​06/30/16 Should I feed the photo booth operators?

Here are some links to see what others are saying - hope it helps:

http://forums.theknot.com/discussion/880968/photobooth-attendant-to-feed-or-not   

http://theeverylastdetail.com/thursday-tips-do-we-have-to-feed-our-vendors/

http://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-forums/should-feed-this-guy-and-which-vendors-are-you-feeding-not-feeding/0a64847c5b6cf353.html

06/28/15 How Much Should You Spend On A Photo Booth Rental and What Questions Should I Ask Before Renting A Photo Booth?

This really depends on what you are looking for in your service, where you are located, and your preferences, and wether or not you are willing to compromise and give your guests a great photo booth experience, a so-so experience, or a whatever experience.  Here are what some had to say about VARIOUS photo booth services FROM Around The Country.

Las Vegas, NV: SO WORTH IT!!!!! $895 for 4 hours.  Key West, Fl:  We are getting it!  It costs $900 for 4 hrs.  Boston, MA: We got to book ours for $795 for 4 hours. I can't wait!  Springfield, MA: Got it for 299.00 but no prints, just a gallery and facebook access.  It was not the worst situation, but I do advise asking whatever company you chose for a photo of the set up. I have used booths at weddings and they had full enclosures and instant print machines, ours had a camera in a box on a stand and a curtain hanging against the wall, everyone was out in the open with everyone staring.  Be careful what you wish for! Unknown:  My niece paid around $700-800 for her's last month and it was busy ALL night. Each person got a printout of 4 pics and a duplicate was put into a scrapbook of each grouping that you could sign a message next to it. Everyone loved it.  Milwaukee: Photo Booth Pricing for 2013 has changed dramatically. In the Milwaukee area the pricing ranges from $450 to about $899 for a 3 hour rental depending upon travel, time of year, extras, etc...There are things to consider when renting a photo booth such as the equipment used and the quality of paper, this can change the end product and price dramatically. In Ohio, photo booth prices are around $350: 2 hours, $550: 3 hours, $650: 4 hours.

Well there it is, BUT WHAT are the Photo Booth Prices in Central Massachusetts?  We have seen them as low as 300.00 and as high as 1000.00 for 3-4 hours with big service level differences and some surprise you with after the sale add on charges.

Snap N Flash photo booth offers the most affordable prices possible for our awesome all inclusive service and no surprises.

Here are some important questions to ask before renting a photo booth...you should hear YES to all of them:

1. Insured with documentation and meet NFPA 701/CPAI-84 material fire resistant safety standards.  Snap N Flash - Yes!
2. Always A PRINT for EVERY GUEST in EVERY SESSION for no extra charge.  Snap N Flash - Yes!
3. Unlimited sessions.  Snap N Flash - Yes!
4. A CD with all booth layout photos.  Snap N Flash - Yes!
5. ALL the hundreds of INDIVIDUAL full size high resolution photos on CD.  Snap N Flash - Yes!
6. High quality Props.  Snap N Flash - Yes!
7. Indoor and Outdoor booths.  Snap N Flash - Yes!
8. There is a clear easy to understand  contract.  Snap N Flash - Yes!
9. Always a variety of print layouts to choose from.  Snap N Flash - Yes!
10. Custom Text and Colors applied to photos specific to your event.  Snap N Flash - Yes!
11. Professional advanced computer systems and photo booth software.  Snap N Flash - Yes!
12. Only Professional grade SLR cameras (and No web cams).  Snap N Flash - Yes!
13. Only High Speed Lab Quality Dye Sublimation photo printers (and No Ink Jet printers).  Snap N Flash - Yes!
14. Large professional studio flash for eliminating ugly shadows.  Snap N Flash - Yes!
15. Free set-up and Breakdown.  Snap N Flash - Yes!
16. Have multiple booths and a backup plan in place in case there is a problem at an event.  Snap N Flash - Yes!
17. Have fully enclosed booths, open booths, red carpet walks with Hollywood Lighting.  Snap N Flash - Yes!
18. Full price as listed with no add on surprises.  Snap N Flash - Yes! (but, any parking cost if applicable is client responsibility)
19. A registered business in the same State for 7 or more years.  Snap N Flash - Yes!
20. The Best Looking, Sleekest, Smooth Sided, Most Elegant High Tech Photo Booth Available.  Snap N Flash - Yes!
21. Professional, Dependable, with Awesome Attendants specializing in photo booth service.  Snap N Flash - Yes!

