Does my church need a photo booth?
Thinking about buying a photo booth for your church? This article should help!
Article by: Sarah Sexton
Table of Contents
Everyone enjoys a church photo booth.
It’s a place to be silly, have fun, and commemorate a special occasion.
It’s one reason why many churches rent out photo booths for their special events.
While that’s a great idea, it might be worthwhile considering taking the plunge and buying a photo booth for the church.
I am going to give you reasons not just to consider bringing a photo booth to your church’s events, but why buying a photo booth might be a good purchase decision for you.
Reason #1 Churches always have events going on
Think about how many events you hold each year.
From baptisms to block parties, from confirmations to fundraisers, there are many events when having a photo booth would be fun.
However, it can really add up to rent a photo booth for each event.
Even if you only rented a photo booth for the same occasion each year, that photo booth could pay for itself after just a couple events.
And honestly, even though sometimes buying something new and learning how to set it up can be intimidating, after you bring a photo booth to that first event, I think you’ll discover that it was easy to use and fun for your guests- you’re going to want to bring a photo booth to many more events.
Something to keep in mind is the range of events when a photo booth could be appropriate.
I like to talk about how fun it is to take silly pictures in the photo booth- which may be appropriate for block parties and tailgating, but even if you are looking to have photos taken that are a little more serious in nature, the photo booth is good for that too.
There are so many different backdrop options and prop options that you can determine the feel you want your photo booth to have.
Going for inviting and silly to celebrate the birthdays that happened over the past month?
You could do a balloon backdrop and have party hats as props.
Wanting fun Christmas photos for everyone?
You could set up the Christmas Fireplace backdrop and have presents and candy canes as props.
Or maybe you just want some traditional, formal pictures of everyone in the church community to create a church directory?
You could definitely set up a white backdrop with no props to set the tone.
You’ll always be in control of the tone for the photo booth, making it practical for all sorts of events.
Reason #2 You’re guaranteed to have a booth available for the date of your event
It can be a real stressor to choose a date for an event and then call to book a photo booth- only to find out it isn’t available for the date of your event.
You’re then scrambling, calling around to see if any other companies have a booth and a photo booth attendant available for your event.
This isn’t a great use of time or resources.
It can also be a disappointment when you advertise that an event will have a photo booth and you end up not being able to provide one.
When you own your booth, there’s no scramble- you’re guaranteed to have the booth on whatever date you need it!
That makes purchasing a booth more efficient, reliable, and cost-effective.
You also end up saving money by not needing to pay a fee to have someone from the rental company run your photo booth.
Which brings me to the next point…
Reason #3 Anyone can run a photo booth!
Photo booths are generally easy to set-up and run; any volunteer from the congregation would be able to run the photo booth.
There’s no sense in paying someone to run your photo booth for you when you could easily run it yourselves!
Another option would be to have an unmanned booth.
Most photo booths now are very user friendly- you touch a button, step back, watch the timer countdown to the moment it will snap your picture, and voila, you have your photo.
The benefit of having someone run the booth is mostly just to welcome people over to it and make them feel comfortable trying it out, but if you’re using the photo booth on a regular basis, your families will get more comfortable with taking their own photos in it.
And if you plan to leave it set-up in the same place in the church week after week for families to use before and after church services, you don’t even need to think about that set-up and take-down time!
Once you have it set up, it’ll be done.
But if the worry about setting up and taking down the photo booth is your biggest fear in purchasing a photo booth, don’t let that stop you.
Most photo booth companies will offer you support in learning to operate your new equipment.
Before making your purchase, just check in with them to ask what they do to support that process, whether it be providing you with a user manual, providing you with customer service over the phone, providing you with videos of how to set-up, or providing one on one support over a video chat to get that booth set up.
Again, these booths are very easy to get going, but there’s no shame in wanting a little extra support!
Reason #4 Photo Booths can bring families together
Imagine being able to offer family photos to all of the families in your congregation: a memory of their family together that is now immortalized in a photo.
All families go through hardships, and it’s important to remind them of moments when they were together.
As a child, my family never had a professional family photo taken- that is, until the church offered a free photo session for families.
I still remember getting that photo taken, and it’s still on the mantle at my childhood home.
These opportunities mean a lot to families, and if you had a photo booth on hand, you’d be able to present these kinds of opportunities to families with a higher frequency.
Not all families think of hiring a photographer for big events like baptisms or confirmations; they rely on family members taking photos with their phones.
And even if families like the idea of hiring photographers, not all families can afford that kind of luxury.
Imagine being able to offer families a photo booth to commemorate those important moments.
Reason #5 Photo Booths can create community
Are you doubtful that photo booths can bring people together?
Then you might not be picturing a modern photo booth.
Admittedly, when I hear the phrase “photo booth,” I picture the photo booths that were around when I was a kid.
Those giant, heavy closets with a curtain that pulls across the opening for the illusion of privacy, you and 3 of your friends scrunching in together around one tiny stool, trying to think of the perfect pose before the camera took the picture – is that what you were imagining too?
Modern photo booths are much different.
The key components of a photo booth are a tablet or iPad, a ring light, and a backdrop.
This means no more scrunching in- you have lots of space for everyone to get in on that photo.
But the part that really creates community?
The props.
Props are not an essential part of the photo booth, but I guarantee that it will make the photo booth that much more inviting.
Props like oversized sunglasses, silly hats, and fun masks create a fun environment.
Suddenly, brothers and sisters who didn’t want to take a picture together are actually smiling and having fun together.
Or you might have a shy parishioner who wasn’t thinking about taking a photo alone, but might be curious enough about the laughs coming from the photo booth to come check it out.
And once people take that silly picture together, it’s immortalized in that photo, and they will always have that fond memory of laughing with their fellow churchgoers.
Reason #6 Photo booths can help to engage the congregation- digitally
Some churches will keep a photo booth as a staple of every church service, taking pictures of families as they arrive.
Those photos can then be posted as an album on the church’s Facebook page.
You could then tag participants, which not only shares those photos with the individuals in the photos, but with their friends and family members.
It’s another way to reach more people in your community.
And what’s more, since younger generations are very engaged in social media, sharing photos of themselves at church is a great way to get younger members of the congregation involved in the community.
In Conclusion - Your church should get a photo booth!
At the end of the day, you’ll be happy to see how much energy and excitement having a photo booth brings to your events.
Those photos will be a tangible way to remember those special moments.
If you have questions about whether or not a photo booth is a good fit for your church, I would recommend contacting Booth Masters!
