Most photo booths look much the same in a listing: a picture of a booth, a price and a promise of fun. The differences only show up on the night, and by then it's too late to swap. So here's what actually matters when you're comparing photo booth companies, and the questions worth asking before you pay a deposit.
Camera and lighting quality
This is the big one, and it's the bit most people never ask about. The camera and the lighting decide whether your prints look like proper portraits or like a dim phone selfie.
Plenty of cheaper booths run on a tablet or a webcam. They're fine in a bright room, but wedding venues and evening parties are usually dim, and small cameras struggle. You get grainy, soft, slightly orange photos.
A booth built around a DSLR camera with studio lighting is a different thing altogether. The light is controlled, skin tones look natural and the images are sharp enough to frame. Our ICON Booth works this way, with a DSLR and studio lighting in a solid oak build.
Ask any company straight out: what camera does the booth use, and what lighting? If they're vague, that tells you something.
Print quality and unlimited prints
For most people the print is the point. Guests take it home, stick it on the fridge or slot it into your guest book. So check two things.
- Are prints unlimited? Some packages cap the number of prints or charge per strip. Unlimited means nobody's counting and guests can go back in as often as they like.
- Are they instant and good quality? Ask what printer and paper they use. A proper photo printer gives you prints that are dry straight away, don't smudge and last.
If you can, ask to see a real print, not just a photo of one on a website.
Is the booth hosted?
A hosted booth comes with a member of staff who stays with it for the hire. They get people in, sort the props, keep the queue moving, fix a paper jam in seconds and generally make sure it runs well.
Some booths are designed to be self-service, and that can work brilliantly for the right event. Our Photomatic is one: it's a fully enclosed vintage booth that guests use on their own, and it stays all day. The key thing is knowing which one you're getting, so you're not surprised when nobody's there.
If a booth is hosted, ask what the host actually does. A good host is friendly, keeps an eye on the kit and doesn't stand around on their phone.
Personalised print design
Your prints should look like they belong to your day. That usually means your names, the date and a design that suits your theme, or your logo and brand colours for a corporate event.
Ask how the design process works, whether there's a choice of templates, and whether you get to approve it before the event. It's a small detail that makes a big difference to how the prints look in years to come.
An online gallery
Guests lose prints. They also want to share photos on their phones. An online gallery after the event solves both, and it means you get to see every photo taken, including the ones you missed while you were busy being the host.
Check that a gallery is included rather than an add-on, and ask whether guests can also get a digital copy on the night.
How the booth looks in your venue
A booth sits in the room for hours and it's in the background of a lot of your photographer's pictures. A plastic box with an LED strip can look out of place in a barn, a country house or a smart hotel.
Think about whether the booth fits the style of your venue. Wood, vintage and open-air setups tend to blend into a wedding room much better than a flashy tower. Ask to see photos of the booth set up at real events, not just studio shots.
Space and power
Booths need more room than people expect once you allow for guests standing in front of them and a queue. As a guide, we ask for about 8ft x 8ft, one standard socket ideally within 2m (we can run extensions up to 10m), and an indoor spot. Marquees are looked at case by case.
Any decent company should ask you about space, power and access before the day. If nobody asks, expect problems.
Insurance
Most venues will want to see public liability insurance before a supplier can set up. Ask for it, and ask how much cover there is. We carry £10m public liability insurance and can send the certificate to your venue.
It's a dull question, but a company that can't answer it quickly probably isn't one you want at your wedding.
Reviews
Read reviews on more than one platform and read the recent ones. Look for comments about the staff, the prints and how easy the company was to deal with before the day, not just "it was fun". A few years of consistent reviews says more than a handful of glowing ones.
What's actually included, and travel
The headline price isn't always the real price. When comparing quotes, line them up properly and check:
- How many hours of hire are included, and what an extra hour costs
- Whether prints are unlimited
- Whether props, backdrop, print design and the online gallery are included
- Whether there's a host
- How travel is charged
We quote travel on top so you can see exactly what you're paying for. Some companies hide it in the price, others add it at the end. Either is fine as long as you know.
If you're weighing up a booth your venue offers against hiring a specialist, we've written a separate guide on venue photo booths vs hiring a photo booth company.
Questions to ask before you book
- What camera and lighting does the booth use?
- Are prints unlimited and instant?
- Is the booth hosted, or self-service?
- Can the print design be personalised, and do I approve it first?
- Is there an online gallery afterwards?
- Can I see photos of the booth at real events?
- How much space and power do you need?
- Do you have public liability insurance, and can you send it to my venue?
- What's included in the price, and how is travel charged?
- What happens if something goes wrong on the night?
Still not sure which type of booth suits you? Have a look at all our booths or try the booth quiz.
Ready to check your date?
If you'd like to know whether we're free for your event, or just want a straight answer to any of the questions above, get in touch or call us on 0114 470 1215. We'll tell you honestly which booth fits.
