Photo Booths Make a Comeback!

Photo booths are the hot new trend in 2010 for weddings, class reunions, corporate events, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, school dances and private parties. Okay, they are pretty much a hit wherever you get a group of people, young or old, together for a celebration! Once you have been to an event with one you will know why. It is hard to explain the psychology behind the mass appeal of photo booths or how they can bring out the wild and wacky side of almost anyone. One has to witness firsthand the joy and laughter that photo booths bring to truly appreciate it.

While one has always been able to rent a photo booth for private parties they were typically not widely available and used to come with quite a price tag. Renting a photo booth used to be an expensive proposition because the old fashioned type of photo booths were extremely large and heavy which made them difficult to transport. It took a large truck and a team of people to move one. Once you got it to the venue the question then became how were you going to get it inside. The old-fashioned photo booths were quite wide and you needed large doorways. On top of that, stairs were not an option and you needed a freight elevator if your event wasn’t on the ground floor.

In addition to the size restrictions, old-fashioned photo booths used chemical processing, which took quite a while to print out the photo strips and utilized smelly and expensive chemicals.

While a vintage photo booth does create a truly unique experience and offers a bit of nostalgia to the older generations the space requirements and expense often doesn’t make it an option for most people planning a special event.

Flash forward (pun intended) to the 21st century. With the enormous advancements in digital photography and printing, photo booths are making a huge comeback. Unlike vintage photo booths, the new digital photo booths are lightweight and easily transportable making them affordable and readily available for private events.

The design of many portable photo booths has steered away from the typical two-person bench seat and has allowed for many more people to be in the booth at one time.

Other advantages to a digital photo booth include quick printing (speeds will be determined by the specific hardware the photo booth is using), customization of the photo strips by adding graphics unique to the event (such as a custom monogram or corporate logo) and the ability to save digital copies of the photos. The digital copies can be given to the event host on a DVD or flash drive and can also be posted in an online photo gallery for all of the guests to access.

There are a wide variety of styles of portable photo booths available now and they are relatively inexpensive to rent for your special event. Some companies have even retrofitted vintage photo booths with digital processing, that way you get the look and feel of a vintage booth but with all the advantages of a digital one.

After you have determined which kind of photo booth is best for your event do your homework and find the best photo booth rental company in your area to make your special event even better. Your guests will be entertained for hours and have wonderful keepsakes from your event.

Welcome back photo booths!

A few photo strips from Chris & Matt's Halloween party, Albany, Washington Park Lake House 10.29.2010

A few photo strips from a St. Jude Charity Event in Newport, RI

Why Photo Bhooths Are Fun!

Having a photo booth at your event alone is going to make your event more enjoyable for your guests. You can raise the fun level by providing props for your guests to take photos with. Popular props include Hawaiian lays with coconut bikinis, gangster hats in assorted colors, over sized sunglasses, multicolored boas, costume beads or jewelry, fake mustaches, wigs, inflatable beach balls, inflatable hammers, Mardi Gras masks, eye patches, funny hats such as pirate hats, baseball hats, cowboy hats. If you are having a themed event, try to incorporate props that go along with your theme. Provide your guests with cardboard cut outs of famous actors or rock stars to interact with. Or pass out pads of paper or a white board to write or draw on to use in your guests photo sessions.

As a kid do you remember looking through your parents wedding album and marveling at how different they looked when they were younger. I know that my siblings and I loved looking through my parents wedding album. Seeing how grandpa and grandma and other relatives have changed was very exciting for my siblings. The wedding album was disappointing though because there were only two or three pictures of my parent's families. I was left wondering who the other guests of my parents wedding were. Having a photo booth at your wedding solves this dilemma. All of your guest will take at least one set of photos in the booth but most take many more photos. The photos are complied into a scrapbook to preserve these memories. Guests are also encouraged to write personal messages to the bride and groom in the scrapbook alongside their photos. This is a really good feature because not only do you have the photos but you also have messages to read when looking back at your special day. When your children look back the personalized messages that your guests left these messages will help them to know who was in the photos.

