Archives: Community
Auction for a good cause: a photobooth
August 27, 2010
Our friend Scot Phillips, whom we met at last year’s Photobooth Convention in Chicago, let us know about a unique event at the museum where he works: an art auction whose proceeds will go towards helping the museum purchase a photochemical photobooth.
The Massillon Museum is seeking help in the form of donated artwork to be auctioned to help raise funds to purchase their photobooth.
The Massillon Museum will host its one-night only Photobooth Project: Silent Art Auction on September 25th from 7:00pm to 10:00pm in the Main Gallery at the Massillon Museum. All proceeds from this event will benefit the Photobooth Project.
Each donor will be recognized in the event program. Upon purchase of the photobooth, your name will also be included on a plaque installed on the photobooth.
If you want to donate your original artwork, download an application from the website (www.massillonmuseum.org and click on the Support tab) or contact Scot Phillips at 
bsphillips@massillonmuseum.org. 

Donations outside the fundraisers will be greatly 
appreciated. If making a donation, just specify that you want it to go to the “Photobooth Project” fund.
The deadline to donate artwork is Saturday, September 18th. You may donate artwork from now until the deadline, just contact Sandi to arrange pick up/drop off - don’t hesitate. We greatly appreciate your consideration and hope you will help make the Photobooth Project a success. Hope to see you at the Silent Art Auction!

Brian | 9:03 AM | Comments (1)
The forum is back
July 12, 2010
Last year we took the Photobooth.net discussion forum offline due to a few problems we were having with the software. After a few false starts, we finally settled on a solution that is more robust and easier to use than the old system.
We are happy to announce that the new and improved forum is now live and ready for your questions, comments, thoughts, answers, tips, tricks, stories, and suggestions. We spent a lot of time and effort making sure all the content from the old forum made its way into the new version and that all existing user accounts were maintained, so if you had posted on the old forum at some point, please log in and re-start your account.
We’ve reset all passwords, so you’ll need to have your password emailed to the email account you first posted with. Contact us if you’re having difficulty accessing your old account.
We’re excited to have all of the old discussions restored, and even more excited to have this resource back up and running for everyone to use. Please have a look around and add your cents.
Brian | 5:19 PM |
The Art of Waiting
June 23, 2010
Happy summer to all of our readers across the country and around the world! To kick off the summer, Jeff from The Art of Waiting has launched a contest centered around photobooths that he has invited us to help out with.
Head over to the contest page to find out more about it, and get going on your entry!
The Art of Waiting’s summer contest hearkens back to a simpler time. A time when waiting for your betty crocker leftovers to reheat in the sears roebuck oven didn’t seem like an eternity. A time when waiting for the television commercial to end was more of a fascination than an annoyance. A time when waiting 3 minutes for a strip of 4 pictures to drop into the slot was the only option. You know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout Willis. Old style, wet chemistry, dip ‘n’ dunk photobooths have a special niche in the analogue photo world, and as a staple of summer carnivals, festivals, and fairs for many decades, they seemed to be an appropriate subject for the summer contest.
We’ll be back in September with some outstanding entries and the contest results. Get boothing (and waiting)!
Brian | 8:23 PM |
Photobooth exhibition at the Fleming Museum
June 10, 2010
Last night saw the opening of an exhibition at the Fleming Museum at the University of Vermont called Picture Yourself: The Photobooth in America, 1926-2010. Nakki Goranin, author of American Photobooth, organized the show, and told us a little about what can be found there. The exhibit includes
…my working Auto-Photo 14 and my wooden 1934 handmade photobooth plus parts of a street photographer’s photobooth (circa 1930s)… Many vintage photos from my collections, an original handbook written by Anatol Josepho, one of his original lenses, etc.
We look forward to seeing photos from the event and hearing about how it went.
Brian | 7:29 PM |
New booths in Vienna and Florence
May 20, 2010
See update at the bottom of this entry.
This week is an exciting time to be a photobooth fan in Europe. Tomorrow, May 21, and Friday, May 22, will see the debut of two new photochemical booths in Austria and Italy.
First, from the good folks at Photoautomat London, we learned about the opening party for the first photochemical photobooth to return to Vienna. The event, advertised here with its “Do it like Andy” Warhol-themed poster, takes place tomorrow night, May 21, at 7 pm. We look forward to seeing photos and hearing stories about the event.
Photoautomat have a page up on their website for the booth, which joins their ever-growing European family.
Secondly, we heard from Marco in Italy letting us know about the booth that will be debuting this Saturday night in Florence. More info about the booth can be found on its website at Fotoautomatica.com.
The opening begins at 7 pm on Saturday, making it easy for a true fan to get there from Vienna and take part in both events. We’ll have photos and an account of the event as soon as we get it, and will add location pages for both booths next week.
