WPPI tradeshow recap
We’re just back from the biggest show of the year- the WPPI convention in Vegas. We had an amazing time and a wonderful response to our booth and our product. Its always a fun (albeit exhausting) experience. We staff the booth at the tradeshow all day and then set up the studio for parties at night. Check out our booth at the tradeshow:
If you are looking for any of the photos from events, here are links to where you can find them:
The [b] school party (there were three galleries, so be sure to check all three)
And here are a few of our favorites from the convention.
The Original Snapshot Studio is the best booth on the market.
Considering a photo booth? Confused by all the different models available? We’d like to discuss in this blog post what sets Snapshot Studio apart from its competitors.
Snapshot Studio is the top-selling portable photo booth on the market because of it streamlined design and high-quality structure. Developed by wedding photographer, Jennifer Domenick of Love Life Images, and a Johns Hopkins-trained engineer, the Snapshot Studio incorporates the lessons learned from a leading wedding photographer over a decade of work with the classic finish of a high-end professional product. We’d like to highlight the main features of the Snapshot Studio which set it apart from other booths on the market:
Lighter than the others: At only 36 lbs, Snapshot Studio is the lightest photo booth solution on the market. It can easily be carried and set up by one person. The studio includes comprehensive instructions and set up can be done in as little as 15 minutes!
Sturdy Design: Snapshot Studio is sturdy enough to be set up outside and in, even when there is a slight breeze. Over the past 3 years of field use, it shows little signs of wear and tear, even withstanding rowdy wedding guests.
Guests can see their photos: Another feature of the studio that differentiates Snapshot Studio from other photo booths on the market is the Plexiglas casing that mounts your camera to the studio. We chose to design the casing with see through Plexiglas so that your guests are able to view photos on the LCD monitor as they are taken or while they are waiting for their turn in the booth.
Wrinkle-free backdrop: Due to our impeccable design, our backdrops do not wrinkle. The backdrop itself is made from a wrinkle free fabric and is attached to all 4 sides of the back structure to provide a seamless background to your photos. That means less time editing in Lightroom and Photoshop!
Affordable: Snapshot Studio is very affordable compared to our competitors. We are able to manufacture the Snapshot Studio with the best materials at a very lost cost. We keep the cost low so you have more money in your pocket. In fact, most photographers are able to recoup the entire cost of purchasing a studio after one or two weddings.
No manpower needed: The Snapshot Studio puts the creativity into the hands of the guests and allows you to take hundreds of extra shots without the assistance of another photographer. And since every candid was created by a guest, the bride and her guests have a personal connection with the collection of shots taken in the studio at each event.
Increased marketing and sales: Wedding and event photography is a competitive business and the Snapshot Studio can help you differentiate your offering and increase your overall sales. The Snapshot Studio pays for itself after only a few events and gives you additional brand exposure to your target audience: guests at weddings.
If you would like more information about the original Snapshot Studio, email or call us, or please come see us at WPPI!!!! We’ll be showing off the studio in our booth #1668 and having a drawing for one lucky winner to snag a Snapshot Studio for free!
Why I ♥ My Snapshot Studio: Bill and Anne Holland
Why I ♥ My Snapshot Studio:
Bill and Anne Holland
Bill and Anne Holland, of Holland Photo Arts, LLC, are great friends of mine. If you’re looking for a husband-and-wife team that are both warm and knowledgeable about their trade, look no further. Bill and Anne, whose style is predominantly documentary, had known for some time that photography was what they wanted to do, though their official debut in 2002 came one year after coming to the realization that beginning a photography business was their collective dream.
“Anne jokes that during our wedding portraits in New Orleans’ French Quarter, I kept one eye on her and one on our photographer to see what he was doing,” says Bill.
Not long after beginning their photography business, Bill and Anne photographed the wedding of one of my now-associates, Stephen Bobb.
- why you purchased a Snapshot Studio
“We thought it would be a great way for our clients’ friends and family members to have even more fun together in the booth, and to maximize the number of images a client would get of their guests at each wedding. It’s certainly fulfilled that mission.”
- why you ♥ Snapshot Studio
“It’s pretty easy to set up and very easy to use. We love that it doesn’t need to be monitored by anyone and that it can be set up in twenty minutes or less. Wedding guests just relax and have fun with it, which is the best part.”
