A guide for families

What to ask a photo booth company about flash and sound.

If someone at your event is sensitive to bright light or sudden noise, sometimes called sensory sensitivity, a photo booth is worth asking about before you book. Most of what happens at a booth can be changed, but only if somebody knows to change it. Here is what actually goes on, and what to ask any company you are considering, including us.

What actually happens at a photo booth

The flash

Nearly every booth flashes at the moment it takes the photo. On some it is a ring of light around the screen that jumps to full brightness. On others there is a separate flash unit on top, which is brighter and more sudden. Many booths have both. The flash is usually the default, and on most booths it can be switched off, though what happens next depends on whether the booth has any other light of its own.

The countdown

Most booths count down before the photo. Some do it on screen with numbers, some add a beep for each second, and some do both. The beep is what tends to be the problem, and whether it can be turned off varies by booth.

The screen

While nobody is using it, a booth usually runs something on screen to attract people over. That can be a still image or a moving, flashing animation, and some play audio. Any of the three can be changed on most booths.

The room

A booth is usually placed where the party is loudest, near the dance floor or the bar, because that is where the queue forms. Most of the time that is the right call, ours included. But it is a choice rather than a requirement, and it can be moved.

Six questions worth asking

These work with any company. The answers tell you a lot, including how much thought they have given it before you asked.

Does the booth flash when it takes the photo, and can you turn it off? Ask what lights the photo once the flash is off. A booth with no other light of its own will produce dark photos, or will quietly leave the flash on.

Does the countdown beep, and can that be silenced? A number counting down on screen is usually fine. A beep every second, next to someone who is already overwhelmed, usually is not.

What is on the screen when nobody is using it? Ask whether the attract screen can be set to something still and quiet rather than flashing.

Where will the booth be placed, and can that be changed? Most companies put the booth near the dance floor, because that is where the energy is and where the queue forms. That is usually the right call, and it is ours too. But it is a choice, not a requirement. If someone at your event would do better away from the speakers, a corner or a second room works, and the photos are often better there. Worth asking early, since it affects power and layout.

Is there anyone at the booth all night? This matters more than any single setting. A staffed booth can change something the moment it turns out to be a problem. An unattended one cannot.

If we ask for all of this on the day, is that a problem? Plans change, and a guest's needs are not always known in advance. The answer should be no.

How we answer them

What Luxelle does

There is no charge for any of this, and it is not a special package. It is a set of settings.

  • Both of our booths flash briefly when a photo is taken: the LED ring brightens, and the Luxelle booth also has a strobe on top. Tell us and we will turn that off.
  • With the flash off, the ring stays on one steady color of your choosing and lights the booth, and the motion comes off the start screen. If the light in your room means the photos will look different, we will tell you at booking rather than on the night.
  • There is no countdown beep and no button sounds. A number counts down on screen.
  • Ear defenders ride in the vehicle case at every event, so just ask on the night.
  • The booth does not have to go by the dance floor. A corner, a hallway, or a second room works, and it is worth raising early because it affects power and layout.
  • With advance notice we can bring extra continuous lighting panels for better light in a darker room, and set up a second booth in a quieter room at our usual second-booth rate.
  • One of the owners runs the Luxelle booth from setup to teardown, so anything above can be changed in the moment rather than arranged in advance. Our SnapBliss kiosk is a drop-off and nobody stays with it, so for a guest who may need something adjusted during the event, the staffed booth is the one to ask for.

If something would help and nobody arranged it in advance, ask us at the booth. The answer is yes.

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One more thing worth knowing

A photo booth is one of the few things at an event that a guest chooses to walk up to. That makes it easier to manage than a room they cannot leave, and it means a small adjustment often turns it from something to avoid into the part of the night they remember. It is worth one question to the company you are hiring.

If you are planning something and want to talk it through, tell us about your event. If you have questions about how our booths work, the FAQ covers the rest.