We’re really pleased to see these new additions, especially the first new booth in Austria, and are enthusiastic about the health of the photobooth scene in Europe. Thanks to everyone for letting us know about the news.
UPDATE 5/21/10: First, we’ve found out the new booth is not the first photochemical booth in Vienna, but the third. We’ll be adding entries for the other two soon.
Second, thanks to Ferdinand for contributing photos from the new booth at Pratersauna in Vienna.
Here’s a video of the booth being installed. Thanks, Ferdinand.
Brian | 8:46 AM |
Photobooth.net turns five
May 2, 2010
It’s hard to believe it’s been five years since we officially launched Photobooth.net, but the calendar doesn’t lie. It’s been an enjoyable and interesting five years, and today we’ll take a look back and see what has happened since we began.
About three months prior to the launch of the blog, in January, 2005, Tim contacted me, introduced himself, and asked about collaborating on a photobooth website, having seen a small collection of photobooth locations I had posted on my own site beginning in 2003. By the next month, we were up and running, collecting and presenting photobooth locations around the world, listing the films and TV shows that featured photobooths, and starting a catalog of artists, projects, and articles centered on photochemical photobooths.
As of February 2005, when we began putting the website together and the pre-cursor to the site was still on my old personal page, here’s what we had:
- 50 booth locations (48 in 14 states, 2 in the UK)
- 31 Movies
- 8 TV shows
- 4 Commercials
- 1 Music Video
Take a look through those sections to see how we’ve grown over the years; counting booths that have come and gone since we listed them, we now have more than 350 photobooth locations listed, in a dozen countries around the world.
While the site had its origins in my attempt to visit every photobooth I could, our growth is due in large part to the generous contributions of photobooth fans around the world who have tipped us off, clued us in, and emailed photographs, scans, and information about booths we wouldn’t otherwise get to.
The same is true with the movies and TV shows we list; we now have more 100 movies listed and nearly as many TV shows, with more popping up every month.
Over the years, we’ve documented the two International Photobooth Conventions that have happened in the U.S. since we began, in 2005 in St Louis and 2009 in Chicago. In addition to being great events, these were opportunities to meet photobooth enthusiasts from around the world who have since become friends, including Anthony, Mixup, Danny, Nakki, Siobhan, Carole, Connie, Dina, and others.
The site has also been a way to communicate and collaborate with people we haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting, but hope to one day, including Klaas, Martin, Ira, Marco, Ole, Meags, and Igor.
Looking back, it’s as though we created the site in the knowledge that everything was about to change. I don’t think that’s true, but the photobooth world was a different place in 2005. Photochemical booths could still be found at amusement parks around the country, they weren’t as ubiquitous in bars as they are today, and digital photobooths weren’t a wedding and party juggernaut like they are now.
And for a site that culls most of its information from the internet, it’s tough to overstate the effect that Apple’s “Photo Booth” application has had on the online world of photobooths over the last five years. The program, which was introduced in October of 2005, has now polluted every corner of the web, from Google Alerts, which are now only rarely reference actual photobooths, to the Flickr feed for photos tagged “photobooth.” The feed used to be a great source of information on new photobooth locations, as well as interesting vintage photobooth photos. For the last few years, though, it has become a dumping ground for kids to put up photos from the Apple Store, and a free way for digital photobooth companies to distribute their photos.
The last five years have brought a host of positive changes, as well. When we began our site, the last photochemical booths were being replaced with digital machines all across Europe. From the UK to Switzerland, Italy to Germany, the photochemical photobooth was a thing of the past. But slowly, bit by bit, in Berlin and Hamburg, Paris and London, Zurich and Moscow, we’ve watched the booths return. While the machines seem to be disappearing at an alarming rate in the United States, we’re heartened to see the great work done by the entrepreneurs, artists, and technicians (sometimes all the same person) to keep the booth alive in Europe.
Since the site began, we’ve added a section on Music and revamped our location listings to make them easier to navigate. You may also have noticed that our discussion board, once a thriving place to ask questions and share ideas (and then a cesspool of spam comments), is no longer active. We are in the process of restarting the board, and hope to have it up again soon, alongside a new section on the history of the booth, an improved gallery to share your photostrips, and a place to share technical manuals and instructions for operating and repairing photobooths.
We’re grateful to everyone who has contributed to the site over the last five years, as well as to those who have written in simply to tell us how much they’ve enjoyed it or found it useful. Thanks for reading, contributing, and helping keep the photobooth alive!
Brian | 9:33 AM |
Jaroslav Supek, 1952-2009
April 19, 2010
Our friend Mixup has sent in this note about the late photobooth artist Jaroslav Supek.
Multimedia artist and writer Jaroslav Supek died after a short illness on 9th July 2009. He was born in 1952 and lived in Odžaci in the Vojvodina region of north Serbia and he took part in many group and solo exhibitions nationally and internationally over four decades.
