This last Sunday we had a photo booth at the wedding besides doing our normal photography. This isn’t something we do all the time, but it really is a great addition to have. People have so much fun getting in front of the camera and acting goofy. I’ve seen a ton of photo booths over the years, and the results aren’t always the same. Sometimes things are great and other times it’s a complete flop. If you’re going to have a photo booth at your wedding, here’s how to get the best wedding photo booth pictures. 

How to Get the Best Wedding Photo Booth Pictures

There are really two options for a photo booth: DIY or a paid service. Both have their own issues to deal with, so I’ll try to cover each individually as well as problems that affect both.

DIY Photo Booth

Everyone has a camera these days, either on their phone or a DSLR, so it is possible to save some money and have a DIY photo booth. I’m not going to go into all the steps of making a DIY photo booth, but here are some of the major things to fix.

First, you need decent equipment if you want a decent outcome. That means you need a quality camera, but luckily, these are really cheap and could even be your phone. Next, you want to have a printer. It is possible to just take the photos, but that takes half the fun out of it. People want to have that print and take it home. Please don’t go with the cheapest printer possible. The prints will not be sharp and most likely fade within a year. You can get a decent printer for around $100, and then you can continue to use it for other things later.

The biggest mistake you can make with a DIY photo booth is lighting. Bad lighting will ruin everything! Either put your DIY photo booth in a well lit area or you can add light. This could be a flash or some form of continuous light. You don’t have to spend a ton, but do something. You can be a $25 shop light and that should work fine. Again, bad lighting will ruin your booth. Do something.

Photo Booth Rental

If you Google “Photo Booth Rental,” you’ll quickly see that there are tons and tons available. This doesn’t mean they are all great or anything alike. You need to do some research before picking a photo booth rental company.

The first thing that you need to consider is the form of the photo booth. In the past, photo booth meant a square box you got in and took photos. Now, it can be basically any form. There are still the box types, but now there are open photo booths, and I’ve even seen one that’s in a van.

The form is going to affect a lot of things. How many people are you wanting to be in each picture? Some booths only only 2 or 3 while others can hold 8 or more. How much space do you have? Some booths take up 3×3 while others (the van), are really big and take some effort to get in place.

The next thing to check out is what you get with the booth. Do you get prints? If so, are you limited to a certain number, do you get an album, or what sizes are available? Will there be someone there running it or are you all on your own? Most booths can be run by the guests, but what will you do if something stops working?

Best Tips for Photo Booths, DIY and Rental

It doesn’t matter how awesome your photo booth is if no one uses it. Here are a few things you need to do to make sure your photo booth is a hit.

First, location is key. Your booth needs to be where people can see it. If they don’t see it, they won’t use it. You can help by having signs and making an announcement, but still, having the booth where people can see it is best.

Make the booth fun! That means you need lots of props. Most rental companies will provide this, but feel free to create your own that might fit with the theme or your personality. Also, feel free to decorate more with signs and lights, and have other things for them to do right around the booth to stay busy.

The best way to get people into the photo booth is for the bride and groom to use it. People want to be around the couple, so if they are over at the booth, people will follow. That doesn’t mean to spend the entire time there, but a few trips throughout the night will get people flowing to the photo booth.

Conclusion

Photo booths are a lot of fun, and I don’t see them going away any time soon. There are more and more options out there every day, but that doesn’t automatically mean your photo booth will be a success. Follow these tips to get the best photo booth photos.