read more

Hi, My daughter graduated in 2006. Yup that is a while ago. I paid handsomely for her grad photos. Initially I thought they were fine but the colour 8 by 10 in our den is fading. I have other family photos some doing back to the 30s and 40s on display and they are just fine. It is only the Artona pic that is fading out. This is not good. It further annoys me that the Vancouver School board has given this group a monopoly. The VSB needs to revisit this decision. read more

Would give zero stars if possible. sitting fee for grad photos was 60 dollars (a bit overpriced but acceptable). The kicker is when they charge you $110 PER PHOTO without any modifications for a digital copy. This is insanity. DO NOT USE AND SAVE YOUR MONEY. read more

Service was alright. This 5-star review goes to Thomas, one of the photographers at Artona. I normally hate taking pictures, let alone having a 30-minute portrait session, but Thomas was chill and made the experience a little more bearable. He was also very accommodating when we took the family/friends shot, which we all really appreciated. Shout out to Thomas! read more

I don't understand how its package works. Apparently you need to pay extra money (tons of money) to add on the package to continue. Take the Graduation Special for instance, there's supposed to be 9 a-lar-carte portraits for $323. I thought that was a great offer but I was fooled. The package only covers 3 poses and I must spend extra for the other 6, which will be 6 X18.99 more! Really unbelievable! If there's ever another place to take graduation photos, I definitely won't choose here. Utterly a rip-off. read more

Monopoly with the Vancouver School Board = lousy service. I will be contacting the VSB. Perhaps if enough parents with a similar disrespectful experience will contact the School Board, those who dole out the contracts will think twice about renewing. I don't know who is behind this business, but the most organized part of my experience with them is their collection of payment when you walk through their front doors. I have been waiting 6 weeks for an order that was never sent. You have one job: take a photo, print it, put it in an envelope, send it. I received an email weeks after our photos were taken, and paid for, telling me they had an issue with entering our package and that they were in 'the midst of processing them', and 'could I confirm which size I would like to order?' Seriously? I have the Visa bill, already paid, how can you lose this info and why is it my job to manage your office? Here I am, again, a month later, followed up by me with a phone call, then sitting on hold to be rushed through a conversation with no apologies or explanation, just told 'they will be printed and sent out this week'. Ha! We'll see! read more

I've got two words for this place: rip off. But unfortunately VSB students are forced to get grad photos taken here and parents are forced to swallow up the fees. If you're spending $300 on photos, you should get more than 10 minutes with the photographer. Artona monopolizes on the fact that students have no choice but to come to them. The price is just ridiculous for something any half-decent photographer could do. read more

Service was rushed. No time to straighten ties or fix hair out of place. Photographers will not tell you these things - only to shift hand and head poses if needed. Our photos arrived in the brochure with another student's shots (plus her family). That is totally unprofessional. I wonder if the other family got some of our pictures. The family photos in the brochure were obliterated with the Artona watermarks, so details were hard to make out on faces and difficult to make a decision. The online shots were grainy and only slightly better. Apparently Artona has a monopoly with Vancouver schools, but based on our personal experience I would never go with them for our other school child if I had a choice. The other reviewers on Yelp seem to echo my exact sentiments. read more

Insane prices. I paid over $350 for 16 digital downloads, not even printed copies. Unreasonable processing time of 3-6 weeks for a digital download. Photo shoot is rushed through. Service is mediocre. Not worth it at all, the only reason people come here is because of their monopoly on graduation shoot services. Very very unsatisfied and disappointed that this is the only place I could get my college graduation photos done. read more

ridiculously overpriced! The photographer who took my pictures forgot that I still have to take picture with friends which is included in the options and so I have to remind them of that. They are rushing students to be faster without giving much effort and the pictures doesn't turn out well. It just feel like they are using the graduation occasion to milk out money without even a decent service. I was going to buy the digital image but after that I decided not to with the price that they have and the horrible service I received. Just speechless read more

