Photobooths

As we head into warmer weather in 2020, and everyone starts to plan their upcoming events and parties it is time for us to partake in some advice as you begin your search for a photo booth. Now photo booths have continued to be popular for all kinds of events. And everyone assumes that a photo booth is a photo booth, but is it really? Photo booths have evolved from the typical two person booth that you enter, have a seat and pull the curtain before the magic begins. To today’s photo booths that come in many sizes, shapes and styles. The one that seems to have skyrocketed to the top are the kiosk style booths that use a backdrop of some type. Be it a unique wall at the venue, a backdrop (depending on the vendor inventory, there could be many to choose from) or a green screen. The reason why this style of booth have become so popular is because of the entertainment value that is added because everything is seen out in the open, there are no curtains drawn to hide behind. Here is where you will get encouragement from people standing in line, the kids in the adults come out, and it allows you to get group sizes of eight to ten people in the shot. There is no way you will be able to do that in the enclosed two person booths.

The big question everyone comes across is, “I have already hired a photographer, why do I need a photo booth?” Well photographers and photo booths are not the same, they serve two totally different functions at an event. A photographer is a professional that swiftly moves around the room during the event trying to capture those special moments, and depending on the package you chose they will also cleanup or make alterations to those photos to ensure the perfect shot for your memories. A photo booth is more of an area that creates a fun and exciting environment that also serves as entertainment at your event. Depending on what type of photo booth package you have chosen, it could also serve as a memento of the event for your guests. This means for those couples who are thinking about or setting a budget for your wedding favors, why not kill two birds with one stone and get a photo booth to serve as the wedding favor for your guests while providing them entertainment. It eliminates the need to make the favors, get them delivered to the venue, ensure they are put out, and not having to pack them up afterwards, and bringing them home because people forgot to grab one.

Now that you have decided to get a photo booth for your upcoming event, what should you look for when picking out the right one for you?

1. Quality – Lighting, print quality, and speed are important when selecting a photo booth. The last thing you want is a long line of people waiting for their prints. Ask for a sample of prints make sure they are not grainy, pixelated or washed out.

2. Is there an attendant supplied with the photo booth? Having an attendant may not seem like a big issue, but it really is and having a good attendant running it is so important. They ensure that your guests experience is a good one by ensuring everything is neat, in good working order and answer any questions they may have.

3. Props – This is where a lot of photo booths will differ and where it will make or break it for you and your guests. How many photo booths have you seen with cardboard cutouts and a few props sprinkled on the small table? Not with our photo booth as long as we are provided our 10x10 space we will not only cover one and two, but we will also layout two, six-foot tables full of props. You will also get a trunk of featherless boas and a tree of hats with about 16 of them. You also will see age/event appropriate PVC signs, countless glasses, boxing gloves, masks, and animated hands. The end game is to encourage your guests to come through the line multiple times. With this many props they will not be bored at all!

4. Price – Premium Photo booth rentals can vary in price anywhere from $400 and up per event, depending on how many hours are requested. The one thing you should be weary of is something that is too good to be true at a really cheap price. Go back to one, two, and three. Are they taking a shortcut in quality, props or prints? Our photo booth service provides each guest in the picture a strip of the session, a lot of cheaper services will not, instead they will give you two pictures and ask the other guests to send them to themselves with the social media kiosk. We not only provide them the pictures, but we also provide them the social media kiosk on top of that!

At the end of 2019 we decided to change our price structure to include three different levels of pricing. This was not just done because of price, but also because many of our previous clients really did not have the available space for our large setup. So with that in mind we came up with our Premium package which includes everything we are known for, but we added our Basic and Selfie Packages. Our Basic package at a reduced rate was created for those instances where space is an issue. It only includes one six-foot table of props, and a condensed offering of Glasses, Boas, hats and no Sharing Kiosk. Because of this of course the price is reduced considered to the Premium package and it is well received. The Selfie package is just that, it is just digital images and is geared towards local business events where prints are not preferred. This Package comes with the one six-foot table as the basic, but it does include the separate sharing kiosk since prints are not being provided and guests can send their images to the cell or email address.

5. Do your homework – If you hire a photo booth in Connecticut, that provider should be registered with the Department of Revenue and should have a certificate for Sales and Use Tax. Your contract (Yes there should be a contract to protect you and them) should have a line item for CT sales Tax (6.35%) and finally they should be insured. Not all venues require insurance but it should be a question you should ask someone who is in business. The last thing you want if something happens, is who will be responsible. Your vendor should have liability insurance for just that reason. Not having all of these item should be a red flag to you.

Do you really want to worry about “Will they be around when my event comes around?”

All of this should be available from your vendor when you sit down to discuss your event (Yes you should meet them in person whenever possible or skype). They should not be offended if you ask to see any of this paperwork and you as a consumer should feel comfortable with your vendor. Watch out for pressure tactics or an unreasonable amount of money being asked way in advance of your event. Our policy is we ask for small nominal booking fee to lock in the date along with a signed contract, and the balance is due the day of the event when we arrive. This way both parties are motivated to show up and feel safe that the vendor will be there.

This is a good start when it comes to hiring a photo booth for your next event, but there is so much more. If you would like more information on the Swazae Photo Booth or what else we can provide you please feel free to visit our website for not only additional information, but also to get a peak at our photo booth strip catalog that can be customized for your next event by visiting www.swazaephotobooth.com or www.djswazae.com