Photo Booth

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5 years ago booths were the hot ticket, $1500 around here - more htan DJs got paid, so everyone got into it it seems.

Then the price cutting started. I could do it pretty cheap as my labor was already paid for, second shooter at a wedding has nothing to do at the reception. Started open air as that is what a fellow photog did, booths were pretty new then, only needed the printer/software, used an old laptop.

When i started the DJ biz I upped the photobooth...it's not cheap to do.

I did dslr (new) but a cheap one, canon as that's what most use and i have lenses/flashes for them.
Printer was a grand, but I had that.
props are cheap, a PITA.
The poles/cloths were some $600.
I bought a cheap tower to run it all.
And led lights, tables, table cloths, signage
Having an attendant helps sell it.

$2000-2500 invested. It has paid for itself.

Changes..software perhaps and moving to a webcam. Testing software and lighting now. A mini PC and it all should fit in a simple to move/setup box. Printer cost is such I'll keep the behemoth I have, figuring out a setup for all of it is the creative part.

Gonna cut the poles/cloths down to a height that can be reached without a chair/ladder will make it MUCH faster/easier to setup/teardown. 2 weddings ago we did it ouside wtih no walls, the BG was the couple's home made camper. SOO much less work, but it looked to me like hell with all the wires and such.

I typically sell it for 400-600 depending on the event - wedding, grad party, prom, etc. With the only costs now being printer paper ($10/event roughly) and replace a few props...it's nice profit.

A new pc/software and mayube a touchscreen will cost $600-700, pays off in 1 or 2 events. And I could probably get what, $50 for the canon dslr these days?
If I had a touchscreen later that drops it to 350-400.

If htat makes doing it more pleasant I'll sell it more often because I won't dread the work involved.
 
Yes it DEFINITELY has started to lose its appeal. A lot of my clients want to get away from the distractions I’m noticing. Everyone takes pics w their phones. Why do you need a machine to do it

LOL...Don't say that to any of your clients thinking about adding in the photo booth! LOL

I have a strong feeling that VERY FEW guests keep PB prints for a long time after the wedding. Most are only going to go to a link maybe one time to check the pics out after the wedding.

I guess photo booths provide nostalgia to those who remember taking photos in a photo booth with their friends or bf/gf when they were younger at the local mall, and due to the props, it creates a space for small groups to have some fun pics taken. However, I think after the event, the actual photos don't get a ton of views if they are provided a link for hosting or whatever, and I have a feeling very few d/l the pictures as a keep sake themselves.
 
The multi op I work for has a Mirror-Me photo booth.
I like that it is not a "booth" at all.
The pre-recorded "segues" in between pictures can get a little annoying,
and seem to be geared toward teens more than weddings.
Plus, they make the whole process take much longer than it needs to,
which is a pain when there is a line of people waiting.
And lastly, it is a completely computer-based program,
so we always need to re-boot, re-load the template, and re-adjust the focus on the camera.
For what he paid for it, it should work flawlessly.
He would gladly sell it, but I don't think anyone would buy it.

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On the positive side, clients seem to really like it..
and it gets booked often.
In fact, he pays me pretty well to man the booth for him.
I'll be working this Saturday.
 
LOL...Don't say that to any of your clients thinking about adding in the photo booth! LOL

I have a strong feeling that VERY FEW guests keep PB prints for a long time after the wedding. Most are only going to go to a link maybe one time to check the pics out after the wedding.

I guess photo booths provide nostalgia to those who remember taking photos in a photo booth with their friends or bf/gf when they were younger at the local mall, and due to the props, it creates a space for small groups to have some fun pics taken. However, I think after the event, the actual photos don't get a ton of views if they are provided a link for hosting or whatever, and I have a feeling very few d/l the pictures as a keep sake themselves.
I mean I do say it when asked if they’re still popular. The last thing I want is for people to spend $750 and say no one used it. And I’ve been seeing it being used less and less. That’s why my salsa/selfie booth is starting to pick up, as it’s all straight to the phone and has a lower entry point so that even if it’s not as big of a hit it’s ok. The link is for the client to download the content and for any guest if they forgot.
 
As much as the mirror type booths are eye catching I really don't see myself getting one. I feel like the salsa style of open air booths are the way to go as of now. From what I have gathered they are very easy to set up and they look pretty nice. No printer needed means less money to spend and less equipment to haul. I like the idea that they can be marketed for corporate events as well and that you really don't need an attendant. The two companies that I know of here in my local area don't seem to have these types of booths. One has a couple of different style of mirror booths with higher prices and charges extra for everything. The other (which I went with) has several different types including a VW bus that's a booth, old school enclosed booth, couple of open air's with DSLR cameras and a 360 video booth. Average pricing starts out about $150/hr and goes up with some add on's like back drops, props, red carpet and stanchions, etc.

I plan on getting a list together pricing out everything I will need to get started to see how long it would take to get my money back before it becomes profitable. I need to look into all the legal aspects as well and see what king of tax breaks i can get from owning a small business. Not sure how much of the equipment I purchase can be a tax write off. Will also look into an LLC. What are your thoughts on an LLC and insurances associated with having a small business? I know some people don't have any of it but would like to do this the right way but have no idea what the cost is.

My goal is to have a nice clean looking set up that's eye appealing. It would be operated by myself, my wife and my daughter whenever she's available to help out. My wife and i both work full time jobs and our main purpose for this little side business is just to generate some extra income to help put our daughter through college. Not trying to get rich doing this but if I can generate some extra income on my days off and have a fun time doing it then it seems like a win win for the most part. I know there will be some times where it is a PITA though.
 
LLC is helfpul for taxes after 40-50k in income, but liability wise they were designed for Drs that can't incorporate, so that in a multi dr office if one screws up the others are protected.

Get insurance and move on. If YOU scre up YOU get sued. If you have employees MAYBE an llc would protect you personally if they screw up.

Write off...tax deduction is the proper term and anything bought for business use is deductible. Sec 279 would let you take it all at once this year, or you could depreciate over several years, depends on what you find/feel will be most beneficial to you tax wise. If you think you'll have mroe taxable incoe in the future then depreciation may be the better choice.

Consider the cost of marketing, insurance ($300 a year min), setup time, sales/meeting time, maintenace/marketing time, etc. Nothing is ever as simple and easy as you think it will be.

I sell my booth 3 or 4 times a year - so that's what, $1500-2k revenue, less 2500 to set up the gear to start...long term proposition