Ouch, $300 for ONE photo + frame. Oh you read that right. Had my graduation photo shoot here. The quality of the photos really were not anything special, I could've taken better photos on my phone. However, they are the only provider of graduation photos here (that I know of), so what can you do but swallow the costs and purchase your regalia photos? read more

Worst possible place to take grad photos! i called the first time to explain I did not get my portfolio booklet and they assured me I would get it within the next week. 3 weeks went by and still didn't get it and wanted a refund for my deposit. another 2 weeks and I still haven't received my refund and I'm just very frustrated as it's not cheap and didn't even decide to get any of the photos. read more

Rip off mafia that works in collaboration with school boards. They charge non refundable deposit of $60 that is confiscated if you don't order photos in 3 months. This is only the beginning of rip off, when you actually buy the photos the prices are extremely over priced, they squeeze money out of you because you want to save your kids grad memories. My suggestion is drive by a nearby neighborhood studio around the grad ceremony and get a better service at much much better price. read more

Extremely overpriced. Barely any options for sub-100 dollars. For Grad Photos specifically: They ask for a 60 deposit when you first take the pictures. The very cheapest option, a tiny 4x5 print ($41.99) + mandatory shipping/handling ($12.99) with tax = $60.67 total. $0.67 has to be applied to a credit card, which is pretty stupid. I'd 100% advise you to get a refund on your deposit. Keep in mind the deadline is about a month after taking the pictures, so make it quick. The pictures are not great in both composition and resolution anyways. read more

I am not happy with how I was treated by Artona today. I had booked my grad photo session at the end of the month of February but today I was notified that the staff were cancelling my grad photo session due to a conflict of the photographers being at my school and would not be in the studio. One of the staff members had left me a voicemail to let me know and she sounded quite polite, however, when I called back around 2:45pm, I talked to a different staff member - I did not appreciate how I was being talked to over the phone. This lady was rude and unapologetic. I understand why they had to cancel my appointment, but I wish they told me this before I booked my appointment or had called me sooner and not two days before my photo session. I found this extremely unprofessional and unorganized. I already had makeup and hair appointments booked for the day I would get my photos done and now I have to pay extra to cancel these bookings. I will no longer be suggesting my friends to come here to get their photos taken. read more

Just took a group photo for my sister's university graduation photos. When we called over the phone on January 4th, the girl over the phone told that we could do a family photo with 2 parents and 2 more siblings (5 total). When we got to Artona, we were told only 4 ppl max. We brought up the email and phone call we had, they allowed us to take a group photo in the white room. While we appreciated that, Paul (the supervisor), did not help us get into proper poses and help to adjust hair/fix gowns that were out of place etc. He was curt and unprofessional and eager to finish our session. We took 2 photos that were a little rushed. We asked to retake some because we had to fix the things that he didn't. The second set of photos were even more rushed and again he didn't help. Super disappointed with how things are with Artona now since I took my own photos here 7 years ago. My experience with Evangelos was much better and would recommend them over Artona if possible. read more

If I could give this company a zero, I would. The only reason I would go to this place is because my school leaves me no other option. Photographers were clearly not professionals as the majority of photos turned out looking terrible. Poor lighting, bad direction with poses, etc. They get you going through different "stations" like they're herding cows and basically want to get you in and out of there as quickly as possible. Costs of photos are RIDICULOUS. First off, you need to pay a ridiculous 60 dollar deposit before photos are even taken. Packages start at $95 for ONE pose. A single 8 x 10 is $40! I wouldn't mind paying these prices for QUALITY photos from QUALITY photographers, but seriously? I could probably get better photos if I had asked someone to take them with my phone. On TOP of that, they charge a RIDICULOUS $13 "processing and handling" fee. You would think that the $60 I am already paying them will cover that. There isn't even an option for just picking up the photos at the studio. I don't understand how they manage to maintain a contract with several schools across the districts. Even my "in-school" experiences with them have been horrid. The school board really needs to reconsider doing business with this studio and give their students better options. read more

