Flash, flash, flash, flash! The giddy moments behind the curtain of a photo booth mark some of my favorite memories. I have a habit of stopping into any photo booth that crosses my path, resulting in a box full of photographs documenting my friends and I from awkward braces and hair-parted-like-a-curtain-down-the-middle years at the mall, to summery days at Coney Island, to time spent in the impeccable, handcrafted Magnolia Photo Booths that I first discovered at the Renegade Craft Fairs this past year.
The Magnolia Photo Booth Company sprouted up in 2007, bringing portable photo booths to all sorts of events and happenings, including weddings, craft fairs, art openings, parties and beyond. The company and the booths themselves were dreamt up and built from scratch by Peter Tower and cohort Daniel Sanders. What caught my eye when I first got my picture taken in one of these contraptions at Renegade was not only the beautiful quality of the photographs and the built-in fun of photo booths in general, but the clever design of the booths. I’ve really never seen one quite like it!
The Magbooth crew has hatched a scheme to bring their photographic fun to cities and towns across the country. They have ambitions to drive a custom-built Westfalia that runs on bio-diesel across the U.S.A. with a photo booth built into it. Their goal is to capture a Portrait of America through the eyes of an earth-friendly, one-of-a-kind, country-traveling photo booth. Through January 6, 2011, you have the chance to help make the Portrait of America project a reality and to bring a real, live Magbooth to your hometown by pledging your support to the project by visiting their Kickstarter page.
Read on for more insights into what happens behind the curtain at the Magnolia Photobooth Company through my interview with Peter Tower himself:
You craft these booths with your own two hands, right? How did you get the idea and the know-how?
I do craft the booths with my own hands. Let’s just say that my favorite book as a kid was Mr. Fix It. From years of extensive Lego creations, to working on horse ranches and as a handyman, I picked up some useful building and engineering skills. I also dabbled in photography school a bit and worked as a wedding photographer for a while. The combination of all those skills turned me into a crafty photo booth designing whiz.
The idea actually came from my friend Daniel some years back. He is a software genius and wanted to have a photo booth for an annual Kentucky Derby party that he had at his house. He created some software that could communicate between a camera and a printer to create a basic photo booth. I came along with my Mr. Fix It photographer know-how and our photo booth creations started to take off.
Over the years our software design has been taken over by a team of high-end coders, but I am still happy to spend hours in the workshop building booths or coming up with new designs. My days full of routers and Mig welders don’t happen as often as they used to, but I do get to play around every once in a while. With all the time I spend in planes these days visiting all of our cities, I do get a lot of drawing time. I love coming up with new concepts like redesigning the booth drop slot or the screen mounting bracket. The process of seeing one of my drawings go from paper to prototype to laser cut polished steel finished product is super satisfying. The only problem is that most of my ideas come at night when I am in bed, so sleeping is a bit rare for me.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes glimpse of our headquarters:
So, without revealing your Trade Secrets, what goes into the making of your photo booths?
Traditional wet process photo booths are an elaborate combo of precise engineering and fairly toxic chemicals. Modern digital photo booths can be as complex as arcade video games or as simple as laptop tethered to a camera and printer. Our photo booths are somewhere in the middle. The goal of our photo booths is to look great and create awesome photographs. To do that we use some very high-end photographic gear combined with our custom made software that includes some fancy digital filters. The booth is pretty much a very compact portrait studio. We control the lighting environment and calibrate all the gear to create the perfect picture taking moment. One of the key aspects of our booths that helps us create awesome pics is our graphic design. Our graphics have the look and feel of old classic photo booths and include some vintage call to actions, like “Gentleman please comb your mustache” and “Children photograph perfectly.” These help get people in the mood to take some fun pictures.
What is the Magnolia HQ like?
Magbooth HQ in Louisville, KY is a classic American downtown storefront. It’s in an old industrial part of town that more and more businesses are starting to call home. The owner of the building used to have a lamp store in it and filled the space with amazing old lamps and trinkets. He filled an exposed brick wall with old door knobs and colored glass to create an old timey mosaic. We have added a skyline mural with attacking robots and hold monthly art exhibits that coincide with the Trolley Hop Art Walk. When the weather is nice we set up a booth on the sidewalk and let the crowds enjoy some free photo boothing.
What do you think are the ingredients for a good photo?