-why you purchased a Snapshot Studio
“We thought it would be a great way for our clients’ friends and family
members to have even more fun together in the booth, and to maximize
the number of images a client would get of their guests at each
wedding. It’s certainly fulfilled that mission.”
-why you ♥ Snapshot Studio
“It’s pretty easy to set up and very easy to use. We love that it doesn’t need to be monitored by anyone and that it can be set up in twenty minutes or less. Wedding guests just relax and have fun with it, which is the best part…”
The duo has re-branded their Snapshot Studio so that the images resemble old, beat up film – and we LOVE the effect!
Visit Anne and Bill on the web at:
Website: www.hollandphotoarts.com
Blog: www.hollandphotoartsblog.com
For the Greater Good
When Elliott May of Reverb first ordered his first Snapshot Studio, I had a vague idea of the places and ways he planned to implement the use of the Studio. Now that the Studio has been used for more than a few events by Reverb (and now that we’ve had a peek at some of these ways), I wanted to share a bit more about Reverb with you. As it turns out, they are doing some really cool things.
Reverb, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based out of Portland, Maine whose purpose is to educate musicians and fans alike about ways to support a more sustainable lifestyle. Their hands-on approach includes providing greening programs for the musicians’ tours; offering consulting services for businesses such as venues, record labels, and radio stations; and conducting grassroots outreach with fans spanning the globe.
Meet Elliott May:
Prior to working with Reverb, Elliott worked on environmental campaigns for Clif Bar, Climate Counts and the Big Green Bus, school bus converted to consume used grease rather than diesel, touring the US to raise awareness about renewable energy. Now, Elliott manages the partner relations for Reverb, including Campus Consciousness college tour, which was the most recent place Elliott found to use the Snapshot Studio. You can see some of the images from the Campus Consciousness tour at www.facebook.com/campusconsciousness
And, just because it’s such a cool shot:
However, always thinking outside the box, Elliott has requested a number of customizations to the Studio in order to stand up to the rigors of the concert world (think large crowds of people plus loud decibels of music plus alcoholic consumption), and also to personalize it with their own custom-designed backgrounds. “Consider us your aggressive product testers helping to ensure that the Studio stands up to even the worst wedding weather,” says Elliott. And test our products he sure has. “The booth is practical and durable and packs in and out well, which is helpful for our tours, which require durability and packing in and out daily.”
Among some of the other tours Reverb has used the Snapshot Studio for are the Dave Matthews Band concert and Lilith Fair (we have affectionately named Reverb’s Snapshot Studio, the “Rock Star Booth”).
Dave Matthews Band:
Lilith Fair:
We couldn’t be happier that an organization who is so driven towards finding ways to raise awareness about decreasing our collective carbon footprint (and working with some amazing music groups along the way) has chosen to use our Studio. We look forward to following the success of Reverb in the near and long-term future. To become a fan of Reverb on Facebook, visit www.facebook.com/reverb.
Why I ♥ My Snapshot Studio: Audra Bayette
Why I ♥ My Snapshot Studio:
Audra Bayette
Audra Bayette has had a very, very busy wedding season this year. She has simultaneously been photographing a packed wedding season and planning her own wedding. Both roles she has been in – photographer and bride-to-be – can be quite demanding, but are also both so rewarding in the end. (Speaking of, we can’t wait to see your wedding pics, as I’m sure your day will be chock full of ideas you’ve gathered over the years while photographing!)
One thing that has made her life a bit easier, at least photographically, is – you guessed it! – the Snapshot Studio. Below, Audra has shared a couple of her favorite fun Snapshot Studio pics with us, which we LOVE, along with the reasons she ♥’s her Snapshot Studio:
- why you purchased a Snapshot Studio
“I saw Snapshot Studio in action at Roots Workshop 2009 and I loved it! We had such fun with it and the images were awesome! I knew at that point I wanted to add Snapshot Studio as an option for my clients.”
- why you ♥ Snapshot Studio
“I love Snapshot Studio because it makes my clients very happy. They love the images, the love the ability to control it themselves and there is always a line of people waiting to get into the booth at weddings. I also love it because is so portable, I can just toss it in my car next to my light stands and tripods and away we go. Set up and take down is a snap making it a great addition to my business!”
Congrats on both your booming business, and on your engagement, Audra!
