Magenta Photo Studio

Work started at different times each day dependent upon appointments. The store opens as the first clients come through the door so it was a little frazzled at times getting organized and maximizing on customers experience. Day included photo sessions, sales presentations, cleaning of studio, washrooms etc. When the studio is quiet photographers are sent out to find 'trials' where you try to entice people shopping in the mall to come in for a free session. Sometimes easy to find - sometimes not.
I learnt a great deal about studio lighting and got great experience working with children and families in the studio.
I found management at the Head office level to be extremely good, however in studio sometimes a little overly pushy to achieve targets and goals. Definitely understand that's part of their job though :) You are critiqued on your sessions which is good for personal development. Promised a program for points when employees achieve certain goals but this was not run very well in our store.
Co-workers were an awesome bunch of people. Most on the college age group.
Hardest part of the job - finding trials in busy times - it is hard to stay motivated when you have no clients or struggle to find clients. You are phoned the day before your shift to tell you hours for the following day based on appointments. Very hard to plan anything. The calls came really late sometimes and if you request special dates and times off, you have to find someone to cover for you to make it happen.
Most enjoyable part of the job - taking beautiful photos and seeing your clients faces when they see your presentation after the session. High standards and a training program help to achieve this.

Day to day I would meet with clients and discuss the goals for the photoshoot and then begin the sessions with them. During this time I would create a bond with the clients in order to get them comfortable in front of the camera. After the session I would sit with them and present them with all their creative options for their images. We would choose their photos and framing options and create custom packages that suited their needs and wishes. From beginning to end I would ensure that all clients received a memorable experience that left them wanting to return or refer our services to friends and families. Although enjoyable, the hardest part was remaining energetic for the children all day but it kept my spirits up regardless. The most enjoyable part was witnessing the happiness clients developed by seeing photographs of their loved ones. I also enjoyed making connections with the clients. Overall, I loved what we offered clients through our creative and artistic photography and the fact that I was able to work in a place where I practiced my passion everyday!

As an employee at magenta, after the change in management, there was a drop in moral in my studio. It turned from providing customer satisfaction to making money. Employees heavily feel that Magenta's lack of profit. 

Management itself is poor and disappointing, and employees do not get the respect they deserve (this is mainly due to the manager in my studio). Hours are very unpredictable. you can be scheduled in for 30 hrs for one week but only receive 20 due to cuts. My studio lead is also pretty awful, highly inexperienced with studio and equipment maintenance as well as has poor managerial skills. Condescending and all knowing. 

As a photographer it is a very disrespectful environment where photographers get no acknowledgement for their efforts and photos; only if they follow magenta's strict guidelines. If you as a photographer take pride in your work, this is not the place for you

What is the best part of working at the company?
Sometimes you get great clients and you have fun and you have the chance to be somewhat creative (within the company’s style of course). I learned more from this job than any other job I’ve had, from learning to interact with people and make small talk, to learning a completely new art form 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The scheduling is completely unpredictable. Good luck getting even a day off! Plus your shift can get cancelled last minute. You only get the specific time of your shift the night before and be prepared to potentially stay later. There’s no regard to the value of your time. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is ok. Can be toxic at times. The company itself places a large emphasis on sales and sometimes this can lead to a lot of stress if you let it get to you. The training is also not comprehensive enough in my opinion

I wore many hats and was paid minimum wage (+commission).

I learned a lot, and it's a great place to work if you love people and enjoy a really fast-paced environment. However, there was a high employee turnover rate due to overwork.

If we had no shoots booked, I worked entire days alone doing admin work and taking passport photos, which was either very relaxed or incredibly busy. While we were sales-focused, I was never told to pressure sell, which I appreciated. We were also encouraged to share creative ideas on seasonal themes and backdrop designs, which was fun.

I enjoyed my time there, but I would not recommend it to anyone without a significant pay increase, given the workload.

I quickly moved my way up from a part time photographer to a full time Photography Lead. A typical day at work would include opening and closing the studio, photographing families, children, couples etc for 45 minutes then sitting with them for up to two hours to create custom packages of what they are interested in purchasing. I would also spend time reviewing part time photographers work and creating follow ups and weekly challenges for them. The most enjoyable part of the job was having the ability to put my creativity to the test every single day and working with new clients every day. The environment was fun and enjoyable and the co-workers were great.

Very stimulating and fun workplace, great team. Amazing job to learn technique for photography, to learn how to deal with multi tasking and customer service. Great manager for my location. Amazing if you enjoy working with people and children. Love the job itself!

Downsides: Pressure sales even though they say it isn't, very low wages, commissions and augmentations, hard to get stable hours/ full time because of appointment cancellations.

This job will teach you many great skills to help with future job. It's a lot of multi-tasking, dealing with clients, sales, customer service, administrative.  You'll learn it all.
It's a very fast-paced, dynamic work with a very tight knit team.
The schedule is the biggest downfall - since hours are never guaranteed and vary week to week.

The company is not so great they are very unfair. Management is really bad and toxic. Nothing is good enough you always get blamed if clients are upset even though it’s not your fault. Company has ridiculous policies. It will pretty much go out of business soon 

This is a highly motivated company that strives to create, implement and train all its members in customer services, sales techniques, and photographic ability to best assist, and serve all of its clients.

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