The best photo booth pics are those that tell a story or play out a scene. To the left is a set that my good friends Ty and Amanda took in a booth in Seattle. It is one of my favorites. By the way, Ty is our graphic designer and Amanda did the mural in the office. For all members of Team Magbooth, the challenge is always to perfect the full body shot.
I loved this story about the man at a medical respite center venturing to have his photo taken for the first time in 15 years in one of your booths. Do you have any other notable photo booth tales?
We leave every event with new stories. For example, there is always that one middle-aged woman at any event. Generally speaking she has had a couple kids and life has gotten a little more difficult than it used to be. She works too much either raising kids or working to pay for those kids, and the days of feeling pretty don’t come around much anymore. Most of the pictures that happen are with some cheap point and shoot camera and usually involve awkward posing and bad lighting. Now she is at a wedding and spots the photo booth. I see her and I tell her that she should take a picture. She says something back like, “Oh, I don’t want to break your camera,” and she declines.
Eventually, with some help from her kids or maybe a couple drinks, I convince her to get in the booth. She is timid about it but takes a picture. She gets out and is pessimistic about what is about to come out of the machine. She grabs the print and a loud laugh or a look of surprise usually emerges. She says, “Man, I actually look pretty good!” Then says something like, “Man, this reminds me of my childhood.” All of a sudden this person who hasn’t felt pretty in a while just received a complimenting photograph that she really likes. Boom. From that point on she gets in the booth 20 times over the course of the evening. She now feels a bit better about herself and has created some awesome pics that she will gladly share with her friends and family for the first time in a long while. It happens all the time that people say, “Man, this is the first picture that I have taken in 10-15 years that I actually like. I mean, wow, I look good.”
What are some of your favorite items in your prop box? Who makes the props?
The best props are the custom props that we have made. The mustaches are a big hit and our friends at Because We Can make those and Melissa Liptrap of the Makery (a.k.a. dearestinez here on Etsy) makes little felt props like “his and her” birds and such. But, my favorite prop of all is this little Fisher Price guitar. Check out my friend Teresa killin’ it with the guitar below!
Where do you hope the Portrait of America project will bring you? What do you hope the project will bring to America?
The problem with running any business is that you have to run a business. It is hard to get away from the constant pressure of increasing revenue and staying competitive. Our Portrait of America project is a chance for all of us to enjoy an epic creative endeavor that is not fueled by the bottom line. I have been lucky to take part in some amazing road trips in the past, including a 6-month tour of the U.S. with a band I was in. The connections you make with other people on the road and the stories that come from them are an important part of understanding what it means to be an American.
My sister and her husband did a year-long around-the-world trip after they got married. They wanted to expand their horizons before they had kids, so that they could pass on a culture of stories and shared experiences to their future brood. I hope that myself and my staff can help bring that sort of connection to as many people as possible. The photo booth represents one of the last true photographic tools that can create an unbiased document of anyone. Look in any magazine and you will see elaborate images of celebrities and politicians that photographers have molded to be dramatic and stylized. They are great to look at, but are rarely done of the common person.
A photo booth doesn’t care who you are and won’t direct you to be something you are not. The magic of a photo booth is that the creativity lies in the user, not the photographer. My fifth grade school teacher or my little nephew or a homeless man has just as good a chance to create an epic image as would Lady Gaga or Barack Obama. (Obviously I hope that all five people mentioned get to experience the booth on our trip.) That is why the photo booth is such a great tool to capture an actual portrait of America.
What advice do you have for burgeoning frontiersman on Etsy?
Do good work. If you are going to create something, then make sure that you can stand behind it with full confidence. To get people to respond to your art or craft, it has to represent you at your best. There is always going to be a Wal-Mart out there selling crap for next to nothing, but you have to believe that there are enough people out there who want something that represents something more, something unique.
And, don’t forget, you have till January 6 to support the Portrait of America project! If you have taken a sweet photo in a Magbooth, do share a link in the comments below.
107 comments
Sign in to add your ownJudiPaintedit says:
I love the behind-the-scenes glimpse photos..... Funny.
1 year ago
BingoBox says:
That is truly awesome !!
1 year ago
LoveINmind says:
Love your ideas!
1 year ago
Dreamerofworlds says:
What a cool idea! I would love to have a photo booth at my wedding, I bet that would be a blast for everyone!
1 year ago
MegansMenagerie says:
Great ideas! Very cool =)
1 year ago
hattieshouse says:
a favorite childhood memory.... not having enough money for the movie theatre's photo booth, Amy held my legs while I fished pennies out of the old mall fountain. Man, being a kid and doing silly stuff like that is the best!