Its amazing that they have secure contact with the school board to set premium prices for their average quality prints. Its not affordable for students yet there's no other way of getting the grad pics taken. Just putting this in perspective for those who haven't ordered from them before: I ordered about 6 prints. They say it has to be the S-A-M-E pose for $50, and additional $18 per pose. Shipping and handling costs another $13. With tax, I am looking at a total of about $90 for 6 average quality pictures. With better quality and more in quantity, surely it could be accomplished elsewhere for less than half the cost. VSB, take in consideration of students who can't afford this & seriously look at other companies who is willing to provide it at a more "reasonable" cost to students. Unless there's lobbying with additional incentives going on, which does strike many people's curiosity as to why despite the crazy prices, this company can still secure contracts with the different school districts till this very day. read more

I wish I had read the reviews before going to Artona. I would have known more about their deposits and hidden contract information and wouldn't have lost my 60$. I used Artona in high school and was pretty satisfied with there services. I have a big family and we all have graduation prints from Artona. So to keep it unified I decided to take my college graduation picture at Artona. The photo shoot did go well the photographer was nice, and I was excited to see the photos. A month went by and I had yet to receive the proofs and at this time of my life things started getting busy. I emailed them asking for the proofs and they were able to email me a login for the online proofs. I have yet to receive a booklet. These pictures were take Oct 3, 2014. Since I had no indication that my deposit was going to expire, (apparently it in the contract they make you sign at the shoot) it wasn't a priority to get the pictures right away. I was given no warning that my deposit has expired and if I wanted to order images and get my deposit back it would cost 200$ ...umm ya no thanks. This is disappointing because not only did I trust in Artona but now that all my siblings are graduating I will have to look for service else were...any recommendations anyone? read more

There's a promotion going in right now where if you rate Artona on Yelp or Google Artona will donate $5 to a specific charity but I'm not rating for that reason. The reason I'm rating Artona 5/5 stars is for the best photographer experience I've had with Tony Park. This guy was really professional and took care into making sure the pictures turned out well. not a stray hair or odd crinkle! He was great with suggesting poses, props and picture choices. Honestly hands down best experience at Artona. I hope things turn out well for you Tony, you'll succeed anywhere! :) It was fast for our group to get through the whole progress without any issues. And we didn't have to wait long after registering at the desk. read more

WOW- WISH I WOULD HAVE READ ALL THE REVIEWS FIRST!! This company is the biggest rip off going. I placed an online order, and immediately after doing so, I looked and realized I had already purchased the digital version so I called right away (1-2 minutes) to explain the situation and spoke to "Michelle" to cancel the order. She put me on hold and then came back, chuckling and said "you know, there will be a $50 cancellation fee for your order" I was very shocked considering we all know how online communication works these days...all they'll have to do is "cancel" the order on their computer just as easily as I had placed the order. But no, they want my $50 cancellation fee for my 2 minute mistake. Terrible way to conduct business, no flexibility at all. Thank god my kids are all done school, as if Artona hasn't made enough money from me over the years! I was polite, not demanding, but apparently being nice gets you nothing these days!! I told them to enjoy their coffees on me! Grrrrrr! read more

Omg im so scared of myself on the photo. The studio design looks so great. The photographer that took my picture was a weirdo and uncomfortable to be with this person alone. Anyway, when i preview my pictures on the tablet i cant believe how trouble i look ! My eyes were close on some of the photo, and the photographer said nothing then good! Hey i paid for this shit 75$ take a good photo at least. The flash and lighting in the room is another issue. If i took a picture of myself on my bathroom, i would look way much better. They adjust the photo but make me looks more trouble, there was a lines under my eyes that doesn't exit, only because their photo adjustment. Made me look like im in my mid 50 :) where im still in my 20s. for sure i will not order the pictures and will fight for refund. Im not going to pay for pictures they made me look like a ghost :(. read more

