How to Get the Best Lighting in a Photo Booth

Press go. Strike a pose. Watch your pictures develop in front of your eyes. While photo booths are full of nostalgia and guaranteed to give you a laugh, they’ve evolved from the classic ‘80s and ‘90s attraction. Today’s photo booths are packed full of technology to give you a superstar-worthy moment.

Lighting is everything in a photo booth. Just like when you’re taking a selfie on your smartphone, you want to make sure your photo booth has the best lighting. It’s why our professional operators are on hand to set up and manage your photo booth to ensure your guests get the best lighting for every picture.

We’re deep diving into the practicalities of how to get the best lighting in your Shropshire photo booth hire. Your photo booth hire package will usually include a professional operator who will be on hand to ensure the lighting is perfect for every photo. These tips and tricks will teach you how to get the best lighting in any photo booth.

The Technical Side of Photo Booth Lighting

Lighting typically falls into two categories – working and decorative. While decorative lighting is purely for aesthetics, the working lighting is what will determine the outcome of your photo booth pictures.

There are five things you want to consider when setting up your photo booth lighting:

·         Brightness

·         Colour

·         Diffusion

·         Compactness

·         Direction

 Brightness

The brightness of your light is about more than illuminating your face. The shutter doesn’t have to stay open as long when your lights are bright enough. Setting your lights to the correct brightness reduces the risk of your photos appearing blurry.

Colour

Lighting colour also matters. Choose the wrong colour and your photo booth pictures can have a red tint to them if taken under incandescent lighting. Fluorescent lighting can also produce a green tint to your pictures. Adjusting the white balance setting will enable you to get the best lighting for your photo booth.

Diffusion

Your light needs to be correctly diffused across your photo booth to give you a smooth finish. Most photo booths will have their main lighting source as far back as possible from where you’ll be sitting. The light should spread out across the photo booth to give you a soft diffusion.

Compactness

It’s not unusual to step into a photo booth and not be able to spot the main light source. Photo booths will utilise small and portable lights that can be adjusted to deliver the best results.

Direction

Light placement is vital for getting the best pictures in a photo booth. If the light is set lower than the lens, it’ll create what’s known as ‘uplighting’, producing awkward shadows that make it harder to see your face.

Likewise, if the light is too high, it can create a shadow over the eyes. Ideally, your lighting should be set up directly above the camera or slightly beside it to minimise shadows.

Using Ring Lights in a Photo Booth

It’s not uncommon to see ring lights being used with photo booths, particularly larger set-ups that are designed to facilitate a group of more than three people. Ring lights are typically positioned around the lens to provide a shadowless light to illuminate everyone within the booth.

Using a ring light in your photo booth creates less contrast within your picture. You may notice a reflection or highlight on the eyes and glasses of those in the pictures.

Choosing Your Photo Booth Lighting

You might be trying to DIY your photo booth or want to know what type of lighting to look for when choosing between different vendors. Lighting is one aspect that people often overlook, but it’s crucial to get you a winning shot.

Your lighting should help make the photo clearer and set the right mood for the pictures. Decide between natural light and using light fixtures to get your desired look. Outdoor photo booths can benefit from natural light, especially around golden hour, to create a warm glow. You’ll likely want to use a mixture of natural and artificial lighting, which can add a whimsical allusion to your pictures.

Explore the option of layering lights to equally light your space and prevent shadows. This method requires several accent lights, instead of relying on one primary light source. Most professional photo booths use the layering method.

Don’t overlook the atmosphere and ambience that you want to create with your photo booth. While traditional photo booths are secluded spaces, newer models like the magic mirror and 360-video booths are wider and take up an open space. You can incorporate fun lighting and props into these photo booths to match the atmosphere and ambience of your event.

Your photo booth vendor will be able to recommend ways to match the lighting with your event theme in a way that doesn’t negatively impact the quality of your photos.

What Type of Lighting Is Used in Photo Booths?

There are a variety of lighting options you can choose from when selecting your photo booth packaging or creating your own set-up.

 LED Lighting

One of the most energy-efficient options is LED lighting, allowing you to easily adjust the brightness settings throughout the day. LEDs are an ideal choice for longer events where your photo booth will be utilised for an extended period as they generate less heat than other lighting options. You can also use LED lights to create atmospheric mood lighting.

 Rope Lights

Another option for multi-coloured lighting is rope lights. This lighting option works for almost any space as the lights can be wrapped around displays, booths, and furniture to illuminate the backdrop of your photos.

Ring Lights

A lighting option that you’ll find in both professional and DIY photo booths is ring lights. They prevent unwanted shadows and can be used alongside even the smallest photo booth. Larger ring lights can be positioned to allow the camera to shoot through the space in the centre to eliminate shadows.

Our professional photo booth operators will be on hand to ensure you have the best lighting for every take. Are you searching for photo booth hire packages in your local area? Get in touch with our customer service team today.