A photo booth at your party: background, props, and lighting that actually work
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
5 min reading time
A photo booth costs little and yields the most photos of the evening — provided you set it up in the right spot and choose props that people will actually pick up. Here's how to do it.
At most parties, the photo booth appears spontaneously: someone stands against a wall, someone else holds up a phone, and within ten minutes there's a queue. That's precisely why it pays to determine the spot in advance rather than leaving it to chance. A good photo booth costs you fifteen euros and half an hour's work, and provides most of the photos people will still be looking at a week later.
Below is what works: where to place it, what background is suitable, how many props you need, and why lighting is more important than decoration.
First the location, then the decoration
The most common mistake is putting the photo booth in a corner where no one goes. Do the opposite: choose a spot where people already walk by during the evening, but where they won't be in anyone's way. Think of the wall next to the bar, or the hallway between the main room and the cloakroom.
Pay attention to three things:
Space to stand. One and a half meters between the wall and the photographer is the minimum; with two meters, you can also get groups of four in the photo.
No through traffic. Set up a simple barrier so people don't walk through it. A Barrier Tape with Funny Text, 25 meters costs €2.95 and does the job perfectly — and doubles as decoration.
A table or chair within reach to place the props on. Props that end up on the floor are no longer used.
The background: simpler is better
A busy background results in busy photos. One plain wall with one striking element works better than a collage. Garlands or banners are enough for this: the Mini Rainbow Banner with Gold Fringes (€7.95) hangs at eye level and fills the frame without attracting all the attention.
If you want more volume, inflatable props are a cheap way to fill an empty wall. An Inflatable Palm Tree costs €6.95 and an Inflatable Cactus €9.95. After deflation, they take up hardly any space, which is handy if you organize parties often. For an autumn theme or Halloween, a Halloween Spiderweb with 6 Spiders (€9.95) is a quick way to fill an entire wall.
Lighting: the element people often skip
Almost every failed party photo is a lighting problem, not a decoration problem. In a dimly lit room, your guest's phone will produce a grainy, yellow photo, no matter how beautiful your background is. So make sure light falls on faces and not just behind them.
Two practical solutions: place the photo booth near an existing light source and direct it at the people, or use light as part of the decor. LED Balloons, 5 pieces cost €2.95 per set and provide just enough glow to make a dark corner usable. A Bunny Mask with LED Lighting (€39.95) does the same as an eye-catcher, but it's wearable.
Props: quality over quantity
Fifteen different props of which three are used is a waste. Four or five good props that everyone picks up work better. The rule of thumb: something for your head, something for your face, something to hold.
As a rule of thumb: count on approximately one prop per three guests, with a minimum of five. For thirty guests, you'd end up with ten items. More is largely pointless, as there are never more than six people in the corner at once. Do, however, put out duplicates of the props that prove most popular — glasses and masks almost always are.
What to arrange on the day itself
Inflate the inflatable props the day before and check if they last through the night. You'd rather notice a leaking prop at home than at the venue.
Hang the background at eye level, not your eye level, but that of an average standing guest.
Test one photo with your phone before guests arrive. If it's too dark, move a lamp.
Place the props on a table, not in a box. What you don't see, you don't use.
Agree on who will tidy them up at the end. Otherwise, masks and glasses will disappear without a trace.
Assemble your own
For background and decoration, check Party Supplies, for face props check Masks and for the rest check Fancy Dress Accessories. If you're organizing something around the end of October, you'll find suitable props at Halloween. Do you know how many guests are coming but not what to order? Email the number and theme to info@verpakkingdeals.nl, and we'll suggest a list that fits your budget.
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