1 year ago
beadfuddle says:
Cool concept!
1 year ago
Moxiedoll says:
I ♥ Magnolia!
1 year ago
seababejewelry says:
oh, i love a good photo booth. cheese!
1 year ago
TheVinylChalkboard says:
This is Amazing! I love what you've done!
1 year ago
BubbleGumAndButtons says:
LoVe It! Very COOL Concept! ~You know it is from "Bubble Gum and Buttons" when you find the button!~
1 year ago
Asianexpressions says:
Way cool!
1 year ago
Mattie714 says:
I loooove this idea! I hope it can actually happen and you can come to NC!
1 year ago
mooshoopork says:
super fun great idea! i like it! photo booth pics always bring a smile to my face :)
1 year ago
mybeardedpigeon says:
So brilliant!
1 year ago
Earleyimages says:
What a kool idea love this
1 year ago
SweetlyFallen says:
Looks like so much fun! Made me smile! Thanks for sharing!
1 year ago
paramountvintage says:
i love photobooth photos. it lets out everyones wild side.
1 year ago
shannondzikas says:
This idea and these photos just lit up my day! You're spreading joy all over the place!
1 year ago
picketfencecrafts says:
When my boys were younger, they had their photo taken in one of those photo booths that made the picurte look like it was pencil drawn. They were just being goofy, but it really captured their personalities. Great idea!!
1 year ago
VelveteenHabbit says:
Wonderful! Great idea!
1 year ago
VivaGailBeads says:
This looks like so much fun! I have always loved photo booths...some of my fav pics are from photo booths...those curtains give your license to be silly!
1 year ago
VitalVintage says:
This is so great! Love it! Now I want to open a B&M vintage shop just so I can put a photo booth in it.
1 year ago
Evajune says:
Some of my favorite photos are from photo booths. It looks like such a fun time!
1 year ago
choisette says:
peter, you are that rare combination of philosopher, cultural anthropologist, and smart + funny guy who can fix things. pretty much the perfect man.
1 year ago
Magbooth says:
Hey it's Peter from Team Magbooth. Keep the comments coming and don't forget to check out the Kickstarter page. Also send over any fun ideas that involve photo booth prints or for new prop ideas.
1 year ago
accentonvintage says:
Wonderful story and so nostalgic! Great endeavor!
1 year ago
grandmamarievintage says:
Very cool article. So interesting.
1 year ago
Jusadreamin says:
Like your IDEAL thanks for sharing
1 year ago
maclancy says:
just say the word photo booth and I am there. From the earliest booths I was jamming myself and friends and family inside to capture a private and often wild moment with almost instant results! I love the concept of telling a story in the booth photos and more than once I wished I had one of those booths in my home. Thanks SO much for sharing this article and for the feature! for any fiends of the photo booth I and others have lots of wonderful vintage photo booth images to look at on flckr!
1 year ago
reiddamnit says:
this sounds pretty cool, my plege is in!
1 year ago
GloryBDesign says:
This is just one of the greatest ideas ever! I will definitely be checking out the kickstart page!
1 year ago
odiliafu says:
Very cool! Love the idea.
1 year ago
HulaGirl1922 says:
"She glances at the photo, and the pilot light of memory flickers in her eyes.†Frank Deford some cool memories were made in a photobooth ...wink ...wink... :) fab post ♥ thanks
1 year ago
MyGraceNotes says:
I attended an event for Yelp and Magbooth was there. All my friends loved the photo booth and we want to hire them for our next company party!
1 year ago
polkadotmagpie says:
Great view into your world. Lots of photo booth parties when I was working in the movie biz. Thanks for bringing more fun into the world.
1 year ago
beliz82 says:
Awesome !!!!
1 year ago
lorrainezoe says:
Oh wowza! Two of my favorite things in the world- etsy and Magbooth!! We had a Magbooth at our wedding and I got to know the Magbooth team pretty well. They are AMAZING people! I can't get enough of them! So creative and fun and downright good folks. If you want to have the time of your life get in a Magbooth! All my favorite photos are Magbooth photos- it's true! The quality is spectacular. ps- Those silly cutouts above are of my honey and myself! Our wedding guests went nuts for those! Great props ;)
1 year ago
futurowoman says:
So wonderful! We had a lot of fun in their booth at Renegade Austin -- whoo hoo! ;)
1 year ago
lorrainezoe says:
Some of my favorite Magbooth photos from our wedding! http://agreenaffair.tumblr.com/post/1621187121/magbooth-mania
1 year ago
tippleandsnack says:
I'm a long time photobooth photo fan. Nice to see the art form revitalized!
