We receive a lot of questions about our business and about photo booths in general and honestly, we love getting a chance to answer them! There’s a lot of information about photo booths available and it can often be overwhelming. Below are some helpful tips to assist you with deciding on a photo booth rental in Los Angeles
Why Photo Booths are a must for Los Angeles Events
- Memories- Let’s face it: No matter how good your photographer is, odds are they won’t get a photo of everyone who made it to your big day. A photo booth goes a long way in helping to capture a snap of each guest.
- Party Favors- Long gone are the days when guests cared about chachkies. You can bet that most favors these days will end up dust-covered in a drawer or in the trash. Photo strips, on the other hand, will be proudly displayed on your guests’ fridges, desks, and memory boards. Don’t get us started on the digital photos... Those are guaranteed to be all over Insta, Facebook, and Twitter.
- Entertainment- whether it’s keeping the kids occupied during toasts or hedging the chance of Uncle Rick doing the worm on the dance floor, a photo booth provides guests with options. I am often asked, “won’t a photo booth be a distraction?” NO! No one can dance for three hours straight, and it helps your dancing-adverse guests get out of their seats.
Open Air vs. Enclosed Photo Booths
Open-air photo booths are the modern take on a classic. With new technology, open booths take just as good if not better photos than enclosed booths.
PRO: More interactive, inclusive, and can fit larger groups in each photo.
CON: Shyer guests may be deterred from the lack of privacy.
PRO: Chic and modern design with more interactive functionality.
CON: Less traditional look and feel.
PRO: Customizable backdrops and more flexible space requirements.
CON: Guests may not be as familiar with this style and require assistance from an attendant.
The enclosed photo booth is a classic. It’s a great way to bring back memories of sitting in a photo booth at the mall taking silly pictures with your friends. Typically enclosed photo booths fit 2-4 people in a photo.
PRO: More privacy and confidence to let loose and be silly with your poses and prop choices.
CON: Less interactive and does not allow for people to hop in and out of photos.
PRO: More intimate photos as a result of space constraints inside the booth.
CON: Less people can fit, ruling out getting snaps of your bridal party, your whole fam, etc.
PRO: More traditional look and feel.
CON: Less flexibility with space requirements and customization.
At the end of the day, the choice between an enclosed or open air photo booth comes down to a matter of personal taste. The enclosed photo booth is a classic, but the open air photo booth is a discrete and modern twist on a traditional idea.
Photo Booth Pricing: Affordable vs. High-End
By now you have probably set a budget for your event and are wondering how much you should budget for a photo booth. Pricing ranges from $300-$3000 with the national average for photo booth rentals currently around $500. However, according to WeddingWire, most brides seem to be spending $800-$1200 for a wedding photo booth rental. You may also want to look into what types and methods of payment companies use. Consider the types of cameras and printers provided. Ex: DSLR camera versus a point-and-shoot camera, dye-sub printer compared to an inkjet printer.
Watch out! Some companies will try to work in fees for set-up or delivery after the initial quote has been sent. Make sure the quote you get is “out the door”.
Professionalism: Hire a Photo Booth Expert!
Don’t Get the DJ’s Photo Booth!
We are seeing a huge increase in photo booths being offered by DJs and photographers. Most of them will work the booth into a package, so the client feels like they are getting a great deal. It make sense, right? Why go to 2 vendors when you can do a 1-stop-shop? The feedback we hear from clients about bundling their photo booth is less than great. For the most part, the DJ or photographer uses a cheap photo booth, doesn’t know how to troubleshoot problems, and it isn’t their highest priority. Simply put, they are not a photo booth expert so the quality of product and service is much lower. The average cost savings for bundling a photo booth with a DJ or photographer is only $60!
The Part-Time Photo Booth Owner
Because of how popular photo booths are becoming, a lot of people want to hop on the trend of photo booth ownership as a side-gig to their normal employment. While you can’t fault them for trying to capitalize on a good thing, they likely won’t be able to provide the same service as a company with full-time employees dedicated to your photo booth experience. The typical issues stem from a lack of response time, a dearth of experience in trouble shooting any issues that may arise, and less attention spent on maintaining the highest quality for their equipment and photos. A part-time owner also isn’t likely to have the resources to customize and tailor the booth experience to any unique preference you might have. If it’s not their highest priority, there’s a good chance your event won’t be either.
A great photo booth is meant to provide you and your guests with an entertaining experience that captures the fun and emotion of your day. Finding and booking your booth should be a pleasant and seamless experience where you can be confident you are getting a great product for a competitive price. On the day of your event, you want to know all the vendors you hired are comprised of individuals who are trained, competent and dedicated to seeing your big day come to life. Pixster Photo Booths has been the leading photo booth rental company in Southern California for a few years now. We were named the #1 photo booth by The Knot, Wedding Wire, San Diego A-List and the OC and LA Hotlist. We’re extremely proud to be the #1 highest rated and most reviewed Southern California photo booth rental company on Yelp. It’s important to us to ensure every customer gets the highest attention to detail, service and quality so their event definitely lives up to the hype! We hope to be a part of your next event!
For more information or to rent a photo booth in Los Angeles, please visit our website: pixsterphotobooth.com
