Photoboothin' it!: Down-Under...

Photobooth artwork courtesy Paula Birch

It is always great to hear from fellow photoboothers.  Maybe it is the mutual appreciation of the old vintage booths, or the knowledge that there are so few of them (and us) left in the world, but the fact remains that those of us still operating and frequenting chemical booths belong to a shrinking niche-- a chemical booth fraternity.  While millions of people in the world can claim to have been in a photobooth at one point in their lives, fewer people are still seeking out and utilizing the booths for their nostalgic, historical, and artistic merits.  The very fact that true-vintage chemical booths are becoming harder and harder to find only increases the dedication.

That is why it is a treat to hear about new works and projects from photobooth nuts around the world. Through the internet and blogosphere, we came across an artist in Australia who is doing some cool things with a photobooth.

Check out Paula's work here:  http://www.thepaulabooths.com/
And read her story hear:  http://renewnewcastle.org/projects/about/project/strip-of-a-lifetime/
And follow this:  http://www.stripofalifetime.com/

Photobooth Reunion 2012

Family reunions are fun.  Family reunions that involve a photobooth are even better.

As our own family includes multiple enthusiasts and technicians, the draw to the booth was just too great to resist.  A photobooth technician is a photobooth technician, even on vacation, so naturally we all ended up at the booths when the family descended on Savannah last week.

We sat and tinkered most of the time, him-hawing about AP-10 stepper boards and misfiring credit units (much more fun than it sounds) but we did get the chance to cut loose and cram as many people in the booth as possible.

To quote a newly-initiated member of the Photobooth Awareness Club, "I had no idea photobooths could be so much fun!"  Live and learn, my friend.

New Booths in Austin

Thank God this summer isn't as hot as last summer in Austin.  We've been busy moving booths and installing them into new bars.  And by "moving booths and installing them", I mean lugging around 1,000lb cabinets full of steel, delicate machinery and sloshy chemicals.  I cringe thinking about what it would be like to do that in heat like last summer... 112 F, oh my!  

So where have we moved the booths?  The booth that was in The Beauty Ballroom has found a new home in Bar 96, on Rainy St.  We call her Ol' Pinkie and she has taken to Bar 96 like a fish to water.  Really just fit right in.  

Our second new booth, referred to as Patches due her to sad history of being smashed into pieces in a parking garage, has been installed in The Side Bar, off of Red River in downtown Austin.  Take a look at us creeping her along the path to get her inside: 

We have more booths to place in Austin.  I just hope this balmy mid 90s F weather holds out for us! 

  

Second Sunday Sock Hop 6th Year Anniversary

In honor of the Second Sunday Sock Hop's 6th Year Anniversary, we opened up several hours of free vends during the event.  Lots of beautiful faces at Shangri-La last night.  Go to our facebook page to look at the album : Sock Hop Album

May I introduce our booth at the Beauty Ballroom...

We affectionately call her Pinkie.  No, she doesn't have communist leanings.  She's just a lovely light shade of pink.

This classic Model 21 booth harkens back to the style of the 1950s.  She's not out-of-date though!  In fact, her playfulness stands in contrast with the more mature style of our booth in Shangri-La.  Her photos match this light hearted-ness.  She takes bright, sparkly photos that have an illuminated background that really shows off her shine.

So go introduce yourself to Pinkie and see why we're proud to have her as our 2nd booth here in the fair city of Austin!

We're Sponsoring a Cool New Art Project

With great power comes great responsibility.  Spider-man's uncle sure got that correct.  Since we've been blessed with the awesomeness of vintage chemical photobooths, we figure that it's only right to use that power in a responsible way.

So what have we decided to do?  We're putting on an art project that will explore the people who live in Austin and what they think about their fair city.  We're calling it The Austin Faces Project.

And the best part about this project is that anyone and everyone who lives in Austin is invited to participate in it.  All you have to do is come to the 1st project session on April 25th, from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at Shangri-La.  You'll have your picture taken, caption it with what you think of Austin, and get to keep the strip for free.

Of course, with the power of a free photostrip in your grasp, it will be up to you to handle that power responsibly...

The Life of a Fellow Photoboother

Our brother company out in Savannah found this really well done mini-documentary on Anthony Vizzari, who is a fellow photoboother.  Anthony is out of Chicago and we had the chance to meet him in February at an art exhibition in Lausanne, Switzerland.  Needless to say, Anthony knows his photobooth stuff.