Photo booths are a rightfully popular entertainment staple at parties. For big events, I highly suggest leaving it to the pros, but, if you're like me and just needed a simple set up for a house party, then here's how to do just that. The main thing you'll need to accomplish a pro-like quality photo is a light softbox.What does a softbox do? It creates soft light on your subject. This is great for eliminating harsh shadows when using your traditional flash (which you'll still need to use for proper lighting). I positioned my softbox below my camera to create soft up lighting.
DIY Softbox Materials:
- Cardboard Box
- Tin Foil
- Scissors
- Tape
- White Fabric/White Gift Tissue Paper/White Garbage Sack
- Small Lamp (I used a desk lamp)
- Digital SLR camera with flash (small digital camera will work too, but not as effective)
- Tripod
- Remote Control ($15 on amazon.com)
- A plus, but not required, Adobe Light Room (find a screaming deal on the software here)
Unfortunately, I did not have the foresight to take step by step photos, but here's my finished product. Note that I wrapped it in Christmas paper as well as my box props. It was a Christmas party after all...
I took a lot of trial and error shots to figure out the right combination of lighting and distance. There's such thing as too close and too far, so take pictures until you're happy with what you see in the screen.
I'm a photo hobbyist, so I wanted to edit the final pictures in LightRoom. The effect was better than the original shots. (this is why I say for important events, leave this to the pros). Here's a comparison of edited and un-edited:
So there you have it! If you've got the right tools, this is a really fun activity to offer at your party. If you don't have the tools, here are some of my favorite photo booth pros:
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