Photographer Vs Photobooth. What's better?

When I was boothing I would occasionally get told by some clients that they had decided not to book a photographer as they thought the photo booth could pull double duties and thus save themselves some money. Before I get into my response to these people lets drill down a little bit into what role each play at an event.

The Photogapher

Photographer's come in 2 general groups: Professional and Amateur.

A Professional photographer has mastered the art of taking a photo and knows their equipment inside out. These are the people who can capture an image and have it convey all the emotion that came with that moment in time. A priceless splice of the past that resonates long into the future. Lets not mince our words here a Pro Photographer is an Artist and real life is their canvas and they are worth paying for if professional images are important to your event.

An Amateur on the other hand is anyone who knows enough to capture an image and may indeed have a keen eye but is yet to really progress much beyond the shoot and snap mentality that most of us have when we take a pic ourselves. There are of course varying degrees within the Amateur category (as there are in the Pro category) but the reality is the pictures produced are not art and the services of an Amateur are accordingly a lot cheaper or possibly free if you know someone!

The role of the photographer (Pro or otherwise) I would say is to capture the essence of a moment and document it either on film or digitally.

The Photo Booth

The photo booth like a photographer takes pictures however the pictures themselves are only part of the reason to have a photo booth. The more important aspect is the experience. Using a photo booth is a source of entertainment for event guests and can positively impact the atmosphere and how an event is remembered long after the cleaners have left.   

Also the images a photo booth tends to capture are very much on the lighter side with people often being very silly and grinning from ear to ear as they enjoy making a goose of themselves. Photo booths are generally always set up in one spot and the only things that change from one pic to the next are the people (and maybe some props).

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 as such for my mind both are equally important to an event. Especially if the nature of the event is important in itself (eg Wedding) I would never advocate replacing one with the other. Both should be there for very different reasons.

A photographer captures pictures but a photo booth creates an experience 

If you are having a low key party or event where professional pics are not required then you can absolutely get away with having an amateur photographer and a photo booth if budget is a concern however I would always say that a photo booth is not a replacement for a photographer.  

Happy Boothin!

Disclaimer: While every caution has been taken to provide readers with most accurate information and honest analysis, please use your discretion before taking any decisions based on the information in this blog. Author will not compensate you in any way whatsoever if you ever happen to suffer a loss/inconvenience/damage because of/while making use of information in this blog.

(Photo Booth Blogger: Justin Jowett)