Make a Photo Shoppe for your next party! Miss Part loves how it brings out the ham in most folks, but low key enough that even your more shy and reserved guests will usually give it a try. It is also so fun and easy to theme a photo booth to your party by changing up the props. Build yourself a ‘Photo Shoppe’ box of general props.
You’ll need:
1 roll of duct tape or blue painter’s tape
1 white (not off-white) king size polyester cotton (need poly in the fabric to minimize wrinkling) flat sheet
1 clip-on industrial silver coned, spot light
extension cord, with a light bulb in the correct wattage
a floor standing collapsible tripod (Slik makes an excellent tripod)
(Store everything except the tripod in your box so you can put this photo booth together in minutes.)
Assemble the Photo Shoppe:
1) decide on a space or room for the Photo Shoppe. If you will be putting up your sheet backdrop against a wall, first, tear off several small strips of duct tape and attach to your arm or back of hand to have them handy. Get out your sheet and tape the sheet to the ceiling crown molding. If you are concerned about paint, you could try blue painter’s tape. Don’t worry about the tape being seen, you’ll be taking close-ups.
2) If you have a stool it can be used for the model to pose sitting or for a group shot is nice to have one sitting and others surrounding the sitter. Place the stool in the center of the space about 2 ft. from the backdrop so people can stand behind the stool.
3) Attach your clip on light, add extension cord and attach that to a power source. Adjust so you have a good, strong light at about the top third of the sheet, you’ll get great head shots.
4) Mount your camera to a floor tripod. Take a few test pictures to see how it looks.
5) Have a small table nearby with handheld props and put your prop box on the floor. You’re all ready!
Note: If you will be shooting outside, delineate the photo booth space to keep stray guests from wandering into the way or tripping on a tripod leg. If in the grass, use tent pegs to outline the space with thick rope. You can use a very tall, leafy bush as your backdrop of green. Near the tripod, add a small table for handheld props, put your props box nearby, set up the tripod inside the delineated space so people are less likely to trip over a tripod leg. You won’t likely need the additional light.
In your prop box add in any theme specific props. It’s nice to have several hat choices, dark sunglasses, a sequin elastic bow tie or clip on tie, a play microphone, a bouquet of silk flowers, animal ears headbands, a Superman cape, and a wizard cape, even a small lampshade “hat”. Cut several handlebar mustache’s from brown or black fake fur, mount to cardboard and then hot glue to a thin dowel or skewer on the far left or right of the mustache. Also, make several long bushy beards with attached mustaches from fake fur, mount to cardboard and then hot glue to wooden tongue depressers as handles. Speech bubbles with funny sayings, printed on card stock and glued to thin dowels or skewers, can be very funny.
Another prop that is really awesome, but won’t fit in your box, is empty gilded wood frames. Craft stores often have frame sales and you might find a big size for a reasonable price. A very large rectangular size, around 2 1/2′ x4′ would be great for hammed up group shots, striking funny poses within the frame, and two 16″x20″ gilded frames are really cute for couple side-by-side profile “portraits” or single “portraits”.
Enjoy preserving some memories!
