Glamour Shots

What Glamour Shots does

Glamour Shots is a U.S. portrait photography studio chain headquartered in Oklahoma City and operated as a subsidiary of Candid Color Systems, the parent entity that introduced the Glamour Shots brand in 1988 following a late-1960s origin in college-party event photography. The company offers a complete pampering photography experience that bundles a personalized consultation, professional hair styling, makeup application, wardrobe changes, and a studio photo shoot, with proofs presented to the customer on a monitor immediately after the session via a proprietary Video Proofing System (now also licensed to independent photographers worldwide). Its product surface spans 14+ session categories — boudoir and pin-up, family, children's, high school senior, maternity, engagement, business, pet, fairy tale/mermaid/storybook themed, and event photography including a $69.95-per-child Storybook Birthday Party — plus a broad portfolio of 25+ print and merchandise add-ons (Bloom Custom Prints, Pearlized Portraits™, Polished Metal Prints, Canvas Gallery Wraps, Collages, Acrylics, Calendars, Greeting Cards, USB drives, phone/tablet cases).

The company monetizes through one-time session fees (starting at $39.95) that act as the customer acquisition hook, with portrait prints, frames, specialty finishes, and Glamour Touch® retouching services as higher-value attach purchases; a refundable $20–$60 reservation fee per person is also used at many independently owned franchise locations. Customers are predominantly U.S. individual consumers across the women/glamour, family, children, high school senior, and special-occasion segments, plus a smaller business professional and pet owner tail.

Distribution is anchored by hundreds of physical retail studios nationwide and worldwide (many independently owned and operated), with reservations routed through a store-locator-based online booking system and a 1-888 toll-free number; marketing runs through the company's website, blog, email campaigns, and active social channels (Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube), supplemented by annual photo contests (Young Models Portrait Contest, Cover Model Search, Boudoir & Pin-up Portrait Contest). The core technical stack — in-house professional photo lab on Kodak paper, digital backgrounds and magical-effects library, custom graphic artists for Bloom designs, and the video proofing IP — is the company's primary differentiator, while the centralized processing infrastructure inherited from Candid Color Systems (which photographs graduations and events at nearly every U.S. college and high school) provides back-office scale.

Name

Glamour Shots

Legal name

Glamour Shots Licensing, Inc.

Website

https://glamourshots.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Glamour Shots, founded 1988 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, is a U.S. portrait photography studio chain operating hundreds of physical retail locations nationwide, offering makeover-inclusive photography sessions across boudoir, family, children, senior, maternity, and event categories with on-site professional print sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oklahoma City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Photo Session Fees: Customers pay session fees starting at $39.95 for a basic photo shoot session. Sessions include wardrobe changes, professional photography, and viewing of proofs. Session fees are the primary customer acquisition revenue.
2. Portrait Print Products: Customers purchase portrait prints and products following their session. Products include standard prints, framed portraits (5×7), canvas gallery wraps, metal prints, collages, wall portraits, calendars, and USB drives with digital images. Session experience takes 2-3 hours and customers select images to purchase.
3. Add-on Services and Retouching: Additional revenue from Glamour Touch® retouching services (nominal fee for basic, extensive service for heavier editing), additional wardrobe styling, hair styling makeovers, and premium product finishes like Pearlized Portraits™ and Colorized options.
4. Birthday Party Packages: Storybook Birthday Parties at $69.95 per child include dedicated 90-minute time slot, mini makeovers, 5×7 print, and 8 matching mini wallets. Additional services like professional hair styling available for $10/child extra.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Glamour Shots operates a national chain of physical studio locations that deliver a full-service portrait photography experience. Each session bundles a personalized styling consultation, professional hair and makeup application, multiple wardrobe changes, and guided photography, followed immediately by a video proofing session so customers can view and order prints on the spot. The company then produces and sells physical portrait products—standard prints, framed portraits, canvas wraps, metal prints, collages, calendars, USB drives, and photo books—from its in-house lab.

