When people walk up to a photo booth, they don't all walk up the same way.
Some are tall. Some are short. Some use a walker or a wheelchair. Sometimes two people walk up together with such a difference in height that you have to think about how you're going to comfortably get both of them into the picture.
That's where being able to adjust the experience matters.
Because as far as we're concerned, the equipment should adjust to the people. The people shouldn't have to adjust to the equipment.
Although every once in a while, our guests come up with their own solution.
Sometimes a Little Lean Is All It Takes
At a wedding we worked recently, a tall husband stepped in beside his much shorter wife.
He leaned toward her a little, but he didn't have to crouch down or squeeze himself awkwardly into the picture. His head was still comfortably in the frame, she could stand naturally beside him, and they could concentrate on having fun with their photos.
That's how it should be.
Not every difference in height requires us to start moving equipment around. Sometimes everyone already fits comfortably and a natural pose takes care of the rest.
Other times, the difference is a little more challenging.
When One Person Is Almost Seven Feet Tall
At a college homecoming, the Homecoming King was a soccer player who was close to seven feet tall. The Homecoming Queen beside him was considerably shorter.
That's a pretty significant difference when you're trying to frame both people naturally in the same photo.
So we adjusted the camera.
That's something we can do with our Snap It. photo booth. The camera isn't stuck at one height. We can move it up or down depending on who's standing in front of it, and we can angle it when necessary.
We didn't need to make her stand differently or have him spend the entire session crouching just because that's where our camera happened to be.
We adjusted the booth to them.
And then they could concentrate on the important part: having fun together.
Or You Could Just Pick Him Up
Then there was a corporate event where two men with a pretty significant height difference walked up together.
We could have adjusted for them.
They had a better idea.
The taller guy picked him up.
Problem solved.
And probably a much more memorable picture than anything we could have suggested.
That's one of the things we love about doing this. Sometimes we're adjusting the equipment to make the picture work. Other times we just stand back and watch the guests decide exactly how they want their moment to look.
A Walker Doesn't Mean Sitting This One Out
At a recent nursing-home event, several of the guests used walkers or wheelchairs.
That didn't mean watching everyone else have their picture taken.
One woman came over with her walker and joined a group for a photo. Her walker stayed right there with her. Nobody needed to move it out of the picture or make her stand without it.
She could simply be part of the group.
Guests using wheelchairs could do the same thing. We could adjust the camera height and angle for the person in front of us rather than expecting them to somehow adjust for the booth.
That may sound like a small thing.
But when everyone else is lining up for pictures, being able to roll up or walk up and join them shouldn't be a big production.
It should just be your turn.
And It Isn't Only Snap It.
The same idea carries over to our drone-powered experiences.
With Spin It., there isn't a platform to stand on and there isn't a rotating camera arm moving around you. Guests stay on the floor while the drone flies around them and creates the 360-degree movement.
With Star In It., there isn't a traditional GlamBot robotic arm or a platform or pedestal. The camera flies. Guests stay on the floor while the drone creates the cinematic camera movement.
That difference gives us flexibility.
Someone is very tall? We can adjust the drone height.
Someone is shorter? We can adjust for that too.
Someone uses a wheelchair? There isn't a platform they need to get onto before they can participate.
The experience comes to the guest.
Sometimes We Do a Little Encouraging
Of course, being able to participate doesn't necessarily mean everybody is going to come running over to the camera.
Some people hang back.
Maybe they've never used a photo booth before. Maybe they're watching everybody else first. Maybe they're not sure whether they can comfortably do it.
That's when you may see us doing a little recruiting.
We don't just say everyone should be part of the fun. At events, we're usually the ones encouraging them to come over and join in.
Sometimes all somebody needs is to know that yes, they can do it too.
We'll move the camera. We'll change the angle. We'll adjust the drone.
And sometimes we don't have to do anything at all.
A husband leans toward his wife. A Homecoming King and Queen step in together. Someone rolls up in a wheelchair. Someone walks in with a walker.
Or one guy decides the easiest solution is simply to pick up the other guy.
However you get there, the moment is still yours.
Why call it Lotsa Laffs if you can't have fun?