So my awesome partner-in-crime, Rebekah of 504 Stitches, recently posted this killer tutorial on her blog, about how to set up a DIY photobooth. She’s been running some summer camps for kids recently, and I LOVE this project that she did with them. I asked her if it was okay to share her post with you guys, and she said sure thing! I hope you enjoy!

DIY Birthday Party Photo Booth
A DIY Photobooth is a fun and easy way to add a personal touch to any party or gathering. This is my favorite way to capture friends and family having fun, acting silly and smiling, like really smiling. Ditch the formal family photos, grab some props, your camera and shoot away.
Before the Photobooth day gather a few things and prepare with some basic equipment to make this project easy to set up and the photos easy to share:
Easy photo sharing – I use Flickr where I upload the photos. You can set the viewing permissions if you don’t want the photos to be public and just share them with family and friends.
Camera + Tripod (optional) - I use a Nikon D40, but you can use whatever digital camera you have. I like to use a tripod as so can adjust the height and invite kids to snap a few photos too.
Photo Printer - if you have guests who will want to take home photos, or you want to print them out and leave them as party favours (great for b-day parties) a simple photo printer like the Canon Selphy is my recommendation. I did a photo booth for my friends’ wedding and printed out photos for the guests, which made the best wedding present (a direct quote from the bride).
Extra tools to make it even easier – get yourself a remote for your camera so you can capture yourself in some shots, your guests can use it too and free you up to enjoy the fun. I got mine on Ebay for about $4. The Eye-Fi wireless memory card makes uploading photos to your computer and Flickr automatic.

Capture Amazing Photos!
Backgrounds - I’ve used a number of different things for backgrounds and they set the mood and ground your photos, adding colour and theme.
Family gathering such as an anniversary – vintage quilts hand made by family members are a precious way to add a sentimental touch
Theme Weddings and Parties – use a thrifted sheet and pin up stars, or inexpensive party decorations
Outside or Causal events – use a colorful printed vinyl shower curtain or printed fabric
Seasonal Parties – wrapping paper, flags, streamers are easy to find and easy to string up or tack up on a wall. In the photo above I used a roll of wrapping paper taped up on a closet door.

Props Make Everything Better
Props - I’m always on the look out for props. Halloween, Mardi Gras and Easter are the best time to stock up on silly stuff. I have made some of my props too and I store everything in a vintage suit case to keep everything in one place.
My list of must have props:
Hillbilly teeth, funny sunglasses, lots of wigs, mustaches on sticks, small white board or chalkboard for people to write messages on, scarves, hats, fake bloody knives, nerd glasses, devil horns, angel wings, and of course anything oversized.
Extra special props can include:
Large Picture frames, cool vintage chairs, large beach balls, vintage cameras, guitar, and any hand made props

Capture those real smiles when they aren't looking!
Tips for taking great photos:
Note – I didn’t edit/ crop most of these photos so you can check out my set up. I put up a shower curtain on a swing set and held it in place with some wood planks.
- Feel Free to direct your subjects, but also let people do their thing and have fun interacting with each other in front of the camera.

- A great way to keep people in front of your camera is to suggest actions : “Jump! Keep Jumping! Throw your Props in the Air! Everyone switch Wigs! Switch Again!”



- I love asking people to pose and “Work it!” , ”Love the Camera!” I’m always surprised when I put on a Zoolander type voice and people of all ages respond with the best poses and faces.
- Keep it moving, if you sense a lull in the action tell people to get in front of the camera.
- Groups of friends will naturally find their own ways to use props. In a group setting don’t try force people who don’t know each other into a photo together.




- Set your camera shooting mode from single frame to Continuous so you can shoot many photos quickly. Check out Digital Photography School to learn more about shooting modes and other cool camera stuff!
- Hold the camera in a position that you can get good photos and start to click away, but look away and talk to someone beside you. Your subjects will be acting silly and posing, thinking you aren’t taking photos. This is a great way to get amazing photos of shy people, especially kids.
- If you are using a DSLR with an adjustable lens, set your shooting mode to auto, but your lens to manual. This allows you to keep shooting and get the proper exposure and focus super close to your subject or further away especially if you want to capture a lot of action quickly. Use this in conjunction with continuous shooting mode for awesome “live action” shots!
- If at all possible use natural light. I prefer to shoot outside or by a large window so I don’t have to use my flash. I actually don’t really know how to get really beautiful photos’ with flash/ low light/ night time. I’m hoping to be able to learn more about lighting and flash photography this winter.
Editing and Sharing your photos
- For all my editing I use Picnik and I love it. Pay for the premium version ($24.95/year) which allows you to upload and edit as many photos as you want and allows you to save photos on your computer and to Flickr and other photo sharing sites. I use Picnik for almost all the banners, badges and graphics I design for my website.

Use Picnik's Collage Effect to Make "strips"
- The editing tools I use most are the cropping and re-sizing features. I was taught from a teacher whose philosophy was that a good photo is taken, not edited to look like it’s a good photo. Because I come from a film photography background I remain a purist when it comes to taking the perfect picture in my camera.
Before:

After with cropping:

- You can order prints online right from Flickr and Picnik and many other photo sharing sites like Photobucket and Picassa.
- Upload photos to Facebook or Flickr to share.
- Burn photos onto disks and send them out to friends and family as a thank you for attending your event.
- If you like to scrap book you can create keepsakes and add photos from your photo booth.
Each time I do a photo booth I fall more in love with my camera, photography and the amazing tools available online. Doing photography this way has built my confidence and made me much less shy about taking photos of people.
You can check out the rest of my photo booth photos on Flickr.
About the author: My name is Rebekah Apotre, owner of 504 Stitches where I teach sewing lessons and crafty workshops. Currently I’m in the process of donating 300 pairs of handmade slippers to The Pink Slipper Project – you can sign up to join me and get access to free patterns here. Read all about my crafty adventures at 504stitches.com
NOLA folks – don’t forget, the Speed Dating Style Networking event that Rebekah concocted takes place THIS Thursday, July 14th at 7pm at the AllWays Lounge. It’s FREE to attend – just reserve your spot here.