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Let’s be honest, many events, whether they are for the purpose of work or pleasure can be a little boring. Throwing an event can be a real challenge, especially when it comes to keeping your guests entertained. That's where a good photo booth hire company can help.
A lot of the time people attending your event won’t know anyone. A photo booth encourages people to relax, mix with others and have some fun experimenting with the features of a good photo booth.
What is a Photo Booth
A photo booth is an interactive photo experience that can take photos and other forms of digital media. They are a great way to entertain guests and capture individual and group photos at an event. They have become a popular and entertaining addition for weddings, corporate events, parties and brand promotions.
There are lots of different photo booth hire options out there so in this article we cover everything you need to know about photo booth hire and how to find the perfect hire company.
Benefits of Photo Booth Hire
Non-Stop Entertainment
One of the main aims of your event regardless of why people are attending should be to make it enjoyable. A Photo booth can offer a fun and interactive experience that can do just that, make your event enjoyable.
They provide an opportunity for guests to enjoy an event by taking captures with friends, family, colleagues or sometimes complete strangers. Photo booth hire isn't just for parties or weddings either, corporate photo booth hire is becoming popular too.
Making Memories
A lot of effort goes into planning an event so you want your attendees to look back at it with fond memories. Whether you opt for a photo booth package that sends captures digitally or offers instant prints, people will be able to look back at their photos and remember what a great time they had.
If opting for a photo booth hire package with prints, always book a photo booth that uses a dedicated high-quality photo printer to ensure the prints are worth keeping, get 4 x 6 size prints if you can.
Great for Socials
Good photo booths will allow users to send their captures instantly to themselves via email, text or airdrop to then share on social media. If you are hosting a brand or corporate event they provide an excellent opportunity to promote your brand to a broader audience.
Personalized Experience
Some photo booth companies give you the option to personalise or theme your photo booth experience with custom backdrops, props, personalised user screens and photo templates. Generally speaking, the better a photo booth caters for this, the better the experience will be.
If you are hiring a photo booth to promote a product or for brand awareness consider a photo booth hire company that will brand the booth with your logo or brand colours. They should also be able to design your photo template with your branding on it. Think of all those people who will be taking a photo home with your branding on, it can be a great marketing tool.
Factors to Consider when Hiring Photo Booths
Types of Photo Booth
There are several types of photo booths to choose from. Consider the look and functionality you want from a photo booth when looking at options. The amount of space you have will be a big influence on which option is right for you.
1. Open-air Photo Booth Hire
An open-air booth will be a stand-alone machine and will usually come with the option of adding a backdrop. Their small footprint makes them perfect for weddings or a birthday party. They typically only require a space of 10 square feet so are perfect for smaller venues too.
Open-air Photo Booth
2. Enclosed Photo Booth Hire
Enclosed photo booths are similar to those used for passport photos and can be a solid structure or an inflatable. These will require much more space. They were typically released when photo booths first became popular so check the technology and functionality are up to scratch.
3. Magic Mirror Hire
These are full-height mirrors with cameras built in. Again they are fairly large in size so make sure you have plenty of space. Magic mirror photo booths are becoming less popular as they can look old-fashioned but they can be an option if you are looking for a more vintage look.
Type of Event
The type of occasion will likely determine the type of booth you go for and which features you want.
If you are planning a corporate event or looking for brand photo booth hire you will likely be interested in different features, compared to say a wedding or a party photo booth.
Wedding Photo Booth Hire
Photo booth hire is very popular with weddings and for good reason. It's entertaining for guests and is a great way to get some (sometimes crazy) photos you otherwise would have missed out on. People still love the novelty of being able to print and take away their photos instantly, they make great favours too!
Corporate Photo Booth Hire and Brand Events
Photo booth rental can be a great promotional tool at corporate events.
For brands, photo booths can help increase customer loyalty and are a great solution for building connections with potential customers at product launches, pop-ups and promotional events. More advanced photo booths will be able to collect valuable data for customer insights and remarketing.
Party Photo Booth Hire
One of the most popular reasons people hire a photo booth is for a children's or adult's birthday party or for Christmas parties. A good party photo booth hire company will be able to work to a theme, providing bespoke props, backdrop and professionally designed user screens and print templates.
DSLR VS Digital
DSLR Photo Booth Hire
A DSLR booth will use a DSLR camera and can sometimes provide a higher-quality photo than a digital booth. This will depend on how well the equipment has been set up and operated and what printer is being used.
