Next time you’re on a field study spare a little time for during user studies is visiting the neighbourhood photo studio. I rarely go to have a photos taken but the space offers insights into local cultural norms and in some areas – adoption of technologies. Some studios, especially those which offer ‘print club’ photo stickers are adorned with photos of customers and give a pleasant sense of the volume of people, time passing and personal preferences. Most urban spaces have somewhere where locals, with the help of a studio assistant can create then pose for a scene which is then documented. But why pose in front of a painted canvas of the Potala Palace, when the original is just around the corner? Why pose in front of a beach scene?

With the tools to capture rich experiences be they photos, audio, video, location data, whatever, in the hands of more and more individuals what value added do studios offer?