FAQs
Studio & Commercial Services
-
Farzan Samsamy Studio is a commercial visual production studio at Campbell Heights, Surrey, BC, led by commercial photographer and director Farzan Samsamy. We work across Objects, Food & Beverage, People, Motion, and Editions.
The facility is 2,000 sq ft with a 12′ × 24′ cyclorama, 12-foot side returns and a 36″ radius cove, 24-foot ceilings, and an on-site commercial kitchen — so stills, motion and print for one campaign come out of the same session.
On-location work runs across the Lower Mainland and Greater Vancouver, and anywhere in Canada. For clients elsewhere, product ships to the studio and the session is directed live through tethered proofing.
-
Absolutely. We specialize in cinematic videography, including product videos, cooking/chef showcase films, and branded content. We also produce aerial and drone footage where a campaign calls for it, in compliance with applicable regulations.
-
We provide:
Objects and Still Life for e-commerce, advertising, packaging, and catalogues.
Food | Beverage for chefs, restaurants, caterers, and food brands.
People including headshots, branding, and lifestyle portraits.
Motion for brands, agencies, and product companies.
Whether you need content for your website, social media, advertising, or packaging—we tailor each project to your goals.
-
Both. Production runs in the Surrey studio or on location — commercial kitchens, production facilities, offices, and outdoor sets. Which one suits the work is decided in scoping, and location logistics are itemised in the proposal.
-
Yes, we produce aerial and drone footage. Lightweight aerial work is flown in-house; larger aircraft and controlled-airspace work are flown by a licensed RPAS operator, arranged as part of your production.
-
Yes! Many businesses need fresh content monthly for their social media, product launches, or seasonal promotions. We offer retainer arrangements for consistent content production, which reduces per-project setup so platform versions differ in flavour rather than in look.
-
Yes! We specialize in creative photography and cinematic videography, including objects, food & beverage, people, motion, and editions. Tell us what the work has to accomplish and we'll tell you what it takes to produce it.
-
Yes. The studio is set up for it, end to end:
Secure product intake — you ship your products directly to the 2,000 sq ft Surrey facility.
Real-time digital proofing — live-tethered capture sends high-res proofing links during the session, so you review layout, lighting angles and composition from your desk, wherever you are.
Virtual directing — for complex motion or food styling sets, a private live stream of the camera view and the floor lets your creative director give feedback as the work is made.
-
Yes. On-location work runs across the Lower Mainland and Greater Vancouver, and anywhere in Canada — travel and logistics are scoped in the written proposal. Outside Canada the studio does not travel, because that work requires a work permit or business visa. For clients elsewhere the route is ship-in: product comes to the Surrey studio, you direct the session live through tethered proofing, and files are delivered digitally.
-
Yes, as a production partner. The agency keeps the client relationship and the art direction; we handle the studio, the crew, and the output. White label is available — we don't contact your client or appear in credits unless you want us to. Licensing is scoped agency-side at the outset, with redistribution to your named client agreed as part of the licence rather than raised afterward.
More: Agency Partners
-
Most established brands do. This isn't a replacement. The studio is worth knowing about for the times your photographer is booked, a deadline won't move, or a new product line has no room in the calendar — added capacity rather than a switch.
Booking & Studio Logistics
-
Every project starts with a 15-minute consultation — or a 20-minute studio visit if you're local — where we scope the work: deliverables, formats, usage, and timeline. A written proposal follows, itemised. Once you approve it, a contract and 50% deposit secure your production date; no date is held until the deposit is received.
Typical delivery:
Photography — 15 business days from the production date
Motion — 21 business days, which includes editing, colour grading, and sound
Rush delivery is available and quoted at booking
Your production schedule confirms the exact dates for your project.
-
You can send an email or call. We also offer complimentary consultations to understand your vision and goals.
-
Yes, our studio is located in 3-19122 27 Ave, Surrey, BC V3Z 5T1 (we serve the surrounding areas too). If you’d like to drop by, please schedule an appointment in advance so we can ensure someone is available to greet you and show you our space.
-
You can schedule a visit to our Surrey BC studio by contacting us directly via our Contact page. We recommend booking ahead to ensure availability.
-
All major credit and debit cards — Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, JCB and China UnionPay — plus PayPal, Canadian pre-authorized debit, and Interac e-Transfer. Invoices are sent by email with a secure payment link.
