Hardware
Many people think they have the capabilities to
build their own photobooths, and of course some do. For those that do, perhaps
they should consider marketing their booths.
There are some very attractive home-made booths
out there, but more often they don't come out so good once they are completed.
Here are some of the biggest problems I have seen with home-made booths.
1.WEIGHT AND SIZE – Many people just didn't figure
how heavy their booths were till they completed them and then it was too late.
Booths need to fit in your vehicle, they need to be portable and they should
ideally be able to be set up by one person. If this is not the case you may
need to re-consider your design.
2.DURABILITY – your photobooth will take a lot of
abuse over the years – Have you designed it to look as good after 100 events or
1000 events as on the first event. If it is not durable, you should reconsider
the design. Even if it is durable, you may want to consider investing in a
cover to protect it from scratches.
3.FITTING IT ALL TOGETHER – this may not seem like
a big deal as there are really 3 main components to the photobooth, the
printer, the computer and the camera. However, you can well benefit from the
experience of someone who has put together hundreds of booths. They may be a
little more expensive but you will save a lot of headaches and in the end you
may even end up saving both money and time.
Most people choose to buy packages from companies
that have made a lot of photobooths. Here are some of the market leaders:
Where To Buy Photobooths
Apple Industries –
faceplacephoto.com
Colorado
Sound and Light – csnl.com
Extreme
Event Design/AtlantaPhoto Booth – extremeeventdesign.com
EZ
Photo Booths – ezphotobooths.com
EZ
Photo Booths in Canada – www.ezphotobooths.ca
Innovative
Photo – innovativephoto.com
Kingdom
Photo Booth – kingdomphotobooth.com
LA
Photo Party/Photo Party Upload – photopartyupload.com
Limelight
Photo Booth – limelightphotobooth.com
Mojo
Photo Booths – mojophotobooths.com
Open
Air Photo Booths – openairphotobooth.com
Photo
Box Interactive – photoboxinteractive.com
Slomo
Booths – slomobooths.com
Vanity
Photo Booths – vanityphotobooths.com
Viral
Booth – viralbooth.com
Software
If you are a software engineer by trade, well
maybe you can create your own photobooth software. For everyone else, even
those that manufacture their own photobooths, you will probably have to rely on
a software company or at least a programmer (much more expensive) to create
your photobooth software.
The program I am most familiar with is Breeze as
this is the program that I was using at the start of my photobooth career.
I have also played around with software from Photo
Booth Solutions
Other programs I have not played around with but
am told from various sources are good and will do the job for you are:
Computer
(PC'S, LAPTOPS OR ALL-IN-ONE'S?)
The first thing you must decide is whether you are
going to be in the MICROSOFT WINDOWS or APPLE world. A long time ago (25-30
years) at one point I actually worked for IBM so I learned a lot about their
hardware and the software they used. Consequently, I have never really worked
with Apple. So call me biased.
I hear many good things about Apple, especially
the new IPADs and such. However, I will not speak of what I do not know.
I have basically worked with 2 types of booths. I
started working with a PC in a case with a monitor before I started my own
photobooth company. This for the most part works fine, but I much prefer for
mobile applications an all-in-one PC for one reason and one reason only,
weight.
While an all-in-one PC may have some limitations
when it comes to expandability and so forth, it is hard to beat the
convenience. The other thing that I like is the fact that there are less cables
to worry about. This makes the whole setup a lot cleaner to the look and since
cable connections are very often the culprit when it comes to diagnosing
problems, well, the fewer pieces there are to connect, the better.
My favorite configuration for running a photobooth
is an ALL-IN-ONE PC that runs WINDOWS and BREEZE. Apple may or may not be
better, but it will probably be a while before I can judge for myself.
Camera
(DSLR or WEBCAM?)
Could you get away with using a webcam camera on
your photobooth. Yes you could. However, I do not recommend a webcam other than
for a non-attended photobooth designed for social media because the quality
standard amongst the market leaders is DSLR cameras, and most photobooth
software supports Canon DSLR cameras.
There was a time when DSLR cameras were reserved
because of their price point for professional photographers. Today however,
even many consumers who demand better quality are buying DSLR cameras at places
like Walmart, so the prices have gone down, and if you try to run a photobooth
with less than a DSLR, I am sure your competitors will quickly point that out
when they are comparing themselves with you.
