Where should you put the photo booth in the venue?
Short answer: on the path between the refreshments and the dance floor, 2 metres from a plain wall, near a socket, and never in a separate room. At our events, placement is the number one factor separating a booth that takes 150 photos from one that takes 800, well ahead of the weather or the type of guests.
The 4 golden rules
1. Foot traffic, not peace and quiet
The classic reflex (“let’s put it somewhere quiet in the little lounge”) is mistake number one. A photo booth thrives on foot traffic: guests stop because they walk past, see others laughing and join the queue. The best spots: between the refreshments and the tables, at the edge of the dance floor, or near the cloakroom at the end of the evening.
2. Two metres of space
Allow ~2 m between the booth and your guests as they pose, and a backdrop 1-2 m behind them: a plain wall, a curtain, your floral arch. Avoid a picture window as the backdrop (backlighting + flash reflections) and the “toilet door” background that ends up in every photo.
3. A socket within 5 metres
The booth plugs into a standard socket. An extension lead taped to the floor (gaffer tape) and you are sorted. No socket available? The cordless option gives 3-4 hours of battery life, perfect for a reception in the garden.
4. Ambient light, no direct sun
The booth handles the lighting on faces, but low sun on the touchscreen makes it unreadable. Outdoors or in a conservatory, position the screen with its back to the sun (our complete outdoor guide).
The 3 mistakes that leave a photo booth empty
- The separate room. “Away from the noise” means away from the guests. A booth nobody can see is a booth everyone forgets; it is a guaranteed way to end the evening on 100 photos instead of 400.
- Putting the booth right next to the DJ. 1 m from the speakers, nobody can hear each other to organise the group photo. Same area, but the other side of the dance floor.
- Behind the catering staff’s swing doors. Waiters walking through interrupt the shots all evening.
Setup: 5 minutes, really
Once you have chosen the spot: screw on the legs, place the sign, plug it in. The booth starts up by itself and your guests help themselves, with no host. The video tutorial arrives by email before your event, and our support team answers 7 days a week. No Wi-Fi needed: everything runs locally.
Unsure about the layout of your venue? Send us a photo of the space at hello@badabooth.fr and we will tell you where to put it.