For many, that means prepping for egg hunts, outdoor brunches, and pastel-filled festivities. And whether or not Easter is part of your tradition, springtime offers the perfect excuse to gather, laugh, and snap a few fun photos together.

If you’re planning a spring celebration—big or small—don’t let the photo booth be an afterthought. With a little prep, it can become the highlight of your event and a memory-maker for guests of all ages.

Whether you’re hosting a backyard brunch, a school egg hunt, a church gathering, or a community-wide festival, here’s how to create an iPad photo booth experience that captures the joy and color of the season.

1⃣ Set a Bright & Playful Scene

This season is all about fresh starts, floral tones, and lighthearted fun. Choose a setup that feels airy, colorful, and festive—even if your event isn’t centered around Easter itself.

Backdrop ideas:

• Pastel fringe curtains, floral backdrops, or a faux grass wall adorned with oversized paper flowers or butterflies—all perfect for capturing spring vibes.
• Take it outside for natural beauty: blooming trees and soft sunlight do the heavy lifting.
• No scenic setup? No problem. With the Simple Booth HALO® app, virtual background replacement lets you instantly transport guests anywhere—no matter what’s behind them.

Spring props and extras:

• Bunny ears, egg baskets, floral crowns, or goofy sunglasses—classic props that never miss.
• Want something fuss-free and eco-friendly? HALO users can tap into digital props, stickers, and overlays with zero cleanup required.
• Go the extra mile with custom stickers or props that match your event theme, sponsor, or school colors.

2⃣ Make It Easy for Everyone

One of the best things about a photo booth? It’s fun for all ages. 

Young people love the dress-up and silliness. Adults enjoy the nostalgia and instant sharing. And grandparents? They’ll adore printed or digital keepsakes with the people they love most.

With HALO’s easy setup and intuitive interface, guests of all ages can jump in solo or snap a group shot without needing assistance.

Bonus: Offer different capture types (photo, boomerang, GIF) so guests can choose their own adventure.

3⃣ Don’t Skip the Personalization

Whether you’re hosting a formal fundraiser or a backyard bash, a little customization goes a long way.

Make it yours with:

• Your event name or date on the photo overlay and in the online gallery.
• Your organization’s logo—great for highlighting sponsors or supporting a fundraising goal.
• Pre-made Easter themes in the HALO app, complete with a festive start screen and photo overlay

These small touches make your photos more memorable and shareable—whether families are reliving special moments from afar or you’re hoping to spread the word about your brand or cause.

4⃣ Keep It Simple (& Budget-Friendly)

Good news: You don’t need a big budget or a full production team to create a standout spring photo booth.

Simple Booth’s weekly software plans are perfect for one-time events (and start at $9 per week). Already have an iPad and stand? You’re nearly there. Add the HALO app and some good lighting, and you’re set for a sleek, modern photo experience guests won’t forget.

For DIY setups:

• Lighting is everything—set the scene right, and the photos shine.
• Grab spring-themed décor from craft stores, or give last year’s decorations a second life for a budget-friendly boost.
• Set up near a window or in a softly shaded outdoor spot—natural light does wonders for flattering shots.

5⃣ Plan for the Full Season

Spring calendars fill up fast—school events, birthday parties, community fairs, and end-of-year celebrations. If you’re juggling multiple events, having reliable gear makes a huge difference.

The HALO® iPad photo booth is designed to be event-ready and easy to transport:

• Studio-quality lighting makes photos look polished, even in gymnasiums or outdoor spaces.
• With its built-in charging system, all you need is a nearby outlet to keep it running through long days (no babysitting required).
• Lightweight, compact design with a waterproof travel case—ready for those unpredictable April showers.

From school carnivals to spring galas, it’s an all-in-one solution that moves with you and delivers every time.

Highlight Spring Events Every Year

Spring is a time of celebration—whether it’s Easter, the end of the school year, or just enjoying time with the people you love. A thoughtfully planned photo booth brings energy, connection, and a whole lot of smiles to the season.

Whether you’re DIY-ing a family egg hunt or managing a busy calendar of community events, HALO makes it simple to create a photo experience that’s fun, easy, and unforgettable. From customizable overlays to digital props and instant sharing, it’s all about capturing the magic of the moment—no matter how you celebrate.

But first, ask yourself—do I really need a printer?

15 years ago, a photo booth almost always meant printed photo strips. Times have changed, though. Now, everyone has a smart phone and they’re perfectly happy to receive a digital copy of their photo instead of a printed one. Digital photos are easier to share online and less likely to get crumpled or damaged on their way home. Plus, they’re faster, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly. If you hadn’t considered going digital-first, take a look at our HALO product that can send photos by text message, email, and QR code scan—you might just make your life easier by foregoing a printer altogether! It can print, too, when you need the best of both worlds.

Now, onto the guide.

First, we’re going to walk through some of the key differences between the main two types of printers used for photo booth printing: inkjet and dye sublimation. Most of us are familiar with inkjet printers in our homes, but dye sublimation is actually the standard technology for most top photo booth printers.

Let’s look at why that is. Alternatively, feel free to jump directly to our list of the best photo booth printers.

Dye Sublimation vs. Inkjet Printers

Let’s do a quick comparison of each category to see which is best for photo booth applications:

Dye Sublimation	Inkjet
Fast print speeds (6-15 seconds per print avg.)	Slow print speeds (2+ minutes per print avg.)
Large paper capacity (400 photos per paper roll avg.)	Limited paper capacity; paper needs refilling frequently
Costs more to purchase upfront	Lower initial investment
Lower cost of use over time	Costs more to operate over time
Prints are instantly dry	Prints need a dry time after printing
Excellent print quality (300 dpi or more)	Excellent print quality (300 dpi or more)
Infrequent maintenance and cleaning	Needs to be used and cleaned regularly
Larger and heavier	Smaller and lighter

As you can see, dye sublimation printers win in almost every area that matters for photo booth printing. They are fast, easy to set up and maintain, and don’t compromise on quality. Plus, despite their somewhat higher upfront cost, they are less expensive to operate over time, and typically have longer lifespans than inkjet printers.

Because of that, our top printers list includes mostly dye sublimation printers, except for one inkjet: the Primera IP60, which stands out as surprisingly fast for an inkjet. We’ll get to that soon.

Lastly, we’ve selected options for all budgets. The models listed below range in price from $100 to upwards of $500.

But, before we dive into specific brands and models, let’s learn the fundamentals of dye sublimation photo booth printers. If you’ve never used one before, they are a little different than your average inkjet or laser printer.

How do dye sublimation printers work?

A dye sublimation printer uses a heat process along with special dye and paper to print photos. These special dyes are contained in films or ribbons in four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.

During the printing process, the dye films are placed on the top of the paper and the print heads begin to heat up. As a result, the dye films become hot and the dyes go from a solid-state to a liquid-state and embed onto the paper.

Once on the paper, away from the heated print head, the dye re-solidifies nearly instantaneously. This creates a longer-lasting image, that is dry immediately upon printing, unlike a typical inkjet printer that produces a slightly wet print.

FURTHER READING: How Does Printing With Simple Booth Work?

Don’t compromise on printing speed

An important area where dye sublimation printers shine is speed. They are fast. At least two of the models listed below will print a 4 x 6-inch print in eight seconds. Surprisingly, the Primera IP60 inkjet printer also prints a 4 x 6-inch print in eight seconds, but that is unusually fast for an inkjet.

Most inkjet photo printers take over a minute to make a print of the same size. Plus, some dye sublimation printers can automatically cut 2×6 photo strips from a 4×6 sheet, saving precious time at an event.

For personal or small event use, speed may not be too much of a consideration for you. But for most photo booth applications where there will be a steady flow of participants, you need a printer that can keep up with the traffic. The last thing you want is large groups of people standing around your printer table impatiently waiting for their photos to print.

If you think you might be taking your photo booth to events with more than 50 people, don’t settle for a slow print time. Printers can get backed up quickly at high-volume events and it’s better to err on the side of speed. 