Photo booths also provide a sort of favor for your guests to take home with them. Traditional wedding favors provide no use to the guest of your wedding. I know that all the favors I have received from weddings are just collecting dust at my house or are packed away in storage. Providing your guests with a photo of themselves and your other guest will alleviate any worries of this happening. The photos your guests receive and take home with them will be proudly displayed in their homes for all to see. At the bottom of photo booth strip they receive will be a personalized footer that you've chosen which normally contains your names and the date of your event. The photo strip is a guaranteed positive memory that your guest will take home with them. In the future they will look back on this and will be overcome with the joyous memories from your very special day.

How to Scrapbook Your Photo Booth Experience

  Scrap booking is a common question asked by couples. Preserving memories though photographs has been growing in popularity since the invention of the camera. All homes have picture frames, and the newest way of organizing your pictures is through a memory book. This is a great way of keeping your pictures in an album along with stickers and other theme related decorations. Any event that has a photo booth can greatly benefit from having a scrap book created.

  There are numerous stores dedicated to memory supplies. These stores stock everything needed to create your book. Since they carry various colors and designs, they will have the right paper to fit your theme. The scrapbooks themselves are also available in unique patterns to compliment your event. Stickers, gel pens, and die-cuts can also be purchased to decorate each page.

Putting wedding scrapbooks together though can be quite a task. Renting a photo booth can alleviate this burden. Not only will your guest have loads of fun taking pictures in the booth. Reputable photo booths include double prints. This means one strip goes in your scrapbook while your guests take the other half home as a keepsake. Some photo booth companies charge extra for the service.

  Having your scrapbook being assembled at your event allows guests to leave personal messages next to their photo. The text written by the pictures are one of the most thoughtful benefits of scrap booking. Looking back at your memory book in the years to come can help you reflect on great times. You can even identify who the people are that wrote the message. If you have any more questions on how scrap booking works, then feel free to contact us.

How Much Does a Photo Booth Cost?

Photo booth rentals have been growing in popularity since they were first available for rental about a decade ago. We know that having a photo booth at your event will provide numerous positive enhancements to the overall experience of your event. The main question you probably have is how can I afford renting a photo booth? You'll most likely be surprised to discover that renting photo booths are something that you can afford.

    When looking for photo booths make sure to look over all the different packages that they offer. Chances are that the rental company will have a package which suits your event just right. Some companies offer different types of photo booths for rental. Their classic (first generation) booth generally cost more to operate and thus have a higher cost for rental. These first generation booths may also have additional requirements of your venue due to their bulkiness and their greater weight. This type of booth will most likely cost between $900 and $1500 for its rental for four hours.

  The newer (digital) booths are easier to maintain and in turn their rentals are less expensive than the classic booths. You also don't need to worry about the digital booths easily fitting into your venue because these booths weigh considerably less and are far less bulky than the classic style booths. For a digital booth you can expect anywhere from $650-$895 for the same time frame with most companies. The more reputable companies are competitively prices due to high demand in the market. Then again, they also have the coolest booths in market.

Like buying anything thing else you need to be careful of the fine print when breaking down the photo booth rental cost. Some companies charge additional fees for their services or have different ideas of what is included in your rental period. Your photo booth company should never try to charge for delivery (if it is a local event) or count the set-up/tear down of the booth as part of the contracted hours to be worked. Now while you may think you got a deal on a 4hr booth rental today, just how much of a deal is it really gonna be when they use the first hour to set-up and the last to tear down.

    Now you thought you were paying for 4hrs of photos, but all you ended up with was two hours of photos and a live show of an attendant assembling then disassembling your booth. The rental company should provide you with the amount of time you have paid for and do the setup/ tear down outside of that time. The standard photo booth rental should also include an photo booth specialist to set up and dismantle the booth. This attendant should also be expected to be present throughout your event. If any issues arise he/she can fix the problem very quickly. Your guests will most likely have a couple of questions for the attendant to answer. The attendant being present also further assures that your guests will have a great time at your event.

  Regarding overall price for the booth rental, many vendors offer discounts for the slower season (winter months) and for weekday rentals. Just ask your company if they have any current specials or discounts which you qualify for. After all, it never hurts to ask.

8 Questions For Photo Booth Rentals

Are you looking to plan a fun event? Photo booth rentals are great at adding spontaneous ness to your party. There are many photo booth companies for you to choose from? Do you know the right questions to run by your potential vendor? Listed below are 8 questions you should ask every photo booth company. It is important that you remember to ask these questions. One factor might make or break the quality of your photos. The last thing you want this to do is affect the outcome of your celebration.

