Yes, Virginia, there is a photobooth.
Since I began this photobooth project a few months ago, I’ve been asked several questions about it here, on Twitter, and by friends and family who just shake their heads at me. A few of the same questions have come up, so I thought I’d answer some of them here.
Are these really taken in photobooths, or do you create the scenes in Photoshop?
Every one of these is taken in a real photobooth, in a public venue (typically a bar), during business hours. Also, I exclusively use film photobooths – the old school “dip and dunk” kind. There’s just something about the quality of film that cannot be recreated digitally, in my opinion. I love the subtle differences you find in the film strips that add character to the photos – some booths have crisp white borders, others have thin black borders, some have ragged edges.
I’m extremely lucky in that Chicago is home to a whole lot of vintage photobooths. There are about 25 or so that I’m aware of, although I’ve only visited about half of those so far. Sadly, though, I’m sure it won’t be long before more and more venues get rid of their booths altogether, or replace them with digital ones since they require a lot less maintenance.
I occasionally do minor editing in Photoshop, but only to bump up the exposure on some of the strips that come out a bit too dark.
Why photobooths?
Simple: I absolutely love photobooth photography – the vintage quality of the photos, the spontaneity of cramming into a booth with friends, the excitement of waiting for the strip to develop. As I thought about what I wanted to do with this project, I kept coming back to the idea of capturing mundane scenes in a non-traditional setting – doing dishes, eating breakfast, listening to music – as though a photobooth were following me around, documenting my everyday activities.
As the project has progressed, I’ve become equally interested in exploring more complex or abstract narratives, and am enjoying the challenge of trying to tell a story in four frames.
Are they all done in one take?
In the vast majority of cases, yes. Occasionally I have to do reshoots because the booth isn’t working properly, or I wasn’t quick enough, or it just didn’t quite capture what I was going for. But I’d say that at least 90% of these are done in a single take.
One scene that I reshot a few times was the juggling one. I was not prepared for how difficult it would be to keep juggling when a bright flash of light pops in your eyes. Ironically, after trying it two more times at different venues, the one I went with was the original – shown below – because I felt it told the most interesting story.
I shot this one at the Village Tap in Roscoe Village one afternoon. The photobooth is positioned at the back of the bar, right by the kitchen and about two feet away from tables where customers sit. This day, however, a couple of the cooks were taking their break at the table right outside the booth, watching Spanish soap operas on the TV that sits directly on top of the photobooth.
I waited about 15 minutes or so, thinking that eventually they would have to get back to work. After a while, it became clear that they weren’t going anywhere, so I just took a swig of my beer, grabbed my bag of tricks and headed in.
Once I started juggling and the flash popped, I was temporarily blinded and dropped two of the apples. They rolled onto the ground and out of the booth. I quickly reached out to grab them (frame 3), only to glance up and see the two cooks staring at me, and the apples, with the most disturbed look. So my reaction in the fourth frame is entirely genuine, which I think is why this is my favorite take.
Did you really bring the rabbit head into a photobooth?
Yes. In a giant garbage bag. No one asked questions, which should probably concern us all.
Filed under: General, Photobooth Chronicles on August 20th, 2009
August 20th, 2009 at 11:27 am
I KNEW beer had to be involved!
August 20th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
I love your photo booth essays and applaud your resolve and ingenuity!
August 20th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
I love photobooths!
Tyler and I constantly take pictures in them. so much in fact he proposed inside a photobooth while it was taking pictures! that filmstrip turned out adorable and I’m hoping to get a framed here soon.
August 20th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Ever since you told me a while back that you actually shoot in photobooths, I’ve been ever more fascinated by this project. I love the behind-the-scenes juggling story. Each strip is an opportunity to ponder what was going on outside the booth as well the creativity & storytelling within.
Perhaps it’s my film background, but I really do appreciate a narrative played out in 4 frames. And you know your project has influenced & provided inspiration to me for my groove series even though the context, motivation, and execution is different. (I’m still pondering the best method for making a proper dance cube that won’t take up too much space.)
I raise my glass–of, well, water–to you, Jenny, and toast your creativity, ingenuity, and dauntlessness in the face of cooks with telenovelas to watch upon your instrument.
August 20th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
My friend Meagan loves photo booths so much that she created her own with a video camera, an old iMac, and a custom AppleScript she wrote herself. Every time somebody would come to her apartment… whether they be friend, foe, repairman, or FedEx delivery guy… she’d insist that they sit for a four-frame set. The resulting images were printed out in strips and pasted on her wall, which she eventually covered.
It’s her I have to thank for all the images of me that appear before each blog entry.
August 20th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
So you’ve taken a drying rack of dishes to … ?
Next time I see someone go into a photobooth with a rack of dishes to clean, I’ll still ask if they want me to dry, but will lack that sarcastic tone cause I’ll mean it.
August 20th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
oh i am so gonna need a list of the places that have those photobooths! next time i am in chicago isn’t until november, but i wanna play in a booth. gonna need a hot man to join me, though. i want to do a different set of photos. le rowl.
(thanks so much for the background on your series. i love the photo booth photos and just assumed you used a mac.)
August 21st, 2009 at 9:21 am
shari: and sometimes scotch…
tamara: thanks so much!
sibyl: NO WAY! he proposed in a photobooth? that is the coolest thing ever. and portland seems to be a photobooth-friendly kind of city, too.
claire: thanks! and re: the dance cube, couldn’t you put 4 walls around a DDR machine, install a camera and printer, and voila!
dave2: your friend meagan is teh awesome!
don: it’s amazing what you can hide in a big backpack.
hello haha narf: oh, i’ll most definitely send you the list. and i’ll flag the ones that are most conducive to the kind of… um, artistic photos you’re interested in taking.
August 21st, 2009 at 11:05 am
For a long time now I’ve been wanting to draw some attention to you and your photobooth project; to give it the artistic recognition and credit it deserves. It turns out, however, that I’m not the Gladwellian ‘connector’ that I could or should be, so I’ll just say it now. You and your photobooth project are absolutely brilliant. I have savoured every episode and frequently go back to enjoy them again.
-Mike
August 21st, 2009 at 8:13 pm
That would be awesome if I had the space and could afford a DDR machine. Still, it’s like you’re catching my brain waves because I have pondered how to set up a DDR shoot downstairs.
August 22nd, 2009 at 2:03 am
I still maintain that these are all completely brilliant.
August 22nd, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Quentin Tarantino has stated that his next film will be made using photobooth technology.
August 23rd, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Hey, what do you do with the actual strips once you’ve scanned them?
August 24th, 2009 at 7:08 am
mike: you, my friend, are incredibly kind. thanks!
claire: keep an eye on eBay… never know when someone will be selling one! as for the strips, right now, i’m just storing them all for future use.
vahid: thanks so much!
igno-bob: d’oh! skunked again.