Z-Studio

What Z-Studio does

Z-Studio (legal entity z-studio GmbH) is a 100+ year-old, family-owned photography and film production business headquartered in Wertingen, Bavaria, Germany, operating from a 900+ square-meter facility completed in May 2020. The company traces its origin to Johann Zolleis founding Foto Zolleis in 1919 and now operates under fourth-generation owner Jonas Ziegler following the 2017 merger of Foto Zolleis KG and Z-Studio GmbH; film production is housed in a separate subsidiary, ZETT GmbH (founded 2018, Augsburg). Z-Studio employs approximately 15 staff across photography, service, and café functions.

The business delivers a broad portfolio of photography services across two principal customer segments. For private consumers, it offers portrait, wedding, family, business, application, and iris photography plus certified E-Pass/biometric passport photos with digital transmission to authorities and walk-in same-day pickup. For B2B/enterprise clients, it provides advertising, product, corporate, employer-branding, architecture, textile, food, 360°, and drone/aerial photography, plus image films and product videos via ZETT. Underlying technical capability centers on professional digital imaging: Hasselblad/Phase One 80-megapixel medium format cameras, an 8-meter automated studio light for large objects, licensed commercial drone operations, and since 2015 a CGI-photography workflow that produces photorealistic product imagery directly from CAD data.

Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees (commercial pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed), standardized unit pricing for passport photos (€18.90–€24.90), e-commerce sales of gift vouchers via Shopify, photo lab printing integrated with Coppio, and ancillary café revenue from the on-site zolleis Café. Distribution is primarily regional Bavaria plus on-location enterprise services across Germany; marketing runs through the company website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google Analytics/SEO, Calendly, WhatsApp, and a long-standing creative agency partnership with Agentur Zwetschke.

Name

Z-Studio

Legal name

z-studio GmbH

Website

https://zstudio.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Z-Studio is a fourth-generation, family-owned photography and film studio in Wertingen, Bavaria, offering portrait, commercial, product, drone, and biometric passport photography plus image films (via subsidiary ZETT GmbH) to private customers and 300+ regional and national B2B clients across Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photography Services

NAICS

Commercial Photography (541922), Motion Picture and Video Production (512110)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams) (BPAFAIAJ)

Keywords

• Commercial photography services
• Portrait wedding photography
• Film video production
• Biometric passport photos
• Corporate advertising photography

Headquarters

HQ city

Wertingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Professional Photography Services: Core revenue from photography services including portrait, wedding, commercial, advertising, corporate, and architectural photography. Services provided both in-studio and on-location. Pricing based on project scope, session duration, and deliverables.
2. Film and Video Production: Image film, advertising, and product video production services through ZETT GmbH subsidiary. From concept development to finished film with digital marketing support.
3. Photo Lab Services: Own online photo lab providing printing services for customers. Quick and affordable photo ordering through coppio.de integration.
4. Café Operations: Zolleis Café operates on-site offering breakfast, lunch, beverages, and pastries. Supports customer experience and creates additional revenue stream.
5. Photography Equipment and Vouchers: Online shop selling gift vouchers and photography services. Direct e-commerce sales through Shopify platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Z-Studio is a professional photography and film production studio offering a comprehensive range of services spanning portrait, wedding, advertising, corporate, product, food, architecture, textile, drone/aerial, and 360-degree photography. Film and video production is delivered through its subsidiary ZETT GmbH. The studio also provides certified biometric passport photos, an online photo lab (Coppio), photo book and photo box services, and operates an on-site café (zolleis Café) as a customer touchpoint.