Printers offer different print sizes

Different photo booth printers will offer varying ranges of photo sizes that they can print. The most common size is a 4 x 6-inch (or A6) print.

Some economical printers, like the Canon Selphy CP1300 below, can only print one size of paper.

Whether you can make due with limited paper sizes may depend on what kind of layout options you plan to offer to your clients. Photo strip cutting, where the printer automatically can instantly cut a 4 x 6-inch print into two identical 2 x 6-inch prints, is a must-have for traditional events like weddings which most often request prints.

4 x 6-inch prints with the ability to have them automatically cut should cover most photo booth scenarios. Anything larger than a 4 x 6-inch print is usually too inconvenient for participants to figure out how to get home in one piece.

Media for dye sublimation printers

Paper for most dye sublimation printers comes on rolls rather than individual sheets. The paper rolls are typically sold as a kit that includes dye films or ribbons.

You’ll encounter some options for paper beyond the size. Some premium papers will give you the option between a glossy or matte finish. You might also run into perforated paper or adhesive-backed paper to turn your photo booth prints into stickers.

Our best advice is to research the cost of paper and dye kits before you purchase any printer. After all, print media is how printer companies have traditionally made most of their profits, and you might be buying a lot of it!

Some printers will have third-party options available at a lower cost, but most often with speciality photo booth printers, you’ll be restricted to paper and dye made by the printer manufacturer. We’ll include links to kits whenever possible in our photo booth printer recommendations below.

FURTHER READING: How Can I Print With A Dye Sublimation Printer?

Dye sublimation printers are known for quality

Like with any type of printer, the quality of the prints they are capable of printing depends a lot on the model. As a whole, dye sublimation printers are regarded for producing excellent images—as good or better than inkjet printers.

The minimum print resolution for all the models on our list is 300dpi and there are some models that can print even higher resolutions.

Keep in mind that higher resolution prints on inkjet printers can result in a slower print time and higher ink consumption. There are very few situations where a 300dpi resolution would not be sufficient for a photo booth printer.

Wired and wireless connections

How your printer connects to your photo booth software is an important consideration for the best photo booth printer to suit your needs. When printing from mobile devices like an iPad, the easiest way to connect your photo booth to a printer is a wireless connection via AirPrint.

The problem is, most dye sublimation printers do not support AirPrint out of the box. In fact, none of the printers on our list support AirPrint natively. You will need additional software and a computer to use a dye sublimation printer with your iPad.

The good news is, we’ve done all the research and have a relatively simple way to make it work for you.

Using wireless print server software

If you have a dye sublimation printer (excluding the Canon SELPHY CP1300) you will need to use software to set up a wireless print server. This requires plugging the printer into a computer that is running wireless server software during your photo booth activation.

We recommend a couple of programs you can use. Both of these programs include a free trial. We encourage you to test with your printer before making any purchases:

• For Mac: Printopia
• For PC: O’Print (Please note that O’Print is less reliable. If you need to use a PC for your print server, please use O’Print’s trial before your event to ensure the software works well with your printer.)

For instructions on how to use wireless server software with the Simple Booth HALO® platform, read: How Do I Connect To My Wireless Print Server Software?

The best photo booth printers

Now that you know what to look for, here’s our list of the best photo booth printers.

DNP DS620A

DNP is an established brand of photo booth printer and the DS620A is a workhorse that strikes a balance between size and utility. It’s one of the newer printers from DNP, but has been in service long enough to prove its reliability.

In fact, this is the printer we use at most Simple Booth events and trade shows!

The DS620A has the fastest print speed of high resolution photos out of all the printers on our list. It can print 400 photos per paper roll before it needs to be refilled, and it can cut two 2 x 6-inch photo strips from a 4 x 6-inch print.

DNP is a trusted brand when it comes to photo booth printers and this printer is an example of why. It is the most expensive option on the list, but it’s ideal for any size photo booth event.

It weighs 26 lbs which is lighter than comparable dye sublimation printers, making it relatively convenient to transport between different locations and events.

Don’t forget to buy a nice cover for it, too.

Learn more: DNP DS620A User Manual

Primera Impressa IP60

The Primera Impressa IP60 is the only inkjet printer that made our list! However, considering it’s speed, low weight, and variety of print sizes it’s capable of, it’s definitely earned its place here.

Despite using inkjet technology, the Primera IP60 photo printers’ performance is in line with the best dye sublimation printers. It only takes the printer about 8-seconds to print a 4 x 6-inch photo, and those prints come in rolls of up to 500, which means 100 more prints than the DS620A before you have to restock. However, your ink and your paper may run out at different times, whereas with dye-sublimation printers you always replace the ribbon at the same time as the paper roll.

Amazingly, the photo comes out of the printer dry and ready to touch. The Primera IP60 is fast enough to keep up with even the busiest photo booth events.

There’s a multitude of papers available—glossy, metallic, or matte finish, as well as magnetic and sticky-backed paper rolls. A typical 4 x 6-inch print costs about 12-cents to print, again making it competitive with dye sublimation. The paper rolls have a small chip inside which enables the printer’s display to show how much paper is left on a roll.

The IP60 can also print a wide range of paper sizes, from a single 2 x 6-inch photo strip to as long as 6 x 24-inch long panoramas. All of these sizes are cut to length from a roll of 6-inch media.

Being an inkjet printer, the IP60 uses a traditional style ink cartridge. We recommend buying the cartridges in bulk if you plan on using the printer on a regular basis. It’s more economical and helps prevent a situation where you run out of ink mid-event.

Another big perk to this printer is its weight. It weighs an impressively light 8 lbs, which no other professional printer with these capabilities can come close to.

Being one of the fastest and lightest printers on our list, it also the second most expensive. However, the Primera IP60 offers excellent speed, quality, and portability for any size photo booth event.

Printing to the Impressa from an iPad

The Impressa IP60 itself is not AirPrint capable. That being said, you can plug in Primera’s PT Link Wireless Printer Server directly into the printer’s USB port. The PT Link allows for wireless printing from an iPad.

New: DNP QW410

The QW410 is a new printer from DNP in 2021 that could change the game for portable photo booth printers. It’s a small cube (less than 1 cubic foot) that only weighs 13 lbs and comes an attractive dark gray color.

The QW410 doesn’t have the widest range of print sizes, but it covers all the fundamentals for photo booth printing. After all, it can print a 4×6″ photo strip in 19 seconds.

You can also buy perforated media to print a 4×6 that tears into two 2×6 strips. Alternatively, the printer can cut 3 mini 2×4″ photo strips from the 4×6″ page. This is a cool feature, but it may be hard to find software that supports the layout.

A downside to this printer is that if you’re expecting very high volume, you will find yourself changing the media more often, since a 4×6″ roll only has 150 prints.

We think the QW410 is an exciting up-and-comer for portable event use. It has an appealing balance of portability and speed for modern photo booth companies.

DNP DS-RX1HS

The DS-RX1HS is not the fastest dye-sublimation printer on our list, but it turns out high-quality prints rapidly enough for large activations and it has a more affordable entry price than the DNP DS620A or Impressa IP60.

If you want as many photos per media pack as possible, this printer can hold a roll of 700 4 x 6-inch photos at a time! It is a heavier printer at 30-pounds, and a little bulky.

The DS-RX1HS is ideal for permanent photo booth installations.

Learn more: DNP DS-RX1HS User Manual

HiTi P525L

The Hiti P525L offers zippy printing and multiple photo sizes. With up to 500 prints per paper roll, it falls in the middle of the pack when it comes to capacity.

This printer features a built-in paper cutter that cuts 4 x 6-inch paper into 2 x 6-inch strips.

Square format pictures are becoming increasingly popular, and the HiTi P525 caters to that by printing square prints. However, they are limited to 5 x 5-inches in that format.

It prints a bit slower than some of the others. However, at 12-seconds per print, the machine is still suitable even for large activations.

