So you're looking to start a photo booth business. We've got you covered with a checklist of things you'll want to consider as you progress from the initial inception to your first successful paid photo booth customer.

Evaluate Viability

Take some time to evaluate why you want to start a photo booth business. Are you happy in your full-time job and looking for extra income? Perhaps you're unhappy with your current employer and looking to transition to running your business full-time. You might want to supplement your existing business with a new service.

Market Research

It's a good idea to look at your potential competition. Do some google searches for "photo booth rental NEARBY-CITY-NAME" and see what comes up. Take notes of the price points, which markets they serve, and the level of polish presented by them.

Identify your target market and ideal client.

Based on your market research, do you see a hole in the market? There are a lot of use cases for photo booths. Here are some common client profiles one might target:

• Private parties: expect a lower price point, but make it up in volume. You'll likely be showing up to a private residence, and budgets will be smaller. This is a great place to start for many.
• School functions: From prom to the homecoming, schools can take their next event to the next level with a photo booth. You're going to need to be flexible because a school may ask you to alter your standard photo booth terms and payment schedule.
• Weddings: A cornerstone in the event service industry, weddings happen all the time and offer a great opportunity for you to nail down the perfect service to please the wedding party. 
• Corporate events: Similar to schools, be prepared to be flexible in both negotiating your terms and payment schedule. There are a lot of corporate events happening each year: holiday parties, grand openings, tradeshows, to name a few. Corporate clients are often willing to pay more, but they also expect higher quality. 

How will you win initial business?

Sales will be a big part of making your business a success: it's worth thinking about early on in the process. Take some time to think about how you'll get your first ten paid bookings. While you may be willing to do it for free for family and friends, you're going to need to transition to acquiring paying customers. Those first few bookings can be a great way to acquire new customers and gather real feedback, so be prepared to talk price if someone inquires about hiring your services.

Listen and learn

There are a lot of great resources to help you learn the business before shelling out a single dollar. Start out by being a sponge and soak it all in. When I'm new to a topic, I like to stay quiet and listen to the wisdom already out there. Use the search features on YouTube, Facebook Groups, and Google. Here are a few great resources to get you started:

• Facebook Groups
• Photo Booth Network
• Photo Booth Community
• Websites
• Photo Booth Training

Are you still feeling good about starting a photo booth business?

Branding

Nail down that perfect name and logo

Now that you know your target market and have a good head on your shoulders, you're going to want to come up with a great name. While it may be tempting to have a "photo booth" in your name, leaving it out can open up options for adding different services down the road. A more general and none descriptive name can be great for those who want to incorporate other services such as portrait photography or party games down the road. Keep your target market in mind, while you review design options for your photo booth business logo.

Locking Down Your First Setup

Naturally, you'll need an awesome photo booth experience to make your customers happy and willing to refer to friends. Remember, everyone who steps into the booth is a potential customer, so it's crucial to offer a quality service.

Photo Booth Hardware

The actual booth you can touch. Are you the type to build your own or are you looking for the fast track and willing to purchase from the various suppliers? There are a lot of great photo booth providers out there. There are two common booth types:

DSLR Photo Booths

As the name suggests, a DSLR photo booth uses a DSLR camera connected to a computer (often windows based) to provide the experience.

iPad Photo Booths

The front camera on an iPad may not be quite as good as a DSLR camera. However, the quality keeps getting better, and for many, it's good enough to deliver great photos and happy customers.

Photo Booth Software

Depending on the photo booth hardware you acquire (DSLR or iPad), you're going to want to evaluate the options when it comes to software. There are some photo booth hardware suppliers which also provide software and others who allow you to choose your software provider.

Photo Booth Templates

Also, referred to as overlays, photo booth templates will frame your guest images and offer a great opportunity to personalize the experience for your clients. Some people design their own, and others subscribe to services such as the PBO Design Shop or Photo Booth Tak VIP Club to gain access to pre-designed templates, which can be modified. Check Cherry offers a few free photo booth templates to get you started.

Photo Booth Props

An optional feature and perhaps an upsell opportunity, photo booth props are the fun, goofy, and memorable objects you can provide people to hold/wear before stepping in your photo booth to talk those pictures.