He shared the Slovak background of Andy Warhol (Warhol’s parents were from Miková in north-eastern Slovakia) and maybe this had a small part to play in his passion for photobooth machines, something which interested Warhol too.
I had the good fortune to meet him twice during 2004 when I was working on art projects with Saša Marković and we were staging the 6th International Photobooth Convention in Belgrade. He came along to Belgrade to join in the activities and a few days later we travelled to visit him at his home. We spent an afternoon sharing a drink or two and looking through his many works and catalogues and because of his connection with Slovakia he also owned genuine photobooth strips of Andy Warhol. Maybe not the greatest photobooth artist but certainly the most well known so holding them in my hand was a moment to savor.
Of most importance were pieces relating to the 1997 show “First International Exhibition of Photo-Booth Photography” held at the Srecna gallery, Belgrade, for which he was curator, featuring photobooth work from South, Central and North America and all over Europe. I had a small piece showing and although I had been formulating the idea of a regular convention (still two years away) it spurred me on to achieve this goal.
I feel it can be honestly said that Jaroslav was one of ours.
—Mister Mixup, 2010
Supek in the booth at the 2004 International Photobooth Convention in Belgrade
Brian | 7:04 AM |
Photobooth.net's European Vacation
November 30, 2009
I just returned from a brief visit to Europe where photobooths still abound in all the usual places (post offices, train and subway stations, arcades.) However, I am sad to report that 99% of the booths I encountered were digital. London was the one exception, and two of the photobooths there were the highlight of my trip.
The past year has seen the re-emergence of chemical photobooths in The Big Smoke thanks to the industrious efforts of two independent outfits: Photomovette and Photoautomat. As luck would have it, I hit the city at the perfect time to see activity from both companies. October 31st marked the closing of Photoautomat’s show at Cargo; the following evening Photomovette was hosting an opening party for their booth. I spent the morning of the 31st hanging out at Cargo, chatting with Alex and taking in the show.
Following a quick lunch of steak & ale pie and mashy peas (in case you were wondering), I met up with Carole and Siobhan, the women of Photomovette. I proved not very helpful in resolving a few of their remaining booth idiosyncrasies, but they were gracious hosts nonetheless. They were busy putting the final touches on their booth and organizing the venue for their party the following evening.
After parting company, I headed for the Tube to make my way back to my West London lodging. The subway ride was notable for two reasons: 1) I happened to sit beneath an ad adorned with a fake photostrip and 2) it occurred to me I had inadvertently slated my travel for Halloween. If you’ve never experienced it, trust me when I tell you it is slightly disorienting to experience a new place on Halloween. It certainly left me wondering if London Tube traffic was always as colorful, or if it had something to do with the holiday. See for yourself:
For those of you who missed either of the above-mentioned festivities, fret not, more opportunity awaits you. Alex’s booth remains at Cargo, and is outside in the beer garden. Feel free to stop by anytime. As for Carole and Siobhan, they are hosting another photobooth party on the 13th of December.
Tim | 11:52 AM |
Hello, Alberta!
August 8, 2009
Just when you start to think you’re hearing more about photobooths disappearing than you are about new locations being discovered, a kind reader of our site will send in a massive update that makes you feel a little better about the whole situation. Courtesy of Meags Fitzgerald, we just received a big update, twelve photobooths in all, none of which have appeared on the site before.
We’re adding them in installments, so the first to go up are the Canadian locations: nine booths in Alberta and one in Vancouver. The majority of the new booths are in Calgary, which just jumped from “unlisted” to somewhere in the top ten as far as active photochemical photobooth cities are concerned. We’ve always known that Canada is home to many active photobooths, but beyond a few in Toronto and BC, we haven’t had much documentation before now.
So here they are:
Bonnie Doon Shopping Centre, Edmonton
Northland Village Mall I, Calgary
Northland Village Mall II, Calgary
Antisocial Skate Shop, Vancouver
I don’t think we’ve ever seen a photobooth decked out like a bag of popcorn (at the Chinook Mall), but now that I see it, I can’t believe no one else seems to have thought of it before now. Very nice. Thanks to Meags for these locations, and we’ll have the rest of her contributions soon.
Brian | 3:58 PM |
Flagstaff Photography Center's Photobooth Show
April 17, 2009
In the run-up to the Photobooth Convention, we had to put a few stories and bits of news on the back burner while we were in Chicago. Now that the dust has settled, it’s time to get those up on the site, and we’re starting with a show that opened more than 1500 miles away from Chicago on the same night as the opening of the Convention: Picture Yourself Here: The Photobooth Show at the Flagstaff Photography Center in Flagstaff, Arizona.
