Anybody offering a photobooth for less than 500.00 on a weekend should find a new business because they are providing poor quality service to their customers. This is not an opinion, this is a fact. Buyers should beware! Did you know a couple years ago that a photobooth for a wedding cost as much as $1,500.00 for a 4 hour booking? Is that price excessive? Yes, maybe it was but there were less competitors back then so there wasn’t much competition, so photobooth owners could set their prices high. This day in age there are a ton of photobooth providers in our market so prices have gone down significantly but that has also brought owners into our market that are renting a photobooth service but aren’t really providing a photobooth service. There is a HUGE difference in companies offering “photobooths” for less than $500.00 on a weekend for an event. The first question you should ask yourself is, is it really a photobooth? Does it print on-site? Are they using a webcam or a DSLR camera? Is there even a actual photobooth or is it a photographer standing in front of a backdrop taking pictures? If you answered no to any one of these questions then it is NOT a photobooth. Now let’s discuss the difference in a true photobooth company and why we do not price match. Our booths are real photobooths whether it be an open air booth or a traditional closed curtain booth. We use DSLR cameras. We print on site. We are also social media integrated meaning we send pics straight to your clients phones as well. Now lets discuss our costs. Our costs include paper and ink, gas, employees, prop damage, scrapbook materials, repairs to our booths, template design, insurance, advertising, postage, online gallery usage, ETC. When you add up the cost of an event it can total as much as $400.00 for a 3 hour event. We take great pride in everything that we do including our booth appearance, our employees appearance, timeliness, our picture quality, our prop quality, our scrapbook quality, our print out quality, our galleries an so much more. The point is,  just because we may be asking a couple hundred dollars more than our competitors we are paying attention to every little detail of our business and how that product is served to you and your guests. We run our business as a full time business. Do you really think the vendor who is making $85.00 at a booking pays attention to every aspect of the service they are providing? Are they cleaning their props between usage? Are they concerned that the picture quality is perfect? Are they going to show on time? Are they going to show at all? What does the photobooth presentation look like? What do the scrapbooks look like? Are they hiding charges that you will get later? What is the appearance of their booth attendants?  Are they trained to handle situations where the software stops working or the printers stop working at an event? Chances are the answer is no. Most of these one man companies,  DJ’s, or evn photographers who have purchased a photobooth or social media booth don’t have a backup if the equipment stops functioning at an event. We realize in this business and we know that each event is a special moment that you have put a lot of thought into. We know we only have one chance to make it perfect. We specialize in photobooths like your baker specializes in cakes. We are prepared for issues and we truly care about making your event perfect. There are a couple companies in the market like us who may not have the lowest prices but we truly treat this as a business because it is our FULL TIME JOB! This is not a side business for us so your review or referral  after our service is provided means everything to us.  You get what you pay for! We make sure the experience is perfect every time. These differences in my opinion are worth the couple of hundred dollars that we may be charging. Reviews speak all the truth that you need. Please take the time to read them. Please BEWARE OF WHAT YOU ARE BUYING! BECAUSE IT COMES WITH THE LOWEST PRICE TAG DOESN’T MEAN IT IS THE SAME SERVICE. ALL PHOTOBOOTH COMPANIES ARE NOT CREATED EQUALLY.

We have added 6 more backdrops to our collection. That takes us over 20 backdrop choices. We all know that the people and the props make the photo but we think the backdrop helps as well. We also know that the perfect backdrop that fits seamlessly into your decor makes all the difference in the world. We are always looking for new and fun ways to make your event perfect.

Open air photobooths is a fairly new photobooth trend to hit the market over the past 5 years. Fast gaining popularity the open air photobooth is now  the most popular photobooth for weddings, corporate functions, festivals, parties and school formals.

The first thought that generally pops into a person’s mind when they hear the term photobooth is that of an enclosed booth which you step into. Concealed behind a curtain there is generally a bench seat and enough room for a few people to tightly squeeze in. After following instructions on a touch screen the photo booth takes a series of photographs and prints out photo strips for you to take home.