However, the Hiti is not convenient to transport. It’s 39.7-pounds. That makes it the heaviest printer on our list by 10 lbs!

The HiTi is far from our top pick for a photo booth printer, but in this case, you’re going to get what you pay for: it’s cheap and can get the job done!

Learn more: HiTi P525 Photo Printer User Manual

Mitsubishi CP-D70DW

At 8.4-seconds per print, the Mitsubishi CP-D70DW is only 1/10th of second slower than the fastest printer on this list, the DNP DS620A. But it’s also a bit less expensive.

It weighs just 26-pounds, making it comparable to the DS620A and light enough to transport.

The Mitsubishi CP-D70DW also has paper rolls available in matte or glossy finish for those who like to have options. Additionally, it can be set up to cut prints into 2 x 6-inch strips with the latest firmware update.

Most Mitsubishi printers are geared toward enterprise and retail printing, so we have a preference for the DNP or Primera brands when it comes to professional photo booth printers.

However, the Mitsubishi printer is suitable for any size photo booth activation.

Learn more: Mitsubishi CP-D70DW User Manual

Protect your photo booth printer with a professional case

One last thing before we go… it’s a great idea to purchase a wheeled carrying case for your new photo booth printer. It protects the printer during transport and provides protection from dust and accidental bumps while it’s being stored. Plus, if you have a heavy printer, it makes it much easier to get around.

Pelican and SKB offer cases with foam padding in various sizes that work great for photo booth printers.

First, take a deep breath. Know that you’re not alone. We’ve got some awesome activity ideas that are so fun, you might not even want to go back to life as usual!

Before we dive into the list, there’s something important you need to do (and it’s free).

Head over to the App Store and get the Simple Booth app. It’s totally free, and believe us, you’re going to want to document all the fun you’re about to have.

We’d love to join in the fun, so be sure to tag any of your shared photos with #AtHomePhotoBooth.

Got the app? Then here we go!

Things to do at home during self-isolation for kids of all ages

1. Set up a GIF/Photo Booth

Grab some costumes, makeup, props, and get ready to have a blast. Even the family dog will want to get in on this.

Feel like your photoshoot needs more? Create your own props!

There are tons of DIY photo booth prop tutorials out there. Here are just a few of the things you can do:

• Create a crown of flowers
• Print off some fake mustaches, sunglasses, or other printable props and attach them to dowels for your own stick props (no dowels, just tightly roll up a sheet of paper—it’ll be sturdy enough to hold your printables)
• Create a Polaroid-style frame
• Dig out your old Halloween costumes and mix and match to create entirely new outfits

Some paid tiers of our Simple Booth apps also feature digital props if you’re not up to making your own!

Setting up a GIF/photo booth couldn’t be easier than it is with any of the Simple Booth apps. Download and install Simple Booth on your iPhone or iPad and you’re ready to capture your kids at their goofiest. 

2. Treat Yourselves to an At-Home Spa Day

Bust out the essential oil diffusers and get ready for a mani, a pedi, and the obligatory selfie while you’re rocking that face mask with your kids.

Did you know you can make a facial mask using a banana? Just mash a medium-sized ripe banana until it forms a smooth paste, then apply it to your face and neck. Let it sit for 10 to 20 minutes, then rinse it off with cold water.

Add some cucumber slices for the eyes and you have a perfect photo opportunity!

3. Take a Yoga Class in the Comfort of Your Living Room

Many yoga studios are offering online classes during this time, so take advantage.

Yoga helps kids improve flexibility, strength, and coordination, as well as increasing body awareness. Plus, it can offer a sense of calm and relaxation that your kids desperately need now that their schedules have been disrupted.

Do a quick search on YouTube for kids yoga, or try out one of the options below:

4. Grow an Herb Garden

It’s springtime! Being stuck indoors all the time isn’t good for anybody’s mental health, but for kids it’s particularly trying.

Bring a bit of the outdoors indoors and teach your kids about gardening by starting some seeds for an herb garden.

If you have your own backyard, take the gardening outside. You and your kids will appreciate the fresh air and sunshine.

If you don’t have access to seeds, many herbs, fruits, and vegetables can be grown from kitchen scraps (the parts you’d normally throw away)! This post from ModernParentsMessyKids is a good primer on how to get started. 

And don’t forget to use the Simple Booth app to show off those new sprouts!

5. Make a Time Capsule

Do not open until 2030.

A time capsule is such a fun way to document what’s going on in your family right now.

While you could use a shoebox and keep your time capsule inside, we recommend using a weather-proof container such as a Mason jar so you can bury it outside.

Not sure what to include in your time capsule? Here are some ideas:

• A letter from each family member (if you have little ones who aren’t yet verbal, write a letter to them instead)
• Photos
• Mementos of this year’s trips, shows, and holidays
• Newspaper clippings from today

6. Have a Paper Airplane Competition

Paper airplanes are pretty much the first thing anyone turns to when they’re bored. There’s just something about flying that sparks the imagination.

You can find tons of paper airplane designs and templates online. We recommend letting your kids choose the design they like best and having a competition to see which design wins.

To spruce up your creations of flight, try using heavyweight construction paper.

For an educational benefit, you can tell your kids all about the history of flight. 

7. Make Bookmarks

There’s a lot that can be done with a printer, tape, string, and paperclips. Bookmarks are a great place to start if you have kids who read.

A super easy idea:

Take a colorful paperclip (larger is better) and tie some ribbons to it. Easy bookmark!

Want to get a little fancier? Print off some silly photos of your kids and cut them to size (we love following the outline of the person without the background for a fun and funky shape). Then, glue them to cardstock and cut everything down.

Attach a ribbon or string and you’re done.

8. Do a Dance-Off

Help your kids choose a song and create a dance to go along with it. Then, dance it out! Can you remember the whole thing?

Alternately, challenge your kids to freestyle and get as silly as possible. Just let loose and have fun.

9. Paint a Masterpiece

You don’t even need a paintbrush to paint a masterpiece. Your kids can create amazing paintings with things like cotton balls, Q-tips, and even forks.

Don’t have any paint on hand? Make your own:

• Pour 1 cup (8 oz) of warm water into a large bowl. And 12 ounces each of white flour and table salt. Mix until smooth.
• Divide liquid into separate containers and add food coloring (2-3 drops).
• If the paint is too thick, mix in water until it’s the consistency you want.

10. Bake Something Delicious

Kids can bake! Sure, they might need some help, but think of all the great photos you can get in the process.

But what to bake?

How about a giant chocolate chip cookie with sprinkles! You can find the recipe here.

Want something super simple that’s still fun to make—and eat? Try rocky road cookie cups:

Ingredients

• 1 tube refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
• 3/4 cup mini marshmallows
• 2 tablespoons miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350°. Divide the cookie dough into 1-1/4-in. balls and press evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of oiled mini-muffin cups.
• Bake 10–12 minutes, until the edges are golden.
• Use the back of a measuring teaspoon to make an indentation in each cup and put a few marshmallows and chocolate chips into each cup. Sprinkle with the toasted almonds.
• Bake an additional minute to get the marshmallows and chocolate chips nice and melty.
• Cool in pans on wire racks.

11. Make Your Own Play Dough

Everybody loves playdough, right? Did you know you can make your own right at home?

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup salt
• 4 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 2 cups lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil (vegetable oil works too)
• Food coloring (optional, but really ups the fun factor)
• Quart-sized bags to mix and store (up to 3 months)

Stir together the flour, salt, and cream of tartar in a large pot then add the water and oil. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until the dough thickens and begins to form a ball.

Remove from heat and place the play dough inside a bag or onto wax paper. Let it cool slightly before kneading the dough until smooth.

Divide the dough into balls (one for each color) and put the dough into the quart-sized bags. And about 5 drops of color to start, but feel free to add more for more vibrant colors. Knead the dough while it’s inside the bag, mixing the color into the dough (and keeping the food coloring from staining your hands).

Once it’s all mixed, you’re good to go!