The show, which runs through June 13, is a look at the photostrip collection amassed over the course of the past two years by FPC’s managing director, Jason Hasenbank. Described as “part self-portrait show, part anonymous found object, part candid look at the residents and visitors to downtown Flagstaff,” the show features a collection of “over 2,000 individual images of portraits, body parts, inanimate objects and expressions from our emotional spectrum.” Visitors are encouraged to add their own photos to the collection, and the center offers a scanning and enlarging service to allow people to share the photostrips with family and friends
We’re awaiting a photo of the booth and a sample photostrip to add the Flagstaff Photography Center’s booth to our newly-revamped Photobooth Directory. Thanks to Jason at the FPC for letting us know about the event.
UPDATE: The Flagstaff Photography Center’s booth is now listed in our directory.
Brian | 9:05 AM |
Brian's Convention recap
April 15, 2009
So, it’s been a week or so since it ended, and the 2009 International Photobooth Convention is retreating in our collective rear view mirror. Those attendees who made the trek from the U.K., from New York and San Francisco, from Vermont and Massachusetts, from Minnesota and Ohio, and from around the greater Chicago area, have all returned home. The organizers have left Logan Square for far flung Los Angeles, St Louis, and Oak Park, and it’s time to reflect on what went on during the night and long day of the event.
From my perspective, the event was a huge success. Thanks to the hard work of a lot of people, not the least of whom were Anthony, providing his photobooths and preparing the event on the ground in Chicago; Tim, bringing in folks from all over the country and keeping things under control with his unflappable cool; and our hosts at Center Portion Sheila and Greg, we had a smooth and relatively chaos-free event. Without any major issues to worry about, we were able to appreciate the company of the photobooth enthusiasts, technicians, artists, kids, and passersby who attended, all enjoying the shared experience and the luxury of unlimited photobooth pictures.
Some of the highlights for me were first of all meeting Anthony, with whom we’d corresponded and spoken over the previous few months, since the idea of a convention in Chicago was first floated last August. Tim and I had been involved in our first International Photobooth Convention in 2005, just a few months after we’d begun this site, so this time around, I felt a lot more comfortable in the world of the photobooth, and had made a lot more connections, discoveries, and acquaintances that proved helpful in the meantime .
One such connection was with Martin of Schnellfoto.ru, who had gotten in touch through the website a few weeks before the convention and offered a collaborative project for convention-goers in Chicago to participate in. In the Schnellfoto booth in Moscow, various people offered questions to Chicagoans, written in Russian on cards and held up to the camera in the photobooth. Martin FedEx’ed the strips, with translations, to me, and I brought them to Chicago, where we distributed them to people to answer with a response photostrip. The project attracted a lot of enthusiasm, and we got some terrific, witty, and creative answers. I’m in the middle of assembling a small booklet of the questions and answers side by side, which we’ll make available on the site when I’m finished.
Steve “Mixup” Howard, the founding father of the International Photobooth Convention, made the trek from England, and, along with Nakki Goranin and Dina Stander, made up the core group of returnees from our previous convention in 2005. It was great to see them again, and to have their art and collections hanging on the walls of the gallery, just like last time. We made some new friends this time, putting faces with names we’d emailed with over the years, including Danny Minnick from San Francisco; Connie Begg, proud owner of a new (old) photobooth, also from the Bay Area; and Carole and Siobhan of Photomovette in London, who are busy preparing to reintroduce the photochemical booth to London after a few years of painful absence.
The panel discussion on day two was also a highlight, as Tim led a talk among the hosts and distinguished guests, including Anthony, Mixup, Nakki, and Nick Osborn of SquareAmerica.com and co-author of the fantastic new book Who We Were: A Snapshot History of America.
Despite the long series of late nights spent preparing, enjoying, and then cleaning up after the convention, we were even able to get in a little photobooth-hunting, as Tim, Danny, and I hit three photobooths to add to our directory: Quenchers, Weegee’s Lounge, and Bar Deville. By the end of it all, there was fleeting talk of doing it all again in a year (or two or three), so we’ll see what happens. Thanks to everyone who came for making it a terrific event.
Check out the official wrap-up page for the convention, and stay tuned for the online gallery of artwork and other multimedia from the event.
