Choosing the Right Photo Booth Style?

With a range of different photo booth styles available, choosing the right one for your event can be tricky. You’ve probably used one at a wedding, birthday or corporate event, and while they’re easy to use, they’re not always easy to choose between.

Here are the main photo booth styles you can pick from. Some companies only offer one style, while others (like us) give you the choice.

Enclosed Photo Booth

Also known as: Curtain Photo Booth, Traditional Photo Booth

What Is It?

This is where it all began, a small box! We call ours a “Traditional Enclosed Photo Booth.” These days, enclosed booths come in a number of different styles and sizes.

Generally, an enclosed booth has a hard sturdy wall or a curtain (or an inflatable shell, which we’ll cover later). Most curtain booths come in a range of colours and patterns, though wind can be a downside, so they’re best used indoors.

They’ll also print your photos. Just make sure the company you book uses a professional photo-lab quality dye sublimation printer. These prints last the longest, come out quickly, and have a clear protective coating.

Why Choose It?

If your event is in a public place where people outside your event can see you, this style is a great choice for privacy.

Unlike many enclosed booths, ours fits more than 2 or 3 people. You can squeeze up to 12 people into our booth, with your choice of curtain colour.

Despite its size, it fits well into limited spaces, usually a corner works best. We recommend a 3 x 3 metre space, plus a little extra room for our huge range of photo booth props.

Suggested Events

• Weddings – A classic style that never goes out of date
• Indoor events – Best kept away from wind and bugs, so it belongs inside

Open Photo Booth

What Is It?

Rather than boxing you in with a curtain or wall, this booth gives you more space, hence the name “open air” photo booth. Some people also call them kiosk photo booths.

Open air booths offer more backdrop options. You can use one supplied by the photo booth company (usually a curtain or printed design on a portable stand), the venue’s own wall, a custom backdrop, or even a scenic outdoor or indoor view.

We offer two open air styles: the “Vintage Photo Booth” (more on that below) and the “Traditional Open Photo Booth,” which does everything our enclosed booth does.

The key difference is the setup. For the open booth, it’s best to keep the backdrop further from the camera, since this fits more people in shot, though not so far that you lose the backdrop edges. Good lighting also matters more here than with an enclosed booth, so check your hire company uses professional lighting.

Why Choose It?

This is one of our favourite styles because it’s simply more entertaining. Guests can sit back with a drink and watch friends and family get dressed up and silly in the booth. It keeps everyone laughing and works as a great icebreaker.

It’s a great choice if you want everyone involved, including grandma and grandpa, who can watch from their seat (though we guarantee they’ll end up in a photo eventually).

You’ll fit far more people in shot than with the enclosed booth, and it gives a bit of a red-carpet, awards-night feel. Our open booths even come with a green screen option.

It’s spacious, entertaining, and loads of fun.

Suggested Events

• Weddings – Perfect for entertaining the whole room at a private function

GIF Photo Booth

What Is It?

A GIF photo booth can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, whether enclosed, kiosk, open air, or tripod-style.

The key feature is that it captures GIF images. A GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is a short series of images played one after another, like an old-school flipbook animation.

Most GIF booths do more than just GIFs. Many also offer still shots, Boomerangs, Snapchats and short videos. As one of the most modern photo booth styles, they often skip printing altogether. Instead, photos are usually emailed to you or shared via an online link.

Equipment varies between providers too. While SLR cameras still offer the best image quality, modern phones, tablets and iPads have improved significantly, which has opened up more design options for booths like ours.

If your chosen booth uses a mobile device, check that it’s a recent model (for example, the latest iPad Pro), and ask whether professional lighting is used to improve image quality.

We call our GIF booth the “Vintage Photo Booth,” a name that’s a little misleading. It’s actually a tripod with an iPad Pro, gorgeous retro timber legs, and a beauty light for flattering photos. Stylish, modern, with a touch of vintage charm.

Unlike our Traditional Open Photo Booth, we like guests up close for this one, so you get the full effect of the beauty light and a more selfie-style feel. It comfortably fits 12–15 people in one shot.

Why Choose It?

GIF booths bring a whole other level of fun, and honestly, we find them even funnier. They’re also a great option if you’re prone to losing your prints.

Ever been out drinking, squashed a photo strip in your pocket, or lost your phone before you got to see your photos? Having them sent straight to your email solves that, and saves you worrying the next day about who found your most embarrassing shot.

Going print-free also makes it more environmentally friendly. Our Vintage Photo Booth doesn’t even need power once it’s charged.

It fits into the smallest spaces too, which makes it ideal for boutique stores and retail settings. Many GIF booths, including ours, double as a marketing tool. After each photo, guests can fill out a custom survey, answer questions for your research, or sign up to a loyalty program.

Suggested Events

• Birthday Parties (18th, 21st, 30th)
• Engagement Parties
• Retail (store openings, sales)
• Pubs and Restaurants
• Hens Nights, Bucks Parties

Inflatable Photo Booth

It’s exactly what it sounds like: an inflatable backdrop or shell that wraps around most booths. You can pair it with our Traditional or Vintage photo booth.

These come in different colours, usually with built-in LED lights that change the shell’s colour. There’s a small motor running, but you won’t hear it over the music. Just check you have enough room, as they can be quite large.

Suggested Events: Corporate, Themed Parties, Hens Nights, Bucks Parties, Weddings

What to do now?

Before you book, start by researching local photo booth businesses in your area. Booking locally also means supporting local businesses.

Things to ask yourself:

• Do you need privacy, or want a curtain?
• How much space will you have for a photo booth?
• How many guests do you want to fit in the photo booth?
• Are the photos printed in high quality, and will they last?
• Do you want to entertain everyone at all times?
• Would you like to create your own backdrop?
• If you want green screen, check it’s available.