I also recommend that you use a good quality flash
with your camera, especially in an open booth setting. Wheras in a closed
booth, the lighting in the booth can be controlled with properly placed lights
(yet another reason to benefit from the expertise an established booth setup
rather than experimenting yourself) in an open booth you will encounter
different lighting situations with just about every setup. Sometimes you will
be in bright light, other times the ambient light will be quite dark. Yes you
can add your own professional stationary lights and if you know what you are
doing you can adjust the aperatures and ISOs to accommodate that particular
location, but a flash helps to compensate and adjust to just about any lighting
situation. I have also found that the flash tends to create a more dynamic
picture and tends to highlight the subjects and their faces better than the
background. It is only with green screen photography that you have to be
careful to add additonal lights to minimize the shadow effect that the flash
tends to create.
Printers
If you want to be taken seriously, you need to use
a DYE-SUBLIMATION printer. The most common dye-sub printers being sold by the
various printer manufacturers in 2014 are the Mitsubishi CP-D707DW, Mitsubishi
CP-D70DW, DNP DS-RX1 and HiTi P510L. These printers are all in the $700 to
$1000 range.
They are used by almost all photobooth operators
and are known both for their reliability and relative low cost per print, in
almost all cases less than .20 per 4X6 print, and often closer to .12 . Dye-sub
printers are one of the only type of printers where you can calculate precisely
the cost of your prints.
Many people wonder why dye-sub printers are the
standard for professional photobooth companies, and that was one of the
questions I had when I first started in the business. One of the main
advantages of dye-sub printers is that the photos are dry and ready to handle
the second they exit the printer. Since the dye never enters a liquid state,
this also means that for mobile applications, there are no liquid inks to clean
up, the printing cycle is much more clean and there are few moving parts that
can break down. Almost all the dye-sub printers have a reputation for being
extremely reliable, and this is what you need for a printer that is constantly
on the go. Dye-sub printers create pictures that are photo-lab quality and with
dye-sub printers there is no problem with printing right to the edge of the
paper.
For a BACKUP printer only you may want to consider
a Canon Selphy printer. While they are technically dye-sub entry level
printers, they are very slow and awkward to use, so I would never ever
recommmend using them as your primary printer. For strictly backup purposes
however, they are small and cheap and will do the job in the rare instance your
pro dye-sub printer breaks down.
Backdrops
If you are doing a large number of photobooths,
you need to standardize your backdrops.
I carry 3 backdrops to all events – a black one
(most commonly used), a white one, and a green one for green screen.
I do have a variety of other backdrops that I will
take along on request. I also bought a few canvas backdrops that I will only
bring along on request, but they do make very nice photos.
There are also times that I will suggest to the
client that the backdrop be the natural backdrop of the location, be that a
brick wall, outdoor landscape and so forth. Many times at Christmas parties I
will set up next to the Christmas tree as the backdrop. Certainly those
pictures very nicely represent the mood of the party.
Tables (Banquet)
I generally will bring along 3 tables to add to
the photobooth setup. One is a 4 foot rectangular table on which I place the
props and the other 2 are highboy tables on which I place either more props, a
2nd monitor, or which I use to create the scrapbook at a wedding.
I highly recommend spandex table covers for all of
the above. While the spandex does not last forever, it creates a very clean and
modern looking setup, which is something that can differentiate your booth from
the other less professional booths you may be competing against.
Here are a couple of online suppliers I have found
good deals at in the past:
24X42 with FREE SPANDEX $84.99 special www.banquettables.pro
search Bar Table Covers with 31” X 42” Highboys
Insurance
We all hate talking about and dealing with
insurance, no-one more so than me. I think the only people that probably like
dealing with insurance are lawyers (lol) and even then I don't think that they
like dealing with their own insurance, just other people's.
Now, let me insert my disclaimer here. People may
call me a lot of different things (lol) but one thing I definitely am NOT is a
lawyer. That said, nothing I write here should be considered in any way, shape
or form, legal advice. You should always consult your lawyer to ensure that any
decisions you may reach with respect to your business meet with your
jurisdictions requirements.
