Photo booths have become a firm favourite at any event where you want to capture candid shots of your guests. It’s great to have a professional photographer on hand to do the formal photos so a photo booth can be a complementary companion.
Most people like them, even the shy ones and it gives guests a break, something to interact with and even rest their dancing feet!
Photos provide a wonderful keepsake of a special day, but what’s lovely about photo booths are they often capture candid type shots as guests can be creative and really show their personalities.
THEMES & PROPS
Themes are great for photo booths and help people relax and enjoy the experience.
Some suggestions are:
- Masquerade - make your own masks, ask guests to bring some or buy some
- Dress ups - collect from op shops or $2 shops
- Glasses - pimp up some old glasses or collect from novelty shops
- Bohemian - make flowered headdresses
- Colour - Collect a range of items in your theme colours
- Rustic - apple boxes, vintage items and materials
Or have a look at Trade Me for packs of props or pre-loved ones going cheap. Etsy has lots of photobooth printable props can use to make your own.
HOW TO GET STARTED:
BACKDROP
First of all, you need to create a photo booth and a backdrop is a great place to start. Here are some ideas:
- An old sheet, curtain or fabric or look in Spotlight or Look Sharp
- Old wood doors can look fabulous and are often cheap on Trade Me
- Create a backdrop using fake flowers or make paper flowers
- Fairy Light curtain
- Chalkboard wall paint a big sheet of plywood with chalk paint
- Barnwood wall made from old pallets
- Ribbon curtain strands of ribbon suspended from a pole
Pinterest has lots of ideas but to help we have created a Pinterest board for DIY Photobooth Ideas to help.
LIGHTING & LOCATION
You’ll need good lighting and space where you’re not in anyone's way but easily accessible to guests. If your set up is outside, make use of natural light. If you inside check the lighting as you may need some lights if the venue is dark.
FRAME
Some people create giant Polaroid frames for guests to hold. These are fun and easy to make with some foam core from Warehouse Stationery. Or you could buy a big photo frame from an op shop and just use the frame part. These look fab hung from a tree if your wedding is outside. Just Google: DIY giant polaroid frames and there’s a tonne of information.
HELP
You don’t need to do this alone, grab a couple of reliable friends and have fun getting creative. It can be as simple or as complex as you decide you want it to be. Give yourself lots of time to prepare and set up. If you can visit the venue way ahead of time, you can make sure you find the perfect set up spot.
OUR FIVE TOP TIPS
1. It’s okay for guests to say no I don’t want my photo taken. The last thing you want to do is put pressure on your guests, if a little gentle persuasion isn’t working then it’s fair to say your guest isn’t comfortable. Best to back off they might join in the fun at their own pace.
2. Give yourself more set up time than you think you need and do a practice set up at home and take a photo so you can replicate it on the day easily.
3. Ideally, you will want someone to be responsible for the booth, and unless you’re paying them, they’ll be a guest. So you’ll want them to have fun themselves. Setting a start and stop time for the booth will ensure they get to enjoy your wedding too. Get your MC to tell guests about the photo booth and again a reminder before you close it.
4. Have plenty of film on hand for your camera and spare batteries. Film is expensive so another good reason why having someone looking after your photo booth. This will avoid kids going wild with the film and also a friend can monitor film use. Decide upfront if you want guests to take a photo home or if all the photos are for you to keep for your guestbook. Remember don't buy your film too early as it expires. Look out for deals online and check Trade Me for people selling surplus film after their events just check the expiry dates. Instax now offer Event Hire Kits a great way of hiring all your cameras and film at the same time.
5. If you’ve got young children attending your event, giving them some props to hold in the photo booth will help to keep them still and focussed while you need them to be!
OCCASIONS TO USE A PHOTO BOOTH
If you’re wondering when you’d use a photo booth, here are some ideas:
- Hens Party
- Weddings
- Birthday Party
- Baby Shower
- Barmitzvah or Batmitzvah
- Christmas Party
A BOOK FOR YOUR PHOTOS
Whether you have Instax prints or photo booth strips you will want to make sure you have somewhere for guests to put the photos. If you want the photos to go straight in a book have a table set up where this can be displayed with instructions for guests. We also have a collection of photo guestbooks
We’d love to know if we’ve missed any out and if you’ve used one before and where. Don’t be shy, contact us and let us know!
