Reviews of Banff Photography FotoSource (Photo Studio)

Michel Werner

Very friendly and competent staff! Good selection of products. Has almost all products of peak design, a very good brand for accessories.

Allisha Taylor

We struggled to find a photographer in Banff and finally found Banff Photography. Our photographer Tristen was able to get to several different locations around the lake into our 30 min session. Tristen was great to work with, I would highly recommend requesting him as your photographer he was great to work with and we received the photos just a couple hours later. Both the quality and quantity of photos were beyond expectations! I did not expect to get this level of quality and professionalism at such a good price point.

Ally McBeal

Amateur photographers who clearly know nothing about photography but spend their days sitting around throwing lingos they don't even understand, but in order to confuse their customers thinking it will impress them. The Pro-Services/Training they offer customers is just simple basics they read off from cards while taking their customers to shoot pictures. Yes, they literally read terminology and lessons from a print out to their customers, just shows how knowledgeable they really are. The Portrait and Wedding photography is mediocre, be warned, MEDIOCRE!. They run around taking pictures of people and do a terrible job hoping that out of the many shots they could salvage some potential photos and photoshop them to satisfactory level. They never go above and beyond for their customers. Lee Kissel is the Head of Professional Services, mainly takes photos of scenery, nothing original and no creativity. He's an amateur who calls himself a professional photographer and tries to display himself as the next Zizka by shoving his own (unappealing) photographs next to his on the print displays. Grade: 4/10 Gary Yip, apparently taking photos for 7 years, yet fails to produce professional quality images, especially for someone who has never studied photography and attempts to mimic other photographers poorly. NOT A PROFESSIONAL! this is the mediocre type I've stated above. He has failed to gain even 1 follower on the online photographic communities, especially on 500px. He strongly believes that the more expensive the gear, the more right you have to calling yourself a Pro Photographer. Grade: 0/10 Jennifer Beal, their wedding photographer, or more appropriately "The Snobbish Photographer" who dislikes competition and mimics other social media photographers but fails when it comes to post-processing. Would you rather hire someone who has more experience than someone who shoots amateurishly for 4 years? the stores wedding photography survives on her simple skills, sometimes Gary takes over and produces shots comparable to someone with a point and shoot, please give the camera back to Jen. A lot of people confuse her for the other 2 Jennifer Beal professional photographers because of the name, thinking they are getting their photos taken from one of the professionals until they learn that mistake from the results. Grade: 5/10 Tamara Oman, a so called master at framing for 2 years, yet when you walk into the store you'll see what frames you're getting with those photos, more like master of the cutting board and box cutter producing flimsy card board overpriced frames that look very unappealing. Be warned, DO NOT hand her your camera, she has a reputation for shoving her fingers inside mirrors!!! Grade: 3/10 Steven Relf, a person who does not act vastly superior to the rest and knows that expensive gear doesn't make the photographer. Gary could learn a lot from him rather than being smug about his own equipment making him a Pro. 8/10 The Banff Photography staff, especially Lee suffers from an inferiority complex, which as a customer I have analyzed while trying out their services. I went in and they assumed I was a customer that had no knowledge about photography, so I went along with it as they patronized me. They had no idea they were dealing with someone with much more experience (17 years) and gave me a lousy photographic run down on the technicals. Their prints are extremely overpriced. The only photos on their rack that stand out are the Zizka shots, the rest are utter garbage. Lee and Steve Wong hire amateurs rather than professionals because they are fearful of competition, which is one thing that exists within the Banff Photography stores, they are all deep-seated stubborn people who prefer to listen to themselves rather than listen to outside (REAL) expert opinions. Avoid Banff Photography like the plague, they will take your money and leave you mentally stranded with a childish education. You might as well ask someone at Toys R Us to help you use a camera

Eric Bellefroid

Printed a poster here while visiting Banff for a conference. They did a great job at an affordable price. I accidentally forgot my USB stick there, they went out of their way to contact me and send me the data contained in the stick. Really appreciate their customer service.

adam lopapa

I took my new Fiance to Lake Louise Fairmont to purpose and hired Banff photography to capture the beautiful scenery for our engagement photos and COULDN'T BE HAPPIER! Tristen was assigned to us for the day and he did a fantastic job. I would HIGHLY recommend them to capture any moment. I'm from Toronto and our trip was only for the weekend but they were very accommodating to send us the complementary printed photos that came with the package we chose back to us in Toronto after Tristen had finished processing the photos. Tristen was very knowledgeable of the area and as we took the hour to take photos he was kind enough to inform us of all Lake Louise had to offer. I'd say we got a tour and engagement photos all in one! Below is a peak of their FABULOUS work!

