Photo Booth Planet

Open air photo booth or enclosed?

Posted 12/02/14 in: New Jersey New York

Open air photo booth or enclosed?  In the past few months, I’ve had many people approach me asking about our photo booth services.  Often times, in the midst of the conversation, I realize that we’re visualizing two completely different photo booths.  So, I thought it would be helpful to write a blog post to help clarify the difference between an open air photo booth and an enclosed photo booth.  Just in case you find yourself throwing a party somewhere in NYC and you’re looking to hire a photo booth for your next event.  The first question you may want to ask is: open air photo booth or enclosed?

1) An open air photo booth typically has a camera set-up with an open backdrop.  The printer is located somewhere either on a table or inside a pod that houses both the camera and the printer.  I’ve seen some beautifully designed pod units recently.  Other open air photo booth set-ups simply have the printer on a table or underneath the camera itself.  Usually, the open air photo booth set-up has various backdrops.  There are some open air photo booth companies that offer green screen background, allowing the user to choose the different types of settings for their photo.  It can get a bit technical, but these photos can be quite entertaining if done well!  Most open air photo booth set-ups require a significant amount of space in the venue with limited or no privacy when you take the photo.

2) In contrast to the open air photo booth you have an enclosed photo booth.  This varies from company to company, but the enclosed photo booth set-up usually has several pipes with curtains draped around it to create a tent-like set-up.  Recently, I saw a company using an inflatable booth (sort of like a bounce house) to enclose the photo area.  For enclosed photo booths, the set-up is similar to an open air photo booth – a camera and printer in a pod with a backdrop.  There is a bit more privacy with the enclosed photo booth.  These stand-in enclosed photo booths also typically require a fair amount of venue space as well.

3) We offer a third option, which we think provides an experience similar to the original, vintage photo booths that originated in the early 20th century.  Our vintage photo booth aims to retain the authenticity of the original photo booth, in which the guest sits down on a bench, pulls the curtain and pushes a button.   Our photo booth prints the strips out from booth itself, adding the element of mystery and the joy of reaching into the machine and grabbing their prints.  Our vintage photo booth requires a space of 6 feet by 3 feet and has the versatility to fit into tight NYC restaurants or large extravagant NYC hotels.

At the end of the day,  these things are a matter of taste.  I thought writing a post clarifying some of these differences between an open air photo booth, an enclosed photo booth, or a more traditional, classic photo booth would potentially be beneficial to anyone looking to hire a photo booth for their next event in NYC.  Either way, we love photo booths and we are happy to see people enjoying them again!

Photo booth rental NYC

Posted 11/28/14 in: New Jersey New York

Interested in a photo booth rental NYC?  In light of Thanksgiving, we wanted to share our gratitude to our wonderful clients and the unique venues visited throughout NYC this past year.  Our vintage photo booth made stops throughout NYC, from way uptown to way downtown, we’ve visited some of the most beautiful venues in NYC.  Interested in a photo booth rental NYC?  Check out some of our favorite venues.

– The Plaza Hotel (http://www.theplazany.com) – Fifth Avenue at Central Park South New York, NY 10019 – classic, historic NYC venue with extravagant ballroom perfect for our vintage photo booth

– Tribeca Rooftop (http://www.apogeeevents.com) – 2 Desbrosses St. New York, NY 10013 – venue housed in a vintage 1920’s printing press building with exceptional views of the Hudson River at sunset, another perfect spot for our vintage photo booth

– Chelsea Piers The Lighthouse (http://piersixty.com/the-lighthouse/about-the-lighthouse/) – Pier 61, 23rd Street and West Side Highway, New York, NY 10011 – beautiful space with unique views of the Hudson River – another one of our favorite sites for our vintage photo booth

– New Leaf Restaurant (http://newleafrestaurant.com) – One Margaret Corbin Drive, Fort Tryon Park, New York, NY 10040 – part of the New York Restoration Project (NYRP), all net proceeds support the organization’s efforts to restore other parks through NYC

– The Museum of the Moving Image (http://www.movingimage.us) – 36-01 35th Ave, Astoria, NY 11106 – great museum dedicated to the art, history, technique, and technology of the moving image – a perfect location for our classic photo booth

We are overwhelmingly grateful to our wonderful clients, but also all the guests who jumped into our classic photo booth and posed for photos.  Next time you consider a party in NYC, ask yourself: photo booth rental NYC?  Check us out at photoboothplanet.com.

Seasons, Washington Township, New Jersey – Photo Booth Fundraiser

Posted 11/18/14 in: New Jersey New York

Last night, I had the pleasure of joining various restaurants and caterers at the Taste of Bergen County event to help raise funds for the Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus, NJ.  As part of the event, we offered our vintage photo booth to guests as they wined and dined with some of the best local foods in the area and raised funds for the Medical Center.  The night started off slow (probably because of the wonderful selection of foods throughout the location), but eventually, we had people jumping in and out of our classic photo booth throughout the evening.  We also enjoyed the hospitality of Seasons Catering (http://www.seasonscatering.com) in Washington Township, NJ as they hosted the event.  We had a ton of fun helping support local businesses and the Bergen Regional Medical Center here in Bergen County, NJ with our vintage photo booth!  If you’re looking to add a fun, classy touch to your next holiday party, fundraising event, or special event, we would love to join you!