12. Try Some Fun and Easy Science Experiments

Glittery volcanoes, elephant toothpaste, the old Mentos and Coke thing… Science is FUN!

If you’re homeschooling during self-isolation (or even if you’re not), you’ll want to add some science experiments to the mix to keep your kids’ brains engaged and active.

A great experiment to show the importance of washing your hands involves just a few simple ingredients.

• Start with a dish filled with about an inch of water, then sprinkle pepper on the surface.
• Let your kid put a finger on the water and watch how the pepper gathers on their finger.
• Now comes the really cool part.
• Put a little bit of dish soap on your kid’s finger and have them touch the water again.
• The soap chases the pepper away!

For older kids (second grade and up), you can dive into the science behind it all. There’s a great breakdown here.

13. Make Your Own Sidewalk Chalk Paint

Get a little fresh air and create a sidewalk art gallery with this easy-to-make washable sidewalk chalk paint.

Here’s what you need:

• Cornstarch
• Baking Soda
• Water
• Food Dye
• Water

Here’s how to make it:

• Combine equal parts of cornstarch and baking soda in a large bowl.
• Add water a few tablespoons at a time until the paint is the consistency of poster paint (the thicker the paint, the more it will puff as it dries).
• Divide the paint up into separate containers and mix in food coloring.
• Take your paint outside and get messy!

Don’t worry, this paint is washable and won’t last. If you’re not feeling crafty, scoop up sidewalk chalk here.

14. Try Tie-Dye Using Permanent Markers

Tie-dye doesn’t have to make a huge mess. All you need for this activity is a handful of permanent markers in different colors, rubbing alcohol (at least 70%), some cardboard, and light-colored t-shirts.

Put the piece of cardboard inside the shirt to keep your markers from bleeding through. Then, draw your pattern on the shirt.

Hint: You’ll want to keep the drawing a bit smaller than you want the end result to be.

Once you’re done, sprinkle rubbing alcohol on your drawing and the area around it where you want it to spread (a little dropper can help here). Let the alcohol dry, iron the shirt to set the colors, and you’re ready to rock!

15. Make a Paper Plate Whale

Yes, even something as simple as a paper plate can offer tons of enjoyment. Here’s what you need to create this super cute, 3D paper plate whale:

• Grey or blue markers or paint (try the paint recipe in #9, above!)
• Paper plates
• Safety scissors
• Glue
• Paper

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to put it together. Plus, the site has even more paper plate crafts to keep you occupied for HOURS.

16. Create a Collage

Nothing is easier than creating a collage. Seriously. It’s just about gluing things to paper.

But it’s so fun!

With just paper, glue, and a collection of random materials, you and your kids will be able to create frame-worthy collages and have a blast doing it.

Don’t feel like you’re limited to paper, either. Grab all those odds and ends in your junk drawer or sewing kit—buttons, ribbon, scraps of fabric—and get to creating. Activity Garden has a bunch of ideas if you’re needing some inspiration.

Want to up the challenge for older kids? Try creating a shadow box instead. You can use old shoeboxes for the box and let them build their imagination inside!

17. Go on a Nature Walk

Self-isolation means isolating from people—not nature. Take a nature walk with your kids, pointing out all the plants and animals you pass along the way.

You could even collect some of the plants to create a collage or pick up some flowers to press.

If you or your child are at a higher risk of contracting illnesses, you can turn your backyard into a nature walk!

18. Have Fun With Fitness

Sometimes kids just need to burn off some energy. A great way to let them do that, indoors or out, is with a fun activity circuit.

Set up 6 stations around the house with a different activity at each station. Then, see how many circuits you and your kids can do in 10 minutes. Make it official with activity cones.

Here are some activity station ideas:

• Jumping jacks
• Squats
• Pushups
• Planks
• Hula hoop
• Hop on one leg
• Frog jumps

The ideas are really endless. And, you can follow it up with nap time!

19. The Floor is Lava!

No matter how old you are, when someone yells, “The floor is lava!” you look for the nearest thing to climb on.

Add some “safe” items to the floor (towels, pillows, etc.) to make it possible to get around, then stay off the floor!

You can make this more complicated and fun by putting items around the room and seeing who can collect the most without falling into the lava. Double down on the fun with the official The Floor is Lava Board Game.

20. Paint or Draw… With Your Feet!

There are a couple of different ways you can do this…

If you have younger children, you’ll want to spread out large sheets of paper (or butcher paper if you have it handy), pour on some non-toxic paint or foot stamp, and let them walk all over it. 

For older kids, challenge them to paint or draw with their feet using a paintbrush or pencil.

21. Make a Fort

Pillows, blankets, cardboard—no matter what you use, building a fort is fun for everyone!

One of the easiest ways to build a fort in no time is by using your dining room table and a blanket. You literally just toss the blanket over the table and crawl inside.

Check out some other ways to make your own fort.

22. Take a Virtual Museum Tour

Who says you can’t visit a museum while you’re stuck at home?

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) offers digitized collections that you and your kids can visit from the comfort of your own living room.

With Google’s Arts & Culture partnerships, you can go anywhere in the world! Check out the Olduvai Chopping Tools at The British Museum or head to Mexico and see the artwork of Frida Kahlo up close.

Google has hundreds of museums to choose from; there’s bound to be something for everyone in your family.

23. Build a Rube Goldberg Machine

Rube Goldberg was an American Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor, whose work is an example of how art and science come together. 

He created strange and elaborate contraptions designed to complete the most mundane of tasks like opening windows or setting an alarm clock.

He never built any of his inventions—only drew them. But that hasn’t stopped thousands of others from taking inspiration from his strange designs and bringing his inventions to life.

Even Sesame Street got in on the fun!

Why not try your hand at it? You’ll find a great outline of the process at TinkerLab and more great guidelines over at Fatherly or try the Castle Escape Challenge.

24. Visit a Zoo or Aquarium—From Your Computer!

There’s just something peaceful about watching animals interacting with one another, isn’t there? And if there are baby animals? Forget about it, we’re hooked.

Zoos and aquariums all over the world have closed their doors to protect the humans who come through seeking a glimpse into their animals’ lives every day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t visit anyway!

The Houston Zoo, San Diego Zoo, and Monterey Bay Aquarium all have webcams, letting you visit certain exhibits even while they’re closed. 

Take note, these are live webcams, so they have daily hours when you can log on and check out the animals.

25. Go “Camping” in Your Living Room or Backyard

With so many public lands and national parks closing to slow the spread of COVID-19, it may seem like camping is out of the question.

But it’s not!

Camping at home not only saves you money, but it’s less hassle than loading up the family car and heading into the forest.

Plus, if you camp in your own living room, there are fewer bugs.

You can set up a tent indoors or outdoors and even make s’mores or have a campfire sing-a-long (we recommend you take it outside if you’re going to build a fire ).

No tent? No problem! Just build a fort (see #21). 

26. Make a Music Video for Your Favorite Song

Making a music video doesn’t require a production team. Just choose a song and write out the storyline. Then, gather up your props and costumes and start recording.

For a fun and funky music video, try recording the entire thing using TikTok. 

27. Teach the Dog a New Trick

You’ve got a lot of time on your hands. Why not teach the dog a thing or two?

If the family pet can already sit and stay, perhaps it’s time to teach them how to leap. Start by having your dog sit and stay. Then, your kid can lay something on the floor (a stick is great if you’re outdoors) and stand on the other side of it.

Next, they just call the dog. As the dog steps over the thing on the floor, they get a treat!

After a few times of doing this, you can start increasing the height of whatever it is you’re using for the dog to leap over.

As soon as it gets high enough that your dog has to jump, start saying “Leap” before the dog has to jump and immediately reward with a treat.

Eventually, your doggo will leap when commanded!

Want more tricks? Here’s a list of 52 tricks you can teach your dog. 

28. Write Letters or Make Postcards to Send to Friends

When you’re staying home, away from your friends and family who don’t live with you, your kids can start to feel a bit disconnected.