Brian | 1:04 PM |
Tim's Convention recap
I am tempted to lobby for a name change of the convention to “Photobooth Family Reunion” as I feel it captures the spirit of event much more accurately than our tongue-in-cheek use of the term “convention.” I know some disparage the family reunion with an eye-roll and the chuckle reserved for a scene from a National Lampoon Family Vacation, but my experiences with said reunions are solid gold. This year’s convention was no exception, and it had all the requisite parts: the relatives you look forward to seeing from reunions past (Nakki, Dina), the patriarch of the family keeping an eye on all the festivities (Mixup), the famous great uncle whom you’ve heard stories about for years but never met (Todd Erickson), the relatives you meet and love, but never knew you had (Carole, Siobhan, Connie), the cool relative from California that you wish lived closer (Danny), all the family members you knew existed, but didn’t know their names until now (all the artists, attendees, and Center Portion gang), and of course, the perpetual family cheerleaders, the reunion organizers who are never quite sure anyone else likes reunions as much as they do (Anthony, Brian, and me!). And need I mention, what family reunion is complete without a boatload of photographs (both archival and emerging)? Then you have the few uncles who bust out family videos for everyone to watch (the shorts program, the documentary on the booth innards) and the genealogy-obsessed aunt who organizes a sit-down Q&A with the oldest members of the family in order to hear stories soon to be lost in time (the panel discussion). Throw in a few art projects for the kids (the altered photo workshop and Russian “space bridge” project) and some general revelry, and you’ve got all the necessary ingredients. The only thing missing, in my estimation, was jello salad.
Anthony proved a more-than-capable host, navigating the grassroots art scene in Chicago to provide us with commemorative convention buttons (via Busy Beaver Button Company) and a fantastic silkscreened convention poster (from artist Shawn Stucky) as well as generously commandeering a portion of his photobooth fleet and faithful support staff (thanks Andrea, Eric, Carol, and Brad) for use at the convention. Be sure to check out Anthony’s vast array of artistic and economic involvements.
Brian already mentioned it, but it bears repeating: Sheila, Greg, and family were awesome. Thanks to them for their attentive but laid-back hospitality. If you live in and around Chicago, keep an eye on the schedule of events at the Center Portion. You won’t be disappointed.
Brian (in true form) failed to mention his amazing talk on the history of photobooths in cinema. It was an updated and expanded version of the (stellar) talk he gave in St. Louis during the 2005 Convention. When I introduced Brian, I said his talk was my favorite part of the last convention — and I wasn’t kidding. His talk is something that would be appreciated by a much larger audience — perhaps we can convince him to post some version of it online someday.
Special thanks to the folks who agreed (some of them on very short notice) to sit as part of the panel discussion I moderated: Nakki, Nick, Mixup, Brian, and Anthony. If we are able to salvage any footage from the two video cameras that ran out of batteries, we’ll post a portion of the fireside chat. I really enjoyed the different perspectives the panelists brought and only wished it could have lasted longer. We only scratched the surface.
Travel for me is always much more about the people and much less about the place — this trip to Chicago was filled with wonderful and kind people, some old and some new. I did manage to see some of my Chicago peeps (Kenner, Maureen, Nils, Joanie — thanks for coming out!) and was generously housed by cousin Doug and fed by cousin Hayes (my own mini family reunion).
There was some chatter about the next convention and there seems to be growing support for having them more regularly. When asked about the dates of the next convention, Brian and I always answer with a smile, “When are you willing to host it?” We look forward to the next gathering, whenever that might be.
Tim | 12:35 PM |
Convention photos, round two
April 9, 2009
We’ve put up another batch of photos, from the second day of the Convention, on Flickr. They’ve been added to the 2009 IPC set.
Anthony leads his sold-out “Altered Photography” workshop:
Some of the art and collections on the walls of the gallery:
Danny and Nick talk photography:
One of our younger convention-goers gets ready to take photos in the booth:
Check out all of the photos in our set, as well as the photos (and photostrips) of others in the 2009 IPC group pool on Flickr (thanks to Arielle for setting it up).
Brian | 4:17 PM |
2009 Photobooth Convention photos and videos
April 6, 2009
After an amazing and exhausting International Photobooth Convention this weekend, the various organizers are still unloading trucks, cars, and suitcases, so it will take bit before we can get a full run-down on the events and highlights, but for now, we’ll put up a few photos and videos to give those who weren’t able to make it an idea of what it was like.
Check out the full set of photos on Flickr.
We took some video over the weekend, some of which we’ve already posted below. More is on the way, so check out a few videos on Vimeo.
And finally, we designed some t-shirts and debuted them at the Convention. Currently there are two in the entire world, one for each half of Photobooth.net, but we’d love to see some more around. Order a shirt, take a photostrip of yourself wearing it, and send it our way! Check out our Photobooth.net t-shirts at Spreadshirt.
Brian | 9:22 PM |
Convention Night 1
April 3, 2009
Photobooth Convention from Photobooth on Vimeo.
Brian | 9:49 PM |
Photobooth Convention begins today
The photobooth gang are at Center Portion setting up booths and hanging art. The convention opens tonight at 7:00, and we’ll be here all day getting ready.
Unloading the photobooth from Photobooth on Vimeo.
We’ll see you here!
Brian | 9:02 AM |
T-minus 10 days and counting... IPC09
March 23, 2009
Those of you who have submitted artwork for consideration should have heard back regarding our selections — if you haven’t drop us a line. We have also finalized the schedule of events. Limited editions of this silkscreened poster will be available for purchase at convention.
