We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Victoria Lee and Jeffrey Kwok a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Victoria Lee and Jeffrey Kwok thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

Portrait Space was born as a result of all of our experiences with different ways to capture memories. We wanted to provide a comfortable environment for clients to achieve professional portraits but at a price-point between a photo booth and a professional photographer. While we believe both types of photography still have their place in the industry, we wanted to offer an experience that meets the needs of professionals looking for headshots, a fun date idea for couples of all ages, family and pet portraits, and people who want the flexibility to be creative in their photoshoot.

Essentially, we have all the professional lighting, backdrops, cameras, and equipment set up at our studio. All you have to do is position yourself in front of the camera, look at yourself in a live-view monitor, pose, and click on a wireless remote that triggers the camera to take your photo. That’s it!

During your photo session, you have the entire space to yourself and can customize your own props and outfit changes for different looks. Some clients have said this is “perfect for introverts” and “much less pressure” compared to posing for traditional photography. It’s also ideal for pets or kids who have felt very comfortable in the space and less nervous about taking photos!

Our lighting setup is key – it makes everyone look their best. We offer retouching services but find that most clients are happy with the immediate results of their portraits. We provide you your digital files on the spot and print you a 4×6 print per person with each package.

And finally, while planning for our own wedding next year, we loved the idea of having a small event space that included the photo station for your guests. In addition to photo sessions, Portrait Space can also be rented out to accommodate up to ~40 people for baby showers, birthday parties, pop-ups, and more. With the venue rental, you get access to the photo station, and all the digital files from your event will be sent to you and your guests. Instead of having the added cost of both a venue and a photographer, we wanted to make it easy to host your event with us. We have tables and chairs, a Bose sound system, large floor-to-ceiling windows for natural light, WiFi, a kitchenette, bar table and stools, a mini-fridge, a coffee machine, and ultimately a great location for easy access on the street level of a beautiful Green St. in Pasadena.

Victoria Lee and Jeffrey Kwok, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi there! We’re Victoria Lee and Jeffrey Kwok, the owners at Portrait Space (https://www.theportraitspace.com/), located at 110 W. Green St. Pasadena, CA. We are a self-portrait photo studio and event space, and offer a unique experience where you provide the creativity, and we provide the rest. You take the photos yourself by looking at a live-view of yourself on a monitor and a wireless remote that triggers the camera. After, you take home studio-quality photos that are ready to share, immediately.

A fun fact is that we are business partners, but also currently engaged! Our wedding is set for Sept. 21, 2024.

We are in graphic design and software engineering, and still currently do that as our main profession. While we’re not professional photographers, we realized we both shared a love for capturing happy memories through photography. During our travels together, we would always jump at the chance when we saw a photobooth somewhere to get photo prints. We’ve also hired some amazing photographers to capture us in Osaka, Joshua Tree, and Downtown Los Angeles. When we don’t have either of those, our phones are great for when we want to capture selfies, but we couldn’t help but wonder if there was an easier way to get studio-quality shots.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

As a brick and mortar photo studio, it is so important to us that we engage with the Pasadena community. We are members of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, and have supported and offered our services to other Chamber members. We’ve worked with different business owners to provide event space, headshots, and create opportunities to cross-promote our businesses. The word of mouth through in-person networking at local chamber events has been a great source of new clients and partnerships. We really encourage people to check out their local community events and all their city has to offer!

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

Our business model is inherently a multiple revenue stream business by offering both individual photo sessions and venue rental that includes the photo station to clients. We wanted the flexibility for clients to bundle the services to commemorate key events in their life, without having to search for separate vendors. We are also continuing to expand by accommodating local photographers who want to rent the studio space and bring in their own clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theportraitspace.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portraitspacela
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/portraitspace
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/portrait-space-pasadena
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@portraitspacela