Help them stay connected by writing letters and postcards to send to the friends they can’t play with right now.

29. Visit a National Park With a Virtual Tour

We’ve already talked about camping at home, so why not turn it into a full-blown camping trip?

The National Parks Service offers virtual tours of several national parks.

You can explore Yellowstone, visit Denali in Alaska, or check out Devils Tower in Wyoming.

Looking for something a bit farther from home?

With Google Maps, you can travel to Mt. Fuji in Japan, visit the sacred valleys of the Khumbu at the base of Mt. Everest in Nepal, follow in Jane Goodall’s footsteps through the forest of Gombe in Tanzania, or head to Egypt to explore the Pyramids of Giza.

30. Learn a New Language!

Head over to YouTube to learn a new language. Rock & Learn has an entire playlist of foreign language videos that will help your child (and you!) learn a new language. There are many languages to choose from: from Spanish to Korean, to Russian, to Japanese, and more.

There are tons of apps available that can help you learn a new language. But, there’s one thing that most apps don’t include—flashcards.

Making your own flashcards can help you and your kids retain the new words that you’re learning in a way that goes beyond text and translation.

We recommend creating or purchasing flashcards of the most basic words first. And, instead of the typical setup having one side with the text of your native language and the other in the language you’re learning, draw pictures!

So, instead of learning that cat = gato/gata, you learn gato/gata = .

This makes language learning more about communication and less about translation.

31. Build a Photo Booth Backdrop

A photo booth means hours of fun (and lots of silly pictures).

You can build a simple photo booth using just a blank wall, but we think it’s a lot more fun to let your kids get creative. You can create a simple backdrop using wrapping paper or fabric.

If you have an old, spare sheet lying around, you could even have your kids paint it to make a backdrop of their own creations!

Here are a few extra tips to get the most out of your photo booth:

• Choose a place that’s well-lit. If you don’t have anything that works well, just create your own lighting with lamps from your house.
• Once you have just the right place, you can set your iPhone or iPad up on a tripod. (Of course, you can always just hold it, too.)
• Grab some costumes and props and get to snapping. 

The Simple Booth app will capture all of your photos and GIFs and let you easily share them with others or on social media. Some Simple Booth subscription levels even offer green screen capability if you want to take your backdrops to the next level!

32. Make 10 DIY Props Using Household Items

You can use whatever you have lying around to create some really fun photo booth props.

Start by digging out those old Halloween costumes. You probably have more silly hats, wigs, and masks than you know what to do with.

Next, raid your closets to find ties, bowties, and those formal clothes you have no use for right now.

The sky’s the limit with these props. Dig through your junk drawers and drag out the craft supplies. 

33. Take a Free Coding Course for Kids

Your kids probably already know more about technology than you do, so why not encourage them to explore that?

With schools closed all over the world, many educational applications and websites are offering free services to students. One of those sites, Tynker, is offering free coding classes for kids ages 5+.

They offer interactive learning that lets kids progress at their own pace, seamlessly transitioning to text languages like JavaScript and Python.

34. Write One-Act Plays and Have a “Theatre Night” in the Living Room

You can have a theatre night with kids of all ages.

For preschoolers, use “finger plays” like Where is Thumbkin?, I’m a Little Teapot, and Itsy, Bitsy Spider. There are loads of ideas right here.

If your kids are K–3rd grade, they can write and produce their own play, but will need a lot of support from you to get it done. You can find script examples and full plays through PBS Learning Media.

Kids from 4th–6th grade can probably write and produce their one-act play on their own. Be there for them to bounce ideas off of and to pitch in with extra hands.

35. Learn to Play the Ukulele

Plus, it’s not hard to learn!

Ukuleles are just about the perfect size for kids’ small bodies and hands and you can find one on Amazon for about $20.

Ukulele4Kids shows how to play chords and has songs that are easy for kids to learn. And, Ukulele Go has tons of resources and games.

36. Go Birdwatching in the Backyard

Take notes and learn about different species.

Birds are funny little creatures. Not only are they adorable, but when you really pay attention to them, they have delightful personalities!

You can cultivate a love for birding in your kids (and maybe get an appreciation for it yourself) with these tips from the National Audubon Society:

Birdwatch with your ears. Birds may be hard to spot, but they’re easy to hear. Close your eyes and listen. Once you hear where the birds call is coming from, you’ll have a better idea of where to look to spot the bird!

Stay by water, if possible. Larger, easier-to-spot birds like swans, herons, and egrets tend to hand out near water.

Know what to look for. If you’re not having any luck spotting live birds, check out your surroundings to see if they’ve left anything behind. Birds are a bit messy, so you’ll probably be able to find nests, poo, cracked seeds, or even owl pellets!

Pick up some kid’s binoculars for long-range adventures!

37. Make Your Own Soap

Even when you’re quarantined, you still need to wash your hands. Your kids will be much more eager to clean up with soap that they’ve made themselves.

PBS Kids has a great DIY soap recipe that you can use. You’ll probably have most of the things you need already, but you might have to order some pure glycerin soap and soap dyes. Fortunately, that’s super easy to find.

We love the idea of using small plastic toys inside of your bars of soap for a fun bath time experience!

38. Take a Daily Crafts Class Online

With CreativeBug and Crafts by Amanda, your kids will never run out of fun, crafty things to do and create.

On CreativeBug, you’ll find things like a daily color meditation practice and creative doodling.

Crafts by Amanda seems to be a bit more low-key, with more than 300 crafts for kids. Your kids will have a blast making paper plate tropical fish or cardboard tube binoculars.

39. Take Free Karate Lessons Online

Karate Online with Sensei David is offering free online karate lessons for kids during the COVID-19 crisis.

This includes short video lessons that help your kids learn self-defense, build confidence, and stay in shape.

40. Organize a Treasure Hunt

A treasure hunt is a great way to keep your kids from getting bored when they’re stuck at home. You can turn your house and yard into a fun and exciting game for kids of all ages.

All you need are some clues, fun prizes, and maybe costumes if you’re going for a themed treasure hunt (and why wouldn’t you?).

The Spruce has lots of great ideas for clues you can use, but it’s also a lot of fun to make up your own.

For a twist on the treasure hunt theme, you could organize a scavenger hunt. This is a simpler alternative, but it’s still loads of fun. Just make up a list of the things your kids have to find or do and let them run wild! For an out-of-the-box option, add gofindit Too’s Outdoor Treasure Hunt Game to your Amazon shopping cart.

41. Build an Indoor Obstacle Course

Building an indoor obstacle course for your kids is a great way to keep them active while they’re cooped up.

The obstacle course can be as simple or elaborate as you want. We recommend keeping it simple to start, then adding more difficult challenges as your kids get good.

Here are some ideas:

• Walk on a balance board
• Jump into and out of a hula hoop
• Crawl over or under a row of chairs

An obstacle course will create endless opportunities for photos of your kids having fun.

42. Make Slime

Is there anything more fun than playing with slime?

Yes—making it yourself!

Basic slime requires only 3 ingredients:

1. ¾ cup of water
2. ¼ cup of white school glue (like Elmer’s)
3. ½ tablespoon Borax (or Slime Activator)

Directions:

Mix ¼ cup of water with ¼ cup of white school glue. For colored slime, just add a few drops of food coloring.

In another bowl, mix the Borax with the remaining ½ cup of water and stir until the Borax dissolves.

Add the Borax solution to the glue solution and mix it up until it’s the texture you want.

For slime that goes beyond the basics, check out this post.

43. Escape to Another World With Story Time

Having storytime with your kids fosters a love of reading. Check with your library to see if they have online checkout (most libraries do). Or, check out this site for tons of free stories you can read with your kids.

You can also check out the WildBrain channel on YouTube and have someone else read you both a story.

44. Attend a Virtual Concert for Kids

More and more concerts are getting canceled, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy live(stream) music!

Want to see if your favorite artist is holding a concert online? This post from NPR has tons of options with more being added every day.

