This month’s Darkroom Booth user spotlight is on Jon Sharp with BoothPix UK
We first met Jon at www.photoboothtalk.com where it was evident his enthusiasm for the photo booth business was positive and contagious. It is also evident that the photo booth market in Europe is much different from the United States. Now that Darkroom Booth Software has been increasing in popularity “on the other side of the pond” we wanted to interview Jon and learn a bit more about his market and his enthusiasm for the business.
What do you think are some of the biggest differences between the UK and US booth markets?
I think one of the biggest differences is aesthetics, ignoring the DIY end of the market, I think a lot of the clearly homemade models or even the ‘shower curtain’ cubicles, referred to as ‘Pipe & Drape’ in the US are looked down upon in the UK and don’t sell as well. “What does the booth look like?” is a common question we hear from potential brides and corporate clients and customers tend to favor professional looking, full featured photo booths.
There is a bit of the British reserve still too, where users prefer to be behind the curtain and feel a bit uncomfortable in an open studio or kiosk style booth, I think in time this will diminish, as more and more of our lives are online and pictures with mobile phones, which are instantly shared, are breaking this down. The middle and older age customers though clearly still like the ‘hidden from view’ aspect of a traditional booth.
What is “the booth market” like in the U.K. right now? Is it very competitive? And do you see growth potential?
The UK market is a couple of years behind the US, but growing rapidly. It’s kind of hit the momentum tipping point now, beyond the larger towns & cities that are quicker to respond to new ideas & trends anyway. The early adopters like ourselves spent the first 18-24 months really having to push the idea, the sales process was much more involved too, trying to get across just how much fun they are, bearing in mind photo booths are used for passports pictures here!
Finally, into our 4th trading year, we’re getting to the point where we’re not only seeing repeat bookings, e.g. for some of our holiday bookings this is the 3rd year we’ve attended some company parties, AND it’s the first thing booked, but we’re also seeing this appear in the wedding industry too, where before it was perhaps couples looking for something different, now it’s almost becoming a must have item. Just as it should be!
We haven’t seen the DJ operated booth growth like the US has.
What photo booth software programs have you used in the past?
We started with Breeze, which I’ve used since 2006 for other remote photographic tasks and came to see the booth market when I noticed the addition of ‘photo booth’ within the application. Already owning a license, it made sense for me to keep on using it.
There was a learning curve, more on adapting our own workflow, with moving to Darkroom Booth earlier this year.
What do you like about Darkroom Booth Software?
For us it’s a game changer! There really are so many more features in this package; it’s hard to pick out a few.
One application that handles many cameras is a great starter. For example if I want to check a design or screen layout, I don’t have to pull all the booth camera gear in, I can simply use the office webcam. For most events we favor ‘point & shoots’, but can also plug in our DSLR’s too or even add a webcam if we feel a simple kiosk solution might be better suited for the client, it also means we’ve got back-ups of back-ups in our kit bag, yeh! It really is so versatile and flexible.
It’s so simple and straightforward to use for altering layouts and strips, anyone familiar with using day to day applications such as Word, can use it. The ability to alter templates on the fly, even during events has already helped us out with one client a few months back. I personally spend a lot less time in Photoshop these days – changing some of our ‘off the shelf’ layouts only takes seconds, with Photoshop backing up for only the more creative designs. I can almost design the layout and email it to a client while I’m on the phone taking the booking or discussing their ideas.
We also love the screen templates – they are so much easier to customize or add more touch screen controls, and we’re also having so much more fun with the layouts too. Allowing the photo to develop on the screen as the user goes through a sequence really adds to the entertainment value and the possible poses, especially if it’s something fun like a rocket ship or the VW bus. I can’t wait for a client with some imagination for the virtual props and indeed for a few of the green screen events we have booked in 2014.
I could waffle on for ages, bottom line I’m already seeing ways I think Darkroom will help us stand out from other booth operators in the packages or creativity we can offer our new and existing clients – it’s a win – win!
Find out more about Jon and BoothPix UK
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