I’ve had so many inquiries recently about my new photobooth that I thought I should write a little info blog for you all! I formally introduced the photobooth at Kathy Jo & Matt’s wedding in December, and I used it again on NYE at KerryAnn & Kevin’s wedding – and it looks like a good number of my summer wedding clients will also be using it, which is great! It’s been a really fun addition, and I think the best thing about it is that even the shyest guests come out of themselves and have a really good time goofing around when they’re in the photobooth setting. I’m not sure I can explain why, but it’s something good to know.

So, what is the photobooth? It’s not a booth in the traditional sense, but rather a little area that I set up with a black backdrop and a set of studio lights with umbrellas. It requires some space – the black background covers roughly 6 feet by 6 feet of wall space, and I set up the studio lights, one on each side, a few feet in front of the wall where the backdrop is. So, ideally, I need a space which is around 8 feet wide, 6 feet deep and 7-8 feet high, and it needs to be in a fairly low-traffic area so that the lights don’t get in the way of people passing through. I also need at least one power outlet, and it needs to be indoors or under cover. Most venues have the perfect space for a photobooth somewhere – and often it’s on the way to the rest rooms or near the bar area.

And how does it work? Well, I usually set up the booth during or after dinner, and we don’t use it until the key events of your reception have taken place – so usually after the toasts, cake-cutting, first dance and so on. It works well if we start the photobooth part way into the dancing part of the reception. If I’m working with an assistant, we take turns manning the booth – we use a dedicated digital SLR camera which is set up in the booth area, so we can just take it in turns taking photos there. If I’m working without an assistant, I will either set up the booth for just 45 minutes or so and be there the whole time, or the booth can be set up for longer and guests can come and find me for photos (and I’ll be out on the dance floor taking candids the rest of the time).

How much does it cost? For 2008, I am offering the photobooth for free to all of my wedding couples – all I ask is that you give me at least a couple of weeks’ notice if you’d like a photobooth at your wedding. While it is being offered free, I am processing the photos in black and white only.

So why have a photobooth? There are so many reasons! It’s great if you have lots of shy guests who usually avoid having their photo taken; it gives guests something else fun to do during the reception; it adds interest to your album; it’s a great way to get groups of friends together in photos when usually they aren’t included during the ‘formal’ photos; and last but not least, we always get GREAT pictures!

I think the photos speak for themselves – so here are some of my favorites from the two December weddings: