What an open-air booth is
An open-air booth is a camera, a light and a backdrop with no walls or curtain. Guests stand in front of the backdrop and the crowd can watch. Our Beverly Booth and Selfie Booth are both built this way, which is why the backdrop choice matters so much to the final look.
Because nothing encloses the space, the booth can take as many people as the backdrop can hide behind. Ten friends, a quince court, a whole table of cousins: all of it fits.
What an enclosed booth is
An enclosed booth is the classic kiosk, a cabinet or a curtained frame with the camera inside. Guests step in, draw the curtain and pose in private. The photos tend to be head-and-shoulders because the space is small, usually comfortable for two to four people.
We do not run an enclosed booth, and this guide is not pretending otherwise. If you want the curtain-and-cabinet feel, you will need a company that offers it. What follows is an honest account of the tradeoffs so you can decide which style suits your event.
Group size
Open-air wins clearly for groups. A wedding party, a court of fourteen or an office team can stand together in one frame. With an enclosed booth, large groups split into several shots or spill out of the picture.
If your event is small and most photos will be couples or pairs, the enclosed booth's limit is less of a problem, and some guests like the privacy.
Backdrops and the look
An open-air booth lets the backdrop set the mood. We carry ten, from sparkle and champagne tones to eucalyptus and a calm neutral, and a custom backdrop can match your florals or brand. The backdrop appears in every print, so the booth becomes part of the room's design.
An enclosed booth has a fixed interior, often a plain curtain or panel. The results are consistent but not customisable in the same way, and the booth itself can look like a piece of equipment rather than a styled corner.
Privacy and the crowd
This is the enclosed booth's real advantage. Shy guests and people who prefer not to perform in front of a crowd often relax behind a curtain. The photos can be sillier because nobody is watching.
The open-air booth trades that privacy for energy. The line watches the poses, cheers the good ones and gets drawn in. Our attendant helps with the nervous ones, and in practice the crowd around an open booth is one of the liveliest spots at a party.
Venue fit
An enclosed booth is a single large object that has to fit through doors and sit on level ground. An open-air booth is several light pieces, which makes stairs, patios and tented receptions simpler. Our Selfie Booth needs about 6 by 6 feet and the Beverly about 8 by 8, both without any walls to accommodate.
Outdoors, open-air also handles a garden or courtyard more gracefully, provided there is shelter from wind and a power outlet within reach.
- Open-air: big groups, styled backdrops, lively crowd, flexible venues
- Enclosed: privacy for shy guests, compact two-to-four-person shots, fixed look
Our honest recommendation
For weddings, quinceañeras, corporate parties and activations, open-air is the better fit because of the group sizes and the styling. For a very small, intimate event where privacy matters more than the backdrop, an enclosed booth from another provider might suit you better, and we would rather say so than talk you into the wrong thing.
Planning a celebration in Los Angeles or the San Fernando Valley? Tell us the date, the venue and the guest count and we will email a personal quote within 24 hours.