So now that I have said that, we all know that we
live in a society where people like to sue people, sometimes for just cause,
and sometimes not. When you run any business, you must be careful that your
life's work, and sometimes even your home and so forth, are not wiped out by a
single incident that may in some cases not even be your fault. Maybe you were
just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I am not trying to sell insurance,
and I wish there was a way around it, but this is just an ugly fact of life.
Some people like to take chances, but especially
if you have a family and a home, I would recommend that you not be one of them.
There are two primary types of insurance when it comes to photobooths –
Liability insurance and contents insurance. Liability insurance is designed to
protect you if someone sues you and content insurance covers your equipment if it is stolen or in certain circumstances
damaged.
I would first check with your local insurance
agent to see what kind of a deal he can make for you. I would then get at least
3 other quotes if not more. I would also compare it to insurance policies
promoted by associations such as the National Association of Mobile
Entertainers. Their website is www.nameentertainers.com . Their insurance provider is Willis and they advertise that they
provide liability and equipment insurance for all sorts of mobile entertainers
including DJ's, bands, stage hypnotists, clowns, comedians, magicians, and of
course photographers and photobooths. I am not necessarily endorsing this
policy or any policy for that matter. I am just saying it is probably worth
comparing to other policies out there to see what is in your best interest.
Also, you may ask around with your local competition to see what insurance they
have. I am sure many will tell you (though some will want to keep it a secret –
lol)
Other than protecting yourself, the other main
reason for having insurance is that there are some venues out there that will
not allow you on their premises without proof of insurance and some clients,
especially institutional ones, will require you to have insurance before they
even consider hiring you.
You should also be careful to make sure that your
vehicle is properly classified. Insurance companies in general are notorious
for not wanting to pay if they have any possible legal way out of it, and they
have their armies of lawyers protecting their own interests. I'm not blaming
them as I would probably do the same. All I am saying is to be truthful and
always make sure you read the fine print.
If you have employees, you also need to check out
the rules with respect to workers compensation, as well as other mandated
government fees, not to mention taxes. But like I said, I am neither an
accountant nor a lawyer, so I will leave it at that.
Remote Support
At a minimum you should have teamviewer (www.teamviewer.com) set up on your pc.
Many of the photobooth suppliers will load this onto their systems so that they
can log into your system if you call them for support. Setting it up is free, but
if you make use of it they do ask that you be fair and pay them.
A competitor to teamviewer is logmein (www.logmein.com) . This is strictly a
pay-per-use program after an initial trial. While I do know of some people that
use logmein, I know more that use teamviewer.
Paper Suppliers
Paper will be a major cost of you doing business.
You may choose to get your paper from a local supplier or you may choose to get
it online.
One thing you need to know is that with all the
major dye sub printer manufacturers, they sell the paper and the ribbon ONLY as
a pair, or unit. You cannot buy the ribbon without the paper nor the paper
without the ribbon. Or at least I have not seen it yet. (On a side note you
often get leftover paper – I use this sometimes for request paper for DJ
services)
While dye-sub paper and ribbon does have a
reasonable shelf life it does not last forever. Learn the markings that
indicate on each box when that paper was manufactured, and when you buy paper
make sure that you are not getting stale-dated product. In the case of HiTi
P510 paper there is a sticker right on the outside of the box that states when
it was created. For other manufacturers you can generally get this information
by going to the manufacturers website or you can definitely get it from the
various blogs, if it is not blatantly obvious.
While there may be great deals to be had buying
the paper in quantity, I would never buy more than a one year supply no matter
how good the deal. If you see a deal that just seems too good to be true, make
sure the paper wasn't manufactured in 2005. (lol)
With dye-sub paper (because of the ribbon) take a
bit of extra care to make sure that the paper does not go to extreme
temperatures. On the HiTi boxes, it is recommended that the paper does not get
colder than 5 degrees celcius or hotter than 35 degrees celcius. Converted in
fahrenheit this would be a range of 41 to 95 degrees.
Sometimes I have no choice but to carry this paper
into temperatures beyond this range but I do my best to make sure it does not
stay in that range for long. I do not leave the paper in a car or van overnight
and during the coldest winter days or hottest summer days will place the paper
and printer in the passenger compartment rather than in the trunk where it can
get very cold or very hot.
I have bought my paper from a number of suppliers
and am currently looking at re-selling myself. One supplier I have personally
had a good experience with myself is:
Photo Finishers Supplies Inc.