1 year ago
SkewlPsych says:
We loved the booth at Renegade in NYC. We looked so fab in our mustaches. And we have the pix to celebrate a great day. Thanks!
1 year ago
breadandroses2 says:
Photobooths were hugely popular in the 50s & 60s and it's fabulous Magbooth has brought it back. Big fun!
1 year ago
DetectivBrunette says:
I LOVE this!!! Great job guys :-)
1 year ago
filofashion says:
Great idea !
1 year ago
daydreamjewels says:
Great idea! Congrats :)
1 year ago
myvintagecrush says:
Love it, love it! Very cool!
1 year ago
arsniccandy says:
Very interesting. I like it!!!:)
1 year ago
arcoirishandcrafted says:
Pete, I always knew youd be infamous one day! ;P
1 year ago
rarebeasts says:
What a great idea, I really like it.
1 year ago
AvianInspirations says:
I love this!
1 year ago
MissYvonneNicole says:
Absolutely amazing! Love it :)
1 year ago
GeeZees says:
Great idea! I just did a canvas for a wedding and their picture was all in photo booth. http://www.etsy.com/listing/65249747/photo-booth-wedding-pictures-wall-art
1 year ago
Parachute425 says:
What a riot! Genius. Love to see photo booths at weddings.
1 year ago
elmstreetmarket says:
This is so cool and inspiring! Every time I see a photo booth, I think of Amelie. She would love this!
1 year ago
funkthejunk says:
Brilliant!
1 year ago
SallysJewelsandgems says:
This is sooo cool. You rule!
1 year ago
redemptionart says:
Cool project, unfortunately Hawaii doesn't appear to be included in "America" wah!
1 year ago
KMalinka says:
Interesting:O)
1 year ago
dirtyMohair says:
I love photo booths!
1 year ago
theroyal says:
inspiring
1 year ago
bigbluebed says:
Wonderful!
1 year ago
LittleWrenPottery says:
Fabulous photos, really love the unusual snapshots looks like a lot of fun!
1 year ago
HadaraTLV says:
Love this idea
1 year ago
PatinaArtsAlchemy says:
So unique and playful!
1 year ago
AdeloCreations says:
sooo funny, great idea!Simple, yet innovative
1 year ago
StyleSupplierCOM says:
really funny, cool ideas.
1 year ago
carlossantiago says:
i love the studio and the idea of it! it looks like fun!
1 year ago
blueskyclouds says:
What an absolutely great idea...and I LOVE the headquarters interior!!!!!!!!!!!
1 year ago
blessedvintage says:
i love this, i spent my teens in photo booths. namaste
1 year ago
blessedvintage says:
i love this, i spent my teens in photo booths. namaste
1 year ago
atelierpompadour says:
beautiful idea!! amazing headquarter!!
1 year ago
paivacrafts says:
This is so great! Good luck guys!
1 year ago
2007musarra says:
Pete- Wow you are magic!!!! I love the idea of what you are trying to achieve. Nothing speaks so much to the heart as the photos from that special day or just any day! Best of luck to you all
1 year ago
princessdoodlebeans says:
AMAZING!!! love those mustaches :D
1 year ago
SimpleJoysPaperie says:
Photo booths are so much fun! I really enjoyed this article. :)
1 year ago
favoritescents says:
Saving this until I have more time to completely read it. What a wonderful idea. I have very few of these photo booth photos, but do have some. Everyone should experience the fun of it.
1 year ago
EverybodyElse says:
This is such a cool article and such a cool idea. I love it.
1 year ago
montagery says:
Love their style!
1 year ago
rule42 says:
I'm kicking myself for missing the opp to use one of these ingenious little devices at Renegade LA last month :O(
1 year ago
IceCreamCandy says:
so cute!!
1 year ago
pinkbijou says:
Brilliant!