Why I ♥ My Snapshot Studio: Emilie Inc. Photography
Why I ♥ My Snapshot Studio:
Emilie Inc. Photography
Snapshot Studio loves Emilie Inc. Photography. Seriously. Just check out her website to see one of the many reasons why. Or, check out her blog to see yet another reason, which is full of samples of recent weddings (including some Snapshot Studio pictures, might I add!). She also has some fabulous photo tips from time-to-time.
And, Emilie ♥’s her Snapshot Studio. We recently asked Emilie to tell us a bit more about her experience with the Snapshot Studio, and this is what we got:
-why you purchased a Snapshot Studio
“I first saw the Snapshot Studio at Roots Workshop, where co-founder Jenn is on staff and brought it for our closing night festivities. It was an enormous success and, in addition to being such fun and producing beautiful quality print-ready files, it could be broken down and transported in a manageable bag. Brilliant!”
-why you ♥ Snapshot Studio
“Who doesn’t love Snapshot Studio? We have had ours for over a year now and have yet to meet someone who doesn’t marvel at the smart design and grand response it receives at events, corporate events and weddings. It’s a modern twist on the long loved photo booth, and now one of our studio’s most in demand coverage additions.”
Emilie Inc. Photography is a boutique photojournalism studio based in Portland, Maine, founded in 2003 by owner photographer Emilie Sommer. Emilie earned a degree in photojournalism from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University and worked as a photographer and photo editor for USA Today and the Washington Post. Emilie has also founded the Roots Workshop, News Wedding Photographers and Pink Initiative 501(c)(3) non-profit.
Why Every Photographer Needs Their Own Photo Booth
Photo booths have become a big hit at weddings. They’ve become such a hit that many photographers have been considering purchasing their own photo booth to offer as a service to clients. There are a lot of new companies springing up in the Photo Booth industry, and with so many choices, finding what works best for your company (let alone if a photo booth is right for your company) can be a daunting task. There are several things to consider when thinking about purchasing your own booth.
Priceless Photos
You should know that the photos that come from the set-up are priceless. And I don’t just mean that they are funny and wild (they definitely can be), but they are images of guests that have flown in from all over the country and sometimes the world to see the couple – and the couple is going to want those photos. Who owns that image will determine where the guests go to purchase the photos. If you take the photo as part of your company, it’s additional brand recognition for you. If an outside vendor comes in, the guests will either take away a printed photo or they will go to the vendor’s website to purchase reprints.
[Quality] Control
How better to control the quality of images than to know that you will be the one handling and editing them? The fact is, if you own the images, you can put personalized touches on them to make them your own. Think black and white photo booths are boring? Make them color! Don’t want a solid background? Use a print that shows off your photography style. Lastly, you control how the customers get their hands on these fun favors. You can host them online, offer prints, offer a digital copy… the choice is entirely up to you. And don’t forget that when you own the booth, you set your own fees for its usage.
Dreaded Group Shots
Do you dread those boring group shots? And I don’t mean the standard posed family photos you do after the ceremony. I’m talking about the ones where a group of people come up to you and ask you to take their photo at the cocktail hour or the reception. Maybe you have the wrong lens on, and were shooting ambient light. You suddenly have to change lenses and put on a flash. Meanwhile, you have spent 30 seconds or so fumbling over your camera – doesn’t look good in front of the client. If you have a photo booth, you can simply tell guests that they can go have their photo taken in the booth. If you explain that the booth is set up ideally for this purpose and that they will have direct access to the photos after the event, they will be excited to go check it out.
Aunt So-and-So
When I first got started in wedding photojournalism, I was always concerned that the couple would come back to me after I show them the proofs and say, “The photos are gorgeous, but there are no photos of Aunt So-and-so who flew in from California to be there for the wedding.” This was what drove me to create a portrait station/photo booth. Now that I have it, I never worry that I’m not shooting enough candids of the guests. The couple does the work of gathering guests and shuffling them into the booth, leaving me free to do what I do best.
Richard Avedon
When I first started offering a photo booth (almost 5 years ago now), I fully expected to have some very profound Avedon-like portraits from the weddings. Little did I know that I would have to create an archive for all the naughty photos. I didn’t fully realize how much fun it would be for me to see guests get creative with their photos. I have a good laugh almost every time I look at the photos from the Snapshot Studio. People really feel like they can open up, especially when they don’t have a photographer giving them directions.
Whether you use our booth or not, I highly recommend offering a photo booth or portrait station at your own weddings.
