What is a 360 photo booth?
It’s been just over 10 years since the first 360 photo booth was invented. Since then, 360 photo booths have moved from being a sought-after luxury item at events and weddings to a staple offering by event companies all over the country. If you are planning an event or work in the event industry and you don’t know what a 360 photo booth is at this point, make sure you read this post and get yourself caught up!
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What Is a 360 Photo Booth?
A 360 photo booth is a device that mounts a camera on a long metal arm. The arm rotates the camera in a perfect circle around a platform. The camera faces inward towards the circle as it rotates so that it can create a video of an event guest or any subject that is placed on the platform. The resulting footage is used to create breathtaking videos that are used for social media, brand/team promotion, and as clips in television production.
What Is the Point of a 360 Photo Booth?
360 photo booths have primarily been used to replace static photo booths at events as a way of providing event guests with more compelling content to post on social media and for brands to leverage the viral nature of this content. You can frequently spot a 360 photo booth at a wedding, walking through an event space as you enter into a stadium, or at major music festivals all across the United States. 360 photo booths have also been adopted by the video production industry as a way of creating dynamic shots of characters, athletes, or other subjects that are being introduced in a television broadcast or honored at awards ceremonies.
What Are the Parts of a 360 Photo Booth?
360 Photo Booths are made up of 3 parts:
- A metal arm on which a camera can be mounted.
- A platform base where event guests stand or the subject of the video can be placed.
- A motor, which is housed within the platform and used to rotate the metal arm.
Many of other accessories can be added to enhance the content created using a 360 photo booth and the guest’s experience.
How Do 360 Photo Booths Work?
In order to create these stunning videos a camera is placed on the end of the 360 photo booth’s metal arm. You can mount an action camera, like a GoPro or an iPhone, or a DSLR or mirrorless camera. Generally, content is captured at either 60 frames per second for half-speed slow-motion videos or at 120 frames per second for 1/4-speed slow-motion videos.
The arm on a 360 photo booth is rotated by a motor housed underneath the booth’s platform. Better-quality 360 photo booths allow the arm’s rotation to be started by a remote keyfob or via integration with photo booth software.
When higher-end quality is required for production shoots or high-volume events, a special type of 360 photo booth is often used that isolates the arm from the platform via an independent internal leg structure. These booths allow subjects to dance and even jump on the platform without transferring any of this motion through to the camera; counterweights typically add additional balance and stability to the arm. This isolation is, in fact, what differentiates the OrcaVue XL model from the OrcaVue Air models.
How Are 360 Photo Booth Videos Produced?
Photo booth software apps are typically used in conjunction with a 360 photo booth. The apps vary in complexity and capabilities, but they usually perform several important functions:
- Pre-event definition of overlays (often branded) and additional effects/audio that will be added to the video after recording.
- Connection to the 360 photo booth at an event to sync the starting and stopping of the arm with the video recording.
- A quick rendering step that applies the modifications defined in Step 1 to the videos.
- A means of displaying the rendered 360 photo booth output to the subjects.
- A method for subjects to send the video to themselves or to share it with others via social media.
- Collection of videos and other stats in a central location for later analysis/use by the event organizer.
Frequently used 360 photo booth software apps include:
Are 360 Photo Booths Worth It?
360 Photo Booths for Photo Booth Business Owners
If you are a photo booth business owner, 360 photo booths can be a tremendous investment. Having a 360 photo booth offering in your product line-up will help to separate you from other photo booth suppliers, especially if you want to do business with higher-paying corporate clients.
360 Photo Booths for Event Planners
If you are hosting an event, 360 photo booths provide you with a way for event guests to quickly create branded content that they’d be more than willing to share on their social media channels–content that will likely have further social media reach than traditional static images.
Also, depending on where the booth is placed at your event, 360 photo booths are capable of showcasing your entire event in the background of the shot, giving people who watch videos created with a 360 photo booth a better sense of what it was like to be there. Many 360 photo booth software apps also make it possible for videos to be posted with relevant hashtags and hyperlinks for marketing purposes.
What Are the Cons of a 360 Photo Booth?
While 360 photo booths are an awesome way to wow event guests and provide them with a way to create viral content on social media, there are a few things you’ll want to consider before selecting a 360 photo booth for your event.
- 360 photo booths take up a larger footprint than traditional photo booths. It’s recommended that you dedicate a minimum of 10 feet by 10 feet for a 360 photo booth, but 15 feet by 15 feet is the ideal footprint size.
- The rotating metal arm can also be a danger to event guests. To keep your event guests safe, be sure to ask any 360 photo booth supplier if the 360 photo booth they use has an auto-stop feature, like the OrcaVue Air and OrcaVue XL models. You will also want to use stanchions and the physical environment to be sure that guests do not inadverdently wander into the path of the arm.
- 360 photo booths generally require larger budgets to operate at events and cost more to purchase than static photo booths.
Does a 360 Photo Booth Take Photos?
Even though they are referred to as “photo booths,” 360 photo booths do not generally take photos. Instead, 360 photo booths are used to create video content of a subject as a camera rotates in a perfect circle around them.
What Equipment Is Needed for a 360 Photo Booth?
To create scroll-stopping videos of event guests, you simply need a power source (which can be an internal battery), a 360 photo booth, a video camera, and a software app to control the recording/delivery process. The experience can be further enhanced with other accessories, including ring lights, backdrops, fog machines, battery packs, camera mounts, and more.
Click here to view a full list of available 360 photo booth products and accessories.
Where To Buy a 360 Photo Booth
Many 360 photo booth providers have entered the market over the last 10 years. However, we are proud to say that, as the inventors of the 360 photo booth, OrcaVue is considered by many to be the premiere provider of 360 photo booths and 360 photo booth accessories. Our 360 photo booths can be purchased directly from our website. You’re welcome to give us a call if you have any questions.
Click here to learn more about 360 photo booths and how to make money by becoming a 360 photo booth supplier.