Our Vintage Photo Booth with the Iconic Polaroid

Posted 11/14/14 in: New Jersey New York

At a recent holiday party in Rye, NY, we set-up our vintage photo booth at a fundraising event based on the movie, American Hustle.  Aside from the fabulous costumes (check out this blog post on fashion from the film http://www.onestyleatatime.com/2013/12/fashion-on-film-american-hustle-70s.html) and retro-style Casino set-up (www.acedeucecasinos.com), we found several Polaroid Pic-300 Instant cameras (http://www.polaroid.com/products/pic-300-instant-camera) floating around the room to compliment our vintage photo booth.  I had a ton of fun playing with this camera, and I was able to photo graph people jumping in and out of our photo booth throughout the course of the evening.  I started researching some of the reasons why the Polaroid cameras are making a huge comeback and came across two main reasons.

1) According to a recent article from the Guardian by Tess Reidy (http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/nov/08/why-stars-love-polaroid-no-embarrassing-uploads), celebs are loving the retro-chic Polaroid because it offers something extremely valuable for famous people: privacy.  In the wake of recent photo hacking scandals, celebs and others are apparently gravitating to the instant prints to enjoy photos without fears of having digital files plastered all over the internet without their consent.

2) Another reason is a public shift for tangible, physical photographs.  In this digital world, there is an important sub-culture of nostalgic folks looking to revive the more classic technologies like vinyl records and polaroid cameras (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2400059/Return-Polaroid-Fujifilm-resurrects-iconic-camera-print-card-sized-photos-instantly.html).  Having a tangible, high-quality photo offers a different experience altogether than capturing photos digitally.  The Polaroid not only captures the moment, but offers a meaningful and personalized take away.

Our classic photo booth attempts to do both things.  We love our photo booth and the classic experience of sitting down, closing a curtain, and pressing a button.  Simple, fun, elegant, and private.  We also love watching people wait for their photos to print and the reaction when they reach into the slot and grab their instant photo!  Sheer joy!  While are vintage photo booth uses digital technology, we certainly have a deep appreciation for the classic Polaroid and its contribution to the world of photography.

Holiday Party? Perfect Place for a Photo Booth

Posted in: New Jersey New York

Photobooth rentals are hugely popular for weddings, but why not have it at your next holiday party?  Here are three reasons why a photobooth rental would be a fantastic addition to your next corporate holiday party:

1) Your company is growing: time to celebrate!  Holiday parties are usually pretty festive atmosphere – maybe too festive at times!  Either way, holiday parties are to celebrate the progress your company has made over the year.  A photobooth rental at your holiday party is a great opportunity to celebrate your awesome employees and their hard work in making your company great!  Giving your employees a physical photo strip from the photobooth is a small, tangible way of showing your appreciation for their commitment to the company.

2) Great alternative to dancing.  We love busting a move on the dance floor, especially when there’s a great DJ or band.  But for some holiday parties, it might not be the best place to showcase your most up-to-date dance moves.  Last year at a holiday party in New Brunswick, New Jersey (NJ), we were hired by a highly professional pharmaceutical company for their holiday party.  Our photobooth rental offered a bit of privacy (close the curtain and smile for the camera), and an opportunity to maintain a certain element of professionalism while having a bit of fun.  You can also practice a few of your dance moves inside the photo booth, in case you’re a bit shy and want to test a few things out behind a closed curtain.

3) Creating company culture.  A previous corporate client from a legal firm in New York City (NYC) mentioned that the photobooth rental at their holiday party actually drew their co-workers together.  Photo strips from our photobooth rental end up plastered all over employee work spaces, computers, offices, etc…It’s amazing when you’ve been working hard with your co-workers, how easily you forget to enjoy and appreciate your time with them.  Hiring a photobooth for your holiday party gives your employees and co-workers the opportunity  to capture these professional relationships.  It’s easy to forget that you’re on the same team, you’re working for the same goal.  Taking photos together at a holiday party is reminder that you’re co-workers and employees are on the same team, and aiming for the same goals: to make your company great!

Photo Booth Ideas: Props or No Props?

Posted 10/21/14 in: New Jersey New York

At a recent Fall wedding in Queens, NY, the client decided to opt out altogether on props for our photo booth.  Their primary reason: they wanted to capture their guests, the facial expressions, the joy in its simplest form.  Made sense to me.  This is the second consecutive wedding I’ve done in which the client requested not to use props.  I thought it would be helpful to write a brief blog post on it: photo booth ideas: props or no props?

Props certainly add a fun dimension to the photo booth rental experience.  Who doesn’t love changing into a silly disguise, or putting on a large mustache, or wearing bunny ears in a photo booth?  One of my favorite photo booth memories is of an elderly couple, one wearing bunny ears, the other wearing a pirates eye patch, having a terrific time in the photo booth taking photos.  I think it was a combination of them enjoying the photo booth again (reminded them of their childhood), and the sheer enjoyment they received from dressing up in silly costumes.  Either way, they ended up going into and out of the photo booth for most of the evening.

I have noticed at some events guests that having too many props lead to redundant photos of people wearing the same sunglasses, hats making it difficult to distinguish the people behind the props.  My suggestion for photo booth ideas: go light with the props.  A few mustaches-on-a-stick and a dry-erase board should do the trick.  Once people get into the photo booth and close the curtain, the creative ideas begin to flow on their own.  It’s fun to see people figuring out photo booth ideas while sitting in the booth.  Most recently, a couple used their newborn baby as their prop – it was hilarious!

At our most recent event at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens (http://www.movingimage.us), the guests tapped into their own creativity, producing some wonderful photos and designing an amazing photo guest book.  It so happened that the clients themselves were exceptionally talented (author/illustrator whose book was adapted into Martin Scorcese’s film Hugo). Naturally, his guests shared in his creativity.  The photo guest book was a work of art in itself!