On Saturday, November 2, I launched the photo booth portion of my business at Horicon High School. I had put a lot of thought and planning into running this, and the system I developed worked well, better than most expected.

My strategy was to do green screen sessions consisting of four shots, which my software automatically keyed out and laid out into four squares on a 4x6 print. My pricing was $5 per print, minimum of 1 per session, and that turned out to be a good decision. I had initially imagined getting $5 per head, but the night before the event I realized that probably wouldn't work -- at DisneyWorld maybe, but not at a Horicon craft fair. When you hire me, you pay for the event, not for each print. I simply charged per print because this was a promotional launch for me.

Joel Nisleit Photography Green Screen Photo BoothJoel Nisleit demonstrates a green screen photo booth experience.

I'm not going to describe how to run a photo booth. That's my business. But what I did was use my Nikon D300 on full manual mode, in large JPEG quality because the software doesn't process RAW files, and no post production is necessary. I rented Elinchrom portable lights to provide the main light and used two Speedlights to light the screen. The Elinchrom lights were an incredible system. They pack small and light big. The kit included two lights with stands and soft boxes, plus a remote triggering system, so everything I needed to shoot was in the box.

For shooting, the D300 was tethered to my laptop with a 15-foot Tether Tools USB cable, with Jerk Stopper. The software and printer did the rest. I also uploaded the images to an online gallery so people could order from a large catalog of products with their images.

The results were excellent. Everything worked as planned and children had the most fun. This photo booth is fun for everyone because it's easy and simple and the results are instant. You can watch the images as they come up on screen and then out of the printer. When you just want easy entertainment or something crazy to spice up an event, this is the perfect solution.

You can hire my photo booth service as either a green screen setup or a traditional booth. I provide the props and everything required to make it a fun photo party. I set everything up and tear it down, and I operate every booth to make sure everyone has a positive experience. Every system is user-controlled with a remote trigger or touch screen. This is perfect for birthday parties, weddings, dances, corporate events, school events, fairs, anywhere you want an experience that leaves a positive impression. Just sign up and have a blast. Please see my photo booth page for more details.