Photo Booth Backdrops

You're going to want to find a beautiful background for the subjects of each photo. Photo booth backdrops can also be an upsell opportunity. The most popular photo booth backdrops are sequin, so that is a good place to start.

Photo Booth Printers

While not all photo booth experiences need to print photos, it will be a common component of your services. Ideally, you'll want something that can quickly print so people can move in and out of the booth quickly. Keep in mind the cost of your print media with each booking and know that regardless of the number of guests, your booth can only take so many pictures per hour.

Photo Booth Contract

Be sure to get the terms and conditions of your service nailed down and have each customer sign off on agreeing to them. There are a lot of resources online, and that is a great place to get started, but be sure to have an attorney who is licensed to operate in your state review the wording. The laws of where you work might vary, and if you bring something to be reviewed, the costs will be lower.

Payment and Deposits

It's common for photo booth businesses to charge a deposit for a customer to reserve the date and book a date. Collecting a deposit ensures a person is committed to hiring you. Deposit rates vary, and keeping deposits low will make it easier for people to commit. However, it also makes it easier for people to go with another provider even if the deposit is not refundable.

👉 Suggest Reading: Photo Booth Business Plan

Running a successful photography business means you'll be doing business with a lot of people. As your business grows, you'll move on from doing business with friends, family, and friends of friends to doing business with strangers. This article will cover the importance of requiring all clients first to sign an agreement and pay a deposit.

Why should I make clients sign an agreement?

A solid photography contract will spell out all the terms and conditions of your services. It's common to have not have covered everything during the sales process. For example, photographers often include a model release, allowing them to use photos from a session in their marketing materials. While it's a good idea to let someone know about such a clause, more and more photographers offer online booking, and in such case, the pre-sales process with the client can be just a quick phone call.

Every photographer's contract should also have general business protections. Sections covering payment terms, limitations of liability, binding arbitration, and more can help the event a business relationship goes sour.

Worth knowing: Contract laws vary from state to state and country to country. It's essential to have an attorney licensed to practice in the region you operate review your photography contract to ensure it is enforceable.

Where can I find a contract for my photography business?

While you can draft an agreement yourself, it's probably best to look up a few local business attorneys and ask them if they can help you craft a contract for your photography business. Pricing can vary wildly, and there are also websites like UpCounsel to help make it easy to compare providers. 

If you don't already have Terms and Conditions spelled out for your professional photography business, you are probably just getting started and will be price-sensitive. Often smaller sole-practitioners will value your business and be more affordable.

Also, ask each attorney if it's better for you to purchase a template for them to review or if they would like to present you with the first draft. Keep in mind, efficient attorneys have access to templates, and it's unlikely they will handcraft an agreement from scratch.

Tip: Avoid jargon & legalese in your contract. In other words, use language your client will understand. It will make the sales process a lot easier if someone chooses to read every line of your agreement and starts asking questions.

What if a client refuses to sign or objects to parts of the agreement?

It's important to know your agreement well and why each section exists. Identify which clauses you can live without beforehand and be prepared to modify the contract in such cases. For example, if you are fine without the model release section, remove it and send the proposal over again for a signature. 

Suggested Video: How to send proposals.

If someone wants you to make changes outside the ones you've identified as acceptable, it's often best to decline to do business with the prospect. After all, you'll incur a cost for asking your attorney for advice, and any potential profit will quickly evaporate.

How much does a photography contact cost?

Expect to pay hundreds, but not thousands of dollars to have a contract drafted. It's important to keep in mind, you want to find partners who will find your business attractive. Pricing can dramatically vary for tasks. Attorneys also have specialties and you're looking for someone who does contact law. Expect larger law firms to charge more and smaller solo practitioners who cater to small businesses to charge less. It's also going to be great to find someone who is familiar with the business of photography. Remember, this is your agreement and you'll have to present it to clients so you want to make sure it's reasonable and will not be a problem for most clients.

Why do photographers collect a deposit?

Most photographers require a deposit to hold the bookings scheduled date and time. The deposit is often nonrefundable and helps protect the photographer's profit margins from a client who does not show up for their session. 

