Photo booth VS Photographer, What’s better?
When I was boothing I’d occasionally get told by some clients that they’d decided to not book a photographer as they thought the photo booth could pull double duties and thus save themselves some money. Before I buy into my response to those people let’s drill down a touch bit into what role each plays on an occasion.
The Photographer
Photographers always come in 2 general groups, professional and amateur. A professional photographer has mastered the art of taking a photograph and knows their equipment inside out. These are the people that can capture a photograph and have it convey all the emotion that came with that particular moment in time.
A priceless splice of the past that resonates long into the future times. Let’s not mince our words here a professional Photographer is an Artist and reality is their canvas and they are worth paying for if professional images are important to your event.
An amateur on the opposite hand is anyone who knows enough to capture a photograph and can indeed have a keen eye but is yet to actually progress much beyond the shoot and snap mentality that the majority of us have once we take a pic ourselves.
There are in fact varying degrees within the Amateur category (as there are within the Pro category) but the truth is that the pictures produced aren’t art and therefore the services of an Amateur are accordingly a great deal cheaper or possibly free if you know someone!
The role of the photographer (Pro or otherwise) I might say is to capture the essence of an instant and document it either on film or digitally.
The Photo Booth
The photo booth just as a photographer takes pictures however the photographs themselves are only a part of the rationale of having a photo booth. The more important aspect has to be the experience.
A photo booth is a great source of entertainment for event guests. It completely lightens up the atmosphere of any event and creates great memories worth keeping.
Also, the pictures it tends to capture are abundantly on the lighter side with people often being very silly and grinning from ear to ear as they enjoy making a goose of themselves.
So what’s better? a photo Booth or a Photographer?
So circling back my response to anyone who asked is that a photo booth and a photographer are two quite separate things and intrinsically for my mind both are equally important to an occasion.
Especially if the character of the event is vital in itself (eg Wedding) I might never advocate replacing one with another. Both should be there for very different reasons.
A photographer captures pictures whereas a photo booth creates experiences!
If you’re having a low-key party or event where professional pics aren’t required then you’ll absolutely escape with having an amateur photographer and a photo booth if budget happens to be a concern. However, we’d always say that a photo booth isn’t a replacement for a photographer.
Happy Boothin!