Tim | 10:21 PM |
30 days until photobooth mania hits Chicago
March 3, 2009
Your 2009 International Photobooth Convention organizers are hard at work preparing for the event from their respective corners of the country as the big day gets ever closer. We’re now just one month away from the opening night, April 3, at Center Portion in Chicago.
We’ve had a lot of interest via email and through our Facebook group, and would encourage all photobooth artists, collectors, and experimenters out there to contribute to the event, whether or not you can attend. As part of the convention, we’ll be curating a group show of art created in and inspired by the photobooth as well as collections of vernacular or found photobooth photos. Check out the Call for Entries (PDF) if you’re interested in submitting a piece or collection for the show.
Brian | 2:49 PM |
Call for Entries: IPC 2009
February 18, 2009
As part of the 2009 International Photobooth Convention to be held in Chicago in April, we’ll be putting on a group show of art created in and inspired by the photobooth as well as collections of vernacular or found photobooth photos.
We’ve posted a Call for Entries (PDF) which we encourage you to download and check out if you’re interested in submitting a piece or collection for the show.
The text of the Call for Entries follows:
2009 International Photobooth Convention Group Show
CALL FOR ENTRIES
The 2009 International Photobooth Convention is now accepting entries for a group show at Center Portion in Chicago, Illinois, to be held April 3-4, 2009. The exhibition seeks to showcase artwork created in and inspired by the photobooth, as well as collections of vernacular or found photobooth photos. The show is open for entry to all artists working in any media, so long as they utilize or reference the photobooth. All entries will be included in an accompanying digital gallery on Photobooth.net, while selected artists will be asked to show their work at Center Portion for the duration of the Convention.
For review by the show’s curators, please submit digital files of your entry. Files should be in jpeg format at 300 dpi. Please provide a short bio, artist statement, and any other pertinent information (in PDF or .doc format). Digital files may be uploaded using the following address:
http://www.photobooth.net/convention/submit
Digital submission entry deadline: March 15th, 2009. Selected artists for the International Photobooth Convention Group Show will be contacted by March 20th with shipping instructions.
Please direct all questions to convention@photobooth.net
We look forward to your contributions to the event.
Brian | 8:46 AM |
2009 International Photobooth Convention
February 2, 2009
Photobooth.net and 312photobooth.com are very pleased to announce the 2009 International Photobooth Convention, a two-day event featuring photobooth art, workshops, lectures, projects, and of course, free photochemical photobooths. The event will be held at the Center Portion artist project space in Chicago’s Logan Square, Friday and Saturday April 3rd and 4th, 2009.
We were last involved in the International Photobooth Convention back in 2005 in St Louis, held just a few weeks after we launched Photobooth.net. In the four years since then, we’ve learned a lot and made a lot of connections around the world, which ought to make this year’s event even bigger and better than the last.
The convention is being organized by the same group that put the 2005 event together, Tim and Brian from Photobooth.net and Mr. Mixup, joined this time by Anthony Vizzari of 312photobooth.com, who is graciously sponsoring the event and organizing the event on the ground in Chicago.
We will be sketching out the schedule for the event over the next few weeks, so stay tuned to the convention page for more details as they’re finalized.
We hope some of our readers will be able to join us in Chicago, and for those who can’t, we’ll be updating the blog throughout the event, as well as following what’s going on through our Twitter account, so be sure to follow along if you’re interested.
For those interested in submitting work for our photobooth gallery show, we’ll be announcing our call for entries in the next few days. Please send any questions about the show, or the convention in general, to the convention organizers, and we hope to see many of you in Chicago in April!
Brian | 8:40 AM |
Big news for 2009
January 30, 2009
It’s been a little quiet here on the blog as we’ve been hard at work behind the scenes preparing for some changes and events in 2009. Check back on Monday for an announcement about what we’ve been planning, and if you’re a photobooth enthusiast, block off some time in early April. It’s been awhile since our last International Photobooth Convention, hasn’t it?
Brian | 8:56 AM |
Spectacular vernacular
January 10, 2009
Happy to find a photobooth-related event in Southern California, I ventured to the Santa Monica Airport this afternoon, armed with a stack of Photobooth.net postcards, to attend the second annual Vernacular Photography Fair, which we noted here a few days ago. The event, held in a gallery space at the Santa Monica Art Studios, consisted of ten dealers from around the country who specialize in “found photography, anonymous imagery or snapshot photography,” as well as hundreds of photography enthusiasts browsing, buying, and talking photos.
I was happy to make the acquaintance of Babbette Hines, whose book Photobooth was one of the inspirations that helped launch this site more than four years ago. We had a nice conversation about the joys of photobooth photos, and commiserated about the recent upswing in prices that have made collecting them less affordable than it used to be.