Some people use alternatives to the term "deposit". There is a lot of chat online about state laws, and the word deposit may prevent you from enforcing the "nonrefundable deposit" portion of your terms and conditions. Just another reason you should speak to an attorney familiar with your jurisdiction. At Check Cherry, we offer four variations for an initial payment. They are "Deposit", "Initial Payment", "Booking Fee", and "Retainer".

What if a client wants their nonrefundable deposit back?

Even if you're air-tight because your photography contact says a deposit is nonrefundable, you can still choose to refund the deposit. Before deciding to do so, I think it's important to remember deposits are often nonrefundable because it helps ensure the client is committed, shows up to their session, and the photographer does not waste time preparing or traveling to the location of the photoshoot. 

When you're in business, a lot of unforeseen and unusual things can happen. It's also important to make people happy and maintain the impression you are client-friendly. Talk with your client and ask them why they want the deposit back. Be reasonable and aim to understand more to learn about your business and perhaps make it better for others to come. 

A reasonable compromise to a client who forgot their appointment or needed to reschedule is to make an exception and transferring a deposit to a new booking date.

Avoid digging your heels in too much and keeping a deposit. Fighting with a client over a relatively small amount of money is foolish and not worth losing time and money when getting attorneys involved or going to small claims court. 

Remember, the goal is not 100% compliance with every clause of your photography contract. Instead, the goal is to run a successful business, make clients happy, and flourish.

Should my photography contract be the same for all clients?

Maintaining one set of terms and conditions for all clients to sign will undoubtedly make your life easier and be more cost-effective. However, there may be times when the needs/expectations of the client are very different. For example, if one provides family portrait photography and newborn photography, you might use the same contact. However, if you offer portrait photography and real estate photography, you may need to have a few separate clauses that outline the photos' usage for commercial purposes.

Suggested Video: Craft the perfect contract.

What if my client pays a deposit, but does not sign my agreement?

Having a deposit with no signature or a signature with no deposit can be frustrating positions. If someone does not sign your agreement, refund their deposit. If some does sign but does not pay a deposit, let them know they have not secured your services. Make sure you use a quality booking website for photographers where the signature and deposit are both required before the booking is confirmed and added to your calendar.

A lot of business was done using Check Cherry's photo booth booking software in 2019. We thought it would be helpful to analyze and share some of the data with the community.

This article will be helpful if you are new to the industry and looking to buy your first backdrops. After all, you'll want to get the most bang for your buck. For those more established, it may be helpful to get an idea/confirmation of what the market is doing. Perhaps you're missing out on an important option, or maybe you need to diversify so you can stand out from the crowd. Be sure to look at the smaller words below; you might spot an upcoming trend.

This word/tag cloud is based on the name of each backdrop selection that happened on Check Cherry during 2019. The larger a word, the more frequently present. You can think of frequency as the number of times a backdrop was selected for a photo booth booking.

There is no doubt that sequin backdrops ruled the roost in 2019. Here are the top 10 phrases containing two words:

1. "gold sequin" 814 occurrences

2. "silver sequin" 346 occurrences

3. "sequin gold" 335 occurrences

4. "sequin white" 316 occurrences

5. "white sequin" 219 occurrences

6. "sequin silver" 190 occurrences

7. "sequin black" 190 occurrences

8. "rose gold" 180 occurrences

9. "inflatable led" 168 occurrences

10. "white gold" 159 occurrences

And here are the top 10 words we found in the names of the backdrops:

1. "sequin" 17.4% of backdrops selected

2. "gold" 11.8% of backdrops selected

3. "white" 9.7% of backdrops selected

4. "black" 5.3% of backdrops selected

5. "silver" 4.4% of backdrops selected

6. "led" 2.4% of backdrops selected

7. "inflatable" 2.3% of backdrops selected

8. "red" 1.9% of backdrops selected

9. "wood" 1.8% of backdrops selected

10. "rose" 1.7% of backdrops selected

The most popular photo booth backdrop is gold sequin.

If you're looking to get one backdrop that most people want, it looks like a sequin backdrop is a great option. Gold, white, black, and silver backdrops are going to be popular among clients. Remember, preferences vary by market and the type of competition. For example, some backdrops will be more popular at weddings while holiday parties may want something more seasonal.

Bonus Content

Here is an expanded version of the word/tag cloud.