DIY Photo Booth: Best Tips for Creating Yours
DIY Photo Booth: Best Tips for Creating Yours
Absolutely nobody would complain if you were to hire an event planning company to supply your wedding with a professional photo booth, but for those of us on a tight budget or wanting more of a personal touch to your reception fun, a DIY photo booth may be a much better option.
With a little planning, inspiration, and how-to guidance from us, it's a snap. We'll show you how to make a photo booth that you can be proud of and that your guests will love.
In this post, you'll learn:
How to Set Up Your Own DIY Photo Booth
First things first, there are a few essential items you'll need to create the perfect homemade photo booth.
One of the more difficult things when planning how to set up a photo booth is a location. When scouting your venues, keep your photo booth in mind.
You'll want it to be out where the action is so that all your guests can spot it immediately and be tempted to partake. But you also don't want to intrude on anything. To complicate matters a little further, you want good lighting.
Once you have a location set, the next thing is to choose a concept. Will you use a simple frame? Will you set up a backdrop? Or, will you construct an entire for your guests to interact with? There are no hard photo booth rules to follow, so just choose what works for you.
If you are going the "scene" route you're looking at adding in furniture and decor. This could be as simple as a loveseat, a bookcase, and some flowers.
It could also be as elaborate as LED lighting, hangings, carpets, and more. Again, choose what works for you. Just make sure that your selection encapsulates the spirit of your wedding theme.
Create Your Own Photo Booth Backdrop
This is the most difficult aspect of photo booth ideas for wedding receptions to give advice on. Mainly because this is entirely up to your imagination.
Wondering where to start?
Choose a flat color or simple texture. Sometimes simplicity is the best choice, but most couples want to make things a little more interesting.
Source: photocheddar
Achieve this by using an image on the backdrop or a quote that sums up the big event. Add points of interest like neon lights, colorful tiles, or an entire wall of flowers.
Source: alphasmoot
As mentioned earlier, add some depth to your photo booth by hanging items from the ceiling, adding a few seats, or injecting some additional decor.
Source: katherinehallbergdesign
Tips To Create DIY Photo Booth Lighting
It's very rare that a banquet hall or other wedding venue will have a space with perfect photo booth lighting. Usually, lights are turned down low to set the mood, with a few spotlights to liven things up. This won't do for proper portraits, you'll have to get creative.
Setting up a light sounds easy enough, but there are a few fault lines you'll want to avoid.
The trick is to create a soft light that doesn't appear to come from any specific direction. It should provide even lighting throughout the space. Your best bet is to choose some high intensity "daylight" bulbs and a handful of floor lamps. If you find this is casting too many shadows, throw some sheer fabric over the lamps to diffuse the direction of the light.
Wedding DIY Photo Booth Props Ideas
Props may seem lame when you starting picking out choices, but leave them out and you'll regret it. The true key to a successful photo booth is guest participation. The use of props makes your photo booth engaging and interactive. It's almost impossible not to laugh while wearing a Viking helmet or fake mustache.
For best results, you'll want to include a mix of props from a few categories.
The easiest way to create funny wedding pictures is with some killer props. Kicking your reception off with a silly and fun photo booth shoot is a great way to transition from the emotional seriousness of your wedding ceremony into fun and jovial good times.
Of course, you'll also need a few items to make your photobooth specific to your wedding.
Wedding Signs For Photo Booth
You'll no doubt be adding your photo booth shots to your wedding album. Your backdrop and decor will make them a great fit, but to make it a perfect fit we recommend using a few signs.
Luckily, there are a lot of inexpensive packages out there so you don't have to worry about coming up with a dozen wedding signs ideas.
These romantic and funny signs are very cost effective and very guest effective.
Social Media Photo Props
With a perfect photo booth shoot of all your guest obviously, you're going to want to share across your favorite socials. The best way is to encourage your guests to share and to make use of your wedding hashtag.
Using a social media frame for your signs decor is a very approachable way to introduce photo booths to your guests. We recommend choosing 2 of these. The first should be your favorite fun photo booth prop. The second should be the "I Do" pack so that you can feature your official Mr. and Mrs. names and wedding date. Don't forget to add these to your digital wedding album!
Wedding Ceremony Flags
Wedding ceremony flags are a great addition - or even alternative if you don't want to go overboard - to all of the other photo booth props we mentioned. Waving these around is a great way to show the bride and groom your enthusiasm. It's also a great way to make your photo booth results a little more dynamic. If you're hosting an outdoor event, these work great with an outdoor photo booth.
DIY Photo Booth Frame Ideas
Creating a DIY photo booth frame can be a lot of fun. All you need is a few items you can find around the house, and maybe a quick trip to your local hardware store.
How to build a photo booth frame starts with choosing a theme. Just like the backdrop, you can choose a flat color with names and wedding date, a painted texture, decorative LEDs, or hot-glued flowers, or an image. The image can be painted on or applied like wallpaper.
How to make a photo booth frame from cardboard? It is easy. All you need is a sheet of cardboard and some scissors. The cardboard should be flat and sturdy, but lightweight. The reason cardboard works so well is that it's easy to work with and easy for your guests to hold up while they take their selfies.
The most popular choice for how to make a selfie frame atm is a social media frame. Replicate the look of Facebook or Snapchat so that when you stick your face in the center it appears as though you're using your favorite app.
DIY Photo Booth Cameras And Apps You Need
We're not going to suggest that you invest in professional grade cameras or lighting. This is near - if not more - expensive as hiring a professional. If you have a newer digital SLR kicking around the house, go with that.
If you're considering investing a little bit into your equipment, there are a few things you should know first.
Instant camera for photo booth
If you're in the market for a new smartphone, the camera's qualities and abilities are arguably one of the biggest deciding factors. Here's how they stack up.
Of course, if you're looking for an actual camera, these are the most popular brands on the market: Compare digital single lens reflex cameras.
Polaroid for wedding photo booth
You'll get great quality from the latest smartphone or DSLR, but you'll appreciate the immediate satisfaction and vintage feel of a Polaroid. These are relatively inexpensive and super simple to use.
Choose the company that invented the instant camera. Buy it here.
DIY wedding photo booth printer
With all of those gorgeous pictures of your guests, you're going to want a way to give them a copy on the spot. You'll need a printer that's quick, affordable, and good quality.
Not only do these printers deliver on all fronts, but they're also compact. These photo booth printers are perfect for larger portraits or a montage of several shots.
Wedding photo booth app ideas
If you've chosen to upgrade your smartphone, there are a few apps you should consider to make the experience and results better.
These photo booth apps offer great designs, easy way to store emails and send photos after, and super easy to use. Most come with free options, so try out all three and see which one you love best.
In conclusion:
When it comes to creating a DIY photo booth we got you covered from top to bottom. It's easy, it's fun, and it's a great way to save a few dollars with your wedding budget. Put our step by step guide into action and create some memories that you and your guests will appreciate for a lifetime.
