If you’re one of Sarah’s returning clients we may have met before – Hi Again! If you’re one of Sarah’s new clients thinking about booking a booth for your event – Nice to meet you! And if you’ve wandered into this blog from Google or Instagram, having never booked with Ever Changing before – Hello to you too! I hope we get to meet soon. I’ve been working with Sarah for a few years now. Sometimes as her second photographer, sometimes as her substitute, her website designer, content marketer, but originally as her Photo Booth Attendant.
I’ve run enough Photo Booths to know that it’s more than an accessory for your wedding or daughter’s Sweet 16. It’s an experience. That’s the key word. An experience.
Guests are doing more than taking pictures to fill time. It’s not about taking a photo of your best side. It’s about wearing goofy glasses and posing like Charlie’s Angels with your girlfriends. No strings. No complications.
For an experience that’s so spontaneous by nature, it’s almost ironic how much careful preparation needs to be involved to have a successful booth. Preparations that you, as the event planner, will have to decide when picking your venue, layout, and vendor. If you’re thinking about getting a Photo Booth for your next event, here are a few things to consider based on my experience:
Location, Location, Location
You know the phrase, “location, location, location” for a reason. It matters. When deciding where to put your booth, the location can make the experience. If you decide to put it in the same room as the party, all of your guests will see it. They’ll also see other guests using it and will be encouraged to use it themselves. Usually that means high intensity traffic.
Booths not set up within eyeline of the entire party are more likely to promote privacy and comfort. Guests are encouraged to enjoy it at their own pace. They’ll still have a blast at the booth, but in a more controlled environment. Booths can be a great way to encourage guests to explore the venue and find places for quiet conversation away from the party. Just make sure your DJ gives it a shout out or two.
If you want your booth to have that high-energy party vibe, its good to have it in the main space. Boa feathers may get everywhere (we’ll clean it up) and your cousin may start photobombing every other group, but your guests will feel that energy. If you want a booth that allows for a more private and orderly experience, putting it in a separate room, garage, or distance away from the main event may midgait traffic. At no cost to the fun-factor of course.
Whichever is best for your event is up to you – just make sure there’s an electrical outlet near by!
“Siri, What’s The Weather Today?“
We love outdoor events. We love the natural light, the open feeling, and welcoming the mood it sets. Keeping an eye out for storm clouds is no trade secret. But there’s a more egregious threat to your outdoor event you might not even be thinking about. The silent party-killer: Wind.
If you’re going to have an event outside, consult with your Photo Booth vendor on how their setup holds up in windy conditions. If their booth is a trailer space – great! But if it’s an open air booth, the wind could take down the backdrop, scatter the props, and make it difficult for your guests to pose. Always have an indoor location planned as a backup.
But How Much Space Do I Need?
Make sure to consult your vendor on the dimensions of their booth. Ever Changing’s most popular booth is an open air. This means no walls: just a camera, a backdrop, and you in between. The best pictures are taken in an 8 x 10 ft space. We also offer enclosed booths at several sizes. Then factor in any tables or additional surface space. Your vendor will probably require a prop table at least. They may bring there own, or the venue may provide one, as long as the space details are communicated.
Discuss the dimensions with your vendor to help get an accurate idea of the venue’s final layout. The more accurate the details, the better prepared your vendor will be. And don’t forget about the overhead space. Height matters!
Communication is Key
In the end, the most important part of preparation is communicating with your vendor. Sarah and I want to give you the perfect booth. We want the backdrop to be just what you imagined, the props to match your theme, and fabulous printouts. If you want sunflower props at your grandmother 90th birthday party, we want that too! But those can be hard to find or have shipped a few days before the event.
Sometimes its not possible to make changes the day before. We want to get you that custom backdrop, but our backdrop vendor has a lead time. You don’t have to know you want your grandmother’s 90th birthday party to have rolling fields as a backdrop and sunflower props – but letting your vendor know as soon as you do will help them accommodate you.
Photo Booths are more than opening an old drawer to find a picture of everyone dressed in boas and hats, jumping in mid air. Photo Booths are the memory of how half the family failed to get the timing right, and then laughing at the resulting picture. Persevering the emotion in the time families and friends spend together is what Photo Booths are about. The little details go a long way to making that possible.