If you are booking a photo booth hire for a wedding reception you will likely already have a photographer booked for professional-grade, edited photos, so don't get fixated with pixels. There will likely be some compromise when it comes to the number of features the DSLR booth has and how easy it is to use.
Digital Photo Booth Hire
Digital photo booth hire will typically have a better, customised user interface, have more features and will be easier to use.
A good digital photo booth (not all digital booths are the same) can also produce great-quality images.
Consider what company will provide the best overall experience.
Features
Usually the more features the photo booth hire has to offer the better the experience will be. You don’t want people to use the booth once and not use it again. Look for a photo booth that can at least take photos, GIFs and Boomerangs. Make sure the photo booth has the functionality to send photos instantly once people have taken them via text, email and airdrop.
Boomerang
Other good photo booth hire features to look out for are digital masks (the digital version of props), video guest book and virtual booth.
Digital Mask
Video Guest Book
A video guest book allows users to use a microphone to leave a video message, this is a wonderful feature if you are looking for a wedding photo booth hire. Being able to watch back loved ones wishing you well years after your wedding can be priceless.
Virtual Booth
Virtual booth allows anyone, on any device to take and post personalised photos, boomerangs, GIFs and video to the events live gallery. This is great a great feature for those organising a hybrid event (uses a combination of in-person and digital elements). Linking the virtual event to the photo booth allows guests that aren't attending to have the same experience as those that are.
Quality
Quality service and the quality of the equipment is important. You want the booth to look good, have the latest technology to capture good photos, have lots of functionality and be easy and fun for guests to use.
Do your research on the features a photo booth has, and look for examples of captures on their website. Keep a look out for any accreditations the company has and read any reviews to see what others who have used the company think.
Photo Booth Props
The props and backdrops offered by the photo booth company can make or break the experience. Make sure to ask about the types of props and backdrops on offer if a company doesn't have them on their website.
Simple stick props can work really well as they can tie in with your event and aren’t overbearing. If you like bigger props try to find a company with good quality options. A couple of our favourites are the mini guitar and a handheld bubble machine. Digital masks can also be a fun alternative to physical props.
Photo Booth Backdrops
The most popular types of backdrops for photo booth hire are printed, sequin or shimmer backdrops. If you are going to buy or hire a neon sign for your backdrop make sure it's dimmable. If it’s too bright it may cause your photos to be overexposed.
To create the biggest impact consider a bespoke backdrop with balloons or florals.
Extras
Many Photo booth hire companies will offer add-ons to photo booth hire packages for an additional charge. Check what's included when comparing package options and factor in the additional extras you want when comparing prices.
Typical add-ons include unlimited prints, additional operating time, guest books and personalised USB sticks.
Some photo booth hire companies will also have other bespoke backdrop options such as a green screen, custom printed backdrops (great for brands).
Location
Try to find a photo booth hire company that is within two hours from your venue. Some companies will travel nationwide but additional mileage costs can soon add up. Snapsy offers photo booth hire in the these locations:
Photo Booth Hire Norfolk
Photo booth Hire Suffolk
Photo booth Hire Essex
Photo booth Hire Cambridge
Price
The cost of photo booth hire can vary greatly depending on the company that is providing photo booths and the packages offered. Remember you tend to get what you pay. Everyone has a budget but don’t be tempted to go for the cheapest option just because they are cheapest, if you haven’t researched what you're getting.
Compare several companies and what they have to offer and remember to compare apples with apples when it comes to packages.
A company's website is a great starting point for researching photo booth hire companies. They will often have the answers to any questions you may have, including what photo booth packages are available and their prices.
Look for an FAQ page for more detailed information such as what areas they cover or if there are any additional travel or set-up costs.
FAQ's
How much should you spend on a photo booth?
In the UK expect to pay anything from £400 - £1500 to hire a photobooth for a wedding or party. For corporate or larger public events expect to pay £1000+.
How can I get a cheap photo booth?
If your budget won't stretch to hiring a photo booth the most budget-friendly alternative would be to go old-school with disposable cameras.
What can I use instead of a photo booth?
Some alternative options to hiring a photo booth are hiring a caricaturist, a magician or a designated candid photographer.
Conclusion
Now you know the different types of photo booth hire that are available and what to look for when choosing who to hire from.
Choosing the perfect photo booth for your event will depend on your venue, type of event and maybe most importantly the kind of experience you want.
Learn how Snapsy Photo Booth Hire Can Take your Event to the Next Level.