Product overview

Z-Studio is a traditional photography craft business established in 1919 (formerly Foto Zolleis), operating as a photography and film studio with multiple specialized services. The company offers a comprehensive photography portfolio including portrait photography, advertising photography, wedding photography, business/corporate photography, food photography, architecture photography, drone photography, 360° photography, and textile photography. Their film production is handled through the subsidiary ZETT GmbH. Supporting services include an online photo lab (Coppio), photo book software, photo box rental, and an online voucher shop. The company also operates zolleis Café as a hospitality offering. Services range from standardized offerings like E-pass biometric photos to complex multi-day commercial campaigns and employer branding projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Portrait Photography Professional portrait, couple, and people photography in various styles, available for indoor and outdoor shoots, serving private customers and corporate clients.
• Advertising Photography (Werbefotografie) Professional advertising photography in the 900 m² studio with state-of-the-art equipment for products, services, and commercial campaigns for B2B clients.
• Image and Film Production High-quality image films, commercials, and product videos from concept development to final production plus digital marketing support, delivered through the ZETT GmbH subsidiary.
• E-Pass and Biometric Passport Photos Certified biometric passport photos for all identity documents including E-Pass, visa, and driver's license, with legally compliant digital transmission to authorities and same-day pickup or digital delivery.
• Wedding Photography Wedding photography ranging from wedding shoots to full-day reportages, available in studio or at outdoor locations, for private customers.
• Business and Corporate Portrait Photography High-quality business portraits and corporate photography with various backgrounds, lighting setups, and styling areas for B2B clients.
• Application Photo Photography Professional application and CV photos with outfit consultation and styling, available digitally or printed same day, for private customers.
• Family and Child Photography Family and child portrait photography either in studio or outdoor natural settings, combining personality with professional experience, for private customers.
• Photo Reportages Authentic documentary photography for birthdays, baptisms, and weddings capturing natural moments throughout events, for private customers.
• Act and Boudoir Photography Stylish nude and boudoir photography in a protected and relaxed studio atmosphere for women and men, for private customers.
• Iris Photography High-quality iris photography offered as a gift or as finished wall art, for private customers.
• Food Photography Appetizing food and beverage photography for gastronomy, Michelin-star chefs, and food producers, for B2B clients.
• Drone and Aerial Photography Licensed drone and aerial photography and videography for architecture, corporate portraits, and city views, including necessary permits, for B2B clients.
• 360-Degree Product Photography Interactive 360-degree product photography and panoramas for websites and online shops, for B2B e-commerce clients.
• Textile Photography High-resolution textile photography capturing fine textures and structures with professional preparation and set building, for B2B textile and apparel clients.
• Architecture Photography Aesthetic architectural and interior photography planned in detail with proper equipment for buildings of all types and sizes, for B2B clients in construction and real estate.
• Product Cutout Photography (White Background) High-quality product images on white background for websites and online shops, including logistics, preparation, and post-production, for B2B e-commerce clients.
• Photo Lab and Photo Services Comprehensive photo services including photo book software, online photo lab, photo box rental, and online photo shop, for private customers.
• Online Photo Lab (Coppio Integration) Online photo lab enabling customers to order photo prints quickly and affordably through the Coppio.de platform, for private customers.
• Gift Voucher Shop Online shop for purchasing photography vouchers and gift certificates through the Shopify-powered store, for private customers.
• zolleis Café On-site café serving breakfast, lunch, cakes, and beverages, operated by Z-Studio with Fairtrade coffee and local suppliers, open Mon-Fri 09:00-13:30 and Sat 09:00-12:30, for walk-in visitors and studio customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• One-stop visual content solution eliminating need for multiple vendors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Agentur ZwetschkecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2007Long-standing creative agency partnership for campaign photography and video production. Z-Studio provides visual production services for Agentur Zwetschke's client campaigns including Deutsche Rentenversicherung and Butzbach projects.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Lemonlight: Commercial photography and video production agency serving brands and agencies with custom content creation services. Highly comparable to Z-Studio's project-based commercial photography and film production model serving B2B marketing clients, though operating at larger scale and primarily in the US market.
• Snappr: On-demand photography platform connecting businesses with professional photographers for commercial shoots. Targets the same B2B customer base needing commercial photography but uses a marketplace delivery model versus Z-Studio's traditional studio-based production approach.

Others

• Pixum: German photo services company specializing in photo books, prints, and personalized photo gifts for consumers. Operates in adjacent consumer photo services space with some overlap to Z-Studio's individual customer offering.
• Pixelz: Image editing and production services company focused on e-commerce product imagery at scale. Adjacent to Z-Studio's product photography work but operating in post-production editing rather than original capture, representing an enabling infrastructure provider in the commercial photo value chain.
• Saal Digital: German professional photo printing services company offering high-quality prints, photo books, and gallery products for professional photographers. Enabling infrastructure provider that supports the same end-customer workflow as Z-Studio's photo lab partnership with Coppio.

Broad incumbents

• CEWE: Major German photo services company (CEWE Stiftung) with much larger scale, offering photo books, prints, and consumer photo services plus commercial operations. Established broad incumbent in the German photo services industry where Z-Studio operates regionally.
• Getty Images: Global stock photography and visual content leader serving editorial, commercial, and creative customers. Much larger scale player operating in the broader visual content space where Z-Studio competes, though with a fundamentally different stock-library business model rather than custom production.
• Shutterstock: Global stock imagery platform providing licensed photos, vectors, and video to businesses. Established broad incumbent in visual content with a subscription-based model that competes for marketing imagery budgets alongside custom commercial photography providers like Z-Studio.

Direct peers

• WhiteWall: German premium photo printing and gallery wrap company serving both consumer and commercial customers. Directly comparable German-headquartered visual content services provider with overlap in commercial photography applications and premium positioning, though WhiteWall focuses more on physical product output.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCM5u52t1o4kXCNy3yg_IrZQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/zolleis
• Instagraminstagram.com/zstudio_1919
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/z-studio-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Z-Studio