Photo Booth

I have contracted with a local high school to photograph the prom. Not great artistically but very good business in terms of profit. As a part of that I am obligated to bring a photobooth. Since I don't possess one I will build it. My question. Does anyone out there have experience with these and what software will work. I intend to use an old PC to process the images which will be captured using a Canon DSLR camera and a small flash. I need to find a way to make the prints with the least possible handling. I see great profit potential for this enterprise.

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Permalink Reply by CameraClicker on February 15, 2012 at 2:32pm

The software that came with your Canon should work. You can even shoot raw if you wish. If you got a cable, you could probably shoot tethered as well if you desired. I have not tried it recently but if memory serves, you can attach the camera to the computer and run it from the keyboard. The biggest problem is printing. How large is the print going to be, and do you have a smallish printer that can handle the paper, and the volume. The Canon software can send the files to the printer.

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Permalink Reply by nathan mccreery on February 15, 2012 at 2:53pm

Printing is indeed the issue I am working with. My ideal would be to have a roll of 4" or 5" paper that would print from the printer. I actually have a couple of small Epson printers. The issue is finding software that would automatically drop the photographs into a template. There has to be a software that will do it. I just don't know where it is. I would record them as the smallest size JPEGS the camera will record. The idea is "no muss, no fuss".

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Permalink Reply by CameraClicker on February 15, 2012 at 3:20pm

If you use roll paper, you have to cut it, or the printer has to have a cutter. Left to my own devices, I would have picked up some packages of smaller paper at Costco and put a stack into the printer's hopper. Tell the software the size of the paper and ask it to fit the photo to the page.

I have seen the paper in the Costco store here, but can't find it on their web page. Henry's has a similar offering here: http://www.henrys.com/20796-EPSON-BORDERLESS-GLOSSY-4X6-100SH-PAPER...

If the paper shape matches the sensor shape, you should be able to send the image to print with minimal fuss. You can print directly from the Canon software, or you could print from Lightroom or Photoshop. I mostly print to 8.5 X 11 out of Photoshop CS5. There are a couple of steps since I shoot mostly landscape and put the paper in the printer in portrait orientation, I have to rotate before printing. You are probably going to orient the camera for portraits so that step would be eliminated. You could create an action that adds some brightness, does some sharpening and sends the job to print. There is a little set up but once that is done, it is just open the file, select the action and click the arrow to start it.