Product overview

Glamour Shots is a portrait photography studio offering a comprehensive photography experience centered around personalized makeovers and professional photo sessions. The core offering consists of 14 distinct portrait photography session types: Boudoir & Pin-Up, Business, Engagement, Fairy Tale (kids), Family, Kids, Maternity, Pet, Senior Pictures, Event Photography, Fashion, Outdoor Sessions, Storybook Birthday Parties, and Storybook Mermaid Edition. Each session includes professional hair styling, makeup application, and photography. The company also offers an extensive portfolio of 25+ add-on photo products including Bloom Custom Prints, Polished Prints (HD metal), Ombre Prints, Canvas Gallery Wraps, Collages, Colorized/Sepia Portraits, Acrylic Products, Calendars, Framed Portraits, USB Drives, Photo Books, Wallets, Phone/Tablet Cases, Graduation Announcements, Greeting Cards, and framing options. The company was founded in the late 1960s as Candid Color Systems and introduced Glamour Shots as a women's-focused brand, pioneering video proofing systems and full-service portrait studios. With hundreds of locations nationwide, the company continues to offer the same empowering makeover experience while expanding to serve families, children, seniors, and pets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Boudoir & Pin-Up Portrait Sessions Glamour photography sessions for women featuring 2–3 wardrobe changes, professional makeover, and a framed 5x7 portrait; positions as an empowering photography experience for personal portraits or gifts.
• Maternity Portrait Sessions Professional maternity photography that captures pregnancy with flattering poses, professional makeup, and complimentary add-ons like the Camera Ready Photo Session and 5x5 Acrylic Desktop Print.
• Maternity & Newborn Combined Session Bundled maternity and newborn photo session starting at $69.95, with the complimentary newborn session bookable within 1 year of the maternity session at participating locations.
• Family Portrait Sessions Family portrait sessions capturing the unique personality and style of all family members, available in-studio or on-location.
• Kid's Portrait Sessions Children's portrait photography covering all ages with child-appropriate makeovers, focused on capturing unique personalities.
• Senior Portrait Sessions High school graduation portrait sessions expressing each senior's personality, talents, achievements, and interests using personalized props and themes.
• Engagement Portrait Sessions Engagement photo sessions for couples, available in studio or outdoor settings, highlighting the joy and celebration of the engagement.
• Business Portrait Sessions Professional business photo sessions producing headshots and portraits for company websites, personal bios, LinkedIn profiles, and career materials.
• Pet Portrait Sessions Professional pet photography capturing the bond between owners and their pets, available for dogs and other non-aggressive pets.
• Fairy Tale Photography Sessions Magical children's photo sessions featuring fairy or woodland warrior costumes paired with digital backgrounds and magical effects.
• Storybook Mermaid Edition Sessions Seasonal under-the-sea themed photo sessions featuring mermaid costumes, pirate themes, and imaginative storybook backdrops.
• Storybook Birthday Parties Themed birthday party photography experience priced at $69.95 per child, including a 90-minute slot, fairy princess or mermaid costumes, mini makeovers, customized backgrounds, a 5x7 print, and 8 matching mini wallets.
• Event Portrait Sessions Special occasion photography covering birthdays, Quinceañeras, first communions, weddings, anniversaries, and other milestone celebrations.
• Outdoor Portrait Sessions Outdoor portrait photography sessions held at select natural locations for families, couples, and special events.
• Fashion Portrait Sessions Glamorous fashion photography sessions with professional makeovers, wardrobe styling, and celebrity-style portrait transformations.
• Design Your Own Session Promotional customizable photo session priced from $39.95, including the photo shoot, two wardrobe changes, and one 8x10 portrait print in standard color finish and paper.
• Glamour Touch® Retouching Service Exclusive trademarked retouching add-on that softens facial lines, whitens teeth, brightens eyes, removes blemishes, and addresses special requests such as heavy acne or braces.
• Bloom Custom Prints Artistically edited portrait prints with creative blooming designs where graphic artists personally oversee the placement of blooms on each print.
• Pearlized Portraits™ Trademarked portrait finish with subtle shimmer effects available as a premium add-on to any Glamour Shots session.
• Polished Prints Super-high-resolution prints created by infusing images onto aluminum panels with a glass-like finish.
• Canvas Gallery Wraps Handcrafted canvas prints wrapped around frames for artistic wall display, available in 8x10 or larger sizes.
• Dimensions Acrylic Products Multi-layered acrylic frames and acrylic mounts with vibrant colors designed to appear as if they emit light.
• Model Search Contests Annual photo contests including the Young Models Portrait Contest, Cover Model Search, and Boudoir & Pin-up Portrait Contest, used for customer acquisition and engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Immediate proof viewing after photo session - customers see their photos before leaving the store
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Olan Mills (Portrait Studio chain): Olan Mills is a long-established portrait photography chain most directly comparable historically to Glamour Shots in school, family, and church directory portraits; relevant as a same-format competitor despite category contraction.
• The Picture People: The Picture People runs mall-based portrait studios focused on family, child, and seasonal portrait sessions, overlapping almost directly with Glamour Shots' in-studio session formats and walk-in/appointment model.
• Lifetouch (Shutterfly Lifetouch): Lifetouch is the largest school and family portrait photography company in North America, directly comparable to Glamour Shots on senior portraits, family portraits, and yearbook photography delivered through school and studio channels.
• Portrait Innovations: Portrait Innovations operates a national chain of portrait photography studios offering similar family, child, senior, and glamour portrait experiences with on-site styling, directly competing with Glamour Shots' core session model.
• Bella Baby Photography: Bella Baby specializes in newborn and maternity portrait photography in hospitals and studios, a directly adjacent product line to Glamour Shots' maternity/newborn session offering with the same instant-proof + print-product model.

Regional players

• Pin Me Pretty: Pin Me Pretty is a boudoir-focused studio brand serving regional markets with makeover-included sessions, directly comparable to Glamour Shots' boudoir and pin-up portrait offering on product and customer profile.

Emerging players

• Anthropologie BHLDN Bridal Portraits / specialty studio partners: Anthropologie-affiliated studio experiences and similar specialty retail portrait collaborations target lifestyle and event-driven portrait customers with premium styling, an adjacent but differentiated competitor to Glamour Shots' makeover-led sessions.
• Mini Mixie Photography: Mini Mixie is a boutique children's portrait studio brand offering themed photo sessions for young children, overlapping with Glamour Shots' Storybook Birthday Parties and Fairy Tale product lines for the under-12 segment.

Broad incumbents

• Shutterfly Studios (Target Portraits): Shutterfly Studios (formerly Target Portraits) operates mall-based portrait studios and is owned by Shutterfly, a broad incumbent with massive print-product infrastructure and digital delivery capabilities competing across Glamour Shots' full portfolio.

Others

• Pictage (now ShootProof): ShootProof (formerly Pictage) provides proofing, gallery, and print-fulfillment software to professional portrait and event photographers; relevant to Glamour Shots as a technology vendor whose proofing capabilities overlap with Glamour Shots' proprietary video proofing system.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/glamourshots
• Facebookfacebook.com/glamourshots
• Instagraminstagram.com/glamourshots
• Pinterestpinterest.com/glamourshots
• Xx.com/glamourshots
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/glamour-shots

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Glamour Shots