In recent years, the photo booth has become the de-facto activity for events. People love them, so event planners keep bringing them back.
With its popularity, companies (like us) have been bringing new and unique experiences to the market. There is now an almost bewildering variety of photo booths to choose from.
The problem?
Talking to each photo booth company can take a lot of time. And comparing the options and features becomes confusing.
That’s why we’ve demystified things for you with this list of photo booth comparisons.
Here are 15 different types of photo booths that’ll guarantee you a successful event.
Looking for an event photographer instead? Refer to our guide on hiring the right photographer for your event.
Type #1: Open-Air Photo Booth
For the large majority of events, an open-air photo booth is the best option (as compared to an enclosed booth).
Here are the reasons why:
- It contributes to a party atmosphere by letting others see your guests having fun
- It can accommodate larger groups of guests
- It requires less space to operate
- It is often cheaper and easier to set up
Open-air booths come in a wide variety of designs. Some booths are bare-looking setups, where you can see the camera, laptop and printer. Others are sleek and sophisticated machines that can fit into any luxury shop.
At Ubersnap, Aura is our flagship photo booth machine. It was made with an award-winning designer and can fit seamlessly into any event—whether you’re planning a casual party or product launch for a luxury brand.
Type #2: Classic Photo Booth
The classic photo booth machine is the most common type of booth. It will take photos of you and your friends, which you can email to yourself on-the-spot. You will also receive a printout, usually in the 4R size.
Classic photo booths are a safe choice for formal events, like corporate conferences and roadshows. It’s a familiar experience and you don’t have to get too crazy (although you can).
Many of our wedding clients opt for this too, because they believe that their older guests will prefer this experience.
Type #3: GIF Booth
The GIF booth has been rising in popularity over the last few years, where it’s now almost as common as the classic photo booth.
You can take GIFs in 2 ways:
- By taking multiple photos, which will be combined into a GIF
- By taking a boomerang, which is a short looping video
Taking a boomerang is a fun and interactive experience, where you have to move and dance in front of the camera. It can lead to comical moments and shared laughter.
Type #4: GIF Booth with Holographic Prints
In 2016, we introduced the world’s first GIF booth with holographic prints. Since then, it has been recognised as one of the most innovative photo booth experiences—so we think it deserves a spot on the list.
How does it work?
We create these 3D-like holographic (or lenticular) prints right on-the-spot, with our unique software and process. What’s cool is that you can see us making them, and we’re faster than you think—we can make up to 150 prints per hour!
Type #5: Enclosed Photo Booth
The enclosed photo booth machine is the closest thing to your vintage shopping mall booth. Relive your memories of piling into a tiny booth with your best friends, jostling for a spot and getting a cheerful strip of photos.
Rent an enclosed photo booth if you want to give your guests privacy. You will be amazed by how much more freely they can express themselves once the curtain is pulled.
Our clients will also rent an enclosed booth if they expect different cliques to show up (for example, at a product launch or media event), which can make them hesitate in front of unfamiliar faces.
Type #6: Magic Mirror Photo Booth
The magic mirror is a photo booth machine disguised as a full-length mirror. Different companies offer slight variations in design—some have old-school frames, while others are sleek and modern.
Looks aside, it works very similarly to a classic photo booth. Touch the mirror to take a selfie, and type in your email or phone number to receive it digitally. Most booths offer 4R prints.
Type #7: Slow-Motion Video Booth
Everything looks dramatic in slow motion, so that even a smile and wave can take on epic proportions. Like many technologies, the slow motion video used to be reserved for movie productions, but have now trickled down to average consumers like you and me.
By using a high frame rate camera, we can slow a video down by 2, 5 or even 10 times. You will notice details that you have never seen before.
Share a laugh with your friends as you watch the video together and catch funny (and often involuntary) expressions.
Type #8: 180 Degree Photo Booth
Also known as the bullet time or matrix photo booth, the 180 degree photo booth machine brings a unique cinematic adventure to your event.
How do we do it?
By setting up an array of cameras in a semicircle, each camera takes a photo from a slightly different angle. These photos are combined into a GIF, giving you an out-of-this-world effect.
While extremely cool, the 180 degree photo booth requires a large space, which can be challenging for smaller venues. It’s also more expensive to rent because of the equipment and expertise required to operate it.
Type #9: 360 Degree Photo Booth
The 360 degree photo booth machine works just like its 180 degree sibling—but with double the cameras. As you can expect, the setup is even more elaborate and can occupy a whole room.
It’s a unique and effective way to create buzz at your event, with an exclusive experience that wasn’t possible just a few years ago. Just the high-tech setup itself would be enough to impress your guests.
That said, the 360 degree photo booth is usually only rented for special, high-end events—due to its understandably higher costs.
Type #10: Revolving Photo Booth
The revolving photo booth machine is the affordable and practical way to achieve something close to the 360 degree photo booth. It’s really quite clever!
By comparison, it uses just one camera which revolves around a platform—saving you space and money.
You will stand on the platform (which can fit up to 3-4 people) and follow the camera as it moves around you—bring your A game with cool dance moves. What you get is an immersive 360 degree video.
Type #11: Green Screen Photo Booth
With a green screen photo booth, you can transport your guests to fantastic and far-off locations—without ever leaving your booth. This is done by replacing the green screen with digital images, a technique that’s commonly used to create CGI in movies.
Let your guests be the stars of their own shows, by offering different unique backgrounds to choose from.
The green screen is also an affordable way for you to brand your booth. You can integrate your company logo into the background and make different variations, without having to physically print the designs.
Type #12: AR (Augmented Reality) Photo Booth
The AR (Augmented Reality) photo booth is an up-and-coming experience, made popular by instant filters from apps like Snapchat and Instagram.
You can choose between fun and interactive digital props, which will track your faces for hilarious outcomes. Get creative by mixing and matching different props to try on.
Even better, work with us to create your own unique branded digital props, which can include your company logo, mascot or colours.
Type #13: Retro Photo Booth
Some booths look sleek and modern, while others go the retro style. Retro booths bring a sense of nostalgia with their chic looks and wooden exteriors. They are great for weddings and casual parties.
The main selling point of a retro photo booth is its vintage looks, so ask for photos of its machine. Functionality wise, it’s very similar to the classic photo booth. Most can also double as a GIF booth, or even slow-motion video booth.
Type #14: Robot Photo Booth
That’s right, you can now rent a cute robot to follow you around and offer to take your selfie. We live in truly unique times.
The Selfiebot can talk to your guests like a chatbot or voice assistant, and you can customise its speech to your brand personality.
With its hefty rental price tag, you’re paying for the novelty factor and less for the actual photo booth experience or quality of the photos. But novelty is the spark for conversations, which could just be what you’re looking for!
Type #15: Hashtag Printing Booth
The hashtag printing booth is not technically a photo booth, although it’s often categorised as one. That’s because you’re not actually taking photos of your guests; you’re asking them to do it themselves.
How does it work?
To get your photo printed, take a picture and upload it to Instagram with your event hashtag. You can even stream all of the crowdsourced photos on a large screen.
Hashtag printing is most commonly used by brands to encourage social media sharing. We’ve also seen wedding couples rent it to get authentic photos from the many perspectives of their guests.
Conclusion
After reading this article, you might feel overwhelmed by the different types of photo booths on offer.
But it’s actually great news for you as a customer, because you can always find an experience that suits your event.
Are you still unsure of which type of photo booth to rent? Maybe it’s time you talk to an expert.
We’ve provided photo booth experiences to over 1,500 events, so we can give you some great recommendations.