There are definitely similarities between open and closed photobooths the open style booth generally tends to build upon the idea of a traditional closed booth, offering a fun and modern twist on the classic closed style booth.

The best way to describe an open air photo booth is that it is like a portable photographic studio. There is no traditional booth as such that users step into, but more of  photographic backdrop that users stand in front of. From here the setup can vary greatly from one open photo booth hire company to the next, both in quality and setup. In my opinion an open air photobooth still has to have the actual photobooth box rather than a photographer taking pictures in front of a backdrop but you will find companies who say that this is considered a photobooth.

At the simple end of the spectrum some photographers will place a camera on a tripod and use this to capture photographs. Guests will stand in front of the backdrop and the photographer will instruct them to pose whilst capturing their photo. At the time guests can’t see their photographs, nor do they receive prints. Rather, the photographer will deliver the photographs as digital files after the event. THIS IS NOT AN OPEN AIR PHOTOBOOTH!

We also  have photographers with a similar setup, they will however include a printer and offer instant prints during the event. THIS IS STILL NOT AN OPEN AIR PHOTOBOOTH!

The problem with such a setup  is that guests have a photographer posing them, instructing them and generally playing a large role in the process. This can make a lot of guests feel uncomfortable which takes the fun out of a photobooth and that’s not the experience a good photo booth should offer, nor is it the experience that leads to the most candid, creative and hilarious photos possible.

So then, what would you consider a good open photobooth?

In our opinion, similar to the way closed photobooths are operated by the user with a touch screen, there are a bunch of open air photobooth companies offering booths based around a very similar user experience. This is the kind of photo booth we offer at Closed Curtain Photobooth.

These open photobooths typically consist of a unit which houses a touch screen and a camera, the units are usually the height and size of an average person and can be housed in our traditional photobooth boxes or our new Mirror Me Photobooth.

Here’s how the experience plays out from a users point of view:

·   grab some props from the props box or table

·   stand in front of the background

·   touch the screen on the open photo booth to begin a series of photos

·   photos are printed on the spot

·   Leave with a smile on your face!

·   Drink more alcohol and come back and take even more hilarious pictures

Why would I hire an open booth over a closed booth?

There are many reasons why a client might choose to book an open photobooth over a closed booth and it’s for these reasons we’re seeing such a dramatic  increase in the popularity of open booths. The closed photo booth on the other hand is starting to become somewhat dated. Let’s take a look at a few of the benefits of an open photo booth

·        Open air photobooths can generally fit a lot more people in the photo! A closed booth offers a small space for users to squeeze tightly into, the camera is only a few feet from the user and typically it can be a struggle to fit more that a few people in a picture. On the other hand, because open photo booths use a large backdrop guests can walk freely into the area and strike a pose using their entire body or in a large group! The most people we’ve ever had in one of our open photo booths is 32. Much of the size depends on the distance of the boxes to the backdrop. 

·        Image quality. A great photograph must have a couple things to increase quality, in the case of a photo booth, two defining factors are camera quality and lighting. It’s not uncommon for many photo booth operators to use a poor quality camera, some even use webcams. This stands for both open and closed photo booths, so it’s important to make sure your operator uses a professional DSLR. We would never use anything less because the finished product is the most important thing for us.

·        Lighting is one area where open photo booths really excel, the setup offers great potential for operators to provide extremely high quality lighting with flattering and vibrant photographs where everyone looks great. In order to achieve these results the operator must have a good understanding of photography and lighting, it’s what really sets some hire companies apart from the crowd. I always recommend scrolling through each companies client galleries prior to booking. You will find a huge difference in quality just by taking the time to look.

·        Accessibility. Open air photo booths are incredibly portable, the setup can be broken down and carried into difficult to access areas, such as up stairs and through narrow doors. Traditional closed booths are bulky and heavy. 