05/28/15 Best Price Photo Booth Rental, Best Photo Booth Service.

Snap N Flash Photo Booth is Affordable.  We offer the best price for photo booth rentals.  Another photo booth company told our recently acquired client that a photo booth that is less than eight hundred dollars is not worth renting, this is so untrue, of course they were talking about us.  So after talking with us we got the job, she paid way less for her photo booth and she was thrilled with her decision.  Our photo booths rent for prices that you can afford.  You will not sacrifice anything with us, in fact we exceed our customers expectations, and Snap N Flash Photo Booth is the best price photo booth rental in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.  Sure our system can do a video recording, and social media too.  But really, most people don't say a whole lot in photo booth videos, and we give you an online gallery to share with anyone including social media.  You want great props, unlimited photo booth sessions, short lines, fast sessions, and great photo booth prints for every person in every session.  That is what you get with us, and much more!  Our exclusive Fast Flow™ system gives people what they really want, a great looking photo booth, lots of prints, and fast photo booth sessions.  Our exclusive Super Booth™ system uses pro grade digital SLR cameras, professional high speed dye sub printers, and pro grade high power studio lighting for clear and sharp shadow free pictures.  We also give you the full size high resolution photos!  So, we could say something about the other company but its just not our style, we let our customers do the talking, we help our photo booth customers save money, and we let our service do the talking for us...old school...the best photo booth service for the best price.  So for an affordable photo booth rental and a great photo booth experience call Snap N Flash.

10/21/14 How to get your money's worth.

We work hard to help our photo booth guests have a GREAT photo booth experience and guess what makes our job easy?  Yup, being in the same room with the event.   We want you to get a lot of photos on your disc (see 10/5/14 post below), we can't help but notice that we print twice as many booth photos when we are in the same room as opposed to the "alternate" location somewhere out of the room.  On the average, we produce about 90-120 sessions in a 4 hour period (about 400 pictures) when we are in the same room.  But only half at best when we are not.

We love to socialize, have a good time with our event guests, and add a ton of that good old fashioned party ingredient...laughter.  Sometimes the guests laugh so hard we have help them stand up!  We are Very Serious about helping your guests have a good time.

So if you want the biggest bang for your buck, the MOST convenient location for your guests, and end up with a hundred sessions plus, try to get us in the same room but NOT in front of the speakers (we can not subject your operators and the photo booth guests to a harmful location).

But, be prepared, putting us near your guests can be... TOTALLY OUTRAGEOUS!!!

10/20/14 How to pose for a photo booth.

Silly hats and glasses, signs and chalkboards, and of course boa's appear to be the most popular prop choices, but let;s not stop there.  Facial and hand expressions are an unlimited resource for your poses.  Here are just a few to change-up your look:  surprised, in deep thought, frightened, stern, blissful, happy, confused, bashful, wild eyed, excited, embarrassed, sexy with a wink, cell phone poses, unconcerned, very concerned, flexing muscles, Egyptian arm pose, thumbs up, OK sign, hand heart, stop, open arms, crossed arms, arms in the air, here's Johnny pose, blocking high winds, seen no evil, hear no evil, hear no evil, peek-a-boo.  Well, you get the idea.
We have put together a photo booth pose book and it is full of ideas, see it at your next Snap n Flash event.

10/5/14 Where should a Photo Booth be located ???

Five photo booth jobs and an Eastcoast Photo Imagery Company wedding this weekend, wowzer!!!  We have had a really great weekend.  Everyone was complimenting us on our services, and the guests had the most fun, and took the most pictures, when our booth was in the same room as the reception.

Well anyway, our booth requires a minimum of 7 feet of overhead clearance and and about a 10x10 foot area.  We can't change the construction of our booths, but we will always work with the management of any facility to accommodate our clients.

Just so you know, we only take up the space of a round table of 10,  you will love the convenience, and our booths look good too.

