Oh! Snap! Photobooth FAQ
Quick Description: The Oh! Snap! photobooth offers professional quality photos & is designed differently from many other photobooth companies. We provide an open-air affordable photobooth alternative to those that print photostrips on the spot. We believe in quality photos first and foremost. There are plenty of local companies that offer the photostrip option and if that is what you're looking for, we invite you to contact one of them, especially Jason Spencer. But first let us sell you on why we think our booth is better because we DON'T do photostrips. Our booth does not do prints, because we edit all of the photos after the event, including the unfortunately timed inevitable groom's zit! ha! This means you get professional studio quality photos for less than the price of your typical photobooth. After the event, you and your guests are invited to view the photos in an online gallery (open or password protected) and our image quality is nice enough to be printed and enlarged. You can order prints, keychains, and magnets straight from our site. Our booth is also unique because everyone can take their own photo using our fun remote control. There is no limit to the number of photos that can be taken. And we bring a wide variety of higher end props to add a little flair to your pics. After the event, all of the guests can enjoy everyone's pictures, rather than just the 4-strip they brought home. So that way if Grandma takes funny pics with the YOLO sign, everyone in the family can enjoy it--and even put it on a t-shirt! From our website, guests can also freely download copies of their favorite photos and are encouraged to post them online--no need to track down a scanner to scan a 4-strip to share it on Facebook--every images can be quickly downloaded and added to your favorite social media! Plus, the non-4-strip model means we encourage your Aunt Shirley to take pics with not only Uncle Ralph, but pics also with her siblings, her nephews, and each and every group of her favorite relatives. At most weddings, we expect at least 250 photos on up to 2,500 photos at the most snap-happy weddings. The Oh! Snap! photobooth is like no other, is the original Lawrence photobooth, and must be tried to see why once they try it, they're always coming back for more. We specialize in repeat annual event clients like Free State Brewery, The Merc, Visiting Nurses, KU Dance Marathon, University Scholars, and annual events for various sororities and fraternities. And once we do one wedding, we find ourselves doing weddings for all their friends, and sometimes portraits and wedding photography, it's fun getting to know groups of friends over the years.
What areas do you serve? We are based in Lawrence, KS and also serve cities within 60 miles of Lawrence, including Kansas City, Topeka, Baldwin City, Tonganoxie, and beyond. Mileage charges apply to events over 60 miles from Lawrence, KS.
How much does it cost? starting at $600
$600 for 2 hours, $100/hour for each additional hour
Discounts available for Lawrence venues, nonprofit groups, week days, and events over by 4pm. If your event is within 2 weeks, contact us with info regarding your budget, certain times of the year we're slower and happy to work with smaller budgets.
Recommended For: Wedding Receptions, Birthday Parties, Office Parties, Campus Events, Fundraisers, Family Reunions, Child's Birthday Parties, Sorority Functions
What makes your photos a higher quality than the other photobooth companies? I am a professional photographer and photo quality is my primary concern. We use professional SLR cameras while alot of other companies use webcams or point-and-shoot cameras. This means that we can control the exposure on our cameras so that we can get the best looking photos. The resolution of our photos is larger than your typical point-and-shoot, making our photos of a better quality to get prints made from. Since we manually edit every single photo in your gallery, we can balance the color, exposure, shadows/highlights so that each person looks great in the photo. When you go with a photobooth company that prints on the spot, you don't get any of that professional editing.
Do you provide a photobooth attendant? Yes. With every booth, you get a photobooth attendant who helps guests with taking photos. Our booth is equipped with a remote control for guests to snap as many photos as you want. But the attendant is there to snap the photos, if the guest prefers.
When are the photos available online? 3-7 days. We really do edit every single frame. For most weekend events, we tell guests that they can see the photos as soon as Wednesday, depending on the number of events we have over the weekend.
How do I reserve a booth? Send us a message through our Contact page to check our availability. With only 2 booths, we find we usually fill up for Saturdays in wedding season, but often have other days open. Once we confirm that the date is available, we will ask for a $200 nonrefundable deposit to reserve the date. The rest of the balance is due the day of the wedding or can be paid in advance of the wedding via check or credit card. Checks can be made out to Oh Snap Photography and sent to PO Box 297 Lawrence, KS 66044.
What are your backdrop options? Our most popular backdrop is the plain black backdrop. It's the best neutral for making everyone's skintones look great. We also have a variety of other backdrops available. Don't see what you need? We're always updating our collection and for a fee we will update our collection for you. We will also work with you if you want to design something special or include something unique to match your colors. We will also use the venue's wall as a backdrop when there's something cool to use like a beautiful piece of furniture, artwork on the wall, mural, exposed brick, or other visually compelling backdrop that is part of the venue.
Can you order prints online? Yes. Prints and photo products can be ordered directly through the website. These are high quality prints and products printed through Miller's (mpix.com). Unlike our photobooth counterparts, our photos are printed on real photo paper developed in photo chemistry. These prints are archival and will last over 100 years. Since we use a high quality camera, prints can even be enlarged. And through my website you can even design a photo book, or get your favorite pic put on a magnet, keychain, t-shirt, and more!