1.) Does your Photo Booth accommodate guests with special needs? People with handicap disabilities will want to take photos as well. Some companies make you stand while taking the photo. This makes handicap accessibility impossible. The company you choose should have a removable bench that allows them to fit inside the booth easily.

2.) How many people fit in my photo booth at one time? When you are getting things ready for the big celebration you want to be sure guests are not waiting in a long line. Some companies only allow 3-4 people at a time, while others say the more the merrier. Your booth should be both elegant and efficient.

3.) Is your company licensed and insured? Insurance is a biggie at events. In most cases, this insurance will not only protect the company, but purchasing parties as well. The company should also be legally recognized by your state. Most school districts and larger corporations require a W9 form from businesses. If they are not licensed then you will not be able to report the expense appropriately to the government.

4.) How long has your company been in business? It is important that the company you give a big chunk of money has been around for more than 1 year. Most of the time, you will reserve a photo booth 9-12 months ahead of time. The longer your vendor has been around for, the longer you can expect them to stay in business. The last thing you want to happen is to lose money on a legitimate deposit.

5.) Can you provide me with a list of references? A list of references is essential for tracking history of a business. You want to know what previous clients have thought of their services. Any reputable company will be more than happy to give you phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Make sure they give you at least 5 references from within the past 12 months.

6.) Does your company utilize a dye sublimination printer? If companies use an ink jet printer, then your photos might not last as long as you expect. Sometimes they photos can blur just from being touched before the ink dries. These images also are known to become discolored within a couple of weeks. To not lose out on bad photos make sure the company uses a dye sublimination printer. Not only will your photos last for hundreds of years, they will remain crisp and glossy.

7.) How will guest retrieve photos after my event? Most photo booths will give you a duplicate copy of your images on site. Most companies have online galleries, but what about your guests? You will probably have a good idea on how to retrieve your photos, but do your guests. They are the ones that took the photos; they will probably want additional prints as well. The company you hire, should have a system setup that allows guests to easily find and retrieve their photos.

8.) Are there any hidden charges? Nobody wants hidden charges, why should you have to pay for things you don't want. This includes travel, set-up, and tear-down. Some things that come standard for companies are scrap booking, custom message area, additional prints, and password protection. You will want to look at all the fine print to realize if you are getting a good deal for your money.

Questions for Photo Booth Rentals

What's the Big Deal With Photo Booths?

Keeping up to date on what all the big name celebrities are up to is a billion dollar business. Everywhere you look you see up to date information on the celebrities comings and goings. The main avenue for the latest information is through television. The television network MTV keeps people up to date on the latest music and movie news. A feature they have at their studios is a photo booth where all the stars take photos before going on the shows. These photos are displayed in their studio and are shown on the television. For their New Year's party the photos are shown as a year in review of all the guests of their network.

Celebrities even rent out booths for their birthday parties and weddings. Some people such as Hugh Hefner have these things in their homes permanently for all their house guest to use. Award shows such as the Golden Globes have also had picture stations at their events as fun attractions for guest to frequent.

Very Trendy

You can also follow Hollywood's trend and have a photo booth at your event. Whatever the event a rental can guarantee your guests will have a great time and will be talking about your event for years to come. Everybody who attends your event will have loads of fun taking silly shots for them to keep. Guests enjoy trying to come up with the best poses. Providing props also gives them increased ways of taking the best or funniest photos.

The cost of renting a photo booth will vary depending of which company you use and how long you rent the booth for. The average photo booth rental will range between $650-$1500. Normally you get more of a deal if you rent the unit for more hours in comparison to a shorter length of time. The cost of rental should include an attendant as well as installation and delivery. The attendant is important to have because they maintain the booth and insure the booth will work properly the entire length of your rental. They also interact with your guests and explain the process to each guest. The majority of photo booths also offer additional features. A customized footer that you design is included on each photo strip your guest receive. Scrap booking is also a feature that the majority of companies offer. When you leave your event the attendant will have a scrap book with all the images that your guests took throughout the night. The copy of the shots that your guests keep is an instant party favor for all of your guests to take home with them and display in their homes.

With the advancements in photography the photos you receive are high quality, unlike the photos back in the 50's. Having a photo booth at your event will make your event memorable and exciting for your guests of all ages. Depending on the photo booth rental company, your photos may also be display on a online site that you and your guest can visit whenever.