Whenever we travel, we have this little tradition — instead of collecting magnets or other souvenirs, we like to take photos of ourselves in local or historical outfits. It’s our favorite way to bring a piece of the trip home — and honestly, flipping through those photos later always brings back the best memories.
So imagine our excitement when we discovered that in Sultanahmet, right near all the top attractions, there were several studios offering Ottoman-style costume photoshoots! Without thinking twice, we decided to go for it and picked one at random:
📍 Ottoman Costume Photo Studio Sultan Ertugrul
The Experience
When we arrived, we were the only customers there. The staff asked us to pick a color theme, handed us matching costumes, and that was that. I was a little disappointed because they had lots of beautiful dresses in different styles, but we weren’t really given a chance to browse or choose something more individual.
The photoshoot itself went smoothly — we got a few nice couple shots and some solo portraits (let’s be honest, it’s usually the girl who’s more into these things 😄). But when we looked at the photos later, I couldn’t help noticing that the photographer wasn’t very attentive to details. My dress was slightly crooked, some accessories were off-center — little things that make a big difference in portraits. Normally, photographers spot and fix that immediately, but here it felt a bit rushed.
The Photo Selection
After the shoot, we were shown the pictures on a monitor – and that’s where things started going downhill. The photos were not retouched in any way – not even a little. Even though we were the only clients, the staff rushed us through the selection process like they had a line out the door. They flipped through the photos way too fast, barely giving us time to decide. Usually, in photo studios, you get to review, compare, and pick your favorites at your own pace – not here. It felt stressful and pressured, which really took away from the fun.
Then came the digital photo issue. You’re forced to buy printed photos, and if you don’t buy enough, they won’t give you the digital copies. I don’t expect all the raw images, but it’s standard to get digital versions of the ones you’ve purchased. Unfortunately, they only provide digital files if you buy an album of 10 or more photos. We ended up doing that — mainly because we wanted the digital versions – though at least we got a small discount for buying in bulk.
Interestingly, when we asked around at other Ottoman studios in the area, we found this same policy everywhere — they all prefer printing rather than sending digital copies, which seems a bit old-fashioned in this day and age.
Verdict
Overall, the experience itself – dressing up in Ottoman attire and posing in a historical setting — was really fun and totally worth doing at least once. The costumes were nice, and it made for some beautiful memories.
However, if you decide to do a photoshoot, I’d suggest checking a few other studios first, comparing prices, and asking about digital copies upfront so there are no surprises later.
