We had a booked in a photoshoot with Santa at Westfield this morning and came along with 2 young kids (1 who is under 2 yrs). We hoped it would be a good experienced and went there quite excited. However from the get go it was Unprofessional.
We went there 5 minutes before our slot and hoped it would be a quick process. However when we got there the photographers and assistants (3 girls ) had not yet set up for the shoot.. After about 10 minutes we realised that they had no clue how to set up the equipment. One of the Indian girls there even dropped the camera while trying to set it up as she hadnt secured it properly. they couldn't figure out how to set up the lighting or where any of the wires were meant to go, even though they were on the phone to tech support the whole time. About 40 minutes later they took in the first customer in saying they were almost set up, and asked them to let the kids chat with Santa. When they actually sat down to take the pictures.. they couldn't get the flash going.. This is not how photography with kids should be done. it should be a quick, seamless and hassle free process as little kids get cranky. during this whole time it was almost impossible to keep my toddler entertained. he got so cranky that when we finally sat down to take the pictures everyone was just exhausted and he was in the worst mood. They took a few pictures which were dark and they obviously hadn't yet got the flash going correctly but they were so past schedule they asked us to choose something, which we did, even though we weren't happy with the quality of the picture.
Finally once the pictures were done and they had to get the prints, they couldn't get the printer going!! My husband was late for work so we had to leave without collecting the pictures. Definitely won't use this service again.

Approximate cost: $50