Of course, you can always check the Facebook page of your faves and get more info about what they’re doing.

45. Teach Kids to Sew

Want to teach your kids an excellent life skill while still having fun? Teach them to sew with their own kids sewing kit!

Here are 25 free sewing projects that you and your kids can do together. From a drawstring backpack to a 20-minute banded skirt to a superhero cape, you’re sure to find just the right project to get started. 

46. Start a Daily Drawing Challenge

Drawing helps improve hand-eye coordination and puts all parts of the brain to work. That’s why we love the idea of a daily drawing challenge.

Check out this link for a month’s worth of ideas. And don’t forget to get a picture of every day’s creation that you can keep forever.

47. Take a Self Portrait Every Day

You’ve probably seen those videos showing a timelapse of someone’s daily selfies for a year, right?

Now is a great time to start one for each of your kids!.

48. Take a NASA for Kids Class Online

Are your kids interested in space? Who better to teach them all about than the experts at NASA?

NASA Kids’ Club and NASA Space Place engage your kids with space and Earth science through fun games, interactive features, and exciting articles.

Next, let your little astronauts build their first Lego space shuttles!

49. Write a Short Story

Help your kids flex their creativity through writing! And don’t worry, this is something your kid can do even if they don’t know how to hold a pencil (they’ll just need you to write for them).

Kids have incredible imaginations and probably won’t have trouble coming up with tons of story ideas.

This post helps you support your kid with story structure. 

50. Make a Comic Strip

Does your kid like to draw the things they come up with? A comic strip might be just the thing!

Make Beliefs Comix is a website is dedicated to helping kids create their own comics with guides, lesson plans, and more.

If you’re too short on time for the DIY route, get started with a blank comic book for kids.

Next 50 Activities

And let’s not even get started on the beauty that is your dress.

It’s all for a single day: the day you marry your best friend and party your socks off with your friends and family.

Of course, you’re going to have a photographer to document everything, but have you also wondered, “Do I need a photo booth at my wedding?“

TLDR: Photo booths are awesome and you should definitely have one.

Let’s talk about why photo booths are the perfect match for weddings, how to make sure yours is the best it can be, and then finally all the ways you can get one for your wedding!

Why have a wedding photo booth?

There are three classic ingredients to a stellar reception: open bar, dance party, and a photo booth. Case in point: even Kim Kardashian and Kanye had a photo booth at their wedding!

Photo booths are recommended regularly by wedding planners. Megan Metzger from Pearl Events Austin says that a photo booth is a must-have for her own wedding.

“Instead of having a camera in your face, like on the dance floor with a photographer, people really let loose and, for some reason, people feel more comfortable behind it,” Megan said.

Why are photo booths so popular? Let us count the reasons:

1. Photo booths up the fun factor

The cocktail hour can keep guests occupied and having fun between the wedding ceremony and reception. A photo booth can help fill in the gap, too, keeping guests entertained and the mood light. It’s a perfect distraction while you and your newly minted spouse are snapping those breathtaking photos that will make your nana cry.

But the fun doesn’t stop there.

Throughout the reception, your wedding photo booth will be the gift that keeps on giving—to you and your guests.

2. Photos are the best wedding favors

Your guests will love having a take-home memento, whether it’s in digital or print form.

Setting up one photo booth sure is a lot easier than tying hundreds of ribbons around bottles of bubbles that probably won’t make it out the door.

Most cliche wedding favors end up in the trash, but people tend to hang onto a great photo–especially when they can simply text it to their phone from a touch screen photo booth.

Most modern photo booth companies also provide access to an online wedding gallery after the big day, making it easy for you and your guests to relive the memories.

3. There’s too much happening for the photographer to capture it all

A photo booth complements a wedding photographer perfectly. Your photographer will get a lot of great photos, but they’re going to be mainly focused on you and the main events on the dance floor.

All the fun happening behind the scenes? That’s where the photo booth comes in.

Having a photo booth for your wedding is a great way to make sure you’re getting authentic pictures of every guest. Not everyone will do a formal pose for the wedding photographer, but they’ll likely visit the photo booth for a fun group picture or selfie. It’s like getting an extra set of wedding photos.

Wedding photo booth ideas

Now that you know why a photo booth is a must-have for your wedding, here are some ideas to help make sure it’s a smash hit.

1. Choose the perfect location

Locate your selfie booth in a high-traffic area of the wedding venue, like near the bar or dance floor. Make sure that your guests can see it from where they’ll be hanging out. If your guests don’t see the photo booth they’re not going to use it.

Sometimes, a venue coordinator will try to get you to put your photo booth in a back room or closet where nobody will find it. Don’t let them do it! The key to having a lot of participation and photos is for people to see other people having fun and want to join in.

If possible, leave some open space around your photo booth. It will probably have a a line at some point and it will be more inviting if it’s easier to access. If guests have to fight their way through tightly packed tables, they’re going to be less excited to join in the fun.

2. Draw attention to your photo booth

Getting the photo booth started is just like getting the dance party started, but easier! Enlist your DJ or emcee, wedding party, and close friends to start the photo booth fun and other guests will quickly join in.

You can hang signage and reminders to make sure guests know where to find the photo booth and that you want them to participate.

Of course, the best thing you can do is have an eye-catching photo booth that captures the attention of your guests all on its own.

Above all, the photo booth for your wedding should look inviting. We recommend having the area brightly lit and matching the backdrop to your wedding’s style. You want your wedding photo booth to be another part of your reception venue that people will look at and say, “that’s beautiful!”

Whether your wedding is formal or boho, you’ll want to create that same feeling with your photo booth.

A great way to do that is our next tip…

3. Plan a custom photo booth backdrop

The right backdrop is essential for your selfie station. It’s going to be in every photo and should be beautiful and eye-catching.

Your backdrop can be as simple as a plain color. But, if you really want your personality to shine, bring the backdrop to life with decorations that capture your wedding theme.

Here are some ideas to spice up a blank wall:

• Fun, removable wallpaper
• Hanging fabric
• Vinyl decals
• Fringe curtains
• Hanging fresh flowers (or a flower wall)
• Have a custom neon sign made
• Glam gold sequins

For an outdoor wedding and reception, you can use the natural beauty of greenery around you as a backdrop. Or, hang some frames from a nearby tree to create a simple photo booth scene.

Looking for something a bit more complex? Put together four wooden pallets and decorate it with flowers for a rustic but elegant backdrop. You can do the same with reclaimed wood.

And the beauty of rustic elegance is that it doesn’t have to be perfect. Just make sure you’re not leaving any exposed nails!

Not interested in building your own photo booth backdrop for your wedding? Consider hiring a rental company that can take care of a custom backdrop for you, or use a software that supports green screen to make it ridiculously easy to add any background you want.

4. Handpick your props

People love grabbing props to pose with in front of the photo booth. However, your props will set the tone of your photos, so make sure you love them! Oftentimes, photo booth rental companies can provide you with various options or will be open to special requests for themed props.

The downside of many props is that they can get messy. Another route is to go minimalist and rely entirely on digital props. Digital props are like having Snapchat filters right in your photo booth! Your wedding guests will have a blast choosing stickers and graphics that can even track their face on animated GIFs or videos.

Or, why not the best of both worlds? You can mix and match a few tasteful real-life props with a handful of digital options to up the creativity.

5. Stream a feed of the live photos

Are you planning to have a wedding slideshow or love story video at your reception?

Get double-duty out of that big screen by setting up a live feed from your wedding photo booth. You and your guests will enjoy (and laugh at) all the fun being had at the photo booth.

People love seeing their images popup up on the big screen in real-time and it will encourage other guests to join in!

6. Make it easy for guests to share

A traditional photo booth will print two photo strips, one as a party-favor for the guest and another as a keepsake for the bride and groom that can go in a guest book or wedding album. Nowadays, if you give a guest a photo strip, the next thing you will probably see them do is take a picture of it on their phone to preserve and share online.

