Who here runs a photo booth at their weddings?

KIP wrote in post #9080666
Speaking as a former bride here, I think they're a great way to get memorable photos of your guests. Candids are good, but so many in my album are awkward shots of friends mid-sentence as they spent time catching up with each other.

Laughing, hugging, crying are all great... but you're right, it is hard to get an interesting candid shot of people talking. And that is what they're mostly doing at the reception.

I like the idea, I don't take many candids because of what KIP says - mine are semi-candid. At weddings here there wouldn't be a lot of spare time for a booth. Once the reception starts it's dinner, cake cutting, first dance, then lots of dancing, I guess in the dancing time people could do it but it'd draw people away from the party/dance floor.

This is the only time I've seen it here, well... after the 1st dances I think. (And I'm an expert because I've seen it a whole two times. ) Most people don't do back-to-back dancing anyway. Plus, the more the booze flows I'd guess business would pick up.

And if I recall, the DJ would bark every now between dances to remind people to get their pics taken while they can still stand. [hic]

I'll find out in a couple of weeks. This job pays pretty good (for me anyway) so I wonder what the catch is. I'll probably get mooned regularly by staggering guests with hairy arses.

tim wrote in post #9081381
I like the idea, I don't take many candids because of what KIP says

true ! .. its like catching candids while someone is trying to put food in their mouths .. I think the candids are a little over exaggerated .. the best candids to me would be like parents reaction while the first dance, people laughing cuz the first speech is totally busting on the B&G .. and ppl's reaction while on the dance floor ..

any who .. the best place is to place the booth right next to the main bar there .. drunken friends with no shame is the best way to get the B&G laughing when they look at the images

We just did a wedding in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and everyone loved the booth. We had someone outside of the photography party man the booth and it worked out great! We had it setup just as you walked in on the right, but at the opposite end of the dinning tables and stage.

tsw910 wrote in post #9081597
the best place is to place the booth right next to the main bar there .. drunken friends with no shame is the best way to get the B&G laughing when they look at the images

Exactly, so that when the bar is very busy you can drag people in to the booth.

jonwhite wrote in post #9078664
I would guess that you havent shot that many weddings? Maybe when you have more experience you will be able to see the logical space a photo booth fits into during the wedding day. It doesnt have to be gimmicky or detract from coverage of the bride and groom, its just an addition to the days coverage that in my experience many bride and grooms enjoy having.

Well i don't know when I become "experienced", but I've shot around 80 over the last 2 1/2 years, both here in Australia and back in the States.

To me, it's a ridiculous gimmick, and I'd rather not adopt cheesy gimmicks; or be known as the photographer who has to resort to gimmicks to seperate myself from the others, or to make a few extra dollars on their wedding day. I'd rather stick to what I feel makes great coverage of their wedding day.

RT McAllister wrote in post #9079175
Well, so is the chicken dance but you still see it whether you want to or not.

There is nothing natural about a wedding day - it's all scripted by the clergy, DJ and you.

Man... your gigs must resemble funerals.

I've actually never been to a wedding where there was the chicken dance. And if there was, THEY would be the ones wanting it, certainly not me.

The sequence of events is prearranged at a wedding, but not the interactions and the emotions. Look at a guy like Jeff Ascough- NO interference (except for a tiny amount of formals) and he gets great images, is one of the most highly sought after wedding photogs in the UK. The world, possibly. And you know what? He doesn't have a photo booth at the reception.

PMCphotography wrote in post #9082375
I've actually never been to a wedding where there was the chicken dance.

I can't remember the last wedding I did without the chicken dance. I think the rednecks here in Hooterville invented it.

Amen to that brother.

Well Paul, if you're in it for the "art" that's certainly fine. Were I in this biz for pride, showmanship, bragging rights, rave reviews from my peers... all that other ego-sucking crap, I'd be shooting gorgeous models that do whatever I tell 'em.

But some of us poor folk gotta' eat.

Paul, put yourself in the position of a guest: would you like some fun photos of you and your friends at the wedding? No-one asks the photographer to take them, they do them on little cameras. A photo booth makes it easy for people to get photos. The photos are good, people have fun, the photographer makes a little money. Everyone wins.

I think it's a question of adopting a gimmick for the short term gain of making a few extra dollars Vs. Investing in your vision and your brand- by investing in my brand I can gain clients that are excited about my the kind of photography I do, and know what to expect from me when they book me.

The gimmicky, novelty road isn't for me.

Alright Paul, i think we get that you think it is cheezy, gimicky, and corny. We can all agree there are different styles, and different people like to choose different things. For some of us, this sounds like a fun idea, and no one will be looking at a photo booth at your next wedding. Thank you for your input though, i really like to see other sides of the coin, so to speak.

Check out Sarah K Chen, one of the best photographers from where I grew up.

She has a photobooth, too: http://sarahkchen.net/​?p=412

And scroll to the bottom of this wedding she did recently: http://sarahkchen.net/​?p=701. Pretty hilarious stuff.

I had a couple rent one of those photobooths you used to see at county fairs and such; the kind where you get 4 small prints all in a vertical strip. Everyone loved it. Not sure what the B&G paid for it (rent-wise). As for the Moms and Dads who can use their point and shoots, then go into PS Elements, and charge $500 for a wedding...you get what you pay for. I could buy myself a nice dental chair and a couple of drills and start doing discount dental work but it wouldn't be the same as if a pro did it, now would it?

PMCphotography wrote in post #9082358
Well i don't know when I become "experienced", but I've shot around 80 over the last 2 1/2 years, both here in Australia and back in the States.

To me, it's a ridiculous gimmick, and I'd rather not adopt cheesy gimmicks; or be known as the photographer who has to resort to gimmicks to seperate myself from the others, or to make a few extra dollars on their wedding day. I'd rather stick to what I feel makes great coverage of their wedding day.

Fair enough, sorry I got the impression from your portfolio that you had done about half a dozen, maybe it just needs updating.

Each to their own, I think your views are wrong but of course your entitled to them.