Having a really cool photo booth at your event is an extremely socially entertaining activity simply because it inspires laughter, and laughter is the most important element of your event,.

We have great success setting up inside the same room, and just outside the room, but we have seen that it can be quite an inconvenience to guests when we are located too far away from the main event room.   So if you are considering a photo booth for your event we highly recommend that you discuss the location with your facility manager, a photo booth is not cheap and you should know if its location will be removed from your main event area or if going to it will inconvenience your guests.

After all, you paid to rent the room not the back corner of the hallway.

09/29/14 THE MOST fun job in the world and a tough one too!!!

I am writing this to give props to our booth operators.  We too often hear from people "what an easy job it must be working just 4 hours as an attendant!"  Oh don't we wish...  Just to set the record straight, and don't misunderstand me...we love our clients, but keep in mind that our operators will lift and move the equivalent of a ton for every job, loading, unloading, setting up, breaking down, loading and unloading again, and even more behind the scenes work.  We are approaching our 60th job since we launched just months ago and we are loving it, but just because we love it do not confuse our hard work with doing nothing...we work very hard to provide this unique entertaining and social activity, but just so you know, the operators work for much more than 4 hours for you.  So, here is your typical eight hour day for an attendant working a four hour job from 5-9 pm 30 miles from home.

1. 2:30 pm make the custom Photoshop© templates that are color and text specific to your event and test them on the printer.
   

2. 3:00 pm equipment and supplies are inventoried and loaded.

3. 3:15  travel to job.

4. 4:00 pm set up system.
   

5. 5:00 pm begin booth operations.

6. 9:00 pm end booth operations, (many ask us to stay longer for free, we usually give in a little).

7. 9:15 pm begin breakdown.

8. 9:45 pm travel back to Snap N Flash.

9. 10:15 pm unload.

10. 10:30 (close up and head home.

As the owner of Snap N Flash I really appreciate the outstanding job that our operators do for our clients.  I know that conditions are not always great and dealing with the public can sometimes be difficult.  From rainy set-ups to the the hot sun and humidity, from the intoxicated guest to the client who refused to allow you a drink of water, you all put up with a lot, and handle it beautifully and professionally.  I need to mention the many clients who invite the operators to dinner, or bring them a cold drink in that hot outdoor booth, we understand that you realize how hard they work and that you appreciate them, you are the kindest and the coolest clients we have ever met...and I thank you for treating them so well.  So in closing, I just want to let you all know how proud I am of the Snap N Flash staff, you are all the best of the best...and you make us the greatest photo booth company!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all of you...Lj

07/30/14  Wow, we are meeting some great people!
 I have been doing this sort of thing for a long time, working my way through college as a DJ and photographer, so I have seen a lot of things, and yet I am still amazed by the wonderful people I meet on our jobs.  We did a photo booth for an outstanding gentleman, Tom, celebrating his 80th birthday.  He and his wife Donna, his family, and friends were nothing short of incredible.  We also thank Tom and his two brothers, Jim and Sam, for their service to our country.  Oh, and the graduation parties, what a phenomenal generation.  We cannot thank you all enough for having our photo booth at your celebrations!

07/15/14  Now we're in a minivan...eeek!

We are booking a lot of jobs and we ran into the issue of transportation.  Our systems are very nice and relatively compact, but still they will not fit in a car.  We already have an SUV, but loading requires a bit of lifting so we bought a minivan.  Now...all my life I have said that I would never, never, ever, own a minivan.  Oh well, so much for that.  On the upside, our photo booths fit nicely and loads easily with very little lifting for our operators, and...ummm...yeah...a minivan.

The Ultimate Green Screen Photo Booth is coming soon to a party near you!

We are offering a new service.  The Ultimate Green Screen Photo Booth.  Keep watch, this is BIG, no...really...it is, it's about 14 feet wide and nearly 8 feet tall.  This is THE corporate holiday party and high school prom photo booth to have in 2014!   It's different, very cool, and so much fun.

We build our own systems with only the best stuff!!!  The Photography part of the set up was done by the wedding and portrait photographers from the Eastcoast Photo Imagery Company professional photography team.  The booth set up was done by our own graphics and system configuration management team of Morgan and Jay, and the system operation was tested and modified and tweaked by our operations manager John, these guys rock.

