Easy Tricks to Get More Photos and Shares from Your Open Air Photo Booth

Open air photo booths have become an increasingly popular element of events, offering guests a unique and fun way to capture memories. Unlike traditional closed photo booths, open air photo booths offer more space so that more people can come together and get creative with fun photos. So how do you make sure your guests make the most of an open air photo booth and share their photos? In this blog, we'll share some simple tips to help you encourage your guests to take more photos and share them at an open air photo booth.

1. Create an interesting and compelling background

The backdrop is the first thing that draws guests towards your open air photo booth, so it's vital to make sure it's visually appealing. Whether it's a custom themed design, a brightly colored display, or even a green screen backdrop used to create a virtual backdrop, the background plays a key role in inspiring creativity. A unique and interesting backdrop will inspire guests to step in front of the open air photo booth's lens and take a picture!

Tip:

• Customize the background: If possible, customize a background that matches the theme of the event. Adding personalized elements such as logos, event hashtags, or fun messages can make photos more share-worthy and encourage guest interaction.

Benefits:

• Creative backgrounds inspire guests to take more photos because they will want to show off their unique backgrounds and share them.

2. Provide a variety of interesting props

Props are an effective way to encourage guests to interact with open air photo booths. Provide a variety of fun props such as oversized glasses, wigs, hats and funny placards that guests can use to take creative photos. Not only do props make photos more interesting, they also help to break up the awkwardness and allow guests to strike a variety of interesting poses.

Tip:

• Offer a variety of props: The greater the variety of props, the more guests will want to use them. Providing props for different tastes, ages and group sizes makes the event more fun.

Benefits:

• Props add to the fun of the open air photo booth, inspiring guests to take more creative photos and share them with friends.

3. Digital sharing made easy

The main purpose of an open air photo booth is to encourage guests to share photos with their networks. Providing options for digital sharing directly from the photo booth is crucial. Whether it's through Instagram, Facebook, or via email or text message, ensuring that guests can easily share their photos can help your event gain wider exposure.

Tip:

• Interegrated event hashtag: Encourage guests to share their photos using a customized event hashtag, display the hashtag in the photo booth and provide sharing instructions so guests know how to tag your event.

Benefits:

• Making the sharing process easy can greatly increase the likelihood that guests will share their photos on social media, which will help promote your event naturally.

4. Real-time display of photos

Creating a gallery that displays photos in real time is a great way to encourage guests to participate in your open air photo booth. Displaying photos taken in real time on a large screen will inspire others to participate. When guests see photos of their friends or other attendees immediately appear on the screen, they'll want to take photos themselves.

Tip:

• Highlight interesting photos: Showcase some of the best, funniest or most creative photos in real time to inspire others to take their own.

Benefits:

• Live galleries add interactivity and encourage more people to participate in taking photos and sharing them on social media.

5. Organize photo contests or giveaways

By hosting a social media contest or giveaway, you can effectively encourage photo sharing. Ask guests to take photos and share them using event-specific hashtags or social media accounts that tag the event. Offering prizes for the best photos or hosting a raffle for all guests who share photos is a great way to encourage more photos to be taken and shared.

Tip：

• Simplify contest rules: Make sure the rules are simple and easy to understand. For example, ask guests to upload a photo with the campaign hashtag on Instagram or Twitter for a chance to win a prize.

Benefits:

• Contests or giveaways incentivize guests to interact with open air photo booths and share their photos online, which in turn boosts exposure for the event.

6. Provision of instant prints or souvenirs

While digital sharing is important, guests also like to take away physical souvenirs. Offering an instant print service is a great way for guests to make lasting memories. Not only can the prints be used as party favors, but they can also be branded or tagged with your event, encouraging guests to share their photos both online and offline.

Tip:

• Customized print layouts: Add the event logo, date and some fun text to the printed photos to make them more personalized and special.

Benefits:

• Offering instant prints allows guests to take physical photos with them, and prints are often shared offline, allowing your event to reach a wider audience.

7. Setting up a “photo moment” or “group photo area”

Because open air photo booths can accommodate more people, encouraging guests to take group photos is a great option. Create a dedicated “photo moment” or “group photo area” with props and unique backdrops to allow people to take fun, share-worthy photos with friends. Group photos often generate more social media shares because guests like to tag their friends when sharing photos.

Tip:

• Creative group photos: Provide some creative group poses or group challenges to make the photo experience more fun.

Benefits:

• Group photos encourage guests to tag multiple people on social media, increasing the number of shares and creating more conversation about your event.

8. Encouraging social media tagging and mentions

If you want guests to share their photos on social media, make it easier for them to tag your event or brand. Display your social media accounts and hashtags on a sign near your open air photo booth and encourage guests to tag your event when they share. Not only will this help boost your event's online presence, but it will also provide you with user-generated content that will help you promote future events.

Tip:

• Display hashtags: Set up a prominent sign near the photo booth displaying the event's hashtags and social media accounts so guests can easily find and use them.

Benefits:

• Tagging your event helps to increase its exposure on social media and allows you to re-share user-generated content to further promote your event.

9. Staffing to encourage participation

While most guests will voluntarily walk up to an open air photo booth to have their picture taken, some may need a little encouragement. Staffing an open air photo booth with a friendly staff member can help guests relax and offer advice on posing for photos, adjusting props, and more. A staff member can also remind guests to share their photos and make sure the sharing process goes smoothly.

Tip:

• Friendly and approachable: Make sure the staff is friendly and welcoming so guests will be more willing to participate in the photo shoot.

Benefits:

• An enthusiastic staff can help increase engagement and ensure guests are having fun, which in turn leads to more photos being taken and shared.

10. Simplifying the sharing process through QR codes

By setting up a QR code at open air photo booth, you can make the sharing process even easier. When guests scan the QR code, they can instantly access their photos and share them directly to social media. This eliminates the hassle of finding photos or figuring out how to share them, making the process quicker and smoother.

Tip:

• Conspicuous display of QR codes: Place QR codes in a conspicuous and easily accessible place so guests can quickly scan them after taking a photo.

Benefits:

• QR codes made it easy for guests to share photos, boosting shares on social media and increasing exposure for the event.

Conclusion

By adopting these simple tips, you can maximize the engagement and sharing potential of your open air photo booth. From creative backdrops and props to simplifying digital sharing and offering rewards, these strategies will encourage more guests to take photos and share them with their social networks.