Karl Gores

I DO NOT recommend shopping here. I was completely ripped off on gopro accessories and given inaccurate information. I paid 40.00 CAD for a microsd card that is 9.99 U.S and completely outdated and barely compatible with my gopro.

Mathew Beaudoin

Amazing art & photos with very reasonable prices.

ms

(Translated) Unfriendly and Outrageous Prices (Original) 불친절하고 터무니없는 가격

Laura Ouellette

Great service. Always helpful

Kala Waddington

My husband and I recently traveled to Lake Louise and we are so happy we booked a photo session to capture part of our trip. Nick was so much fun to work with and made every pose and the overall process feel so natural. Even with the storm that came in unexpectedly (for us), Nick knew all the best places and poses to ensure our pictures would still be great. Highly recommend booking a session to capture your time in this beautiful location.

Stéphanie Chiasson

Competent staff !!!!!!!!! 10/10 the guy set the connexion from Snapbridge to my phone when even the seller can't set it correcly !!!! After almost 4 weeks of loosing time, he solve the problem !!! Thank youuuuu

Jason Yoo

Went into the store on Banff Avenue. The salesperson was unfriendly. Asked him some questions about a problem I had with my camera, but got an answer that sounded totally wrong. Then I went to the store in the Lake Louise Fairmont and was met with a friendly sales lady who was very helpful in choosing a grad filter. Unfortunately, didnt have what I needed so I bought a slightly different grad in desperation. Next day, went back to the Banff Avenue store hoping to exchange it for the grad filter I needed. When I asked about the particular filter, the same unfriendly salesperson gave me a different filter without looking very carefully at what was in stock just behind the counter. Only after clarifying how many stops we needed in the filter, he found the right filter. Although he made the exchange in the end, it was really the reluctance and unfriendly attitude that made me want to avoid visiting this store again. Decent basic store but horrible service (excluding the Lake Louise store).

Nicolas Bondu

More expensive than the average camera shop in Canada but they do price match and staff is friendly with a great knowledge of what they are selling to guide photographer through their gear journey.

Eric Hansen

The experts at this store are fantastic. Every question I shot at them they answered, and then when I was looking for something very specific they gave recommendations on how to acquire the parts for my project. Wonderful customer service!

Cristina Caporicci

Stanley was amazing to work with. He had such great ideas for our family photos. We are so happy with the photos he delivered. We will use Banff Photography again on our next trip to Lake Louise.

Chris Mazurkiewicz

NOT horribly over priced as you'd expect. Very reasonably and fair considering where the shop is located (Banff)

Barry Magee

Friendly, honest and knowledgeable which is not to be underrated in such a tourist trap as Banff.

Keegan Boulineau

Got a lens that ended up cheaper than I could find it online on Amazon or anywhere else! Great place and helpful staff.

Donna Scott

I've been a customer of Banff Photography now for many years. Recently I purchased a new digital camera and was treated to terrific customer service and advice from Stephen. He even offered to tutor me on the camera at anytime after purchase if I was having any problems with all the new and nifty features. The price for my Sony camera was in line with prices I'd checked at other local dealers and online so I was glad I'd shopped local! Would highly recommend this shop to anyone. Say cheese! >DS

Quinn Hollohan

Wicked camera store

Jennifer Rossiter

Decided to get some of my own photos printed as 4x6 prints to send as postcards, and including the price of envelopes I had to buy somewhere else, it was still more reasonable than buying postcards at most of the tourist shops - and more personal! The staff were very helpful and friendly, and I would definitely return if needed to buy/replace any camera accessories, or to print more photos!

Dan Macpherson

Found a rare piece of camera gear I was looking for!

Shawn Kearns

My favourite shop in Banff. Always find great local art here at reasonable prices. Friendly service any time I've been in.

Reuben Baker

First Visit:. Very helpful and knowledgeable staff. They were not pushy for sales. Would visit again.

Schiller's House

I have never been to the store but I sent them an email asking if they serviced film cameras and they told me that I would have to send the camera back to the original manufacturer to be serviced. This is not true at all - there are many shops and individuals who will repair and service film cameras and lenses. This alone makes me doubt that they are very knowledgeable or experienced..

J Lps

The staff were courteous and accommodating.

