Tips For Doing Your Own Photo Booth
What you will see in the corner at most weddings nowadays is a photo booth.
These activity areas have become quite popular now, especially for couples who want to add some fun and whimsy to their reception. Of course, they’re not only limited to us at weddings, photo booths can be designed for use at birthday parties, corporate events and graduations to name a few.
Naturally, photo booths cannot replace your photographer but it may be useful in that it gives guests the opportunity to do their own posed shots and groupings and therefore gives the photographer ample time to concentrate his/her craft and skill on the types of unique or photojournalistic photos you want.
On the flip-side, why do guests love photo booths? They enjoy photo booths because they get to share photos with family and friends (in many cases, the photos are received instantly) and also update their social media photos.
If you would like to have a photo booth, here are 5 tips:
- Work in tandem with your photographer – Nowadays many photographers will provide this service at an additional fee. This would save you the time and effort of constructing your own. Plus, photographers will know more about the use of photography umbrellas, tripods and lighting in order to get you the best quality photos.
- Make a statement – If you are making your own photo booth, be sure to place it in a highly visible area near to where the activity would be, such as the dance floor or bar. This ensures that the booth has a constant stream of guest traffic rather than it being hidden in an obscure corner.
- Be sure to have a backdrop to add more interest to the photos. A safe size to use would be about 5 feet high and perhaps 8-10 feet wide, or go larger if you would like to fit bigger groups of people. You can do a home-spun backdrop with fabric, wallpaper, ribbon streamers, bunting, a red carpet or suspended photo frames. If you would like a more elegant look, incorporate your monogramme into the backdrop.
- Props make it fun – Get shy guests to show their inner “party animal” by providing them with quirky props such as fake moustaches or lips, masks, hats, feather boas, signage and small chalkboards for them to write their own message! If you have a bigger budget you can incorporate devices like a wind-blower or a confetti machine.
- Get interactive – Bring in the bridesmaids and get them to toss their bouquets in the air, the groomsmen could goof around with the garter or ask the flower girl to throw petals so that the camera can capture them in mid air
