Photobooth Photography - The Newest Photography Industry!

A new industry has appeared on the Photography scene and it is taking the world by storm, and it is known as ‘Photobooth Photography’. Most events such a Birthday parties and Weddings now have these types of set-ups, to help the guests to enjoy themselves whilst being able to document the occasion for their personal collection. In this Blog, we look into the equipment required in order to achieve high-quality Photobooth Photography and to create the best image possible of the subjects.

Lighting

Let us start with the most obvious and required piece of equipment, the lighting. Making sure that the subject is well lit and stands out is a priority to offer the best possible shoot. Whilst you will be needing to move from venue to venue for each shoot, it is most likely that you will have access to mains power, so either mains powered or battery powered lighting will be suitable. Flash lighting is the best choice for photography as it produces the best lighting, but the use of continuous lighting could also be advantageous to this type of photography, as it is usually something that is done quickly and without too much preparation.

Example Products

CITI600 Manual Battery Powered Flash: The CITI600 Manual is a 600Ws battery powered flash, which can offer up to 500 full-powered flashes per each battery charge, and has a sharp and vibrant colour temperature of 5600±200k. Even with this much power being produced, it still is super-fast, as it offers Recycle Times of up to 0.01s and Flash Durations of 1/10,000s

LUMI200: The LUMI200 is a 200Ws studio flash, with a Flash Duration of 1/2000~1/800s and Recycle Times of 0.3~1s, offering the user a quick lighting turnaround. The Power can also be adjusted down form 1/1 power all the way down to 1/32 power, offering the user the ability to adjust the power produced to suit any possible shoot.

RICO240 LED Ring Light: The RICO240 is a Daylight Balanced LED Light which is designed to be cool running and allows the user to dim the power from 100% all the way down to 10%, to suit the user’s requirements. One benefit this light has is that when the camera is placed directly in the centre of the Ring Light, it helps to create a soft, pleasing lighting and interesting ring-shaped catchlights in the subject’s eyes.

Modifiers

Now that we have gone through which lighting work well for you, lets look at some modifiers that can be used. Modifiers are a great way of not only adjust the lighting that is produced from your light, but they also help to offer different possibilities for your photography, which may suit whatever is required for the Photobooth.

Example Products

65cm Rice Bowl Easy-Open Parabolic Softbox: This softbox is an essential accessory for any lighting system. It features 16 durable heat-resistant rods, and comes with two layers of diffusion, which produces soft, even yet focused lighting. It also comes supplied with a removable deflector dish, enabling it to be used like a large parabolic beauty dish, for times when you want slightly more contrasting lighting.

40” Translucent White Umbrella: While most umbrellas point the light away from the subject to allow light to reflect back to the subject, the translucent umbrella works the opposite way. By positioning the back of the umbrella directly at the subject, the light source shines in the same direction, offering a layer of translucent material between the light and the subject.

Accessories

The addition of accessories can help to create a better and higher quality shoot. The use of backgrounds can help to make the subjects stand out and offer a different and more stylish look to your shoot. Products such as stands are also a requirement in order to hold up your lighting and any form of modifiers you may find yourself using. Overall, accessories can be a massive advantage when it comes to Photobooth Photography.

Example Products

240cm Air Cushioned Light Stand: This stand is perfect for use in the studio for lights, flash and studio equipment. It’s made from a durable aluminium alloy, which allows the stand to be lightweight and also simple and easy to transport between different locations. The height can range from between 240cm to 75cm, giving the user more freedom over the lighting of their shoot, and with its ability to hold a maximum load capacity of 5KG, it is sturdy enough to hold a light and any modifier you deem necessary.

1.5x2m Black/White Collapsible Background, Stand and Clamp Kit: This ingenious kit contains everything you may need to create a wonderful background. The 1.5x2m background comes with two different colours, on side white and the other black, to offer a variety of looks for your shoots. Its also useful, as it can be folded down to approximately 1/3rd of its size, to help with transportation and storage when not in use. The included 240cm Air Cushion stand offers the ability to hold the background higher off the ground and help keep it in the same place with the help of the background clamp attached to the stand.

1.5x2m Oldbury Series Backgrounds: If you are looking to add a bit of variety to your shoot, then these Oldbury Series Backgrounds are perfect for you. Coming in a range of three different styles, (Grey, Brown, Blue/Green), they can offer a completely different style to usual backgrounds, and as each background is dual-sided and offers different style on each side, it offers even more possibilities and looks. Made from a high-quality and crease-resistant fabric, it will survive rough treatment and won’t need to be replaced every few months as other backgrounds may need to. Being able to fold down to 1/3rd of its size also helps with transportation and storage when the item isn’t being used.

Kits

Now that we have looked in details at all the individual products and equipment that would be recommended for Photobooth Photography, we here at PiXAPRO have designed and created some kits that include lighting set-ups that would be useful and fit into and Photobooth Photography scenario, all at a reasonable and budget-saving price.

Example Products

LUMI200 Photobooth Kit with 42cm Beauty Dish: The LUMI II 200 flash, is a stylish, robust, versatile and dependable studio strobe suitable for both the serious, amateur photographer and the Pro User alike. It offers an impressive flash duration of up to 1/2000th of a second, as well as super-fast recycling time at just over one second. This Photobooth kit also comes with a 42cm Beauty Dish. If you simply place this beauty dish onto the light, and aim it directly towards the subject, it will help to accentuate the subject’s facial features and help to pull out more details out of the subject. As this beauty dish has a silver interior, it will create a cooler and slightly more contrasting light compared to a beauty dish with a white interior. All of these things help to make this Photobooth kit very useful for portraits and group photography.

Summary

Whilst this is a relatively new industry, Photobooth Photography is increasing in popularity as each day passes. So, making sure you are properly equipped is essential, as most event photographers may soon find themselves working this particular type of shoot.

For more information and products regarding Photobooth Photography, please click here