·        Crazy ridiculous fun! Yep, that’s right. One aspect of open photo booths is that it’s easy for guests to jump in on the action, photo bombing is welcomed! Want to drag grandma into the shot? No problem! Open air booths are  more interactive and that leads to more pictures and more fun!

Hopefully you’ve learned a little bit more about open photobooths and can make an educated decision when deciding what style of photobooth you want for your event and which company to hire!

We are proud to introduce our new MIRROR ME PHOTO BOOTH. This is the first and only of its kind in Hampton Roads. This is definitely the coolest and sexiest photo booth Hampton Roads has to offer.

The Mirror Me Booth is a unique photo-generating product offering the latest technology in interactive picture taking. The full-length mirror offers a sleek design and a user-friendly interface, communicating with guests through a touch screen of colorful animations and entertaining voice guidance.

With a customizable Workflow and Layout Builder, you can choose from a wide array of features to include in the interactive photo-taking experience. Choose to include gesture guidance, voice guidance, animated scenes displayed on the mirror, touch screen neon photo signing, an interactive “Screaming Contest”, and a colorful photo countdown.

I guarantee your guests will be talking about this photo booth for months after your wedding. You married couples will be saying “I wish this booth was around when we got married”.

Call Us Today To Book! Saturdays are going very quickly. 757-343-5396

Today we’re talking about something that is near and dear to my heart- hiring professionals for your wedding. One would think that hiring professionals would be a no-brainer, but this isn’t always true. Sometime you think hiring a company who specializes in DJ services but has photo booths is just easier. Sometimes you just want to spend as little as possible, and so you resort to trying to find “alternatives” for the usual wedding services. And some of these “alternatives” usually end up involving having a friend or family member or friend of a friend or distant cousin do something instead of hiring a professional. In fact, there are even wedding planning sites out there that will tell you to not hire professionals in order to save money. Well friends, that is not a good idea. If you ask me, not hiring professionals is a recipe for disaster! Hiring a friend would end up causing way more issues than paying for a professional would… and yes, you get what you pay for!

Hiring a DJ who has a photo booth or a photographer who has a photo booth is also a recipe for disaster. Let’s be honest, you want your wedding to be perfect, so making sure that each aspect of your wedding is perfect should be left to the professionals in their prospective field. A company that specializes in photo booths pays attention to every little detail of the photo booth to make sure the props are clean and organized. They make sure the selection of props is amazing and not just some reused bucket of props from the wedding the night before. They will also make sure that the prints that the guest receive is just as beautiful as the rest of the details of your wedding. The scrapbooks are very important as well. When a company focuses on one service in particular you are going to have a better experience all the way around. It may seem easier to just have someone include a booth with their package but do you want just some booth? Do your guest want just some booth?  Statistics show that guests spend just as much time in the booth as they do anything else at the wedding. (BAR INCLUDED)

Contrary to popular belief you will also not save time booking a combo package rather than booking with a company who specializes in photo booths. Most bookings only take 15 minutes in entirety. If you decide you want the photo booth to be just as amazing as the rest of your wedding, we are here to help you. Call us today 757-343-5396

 

 

1.  Do they have insurance?

What can go wrong?  Oh, please!  This is probably the most important event of your life.  Your Venue, Caterer, Coordinator, DJ, Photographer and even your cake vendor will most likely have insurance. It is just as important that your photo booth entertainment does as well. Are you hiring a professional or an amateur? It has been a huge trend lately of photographers,dj’s, ETC. offering a photo booth as a way to increase their revenue. Would you buy a car from your insurance salesman? I would assume not. Let’s be honest you are either ok at a lot of things or great at one single thing. I have never seen a DJ or a photographer that has a great photo booth. You are not saving money by using them!!!!!!

The Gold Sequin’s backdrop coupled with a Open Air Booth has been a huge hit as of late. We wanted to post some of our favorite pics from some of our December bookings where clients used the gold sequin’s backdrop.

Anthony’s 40th Birthday 12/17/2015 at the Norfolk Waterside Sheraton Hotel. It was such a beautiful event.