Solace Studios (Haji Lane)

Solace Studios on Haji Lane has two low-angle booths and two fisheye booths upstairs, which produce something no mall studio can. Nine booths run across two floors of a shophouse in the middle of the street, with the themed sets downstairs, including a laundromat.

It is the one to pick if you want variety rather than one good backdrop: you can work through several quite different setups in a single visit instead of taking the same picture twice. Props and styling tools are free to use, so a change of look costs nothing but the time it takes. The studio is also pet-friendly, which is worth knowing because most are not.

It suits friend groups and couples making an afternoon of Haji Lane rather than anyone travelling for the studio alone — the street is the other half of the outing. Weekend afternoons queue and there is no booking system, so the trick is to come early. The shophouse setting is part of the appeal and also means stairs, which is worth planning for if anyone in the group would rather not climb them.