I also enjoyed meeting a number of other folks, including dealers Myles Haselhorst of Ampersand Vintage in Portland, Leonard Lightfoot of Vernacular Visions, John Nichols of the Santa Paula Snapshot Museum, as well as the folks who put together the event. I’m hoping Photobooth.net can be more involved next time; I could see a lot of interesting ways to collaborate. Two years after moving here, it’s great to finally get a little more involved in the vintage photography scene. Thanks to everyone at D3 Projects for putting this together.
Brian | 10:53 PM |
Vernacular Photography in L.A.
January 5, 2009
This weekend in Santa Monica, California, D3Projects, in conjunction with a variety of dealers, artists, and other groups, is presenting their second annual Vernacular Photography Fair, an event which should be of interest to all photobooth fans in Southern California.
In the press release on their website, D3 describe the event as “Two days of vernacular photography, featuring top dealers nationwide - photos & books for sale.”
Vernacular photography - also known as found photography, anonymous imagery or snapshot photography - is a genre of photography making its way into the spotlight of fine art. Artists, collectors and dealers rediscover photographs estranged from their owners and lost in time at flea markets, estate and yard sales, attics and even in abandoned boxes on the street. The new owners of these photographs give them a new life and relevance in the world today.
Found photographs, anonymous images and snapshots from the 20s until the late 70s will be offered for show and for sale to the public by the following art dealers: Jane Handel, Leonard Lightfoot, Ray Hetrick, Babbette Hines, Diane Meyer, Carl Mautz, John Nichols, Desiree Dreeuws, Ron Slattery and Myles Haselhorst.
We’ll be attending and look forward to meeting other photobooth and found photo enthusiasts. We’ll have a report on the event next week.
Brian | 9:50 PM |
Multimedia Friday
April 25, 2008
We’ve got a few updates this week, from the four (or at least three) corners of the media world. First, from mainstream TV, an advertisement that proves you can use a photobooth to sell anything. The Venus Embrace razor is the product in this case, in an ad that encourages women to use the razor and “Reveal the Goddess in You.” In one of a half-dozen scenes in the commercial, two girls go into a pseudo-photobooth and giggle under the heading “Goddess of Friendship.”
From the world of art and photography, we bring a two-page feature and brief interview with us here at Photobooth.net in the internationally-distributed magazine ISM: A Community Project. The piece, called Photobooths: The Art of the Self Portrait. It’s a nice piece, and it’s a great magazine, available at select newsstands or on ISM’s site now; we encourage you to pick up a copy.
And finally, another old photo with with what must be a great story behind it. At the risk of starting up a “Photomatic of the Week” feature, I thought I’d post this eBay gem, because it’s a great photo and a little unusual.
Not only does this Photomatic feature the great “Souvenir of the Nation’s Capital” backing, but the young soldier in the photo is sitting behind a prop with the body of what looks like the cherubic new year of 1941 painted on it, which makes for a great image. Written on the photo itself and mostly faded at this point is the question “Guess Who?”, and on the reverse is written the date “January 13, 42.” This date doesn’t make much sense with the New Year 1941 image, but it’s still a great photo.
Brian | 8:54 AM |
Own your own photobooth
April 13, 2006
The photobooth from The Collective is for sale on eBay. Photobooths pop up from time to time on eBay, and while we try to keep track of them, sometimes they slip through the cracks. From this point forward we will move photobooths for sale on eBay to the discussion group, unless there is something unique or spectacular about the booth.
While we’re at it, there are also some nice looking photobooths for sale by way of Canada.
Tim | 9:42 PM |
Pilgrimage to Photo-Me, USA
August 25, 2005
In April of this year, I made my first trek (ok, let’s be honest, pilgrimage) to Photo-Me, USA in Grand Prairie, Texas. I had spoken to Gary Gulley on the phone over the past 3 years, but it was a pleasure to finally meet him in person and put a face to the voice. (Now knowing what his face looks like, I see it occasionally in photostrip form from time to time — most recently in a local St. Louis Post Dispatch article announcing the Photobooth Convention) All the folks I met at the Grand Prairie office (Gary, Tom, Matthew, Bambi, Amber, Linda, Yuri, Hugo, Dawn, Ed) were incredibly nice, and each made me feel right at home. I was treated to a tour of the plant, the highlight of which is their wall of retired photobooths (literally stacked 3-high, reaching up nearly 20 feet). They also have a wealth of articles and photobooth art that have been sent to them over the years. They have a collection of photobooth picture calendars the Rainbo Club in Chicago produces every year, as well as many other cool photobooth relics. They also let me see their collection of original photobooth patent applications from an array of different countries. I am willing to admit the whole thing was somewhat of a religious experience (lunch, by the way, was memorable as well — Al’s Burger joint just west of Dallas — a big-ass burger on what else but Texas toast?).