-
Yes, at no extra charge.
-
For Editions — the limited-run fine art prints by Farzan Samsamy — yes. Affirm and Afterpay are available at checkout for eligible Canadian clients.
Everything else is paid without an instalment plan: framing, prints produced from your own file, studio rentals, and production work. On a production, a 50% deposit secures your date and the balance is due on or before the production date, as set out in your Client Services Agreement.
-
Yes. Send to hello@farzansamsamy.studio with the invoice number in the message field. Please note your bank may cap the amount you can send per day or per week — for larger projects, card or pre-authorized debit is usually simpler.
-
Two payments. A 50% deposit is due on signing, which secures your production date — no date is held until it's received. The balance is due on or before the production date. Full details are set out in your Client Services Agreement.
-
Studio rentals are paid in full online at the time of booking. Your booking is confirmed once payment clears.
-
The deposit is non-refundable, as it holds your production date. You can reschedule once at no charge with at least 14 days notice, to a date within 60 days of the original. Cancellation terms are set out in your agreement.
-
Payments are processed by PCI-compliant providers — Squarespace for online store purchases, Stripe for bookings and studio rentals, and PayPal where selected. Card details are entered directly with the payment provider and are never seen or stored by Farzan Samsamy Studio.
-
Canadian clients are quoted and invoiced in Canadian dollars, with GST and PST applied where applicable. US and international clients are quoted in USD; services exported to a client outside Canada are zero-rated, so Canadian sales tax does not apply.
Printing, Framing & Deliverables
-
In addition to our commercial work, we produce Editions — original limited-run fine art prints by Farzan Samsamy, with in-house archival printing and custom framing. You can explore and order prints from our online gallery at:
🌐 Fine Art Gallery -
Absolutely. We provide framing, matting, mounting, and finishing options (e.g. floating frames, shadow boxes, acrylic fronts) to complement your prints. We use archival materials to protect the artwork over time.
-
Print products: up to 5 business days for production. Framing: up to 10 business days. Framed prints: up to 15 business days total. Processing time does not include shipping transit.
Free standard shipping to Canada and the United States. Express shipping available through Purolator, FedEx, Canada Post, and UPS. Local studio pickup available by appointment.
See our full Shipping Policy for details.
-
Gallery Editions may be returned or exchanged within 7 days of delivery, in original condition and packaging. Buyer pays return shipping; refunds are issued after inspection.
Prints and framing produced from your own file are made to a single specification and cannot be resold — all sales are final, except where the work arrives damaged or does not match the approved proof.
Report shipping damage within 5 days with photographs of the artwork and packaging, and retain all packaging until the claim is resolved.
See our full Return Policy for details.
-
Orders may be cancelled at any time before production begins. Production typically starts within one business day of purchase, so contact us as soon as possible and we will confirm status. Once an order has entered production it cannot be cancelled.
-
For prints and framing produced from your own file, yes. We send a proof for written approval before production begins — confirming image, size, paper, mat, and frame. Production starts only once you approve it.
Legal & Contact
-
Every production includes a usage licence scoped to the project. A standard commercial licence covers digital, web, and social use — the surfaces most campaigns need.
For small businesses, that licence is perpetual and carries no usage fee. It covers your website and e-commerce, organic social, email and CRM, local print including menus, posters and limited-run packaging, and paid social advertising up to $5,000 a month.
Extended usage — print and point-of-sale, packaging, broadcast, out-of-home, or global distribution — is quoted separately based on distribution scale and specified in your agreement before production begins. For corporate and agency clients, extended licences run for a defined term and are renewable; a perpetual buyout is available and quoted separately.
Once all fees are paid, you can use the assets within the licence terms.
More on how licensing works: How We Work
-
We value your trust and take your privacy seriously. You can review our full Privacy Policy to learn how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.
-
Yes. Our Terms & Conditions outline important details about bookings, payments, copyright, and usage rights. We encourage all clients to review them before confirming a session or project.
-
All client data, images, and personal information are handled securely and in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Usage rights and licensing details for images and videos are clearly explained in our Terms & Conditions.
-
If you didn’t find what you were looking for, feel free to contact us directly. We're happy to talk it through and help you plan your next production.