Pro Quality Shots in a Photo Booth?

PerfectShotPhoto · Sep 25, 2011

I really don't want this to sound like a commercial because that's not what it's about at all. Basically what has been your experience going into photo booths? Have you seen really cheap ones (webcams, inject printers) or really nice, studio quality ones?

So a little background about me: A year ago, after being a wedding DJ for 11 years and seeing many photo booths show up at events I finally started my own photo booth company. I'm new to biz but since I started I've become very interested in all aspects of photography. My goal is to bring professional quality portraits to my photo booth. Well, maybe not "pro" but at least as close to it as I can get. I'll never pretend to replace a real pro photographer, but I want my booth to be fun, candid, and also produce good quality prints.

It's been a fun and challenging process of trial and error but I thought I'd bring my portfolio to the pro's here and humbly ask for your input. I currently run the booth with a soft box external flash/monolight, Rebel XS camera connected to a laptop running DSLR Remote Pro by Breeze Systems. The shooting process is fully automated via the software. I'm shooting Manual Mode with ISO 400 and a 4.5 aperture and Auto-Focus. The software selects the appropriate shutter. Please take a look at the event the booth shot last night HERE. There is an enlarge button on the lower left of each photo after you open it.

How are the exposures? Is it OK that I slightly over expose to clear the blemishes? Another reason I like them a little bright is because the printer (Sony UPDR200) always prints a few shades darker. I really believe photo booths can provide professional quality photos and thought this would be an excellent place to hone my skills/setup.

Thanks for all your help. I'm really excited to have found this forum and as I've been on the past few weeks I've already started to learn new things. I'm always open to learn and hopefully can contribute in whatever way I can as well.