Dave Lattanzi

This is the sort of store that can be invaluable to a nature photographer like myself if you have an equipment failure. Decent selection in their multiple stores in the Banff area, including some higher end stuff if you need it. Prices are mostly reasonable. Unfortunately, customer service is lousy. In the span of two days, I had two negative in-store experiences. The first was that I overheard two employees complaining about and openly mocking another customer. Not professional. The second, and more important: The store refused to accept a return on an item that was damaged when it was sold to me. The damage was clearly due to wear and tear from being handled by customers, and the shop clerk admitted this when I returned it. All of this is a normal experience, no big deal. However, the clerk refused to take it back because they couldn't sell it again. Not because they thought I damaged it, but because it wasn't worth anything to them! In other words, they don't stand behind the products they sell. If you purchase something from this shop, be VERY sure that you won't need to return it.

renevague3

While attempting to recharge my DSLR battery, I realized the charger would put on a green light just a few minutes after plugging it in. My camera said the battery was still dead but I did not know if the charger or the battery was the problem. I brought everything into Banff Photography and they said, "Give us 15 minutes and we will figure out the issue." They had spare chargers and batteries ready to go and sure enough, it was my battery that had died. They sold me a new non-OEM for a fair price that worked great. The best thing about this place is how the staff goes out of their way to help!

Kaveh Hajighazi

I took photos at lake louise which were provided by them. After purchasing a copy of my chosen photo I paid for it along with a digital copy. I never received the digital copy and after contacting their help line a few times I was told that it is my fault and that "it must be in my junk mail, cause they don't make mistakes." I even had their apparent President contacting me and telling me that I should watch how I talk To them 'cause their serves "do their job". Very unprofessional and rude. I would not recommend them for any services. I cant believe this is how they treat tourists when their business depends on us.

Brenda Buchanan

(Translated) Excellent place to buy they have a lot of choice of cameras and lenses, and accessories too, go pro, canon, nikon small, large cameras, of varied gamma. And also. Simple aquatic ... Many options for what you are looking for in photography. (Original) Excelente lugar para comprar tienen mucha opción de cámaras y lentes, y accesorios también, go pro, canon, nikon cámaras pequeñas, grandes, de gamma variada. Y también. Acuáticas sencillas... Muchas opciones para lo que se busca en fotografía.

K G

(Translated) We needed the thread to recharge the go pro and the salesman knew what I was talking about and found the right thread. (Original) Nous avions besoin du fil pour recharger la go pro et le vendeur savait de quoi je parlais et nous a trouvé le bon fil.

Nate O

Terrible experience. Purchased an item brand new, unopened with receipt in hand based off of an employee’s recommendation. Before opening the item I noticed the instructions were misspelled, the reviews were horrendous, and the manufacturer was an unfamiliar entity from China. So I decided to return the item the next day. The manager accused me of possibly using the item just to return it. He said returns were not allowed although there was nothing clearly posted. Terrible customer service and cheap items. I ended up ordering a better item from Apple’s website. Don’t shop here. Save yourself the time and head to The Source down the street.

Gina Houston

Excellent staff so helpful and fantastic quality for pictures

Marc MacIntyre

Good products knowledgeable staff

vince hume

Very helpful staff. Knowledgeable.

lockie mac

Arrived to buy camera as advertised and salesman said the special finishes today but no stock left of accessory advertised with Eos5 Look at web site today special has been updated to $100 less The young sales person was obviously not wanting to make a sales Would not recommend the store if you are after any service relationship Disappointed to say the least

ckieks

Helpful, friendly staff.

Mark Dragon

Walked in to buy a neutral density filter, and found the piece of equipment I needed quickly. I gave 4 stars because the salesman wasn’t very friendly and seemed more than happy to hurry us out of the store.

Jon Evans

For little over 2 years now I have been photographing live music and working bands for their websites and social media and I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for the great expertise and guidance I received from Banff Photography especially Lee and Jenn. I wanted to combine my passion for music and photography but did not know exactly how to start. After talking with Steve, Lee and Jenn they ended up fitting me with a great camera and lenses. (Not to mention at a very reasonable price).What started out as a hobby has ended up in me making a second income. I have also had some prints made and framed over the years and must say the quality in framing and the glass is exceptional. Its like you can hardly see the glass in the frame. All in all I have used Banff Photography a ton and would recommend them to anyone from just starting out like myself, or looking for great portraits all the way up to engagement and weddings shoots. These guys and gals really do know their stuff. Their work speaks for itself. 10 out of 10.

Will Stein

I think this location is closing but nice inventory and helpful sales people. Prices are good. got what I needed and quick trip. Convenient location. Sorry to see them go.