It's got a digital SLR camera, dual computers, touch screen selections, user selectable choices, studio lighting, and of course instant prints.  You can even give us your decent quality photo and we will place it on the print right behind you, it can be your corporate logo, high school letter, your school colors and mascot, a school rally, a great touchdown or slam dunk, or just use our digital backgrounds...the possibilities are endless.

We launched the promotion last week and it is already booked for 11 jobs, we only sent out 25 flyers and nearly half booked so if you are thinking about it, call us now!

07/04/14, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!!

SIXTEEN PHOTO BOOTH JOBS IN JUNE!!!!!  We can't thank all of our customers enough for helping to make Snap N Flash photo booth such a great success.  We have had the opportunity to bring a truckload of smiles, laughs, and just a great time to our customers, and its great customers like you that keep us working hard, really hard, towards being the best and most affordable photo booth company around.

June gave us The Relay for Life in Worcester MA, Elementary School Spree days, Weddings, Graduation parties, Birthdays, and more!!!  We kick off July at the Cars of Summer on 07/05/14 in Worcester, MA...tomorrow...cool ridin' classic cars...oh yeah!

We have added another new Super Booth to our growing company too, so we can now accept book multiple jobs on the same day!

We are offering a new service.  The Ultimate Green Screen Photo Booth.  Keep watch, this is HUGE, no...really...it is, its about 14 feet wide and about 8 feet tall.  This is going to be THE high school prom photo booth to have, and what a booth!  We build our own systems with only the best stuff!!!  The Photography part of the set up was done by the wedding and portrait photographers from the Eastcoast Photo Imagery Company professional photography team, and the booth set up was done by our own graphics and system configuration team of Morgan and Jay with so much detail you can't even believe it, these guys rock!.  It's got a digital SLR camera, dual computers, touch screen selections, user selectable choices, studio lighting, and of course instant prints.  You can even give us your decent quality photo and we will place it on the print right behind you, it can be your corporate logo, high school letter, your school colors and mascot, a school rally, a great touchdown or slam dunk, or just use our digital backgrounds...the possibilities are endless.

We launched the promotion last week and it is already booked for 11 jobs, we only sent out 25 flyers and nearly half booked so if you are thinking about it, call us soon.

The Ultimate Green Screen Photo Booth is coming soon to a party near you!

End of the Vacation

Back to Photo Boothing 05/25/14

SAVE MONEY RENTING A PHOTO BOOTH

We're back from a week of vacation and we have 14 jobs over the next 4 weeks so it’s back to business.  While we were away, we did get a chance to see a photo booth.  He did a nice job, had good props, and charged $1200 for 5 hours.  I inquired about insurance and this reply stunned me: “Insurance…why, it’s a photo booth…what could happen?”  YIKES!!!   It got me thinking on a few basic booth renting points to consider.

Make sure that the company you rent from has liability insurance unless you can foot the bill if something happens.  As a contracting party, you could very well be responsible if your photo booth is not insured and something happens.  Unlikely, sure, but what if…?  Ask for the insurance company telephone number and get them to fax you a current insurance certificate to be sure that it is up to date and in force.

Think about how to maximize your photo booth time.  It only takes ½ hour or so for a booth operator to set up, and it is a small space, so consider having your booth come in just before the time when people will use it.  You may find that a 3 hour booth is more than enough time for a function of 150 people.

Some booths list a bunch of add on options:  Look closely and decide if you really need them.  For the most part, people love the photo booth experience alone. 

Unlimited reprints:  This dramatically decreases the time needed for your guests to get a picture, but also decreases the time your guests use the booth.   Expect to pay extra for this service; your booth will go through a lot of printing supplies. 

Unlimited sessions:  This will increase the time people spend in the booth,  but it also encourages your guests to use the booth more often.  It should be included free.

Video booth:  This painfully (may I repeat, painfully) increases the time your guests wait to use the booth.  Don’t expect the clips to be cinema quality or the lines people use to be polished (and may sometimes be inappropriate).  Expect to pay more for it.

