So you’re already a portrait or wedding photographer at this point. And you might be wanting to expand your business in a creative way.
So you look into doing some booths at different events. Most exclusive wedding events go from $600 for a booth to several thousand dollars to have a display area over the course of the weekend.
Yes you might get some bookings on the spot but how would you like to get paid to market yourself in a low-cost way?
Enter having an event photo booth. They are a great way to connect with clients in a low stress environment, create fun memories, pass out your business cards and be in the market place while getting paid to do so.
You might be thinking “ I can’t afford a photo booth they go from $7,000 to $ 10,000 to buy from vendors like the https://photoboothsupplyco.com/ Or https://firebooth.com/
Don’t sweat - we built ours for only under 1,000
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We were running a photo booth from iPad for a while and connecting it to a canon selfy printer-
it did work but the lag time on the printer was so slow that it was totally worth it to upgrade to a DNP printer (this will be your most important investment)
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Then we had to think about what software program we could use to create fun templates that would basically run the photobooth for us? We played around with simplebooth for the ipad- that worked okay but had trouble printing.
Then we tried DSLR Booth with our laptop and it was so easy and seamless to set up.
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All we had to do was make a template picture (we do a simple istagram sized picture on our phones using adobe spark post or canva) and then we just stick it in the template
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Then the best part- the backdrop stand and props from having so many kids Halloween parties. We already had a backdrop stand from doing portrait photography, so just getting some fun backdrops was all we needed.
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Let’s talk about lighting the photobooth. In many situations, our venues are dark. Yes, you can stick a ring light on a light stand and plug it in- we did that for over a year! But we like the quality of light better from a external flash and an umbrella set up. So if you already have an external flash like this one, then put an umbrella on a stand , then you should be ready to go!
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Then we came across the problem of customers not being able to see themselves on front of the camera. So we put an ipad on a stand running the DUET app that basically is another screen for them.
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Now it’s time to set it all up.
You can see our set up here: It does take about 30 minutes to set up for us since we have done it over the years. We had to practice several times before an event to get the Flow of what to do!
Let’s go over your checklist for your photobooth. You might already have a lot of these items laying around if you have been in business for any time.
o Camera (most DSLRs and mirrorless cameras that are compatible with DSLR booth will be fine)
o External flash/ ring light/ video light
o Laptop with DSLR booth
o All powerchords
o Printer, paper
o Backdrop stand
o Backdrop
o Table cloth
o Business cards
o Props
o Tables
o Extension chord/ surge protector
o Umbrella
o Light stand
So there you have it. Get going on creating a fun photobooth that you can already add to your services and get paid to market yourself around your community at events, corporate functions, parties and of course weddings to get your name out there in a creative way!
Christal Marshall is a mom of three, graphic designer with Studio Marshall Arts, photographer/ videographer with Virginia Photos and Films, homeschooler and just a straight hustler.
Completely self-taught, she grew her Etsy business to 4,000 sales and now has over 5 online stores selling her designs.
She builds around 20 websites a year using the wix platform for local businesses.
She also manages over 10 different social media accounts for local artists, bakers and entrepreneurs. Want us to work with you? www.studiomarshallarts.com
Book our studio now for your creative session in Hampton Roads, VA: www.rentasetva.com
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