What's the history of the Oh! Snap! photobooth? How long have you been doing this? Back in 2000 I built my first photobooth for my friends to use at my 24th birthday party. This is before the current photobooth trend took off. I called it a photobooth (even though there weren't prints) because the experience of the Oh! Snap! photobooth mimics the experience of the old photobooth user. But back in 2000, I used a film SLR camera and so we had to wait until I had the photos developed to see the pics. At any given party, we'd burn through 10 or 12 rolls of film. Once digital SLR cameras came out on the market, I upgraded my cameras and opened up my business. At first it was just a popular trend at local hipster/punk rock parties--and I'd come set it up for 50 bucks and a cup for the keg. Since then we've grown into a company that has two photobooths and a whole team of awesome assistants who are ready to come out and set-up and work your event. All of the editing continues to be done by Ailecia Ruscin, our lead photographer/owner of Oh! Snap!
Do you offer event photography in combination with a photobooth? Yes. This is a popular request. We would be happy to offer you event coverage as an add-on to your photobooth package. Event photography is $300 per hour, and often an hour or two is enough time to capture all the guests at most parties with 150 or fewer guests. Just send us a message and we'll give you a quote based on the event logistics. The photobooth is included in all of our wedding photography packages; you can learn more about those on our Investment page.
How far out can we reserve the photobooth? / How late is too late to reserve the photobooth? We take photobooth reservations as far out as a year. Photobooths are included in all of our wedding packages. Wedding packages can be reserved as far out as 2 years. Planning a last minute event? Give us a ring/email--we've booked photobooths the week of the event and as late as the day before the event. It will all depend on our availability. We often have at least one free booth most days (except Saturdays in wedding season).
What is an open-air photobooth? Our booth doesn't have a curtain, instead everyone at the party can see the action. Sometimes DJs get mad at us for stealing away everyone's attention. :) The open-air concept gives us a lot of flexibility in where we can set-up and it gives you the opportunity to squeeze more people into the frame. Our largest group photos were 10 or 12 people! See below for a photo from an event so you can see the whole set-up.
Does your photobooth do a count down before taking the picture? No! The photo count down is one of the things I hate about other photobooths. In the Oh Snap photobooth we use a remote control that the photobooth user can use to snap their own pics. When they push the button, the camera snaps instantly. They can take as many photos as they want, not just 4 for the photostrip. I hate the count-down because it forces people to pose and wait. While waiting, smiles fade, poses look too posed. In the OH SNAP photobooth, it is easy to capture tons and tons of candid photos--and don't worry, because if you take enough photos, we won't even post the less flattering poses. And for the really discerning bride, we'll let you see the proofs and decide which photos to remove before the gallery goes live.
Do you do any photobooths outside? Short answer: No. Long Answer: We can, but we prefer to do photobooths indoors. We do limited photobooths outdoors depending on the following: the bench must be on a hard surface, not the ground; we must have access to power; we must be put in the shade; we will have to close down the photobooth if there are high winds that threaten to turn the backdrop into a sail or threatens the stability of the equipment. The best outdoor location is a place with some cover, like on a porch, in a barn, or elsewhere with partial shelter. Also, very important: We need access to power. We will bring a 25 foot extension cord, but if access to power is further, you will need to provide a longer extension cord.
We are a nonprofit organization, will you do our event for free or for free publicity? Unfortunately, we are not able to offer free photobooths. We have decided to consolidate our support to help one organization, the Lawrence domestic violence shelter, The Willow. We do, however, offer reduced pricing for events on weekdays or events before 3pm, just send us a message to inquire.
What kind of props do you bring? At booking we will learn more about you and your event so that we can match our props to your theme. We have a wide variety of props from hipster glasses to moustaches on sticks to hats and boas. We use "higher end" props from handmade artisans and buy real hats and glasses, rather than just cheap crap made to be destroyed. For sorority and fraternity parties and parties in bars, we ask for a $100 nonrefundable prop deposit for the inevitable damage that our props will incur.
What should I expect the day of the event? We will arrive 90 minutes prior to your event to set-up the photobooth. We will ask for a contact name and directions on where to set-up ahead of time so that you don't have to be accessible for set-up, as long as we have a phone number for someone who can let us into the building and directions on where to set-up. The photobooth attendant will be with the photobooth throughout the night to assist guests and to hand out our card with information on how to download the photos from our website.
How/when do we pay you? I ask for a $200 nonrefundable deposit at booking to reserve your date, then the rest of the balance can be paid prior to the event or at the event. Checks can be made out to Oh Snap Photography and sent to Oh Snap Photography Ailecia Ruscin PO Box 297 Lawrence KS 66044. If you'd prefer to pay by credit card, we can send you an invoice through email to pay online. Please let us know if you need an invoice or signed contractual services agreement for payment. We understand that for some nonprofit groups, we will need to wait for a check to be cut after service is rendered.
What happens if it snows? If we can safely travel to you, we will come. If we cannot safely travel home, we will ask for a $100 winter weather fee to cover our hotel expenses for the night. If it is snowing the day of your event, feel free to cancel, we will refund your deposit. This is the only situation in which we refund the nonrefundable deposit.
What do you need to set-up? We need access to a traditional power outlet. We bring everything we need like seating and a table for our props, but if your venue has extra, we'd love to use your table (of any size) w/ matching linens. We need 8-10 feet of wall space for the backdrop by 6-8 feet for the photobooth and prop area. The booth at its' smallest size, was set-up in a 4 feet by 5 feet closet. Since the booth is open-air, we can customize it to best fit the room. The larger the booth, the more people that can squeeze into the photo.
Can unattended children use the photobooth? Yes. Children take the funniest pics--but we will cut them off when they've taken too many and use our "teacher voices" to keep them careful around the equipment.
Do you carry insurance? Yes. But of course.
Do you like your job? We do this because we truly love to interact with people and provide a fun atmosphere to compliment your event or party.