I then made a return visit to Photo-Me earlier this month while I was in town for a friend’s wedding. Once again, it was great to see everyone, though I didn’t have as much time to make the rounds. The place was pretty busy, lots of booths being readied for shipment, and lots of phones ringing. I got to wander the warehouse again and soak in the sheer enormity of their photobooth collection. Very cool. Lunch this time was equally delicious — a fine little Mexican restaurant whose name slips me at the moment. If you are looking for good Mexican grub in Grand Prairie, give Gary a call. Tom took some time to show me some of the original blueprints for the first Photo-Me machines (models 10 and 11, I believe). He has a lot of photobooth history in his head, and there is a lot of history to be had. Eventually, we need to beef up a section on Photobooth.net dedicated to photobooth history. Given the time it took me to post this little bit about my Photo-Me visit, however, makes me think it might be a while before we have a formidable history section. Thanks Gary, and the rest of the fine folks at Photo-Me.
Tim | 1:02 AM |
Convention recap, welcome Boing Boingers
June 1, 2005
At the end of the day…the 7th International Photobooth Convention was a terrific success. From the dozens of people who stopped by over two days to take pictures in the booths to the artists who came from around the country and around the world to experiment, collaborate, and talk about their work, the convention was well-attended and kindly praised by the enthusiasts who stopped by. The convention received great coverage in the local daily and event papers, a spot on the Sunday evening news, and two interviews on the Monday morning news. The convention also helped this blog garner its first comment (from someone other than us) and first trackback, both exciting steps.
The whole “posting throughout the convention” idea didn’t really work, because all involved in making the convention happen were busy from morning to night setting up, taking down, cleaning up, shouting out, speaking up, and all the rest. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be putting together a convention wrap-up page where the current convention info now resides.
For my part, I have to say the convention was more fun, more interesting, and more gratifying than I had expected it to be. Admittedly, Tim and I had set pretty low expectations - “If it’s just the three of us, it’ll be a huge success!” - so when actual tens of people came to take photos, to collaborate on projects, to hear my talk and watch Amélie, and to chat with us about photobooths, it was a very pleasant surprise. On a personal level, I had never before had the luxury of free and open photobooths in a studio space, so thanks to Tim’s generosity and willingness to foster his fellow artists and enthusiasts alike, I was able to experiment, test out ideas, and so some work I’m happy with as a starting point. I didn’t know what to do with myself at first, without having to find crisp bills and fend off waiting kids, but I quickly got used to just pushing a button and waiting for the flash.
The convention was also a great learning experience for me and for others, as well, as we got a look inside the booth, and became familiar with terms like “transmission,” “toner,” and “spider assembly,” as they pertain to the tiny, miniature darkroom that lives inside each and every traditional-style photobooth.
I’d like to say my thanks to all of the people who attended the convention, from the UK to the East Coast to the greater St Louis area, all of whom contributed to a terrific weekend, the biggest convention so far, and an example of how to run a successful, fun, and fulfilling participatory art event. Thanks Tim, thanks Steve, and thanks St Louis! Check out my Flick photoset for photos from the convention. And thanks to Mark Pike for pointing us out to Boing Boing.
Brian | 10:37 AM |
7th International Photobooth Convention
May 27, 2005
The Photobooth Convention is just around the corner and we are getting very excited. Regardless of where you are in the USA, you can still make it to the convention if you start driving now. I’ve been busy getting things in order here, and as a result have been a bit slow to post in the past few weeks. I do have a lot to post about (Philly photobooths, my trip to Photo-Me) but it will have to wait until post-convention. Hope to see some of you there.
If you can’t make it but would like to keep tabs on the event, continue to visit the main convention page where we will be posting notes and photos from throughout the convention.
Tim | 10:12 PM |
Flickr Blog highlights photobooth pix
March 17, 2005
Yesterday’s entry in the FlickrBlog, entitled “Photobooth,” picks four multi-person photo strips and links to the photostreams of their creators. Hopefully, they’re all in the group pool of the Flickr Photobooth Group.
Brian | 1:46 PM |
Another shout-out for the photobooth directory
February 16, 2005
TransformOnline's Daily Blog chose the Photobooth Directory, whose days are numbered at Doubleperf.com now that Photobooth.net is getting its sea legs, as a pick of the day in their Culture section. Add that to the star turn on NYC cable in December and the slew of recent photobooth contributions I've received from New York, North Carolina, and Seattle in the last two months, and I'd call it the beginnings of something. We're not at critical mass yet, but hey, people are paying attention, and more people will pay even more attention with a legit domain name, courtesy of Tim. Now, if I can just remember to keep using "photobooth" instead of "photo booth," I think I'll be all set.