People simply prefer to have everything on their phone and not have to worry about a photo strip getting crumpled in their pocket or purse. Modern selfie stations take the experience digital and collect photos in online gallery, which act like virtual scrap books of your wedding day!

Guests love seeing pics instantly on their phone and being able to share them to social media just as easily. All the pictures can have your wedding themed graphics and hashtag attached, or even link back to your wedding website if you want.

7. Schedule open and closed times

Wedding receptions are full of special events including toasts, special dances, bouquet tosses, and more.

Sometimes, you might want guests letting loose in the photo booth, su. Other times, you might want them focused on what’s happening on the dance floor. You don’t want wild laughter interrupting that romantic first dance as a married couple, after all.

Make sure that your guests know when your wedding photo booth will be open and closed.

Your DJ or emcee is a great resource to keep guests on task. Use them to remind guests of the best times to use the photo booth: cocktail hour, after the formal program, or during dinner are the best.

How to book a photo booth

Here are four ways to get an awesome photo booth at your wedding.

1. Set up a DIY photo booth

It’s easier than ever to set up a DIY photo booth with an app like Simple Booth HALO® for iPad.

Setting up a DIY photo booth can make sense if you want to save money, are planning a destination wedding somewhere remote, or want to keep your reception intimate without an extra photo booth attendant.

Modern photo booth apps can run on a tablet, be easily set up on a tripod, and basically run themselves–especially if you are only doing digital delivery and don’t need prints. Guests use the photo booth platform by themselves which means your wedding planner—and YOU—can focus on other things.

Want a DSLR or mirrorless camera? Make sure to read our article on the best cameras for photo booths.

Simple Booth strives for simplicity in our platform, taking guests through an easy process to get photos instantly to their phones. This leaves plenty of time for everyone to take and share multiple photos from your celebration.

2. Hire a local photo booth vendor

To keep your wedding day stress-free, you might consider renting a photo booth from a local vendor for your wedding. A professional photo booth rental offers a high-quality experience for you and your guests.

There are many local photo booth vendors to choose from, but their photo booth setups and services may vary greatly. Here are some questions you might want to ask a photo booth vendor:

• Do you have photos from an event I can? Make sure you like how they look!
• Do you offer motion formats like GIF and video, or only still photos?
• Will I receive a digital gallery of my photos afterward?
• What ways to you offer for guests to receive their photos?
• Do you offer printing? Does it cost extra?
• Does the photo booth include an attendant in case of technical issues?
• What backdrop and prop options do you have available to choose from?
• Will you design a custom theme or graphics for my wedding? Can I see examples from previous weddings?

3. Rent a photo booth online

As of recently, you can even rent a photo booth online that gets shipped to you in a box! For some weddings, it’s the perfect compromise between DIY and professional equipment.

4. Buy a photo booth

This might sound completely crazy, but if you have an iPad you’re already halfway there. Plus, if you own a compact, portable photo booth ahead of your big day, you can make use of it at a lot more special events:

• Bridal Shower
• Bachelor or Bachelorette Party
• Rehearsal Dinner

Maybe you’ll even decide it makes sense to start your own photo booth company when friends and family are so impressed with your setup!

Photo booths are worth it

Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your entire life. You’ll want to document as much of it as you can. A photo booth can do that perfectly.

There’s also something about a photo booth that brings out the creative and quirky sides of people, and those are the things you’ll most want to remember about the people you’ve chosen to share your special day with.

And best of all, they’re totally free to use with the Simple Booth app and you can set them up in a matter of minutes.

Celebrate New Year’s Eve in style

This year, there are two New Year’s themes to choose from–New Year’s Party and Gatsby New Year.

Here’s a quick sneak peek:

RELATED: Photo Booth Props And Themes For Your Event

To preview the themes for yourself, open the Simple Booth app on your iPad, then:

1. Tap the desired preset you want to use the themes with
2. Next, tap Themes
3. Tap Browse
4. Scroll through the Themes and tap any to see a preview

The preview screen highlights how the photo booth themes transform both the start screen as well as the overlay.

You can even preview how they will look across different layout grids. The GIF below points out where the grid preview options are located. Just tap on the layout you’ll be using during your activation to see the preview.

Activate your theme in Simple Booth

Once you’ve decided on which theme to use, just tap Choose in the upper right-hand corner of the preview panel and it will be activated on your preset.

Viola! You’re good to go. Just run a quick test ahead of your New Year’s Eve photo booth activation to ensure everything looks perfect before your participants arrive.

Customize your theme

If you have a Simple Booth subscription of any level you also have the option to add your own custom overlays and start screens.

For example, look at this custom New Year’s Eve theme from the [A]typical New Year’s Eve activation.

This can be done in the app or on your Simple Booth dashboard. For more info on how to create your own awesome custom theme, we suggest reading this guide to get you started: How To Create An Overlay For Simple Booth.

It’s easier than you think!

Try the free New Years Eve Props

If your New Year’s resolutions include working smarter instead of harder, using digital props at your New Year’s Eve photo booth activation is a good start.

No more having to come up with fun ideas for props…

…and no need to waste time keeping prop tables organized.

Sound too good to be true? Try them out to see for yourself.

Start by opening the Simple Booth app and selecting the desired preset.

• Tap Props. 
• Tap Browse Packs
• Scroll to find the New Year’s Eve props

Once you’ve found it in the list of prop packs, tap it to see a preview.

The screen will look similar to the one below. In the app, scroll down to see even more props not shown here. Be sure to check them all out and find your favorites!

By default, all the props in the pack are selected. Add them to your preset by tapping Choose in the upper right-hand corner.

Alternatively, you can mix and match your favorites by tapping individual props to deselect or reselect them. Any props that are highlighted with a blue border will be added to your preset once you tap Choose. 

We recommend limiting the number of digital props available so they don’t get to overwhelmed by all the greatness. You know, too much of a good thing and all…

You can use digital props with gifs or photos!

Participants of your New Year’s photo booth activation will be able to customize their images and GIFs with the digital props you’ve added to the preset after they’ve taken their photo. All they need to do is tap the prop they like and it will automatically snap to the correct place like magic.

They’ll also have the option to remove a prop after it’s been applied.

While you’re party planning your end-of-year festivities, take a look at our Christmas photo booth themes and prop ideas.

Simple Booth subscribers with a Standard-level or higher subscription can add their own custom props. To learn how to activate this and other pro features, check here.

This holiday season, our design-savvy elves have been working overtime to pack the Simple Booth HALO® app with new Christmas party digital props and photo booth themes.

We can practically guarantee that these sweet photo booth graphics will ensure your holiday party totally sleighs.

But first, Christmas photo booth props!

Props go with themes like eggnog and cookies, or Santa Claus and his beard! The truth is, participants love customizing their photos and digital props are a fun way to do it! Simple Booth includes over a hundred options to choose from.

When customizing a preset in Simple Booth, simply scroll down to the props panel, find a prop pack that looks promising, and check or uncheck which props you’d like to make available to participants.

Candy cane, santa hat, snowman, antlers or Christmas tree? With so many funny Christmas photo booth props, you’ll never run out of party ideas.

You can also upload your own custom graphics as props from Simple Booth on the Standard or Pro plans.

With so many options, how many is the right amount of Christmas photo booth props to make available for participants? We recommend at least 5, but no more than 20.

FURTHER READING: Introducing Digital Photo Booth Props

Now to the holiday themes

Photo booth themes in the HALO app change the design of the start screen that participants see when they walk up as well as the overlay on photos that go out to social media. Our themes look great on different types of layouts from photo strips to single pictures, animated GIFs, and even Rebound videos.

Here are 10 previews of themes that are available in the app:

1. Merry Christmas

A classy Merry Christmas photo booth theme with a simple frame.

2. Holiday Cheer

Holiday Cheer features gingerbread cookies and animated falling snow for your GIF layouts!

3. Snowscape

Dreaming of a white Christmas? Snowscape also has falling snow for Live GIFs and works for all winter holidays.