Where do I even start... I had my graduation photos done at Artona earlier this year. 1. The photographers rush you through every room, snapping pictures and telling you to move on to the next room before you can even react or push a loose strand of hair behind your ear. One of the photographers was nice enough to direct poses but still resulted in very unflattering shots. Others didn't bother with any kind of pose direction -- as soon as you got in the room, they take ~10 pictures and tell you to move on. I've had professional shots taken at other places for a fraction of Artona's price yet look so much better. 2. They somehow managed to print the wrong picture for my department grad composition. Right after your photoshoot, they show you all of the photos on a tablet and you get to pick which photo you want for the composition. I double-checked that I had chosen the right picture, but when I saw the composition on my graduation day, it was the wrong shot. Kind of put a damper on my day. It's incredibly frustrating to know that an unflattering photo of you will forever be on record and displayed on your department building walls. 3. The prices they charge obviously reflect the monopoly they hold on graduation photos in the lower mainland. Other reviewers have complained about this but it is still ridiculous -- especially since they tack on a $13 handling fee for purchases under $250 even if you opt to pick up the package in the studio instead of having it shipped (I guess that is why they call it a processing/handling fee rather than a shipping/handling fee). Adding insult to injury, on the order page they have the line "Buy more to get free processing and handling!" as if that extra quip would make people want to purchase more overpriced photos. 4. Since I was a double-major, I had photos stored in 2 separate accounts. Initially I emailed to ask if I can order photos from both accounts in one order. To their credit, Artona responded pretty quickly, telling me that I can't. After more persistent questioning, they said they could and to call them. No big deal--I believe the initial mix-up was an honest mistake. When I did call to order, they told me that they would combine the accounts. They also let me know that if the photos are in separate accounts, I cannot place my order even if I go to the studio. I waited 2 weeks for the photos, but nothing happened. I called again and waited another week. Then I called again and waited another week. After 3 calls, I went in-person to fix this issue as my deposit neared its expiry date and I was tired of waiting 20 minutes on hold each time. From my conversation with the employee, it seems like they did have a record of my request from my last phone call (but not my first 2 calls). The issue was resolved that night. This was just such an incredibly annoying and drawn-out process for a simple image-transfer between accounts for pictures I was already hesitant on buying. I would not have purchased any photos out of sheer frustration, but they have my $60 deposit that I cannot get back. Don't make the same mistake as me and get your deposits refunded as soon as you can, even if you do plan on purchasing photos. I let them keep my deposit as I had planned on buying photos, but that is now just a burden. read more

If I could give 0 rating I would. I am shocked by the price of the grad pictures. What average family can afford $129 for 1 pose : (1) 8x10 with a digital download. Absolutely insane. Why are the schools hiring this company and not looking at alternative options. I bet an independant photographer would do a better job. The pictures are not great, and to retouch them is way too expensive. Not quite sure if I am going to ask for the sitting fee back, and not buy anything. read more

Poor service. The photographers were so young and inexperienced one said she's never posed with sports paraphernalia. They rush you they the rooms! They are not very experienced. I was on the phone for 25 minutes and I was the only one waiting on hold. The chat line didn't work. I am not impressed with Artona. I don't know why the schools don't have other companies available to them and why this company has the market on high school grad pictures and grad pictures at universities it's ridiculous because their service sucks And it's so ridiculously overpriced. I will be calling the Surrey school board and UBC demanding that we have other companies available to us. All they need to do is look at the Yelp comments for god sake read more

We wanted to take some family photos and turns out that Artona made this so fun for the entire family. Sometimes family portraits is hard work but not at this place. It was very casual and the interactive throughout the entire session. Kudos for making this a great experience! Thanks Artona! Highly recommended. read more

