How does the photo booth work?
It’s simple to use! Your guests step up to the booth and press a button on the touch screen monitor. The booth will then automatically take 1 to 4 photos, about 5 seconds apart and then composite those photos into a pair of photo strips that will print out in about 20 seconds.

Are there other layouts? 
Absolutely! I have several different options for the design of your prints, but the traditional 3-pose photo booth strip is the most popular. You can do anything that would fit on a 4×6 print… use my pre-defined templates or we can create a totally custom design. You can view templates and choose one for your event (after booking) in the Design Gallery.

Did you invent this? / Where did you get the idea?
No, I didn’t invent Photo Booths, but you can read more about it here. I stumbled upon this business in 2009 when I answered a Craigslist ad looking for someone to run a photo booth at a wedding in my area. I answered the ad and really enjoyed the experience, so I did some research and started building my booth.

How do I book a photo booth for my wedding reception/party/event?
The first step is to visit the Booking Page and choose a booth/service option. Fill out your information and choose your options and you will get an instant quote if your date and options are available. Most of the process can be handled online. If you have any questions, just email sales@midamericaphotobooth.com and get an answer right away during normal business hours.

How much does it cost?
Short answer… our most popular package starts at $500 for 2 hours of unlimited booth usage. Weddings start at $800 for 4 hours of usage. Additional time and other options can raise the price.

More details about payments
There is a non-refundable retainer to hold your date and the balance will be due 30 days before your event. Cancellations less than 30 days before the event forfeit all monies paid. We take cash, check, and all major credit cards. The retainer amount varies by service. Some events have a $300 retainer, others require a 50% retainer.

What do you mean by Unlimited Usage/Sessions?
From the time the booth is open, until the time it closes, your guests can use the booth as often as they can manage to go in and out. There are no artificial limits on the number of sessions. Of course there are physical limits to the number of sessions that can be done in a certain amount of time. The 3-pose photo session takes almost a minute from the time your guest presses the start button to the time the computer sends the final image to the printer. If everyone is quick about getting in and out of the booth, you can theoretically get 60 sessions per hour. Generally,  I have averaged anywhere from 45 – 50 sessions per hour, with a typical 3 hour event having from 100 – 140 sessions total depending on how quickly the guests got in and out of the booth. 4×6 print events, especially those with single photo layouts go much faster, and run through many more sessions.

What about Unlimited Prints?
Some photo booth companies use the misleading phrases “Unlimited Photos” or “Unlimited Prints” in their sales text. They really mean “Unlimited Sessions” and, if you dig through the rental agreement or ask the right questions, you will find out the truth. Our bookings include a print for each person in the session (if requested). This is effectively “unlimited” by most accounts, but we reserve the right to limit individuals from asking for excessive copies of prints.

What about Social Media?
We offer an upgrade “Social Media Sharing” option that allows your guests to send photos via email SMS. For business promotional events we offer an advanced social media sharing option that includes more direct sharing options as well as tracking and analytics, and a separate tablet based sharing station to move sharing away from the booth to keep the photos moving at top speed.

How much time should I rent the booth?
This all depends on the nature of your event. How long is the event? How many guests? Generally, I recommend renting the booth for the duration of the party, but 3 hours will usually handle 100 – 200 guests. Beyond 200 guests I recommend an extra hour for every 50 guests, unless your party just doesn’t last long enough to accommodate that extra time. I require a minimum of 4 hours for Friday & Saturday weddings.

What is Idle Time?
Idle time refers to the times during your event that the booth and attendant are on-site, but not in-use. If that time causes the booth and attendant to be present longer than the booking hours. For example, your guests arrive at 5PM, but the booth is not open until 7PM. That would be 2 hours of idle time. This also applies if the booth can not be removed immediately after the contracted time ends.

Why do you charge for this? Due to the nature of our portable photo booths, we do not just roll in, plug in and start taking photos. There is some set up time involved. We don’t want to inconvenience your guests by showing up in the middle of cocktail hour to set up, so our booth technician(s) will arrive one or two hours before your guests (depending on the booth options) and be set up, test the equipment and take a rest break before your guests begin showing up to the event. If the booth is to open at that time, then you don’t pay for idle time. We have to pay our attendant for time working, whether the booth is running or not, so idle time is billed at a rate that covers the attendant’s pay.

How can I reach you with other questions?
Send an email to sales@midamericaphotobooth.com

Can I / How do I get reprints?
Click on Photo Galleries at the top of the page, use the password supplied at the event.

Who drew your mascot?
A fantastic cartoonist named Will, at goopymart, created The Photo Booth Chimp  for me by based on a previous character named Chimples, the All Purpose Monkey. Please check out his other work, it’s a lot of fun.