S(l)ide Show

Not just weddings,even birthday parties and promotional events now have photo studios and booths,where instant photographs are clicked and distributed. For her son Armaan’s birthday party,who turned three last month,Priya Sharma stuck to a McDonald’s farm theme and a photo studio was behind the picket fence,with cutouts of farm animals as props. “The photographer clicked the photograph of each child individually and instantly printed them with a digital printer at the venue. We framed and distributed them as return gifts,” says Sharma who did not mind shelling out a tad extra for the service. “We opted for a package and it was worth it. We even added a little note,with Armaan’s name on the photo,” she adds.

With the trend picking on,photography studios are gearing up to offer on-site photo studio services. “There is so much competition in the field,that we have to constantly offer something new to the client,” says Jassy Singh,owner of Sri Ganesh Portraits in Panchkula. The studio is among the pioneers of this concept in the city. “We usually set up a proper studio at the venue,complete with backdrops and lights. Nearly 50 per cent of our clients opt for on-site photo studios,” says Singh,who has been inundated with inquiries this wedding season. “It’s a good branding exercise,” he adds.

Internationally,photo booths are not uncommon. They are a great way to entertain guests and capture priceless memories. There are companies that rent portable photo booths,though most event photographers offer customised setups. Closer home,working on the concept are young city-based entrepreneurs April Sher Bhaika and Kismet Jewell Nakai. The two introduced the ‘Unreal Bride’,a blog as well as business venture last year. More recently,they erected a photo booth at a pre-wedding function. “The objective was to make memories of an event appear fashionable and fun,” says Bhaika,stylist with the team,who designed quirky props for the guests. “Since it was a cocktail event for the young couple,we decided to go for props like life-size lips and big moustache cutouts,” says Bhaika who used ribbons in lavender and pink in the backdrop.

While the on-site wedding studios tend to have formal frames,there is more emphasis on fun at photo booths in dance parties. At the recently held Puma Social night at Tao Lounge in Sector 26,the theme “after hours athlete” was celebrated. The lounge was done up to resemble a teenager’s pad,complete with dart games,a ping-pong table and a foosball (table-top football game) station. Guests got themselves clicked with zany props,like whacky wigs and oversized sunglasses. “We tried the photo booth concept in other cities as well. In Chandigarh,it was very popular on the dance floor,” says a Puma representative. Amrita Kaur was among those who attended the event. The photo she brought back home was uploaded on Facebook the next day. “It’s the most fun photo of mine,” she says.

Want to get clicked? Look out for a photo booth during your next outing.