Photo booths have become a popular addition to all kinds of parties because of the fun time it offers for party goers. It is a great way to give souvenirs to your guests to have something to remember the party by. If you are interested in getting a photo booth for your party, you can either hire professionals or make one on your own.
I have listed below the steps to make a simple photo booth for your party.
- Lighting setup
You can go with a semi-professional setup and use a spotlight with white umbrella lighting setup. Of course, this would cost a lot more but it will make your photos sharper and more professional looking. If you don’t have the necessary equipment for this, you can install several bulbs inside the booth. Think of the lighting setup in a make-up chair – that’s what you’re after. It offers the most flattering lighting and your guests will thank you for it.
- Background
If you know your way around photo editing, you can use a green screen. That may take a while for each photo though as you’d be editing each of the photos you take. If you don’t want to bother with that, you can buy a background from an outlet. There are lots of designs to choose from so you are all covered.
- Camera and the settings
All you need for your camera is the tripod along with a trigger button (if you have one). If you don’t have a remote trigger button for your camera, you can always do it manually. Make sure that the settings are consistent across all photos. You want to avoid the auto feature of the camera because it will mess up the white balance of each photo. Instead, do it in manual or semi-manual mode. Set the aperture to around f/5.0 to get everyone in the shot focused. Since you have a lighting setup, you can choose an ISO of between 100 to 200. As for the shutter speed, go with 1/100 to 1/250. If the guests are having too much fun inside the booth and are moving around a lot, go with the faster shutter speed.
- Lens selection
You only need one lens for this. If you have a basic DSLR camera, you can use the kit lens 18 – 55mm. Because you are shooting a lot of people, you need to have a wider lens. If you have a prime lens of 25 – 35mm, use that. However, if you are only using a kit lens, just set the lens to 35mm and lock it there to have a consistent focal length in all of your photos.
- The props
Props and costumes would always be a part of a photo booth. You can find many costumes and props in a dollar store. If you’re just having a house party, you can ask your friends to bring one of their own costumes and just be silly.
- Actual booth
The booth can just be a box made of plywood. You don’t even have to cover the top of the booth. Just make sure that the booth will not fall apart easily.