11-22 44th Road
Queens, NY 11101
800-786-8730
|
Scrapbooks
I have probably gone through more suppliers in
this category than in any other. There are so many options for scrapbooks out
there. Most people will start off getting their scrapbooks from the big-box
craft stores such as Michaels and Hobby Lobby and then gradually move to online
and wholesale outlets as their volumes increase. Hobby Lobby also sells their
products online. 2 products they offered in 2013 that you might want to
consider:
12X12 Post Bound Scrapbook Album – The Paper Studio
Item 621680 - UPC 09720 11233
Retail $9.99
8X8 Album
Item 798686 - UPC 09720 14576
Retail $8.99
Colorbok also has some very good offerings and in
Canada I have had some luck with the following supplier:
Forever In Time Scrapbook Collection (Albums and
Scrapbooks)
12 in. X 12 in. (30.5 cm X 30.5 cm)
Code 081-SA200-242-0712
SA200B Cream (also available in black)
Imported by MultiCraft Imports Inc.
Ottawa, ON Canada K1B 1E3
Made In China
www.multicraftimports.com
Creating Templates
Creating or using attractive looking templates
will be one of the factors that will differentiate yourself from your
competitors. In the wedding market more often than not the name of the bride
and groom will appear at the top of the strip and the wedding date will appear
at the bottom. This can be done relatively easily by using photo editing
program such as Adobe Illustrator, Corel Paint or even free ones such as www.getpaint.net . If you are using Breeze
software for your photobooth, then any of these programs will allow you to edit
your headers and footers.
The corporate market will be a bit more demanding
and you will more often than not be creating custom templates with their logos
and different picture layouts. If you are very creative you can create these
from scratch yourself, but you may also want to look at buying pre-made
templates online. Some manufacturers or franchisees will include templates with
their offerings, but if that doesn't apply to you simply do your research
online and find places you can purchase these yourself.
I Love Free Software Programs – Especially Open
Office
For years I got tired of making Bill Gates richer
and richer by buying legal and EXPENSIVE versions of Microsoft Office.
Sure, it is a great program suite but the
commercial version costs about $400 and every year or 2 they will try to get
you for another $200 for the upgrades.
No, the alternative is NOT getting a not-so-legal
copy – I would never suggest that – I don't do that and it could be very
dangerous especially in a commercial setting.
The much better alternative is a FREE and LEGAL
alternative to this program that in my opinion is every bit as good. OPEN
OFFICE.
This document was originally developed using OPEN
OFFICE.
To download it go to www.openofffice.org
If you want to transfer documents to people who
use Microsoft Office you can save any document in WORD format.
Other Shareware / Freeware
For simple editing applications one of my favorite
editors is free and can be downloaded at www.getpaint.net . For editing my
green screen backgrounds I like to use PhotoPad http://www.nchsoftware.com/photoeditor/index.html .
SyncBackFree, available at www.2BrightSparks.com is a free
file backup & synchronization program. It’s easy to use, and even the free
version includes many options for the power user. For more powerful features they also offer
SyncBackPro for a modest fee. If you want to save some time at the end of the
night and are giving your pictures to the customer on a USB stick, you may want
to consider using syncbackfree to back up the photos onto the USB stick as the
night goes on, rather than waiting till the end of the night.
Buy The Right Photobooth
There are many options and many things to
consider when entering the photobooth business.
Make sure to shop around and look at features vs. prices of the various
systems.
Proprietary vs. Open Systems
Some systems require that you use their
printer paper sometimes at an additional cost.
The tradeoff of this is a guaranteed system that works and followup and
continual service after the initial sale.
Look at these options and decide the benefit of such vs. the
limitations.
Should You Try to Make One Yourself
Are a you a design expert?
Are you a manufacturer?
Well then maybe.
However, for the other 99.9 percent of us
we will spend much more money trying to do it ourselves especially when there
are companies out there that have made
hundreds of booths and put their knowledge and expertise into the design of
every booth.
Do Not Gamble, or Gamble On A Sure Thing
If you are not sure that you can sell a
photobooth, try it before you buy.
If you only get 2 bookings and decide you
do not want to buy, if you tell us beforehand and we trust you, we will rent
you the photobooth for those events.
If on the other hand, you have thousands of
dollars in business beforehand, then well, by all means buy!
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