Text and graphics:  This is so variable among booth companies, it should always be free.  It is silly if it is offered as a perk like a “free add on”.  That is like saying for your cup of coffee we will throw in the paper cup for free.

Props:  Hate to say it, but people are very tough on them, and “forget” to return them.  They are a considerable expense.  Expect your overall price to include a little for good props.

Social Media:  Want your photos private?  Your company should offer you this option for free with a password protected gallery...period...end of story.  But if you do want to share your event with the world, a social media upload station can be a load of fun.  Just keep in mind that anyone can share anybody's pictures...not just their own...yup...all you gotta do is scroll through them, select, and upload away...complete un-privacy!

Lastly, it’s the photo booth experience that is most important.  An amazing thing happens when people pull that curtain shut.  It’s all about laughter, fun, smiles and socializing. So ok, running a photo booth business properly isn’t cheap, but still, you really don’t need to spend thousands to add a photo booth and get an incredible entertainment addition to your event.  Just look around and do a little homework.

Most importantly, always call Snap N Flash photo booth for a quote... lol...but no kidding...really...you should.

Aloha  Mary Beth 05/09/14

This was a really fun evening of great music with a live band, great food, an awesome staff at the Center Bar in Worcester, and a whole bunch of really awesome teachers!  Everyone knows  how passionate teachers are about their profession simply because they love teaching, they are very devoted, and enjoy the challenge of conveying their subjects in a fun and interesting way.  Well, these qualities were clearly evident at Mary Beth's retirement party.  About 150 guests, many of which were also teachers, turned out to show their respect and admiration for school principal Mary Beth as she retired after a 40 year career as an educator.  It was a Hawaiian theme, so we decorated the Super Booth with fish netting and Tiki Gods, and the guests did the rest.  What a great time everyone had, and they really put a wow factor into the booth pictures.  It was non-stop photo boothing from the party start to finish and we loved it.  We really admire and thank Mary Beth for her commitment and years of service, and it was easy to see that her colleagues will miss her dearly.  We are very grateful to have been part of this celebration and wish Mary Beth the very best!

05/01/2014 for the 2014-15 (outstanding) Broadway Preview Party at The Hanover Theatre

04/27/2014 a huge success! Harrington Hospital Lucky Duck Family Day

Lucky Duck Family Day is sponsored by the Harrington Hospital Auxiliary in Southbridge Massachusetts.   Despite the clouds, the rain, and some chilly weather, there was a great group of community members who turned out to support this great event!  You have to love the enthusiasm of the Auxiliary and all who volunteered and worked so hard to pull the event together, and pull it together they did, it was a 23rd Annual event and a great success!
We set up our generator and outdoor Snap N Flash Photo Booth in the Westville Recreation Area in Sturbridge MA, and we had no problems with the rainy
weather.  What a great time we had!  Check out the Lucky Duck Family Fun Day gallery on our news page.

Harrington is our community hospital and, our entire community knows how very fortunate we are to have it.  Led by the Harrington Auxiliary, Lucky Duck Family Day is a community event where neighbors can come together with their families to have some fun and show their support for the hard work that our hospital does every minute of every day.  Harrington on wheels was there to let everyone know that if you need them they will be there for you, and there is no mistaking the dedication and commitment of Harrington Hospital and the Auxiliary to their mission of total local
care and neighbors helping neighbors, they not only say it they live it.

Well let’s face it, no one wants to be a hospital patient, but when you have to be it is not surprising that it is that the Auxiliary who spearheads that incredible friendly and personable atmosphere that adds a much needed element of comfort.  Suddenly you are not just a number and you realize that at Harrington Hospital you matter.  If you have the need to go there the first thing you will notice is the small town friendliness and the next thing you will experience is the top notch care from a highly
trained expert hospital staff.  As a community member you can’t help but be proud of the great achievements in patient care that our Hospital has made.

We really appreciate the opportunity to participate and add a Snap N Flash outdoor photo booth to the activities.  So thank you to the Harrington Hospital Auxiliary for a great day of smiles, fun, laughter, and an opportunity to celebrate a terrific hospital with friends, family, and neighbors…all coming together to make a community to be proud of.

- Blog -