All shooting sessions requires a shooting deposit which staff will have you sign an agreement and tell you that you'll get your deposit back when you buy the photos. I didn't look at the fine prints as it was super busy and chaotic Sept 2019, so paid $60, and rushed off. PLEASE NOTE and read, there is a very short time limit that if you didn't buy photos within this 90 days, your $60 deposit is gone. As is, the photos are extremely overpriced but parents are willing to pay ridiculously because it's their children's school memories. Please heed and caution. Do ask this question before paying. read more

Pros: Super friendly, awesome photographers! Cons: Super unfriendly receptionist. The quality of service at the front desk was awful. They were very rude, were chatting loudly to each other while there were customers waiting for them to finish. They spoke of personal affairs and gossiped, it was like out of a tv show. Very unprofessional. However, the photographers were amazing, very knowledgeable, friendly, and good at their jobs. They always made sure you would look your best, fixing your tie or a stray strand of hair without you having to ask. They would also show you a preview of your photos to see if you liked them. They were also efficient and quick, but did not sacrifice quality in any way. They've been working all day to 11pm, but were still very happy and pleasant, though I'm sure they were very tired. Front desk, please learn a thing or two from the photographers. read more

Complete and utter rip-off. Everything about their site tells you they are carefully screwing you for as much money as they can manage. Like charging you for delivery by courier after a 2 - 3 week waiting period. Why can't you pick up the photos yourself? Like not allowing to buy a single photo for anything less than $45. I am looking at a number of nice photos of my child and am just not willing to pay the $500 + it will take to get a copy of each of them. Incredibly frustrating. $100 + for a single digital file you can print yourself. Etc. read more

Modern day scammers, swindlers, con artists. They line you up right after the graduation ceremony and say you get 4 photos for 75 dollars. So you are happy, you pay $75 and wait for your pictures to get delivered. Then you notice the digital copies available online are not downloadable. And then you get a mail delivery at your doorstep finally thinking you got your dream pictures. This time it is a magazine that tells you how you can get your pictures and order them online for a lot more money. And in the magazine you see thumbnails of your photos. Kind of like blackmailing/kidnapping. I am calling this blackmailing/kidnapping because you will have to get these pictures especially because they are from one of the most memorable days of your life. Each printed picture costs over a 100 dollars. And if you just want to download digital pictures, it costs you over 200 dollars for 4 of them. These guys really are modern day con artists. Going to graduation ceremonies and getting innocent fresh graduates. There's no justice for people against these criminals! read more

We had school photos with artona. And instead of doing the classes that had gym first they did us last. My hair was a mess when we took the photos and they didn't even bother to edit it out even a little bit. If it were up to me and not the school I would have never paid them for that. The photos were absolutely horrendous. read more

Photos were low quality, session was super short maybe 5 minutes. Cost to order is insane. No consideration for virtual grads. Please do not get your grad photos done here it literally ruined my graduation. read more

Terrible and rude. Too bad students had to come here for graduation photos, everyone would have picked any other location if it weren't for their school. Costs too much, pics not even that great Rushes your photos, photographers are pushy, poses are weird and they get mad when you don't pose correctly even though it's clear the students are trying their best. Is a photo messed up they won't tell you probably give it to you has an option to buy to earn money. Don't go here, you'll have a bad time. read more

The pictures turned out great however they made a mistake on our order and printed 2 of the landscape pictures portrait instead which cut off a bunch of the background we wanted. Not an issue, mistake happens right. Well when I contacted them, they said they would be happy to reprint them for me but not until I returned the ones that were printed wrong. My comment to them was ... "So let me get this right ... You made the error on the outrageously expensive pictures I paid for but you won't correct your error until I go out of my way to package these back up and return them to you. You must further inconvenience me before you will correct your error? Does that sound like customer service to you." Their reply ... "We can certainly reprint new ones for you, and as a courtesy have enclosed a return label so you do not incur the shipping costs." I'm sorry but "as a courtesy" would be you reprinting the 2 sheets of photos and sending them to me without me having to do anything!! read more