Bob Abell

In preparation for a African safari I wanted to be prepared with the proper lens to capture the wildlife. This was a once in a lifetime trip and the right gear was important. Of course there is plenty of advice on the internet but it was great to deal with Steven Wong to make sure that I got what I needed in image and reliability. Great advice and did not disappoint! Since I was not in Banff when I purchased, I had the lens shipped to me. It was very carefully packed for shipping and arrived quickly. I will definitely be dealing with Banff Photography again.

Peter Friesen

Very nice photos

Christopher Schermuly

Speedy custom sized photos for passports citizenship but get saving up to afford them :S

Yan Fagnan

Little expensive but it's a tourist town

Anthony Haynes

Took my camera into shop to buy a SD card was sold a 74 bit card only to find it was incompatible with my camera.Took it back 20 mins latter to be told their policy is not to refund. Was then given a 32 bit card which worked.My complaint is it cost me $98 Ripped off

David L

They were very good with us. And knew great spots for pics.

liz james

Friendly service

Kevin Lenzin

I recently proposed to my now fiancee on the ice at Lake Louise and I hired Banff Photography to capture the moment! Tristen was our photographer and he did such an incredible job. He gave me tips on time for the best lighting, he gave me ideas for the location, and he fit me into his busy schedule. It was about -25 on the ice, and he acted convincingly like a tourist until the moment, where he took absolutely fantastic pictures. Once the sneaky pictures had happened, he had more suggestions of places around the shore where we could take some more beautiful pictures. He was so accommodating and helpful, and he went above and beyond to help us capture an amazing moment. The prices were very reasonable and we got all the pictures emailed to us after he had touched them up, no hidden costs to pick and choose certain photos afterwards. I am so glad I decided to go with Banff Photography and Tristen, and I can't say enough good things about our experience with them. I also want to mention Ian, who I originally got in touch with and gave me so much helpful information, some location/time ideas, eventually setting me up with Tristen. We will be looking to take some more pictures in the spring/summer and I will definitely be giving Banff Photography and Tristen a call then! Give them a call if you have a big moment coming up! To have it captured forever by a professional is so, so worth it.

A X

Please avoid using their passport photo service - I have never seen a studio would be taking passport photo by using a cheap DC; in addition to that, their service are completely awful - They are extremely impatient in taking your photos and would only want to spend approximately 5 secs for your photo. Without telling you to get ready, they just randomly take it and tell you it's all set. When I got my photo, I am completely shocked by the quality and the standard they produced. I would be much better off using my DSLR on a while wall.

Edwin De Dios

No idea what is zoom h4n mount

cjmichles

My family was in Banff for vacation, and my camera stopped working 3 days into our trip. I took my camera into Banff Camera Shop on July 7, and the man in the shop did everything he (and Google) could think of to fix it. He was unable to truly repair the camera, but he managed to rearrange the settings to make it work for our trip and until I could send it back to Nikon (the light meter was reading too low). We were in his shop for at least 30 minutes while he worked on my camera, and he wouldn't let me pay him for anything he did. He was absolutely the kindest person and just wanted us to be able to use the camera on our vacation. I'm very sorry I did not get his name, and I hope he reads this review to know how very grateful I am to him. Thank you so very much!!!

Michael Chinn

Just wanted to drop a line to pass along my experience. Recently, while on vacation my Sony SLR began giving me trouble. While shopping we came upon the store in Banff. We inquired inside if they may be able to help. He said sure let me have a look. I then hiked back to our hotel to return with the camera. Earlier in the day the camera stopped working all together. I missed out on chances to take pictures of St. Mary's waterfall, which I was really bummed about. Patrick, the associate on duty, took a look at my camera and the issues, he was quick to diagnose the problem with the lens mount, and give me a workaround. Needless to say, Patrick, was able to save our vacation. I will be forever greatfull to Banff Photography. Thanks again, Michael Chinn

Marc Lomas

Overpriced. No locals discount. Can find everything much cheaper in Calgary or online. Not much incentive to shop locally.

Jason Wintz

Had a great experience. I went in because I was having an issue with using a remote wireless camera trigger in line with a GPS unit (it worked fine on its own). The store allowed me to open up a new remote unit and test individual components, knowing full well that if I found a flaw in my gear (which I did, the cable to connect to the GPS was bad) that I was unlikely to purchase an entire replacement unit from them. That's great service, and highly appreciated. Their selection is impressive for such a small town, and while not exhaustive it is likely they will have what you need to rescue your photo gear emergencies.

Astrid Beanie

Impressed by the knowledge of the staff!! And really friendly. Showed me a lot of lenses i've been interested to and not pushy for sales at all. Would definitely recommend it.