1 year ago
PilarOriginals says:
This is such a wonderful article and if you know Peter like I do, he appears exactly how he is. a straight-up, super creative, 100% mover and shaker. I can't wait to see what comes of the epic road trip. and there's still time to get a sweet hardbound book of the whole experience for pledging only $40 on kickstarter! and p.s. here is a link to my photo taken at the Renegade Craft Fair with fellow photoboother Brandon. oh....and Captain EO too. http://photos.magbooth.com/Los-Angeles/LA-2010-12-12-Renegade-Day-2/15087388_jiZwB#1127622597_ZAJXw
1 year ago
awestruckkk says:
wonderful - there is nothing I like more than snapshots of everyday life.
1 year ago
CoreySue says:
I think this is a rockin idea guys! I can't wait to hear updates.
1 year ago
OldNewAgain says:
What an amazing story!!!
1 year ago
1canoe2 says:
LOVE your photo booths! We saw you at the Renegade Holiday Craft Fair in Chicago... http://www.1canoe2.com/2010/12/1canoe2-♥-chicago/
1 year ago
LeiChartru says:
i <3 the magbooth! we took some photos with them in chicago. i wish they would send their bio-photobooth across the pacific and visit hawaii :)
1 year ago
tinyearsjewelry says:
I always see these at weddings, and they are lots of fun... and obviously the pics get better over the course of the night. The ones in the pics above look really well crafted, yet mobile. nice work... Casey @ tin years
1 year ago
JessicaMarie27 says:
Im in love! haha This is an amazing idea and I love every bit of it. Im a photographer and my name is [Your] Photo booth! I cant wait to see where you guys venture to! Hopefully Milwaukee, WI will make it on the map!!! :)
1 year ago
JennasRedRhino says:
This business looks fantastic! Their reinvention of this nostalgic device is perfectly timed and cleverly conceived. I think that this business has fantastic potential, and could do very well. I think it has potential to franchsise.
1 year ago
PattiTrostle says:
What a wonderful business! Great article.
1 year ago
DecadesOfVintage says:
Photo booths are a memory from the past. The next time I see one I have to take my picture...
1 year ago
yunapyon says:
I love photobooth. Great idea! A lot of fun :)
1 year ago
thehomeground says:
This is the best ever! I would love to have one of these at my wedding reception. Too bad I'm in Detroit :( Bring Magnolia to the D!
1 year ago
anneshandspun says:
My mom and I got to try the booth out at the Renegade Craft Fair in LA. It was so much fun and the prop box had so many cool things in it. http://photos.magbooth.com/Los-Angeles/LA-2010-12-12-Renegade-Day-2/15087388_jiZwB#1127608799_87VqH So much fun! I want to rent one someday! :)
1 year ago
RetroBabs says:
This is so fun. My nephew owns a photo booth company in Chicago. Best time at a wedding ever. Check him out. (Adam) http://www.windycityphotobooths.com/ Tell him Aunt Barb sent you.
1 year ago
HollyDaise says:
What an amazing idea! Thankyou for sharing. You rock! Hx
1 year ago
sannachristina says:
Love the concept. So many memories of those booths, but you provide props! Great idea!
1 year ago
BadBabyQuilts says:
I'm anneshandspun's mom, (she posted just four posts above me) and YES! This is a great idea! I really recommend this photo booth.
1 year ago
pamelabecraft says:
My husband and I got this idea, not knowing about these clever fellows, two years ago for our annual family bbq. We built a portable photo booth from large appliance boxes complete with a curtain you could draw closed, painted on a retro look Photo Booth Logo, put his camera on a tripod outside the booth, with the lens through the hole, and spent a good hour letting everyone pop in and out, taking a series of four photos of each person or couple. It was soooo much fun! The pictures are classic. We said to ourselves that this would be a great business... it is good to see that someone actually did create such a business. There is something so special about being in there with the curtain drawn, just you and the camera lens... people cut loose, are themselves, and have sooo much fun! The idea for the cross-country trip is awesome!
1 year ago
pamelabecraft says:
PS... It was a lot of work, we had to strap the booth onto the top of the car and drive four hours to get there, set it up, etc. I highly recommend taking advantage of this company if they are in your area...they do all the work, you have all the fun!
1 year ago
RAGGEDedgeGear says:
totally awesome! I'm inspired! Going to try and jury rig my own version for my friend's wedding in March! YAY! Looks like so much fun
1 year ago
DanicaLand says:
Cant wait for the book- very cool project!
1 year ago
vintagegirldezigns says:
I always loved photo booths when I was younger. Recently, my niece and I were in a mall and took some pictures in one and had a blast. I think it would be a lot of fun to have one at a wedding...great idea!
1 year ago