4. Happy Hanukkah

5. Blizzard

You caught us, we’re obsessed with snow. Crystalize your Christmas photo booth with the intricate snowflakes on this Christmas theme.

6. Ribbon Holiday

A bold font on an ornate, flowing ribbon alludes to days of yore with modern undertones. Shimmering stars on a tasteful yet understated Happy Holidays overlay complete the ensemble.

7. Snowstorm

Great for any wintery occasion, including snow days.

8. Deco-rate

Christmas party decorations hang in an art deco style for the start screen and overlay.

9. Watercolor

Bring out the colors! These watercolor ornaments will bring warm and happy thoughts to all who see.

10. Holly

Holla’ if you like holly! Tis’ the season to take photos in style.

To select a theme, open the Simple Booth app on your iPad, open your Preset or create a new one, and scroll down to the Themes panel. There you will find all of our currently featured themes and a button to explore the whole library.

Tap any of the holiday photo booth themes to see a preview. Then, when you’ve settled on your favorite, tap Choose at the top right-hand side of the screen to activate it.

We suggest taking a test photo or GIF before your photoshoot to ensure everything looks the way you want it to.

If you choose a theme with an animated overlay for a still layout, it will use the first picture frame and still look great. If you want the animated effect, choose Live GIF for your layout.

FURTHER READING: How To Create Stunning Photo Booth Presets

Complete the experience with digital backdrops

If you want a fully immersive holiday experience, you can set up a green screen and replace your photo booth backdrop entirely with a digital option.

Here are a few digital backdrops we curated. Feel free to use them during your activation, or let them serve as inspiration for what’s possible.

You can also add your own photos to use as digital backdrops or do a quick search to find others. Images from Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay have a license that allows the images to be used for commercial purposes without having to credit the photographer, which can be tough to do when you’re using it as a digital backdrop.

(Here’s a special shoutout to all the photographers who make these image resources possible! )

If you’ve never used chroma key with Simple Booth before, you can learn how in this guide. 

A mistle-toast to the holiday season

We hope we made your holiday season a little more fun and relaxed by providing everything you need for your Christmas photo booth, including the app, props, themes, and backdrop!

Also, with new year’s eve just around the corner, make sure your photo booth is ready with our New Years Eve photo booth props and themes.

If there’s anything we missed, please reach out. We’d love to talk and make your next photo booth a hit! Just email info@simplebooth.com and we’ll get back to you shortly.

Happy holidays from the Simple Booth team!

The images, which we’ve hand-picked from Unsplash and Pexels, are all free to use for personal and commercial use. Plus, we’ve already resized them so they’re ready for use in your next Simple Booth preset. We’ll walk you through exactly how to do that at the end of this article.

Like what you see? Just right-click and choose “Save Image As” so you can use it for your photo booth background. Let’s dig in!

1. Don’t stop be-leafing

2. I only have pies for you

3. Go big or gourd home

4. It’s leg day

5. Fall so hard

6. Let the gourd times roll

7. A leaf less ordinary

8. Every day I’m rustlin’

9. Gourd of the rings

10. Having a lit Thanksgiving

11. Friendsgiving feast

12. ThankFULL of food

13. Last bud not least

How to setup your Thanksgiving photo booth backgrounds

1. Head on over to the Presets tab in your Simple Booth dashboard.
2. Create a new preset for your Thanksgiving photo booth event.
3. Scroll down to and check the box for the Chroma Key option to enable the green screen feature.
4. Choose green for the Chroma Key color if your backdrop is green, or blue if it’s blue.
5. Save any of the Thanksgiving backgrounds here by right-clicking and choosing “Save Image As.’
6. Upload your favorite images for your guests to choose from.
7. Grab your iPad, open the Simple Booth HALO® app, and open the Thanksgiving preset you created
8. Make sure the Chroma Key option is on and the backgrounds you’ve uploaded show up.
9. That’s it! Launch your booth and you’re ready to gobble

FURTHER READING: How To Use Chroma Key And Digital Backdrops In Simple Booth HALO®

If you’re more of a visual learner, the video below will walk you through every step of the process.

You can also follow this useful guide for more information on setting up a green screen to use with Simple Booth HALO. You’ll also learn about sizing and uploading your own Thanksgiving photo booth backgrounds, overlays, and logos.

FURTHER READING: How To Create An Overlay For Simple Booth

No green screen? Turn on a Thanksgiving theme

Simple Booth offers a variety of fall themes that you can choose from for your Thanksgiving event. We recommend checking out the Fall-O-Me and Harvest Time themes.

Here’s a preview of what the start screen will look like once you’ve chosen your theme.

Both of the themes will also add a fall-themed overlay to your images. You can see them in the Themes section of the app. Just select your favorite to activate it.

Now let’s gobble ’til we wobble

With these Thanksgiving photo booth backgrounds, your party is going to Plymouth rock! Apologies if the puns are getting old, we just couldn’t give them up cold turkey (we’ll see ourselves out) .

Happy Thanksgiving from the Simple Booth team!

Trick or Treat Yo’ Self

Choose your favorites from the collection below and bring your Halloween photo booth backdrops from boring to bewitching. It only takes a few minutes to set up using the green scream feature on your Simple Booth HALO®.

All of the images are completely free to use for both personal and commercial uses (no costly licensing necessary). Plus, you’re welcome to modify or customize any of them as you’d like.

Just right-click the images and select “Save As” to download the backdrops. We’ve already optimized the size to be used on the Simple Booth platform meaning there’s no editing or cropping required.

So, trick or treat yo’ self to as many of the backdrops as you’d like!

FURTHER READING: How To Use Chroma Key And Digital Backdrops In Simple Booth HALO®

Spook-taculary Scary Scenes

1. Have A Gourd Time

2. Frightfully Foggy Forest

3. Dying To Have Fun

4. Forsaken Forest

5. Smoldering Skull

6. Mysterious Moon

7. Creepy Cottage

8. Howl At The Moon

9. BIRDS!

10. Purranormal Cativity

11. Creep It Real

12. Witchful Thinking Wreath

13. You’re Creepin’ Meowt

14. Ghastly Gaslight

15. Spine Chilling Spiderweb

Terrifying Textures and Petryfing Patterns

16. Skull and Bones

16. Candy Colored Confetti

18. Startling Spiders

19. Eerie Embers

20. Give Them Pumpkin To Talk About

How To Setup A Green Screen Backdrop On The Simple Booth Halo Platform

The green s̶c̶r̶e̶e̶n̶ scream feature is available on all Simple Booth plans and is a breeze to customize. In the video below, Josh does a walkthrough of the entire process. It’s as simple as uploading your Halloween photo booth backdrops to the Simple Booth dashboard.

Step-By-Step Green Screen Backdrop Set Up

1. Navigate to the App Presets tab in the Simple Booth dashboard.
2. Open the event you want to add the backdrops to.
3. Scroll to the bottom and click the Chroma Key option to enable the green screen.
4. Select the green screen background color (most commonly chosen is green)
5. Upload your backdrop images.
6. Open the Simple Booth app on your iPad and select your Halloween event
7. Double-check the Chroma Key option is checked and the backdrops you’ve uploaded are there.
8. That’s it! You’re ready to take a test shot or two.

Having An Issue With Your Halloween Photo Booth Backdrops?

We’ve designed the Simple Booth platform to be user-friendly and intuitive to use. But in the off chance you’re running into an issue getting your green screen backdrops set up, here are two resources we recommend checking:

• How can I get the most out of green screen? – A Simple Booth help article full of best practices and pro-tips.
• The Simple Booth Design Guide – The official Simple Booth Design Guide to creating awesome backdrops, overlays, and graphics. Here you’ll find design guides, sizing specifications, image and video software suggestions, and a whole lot more.

Halloween Backdrops, Overlays, & Props–Oh, My!

Just in case using a Halloween inspired backdrop with your Simple Booth wasn’t enough, take advantage of the props we’ve designed or add your own custom digital props.

In honor of Halloween, we made some especially spooky props. You can find them in the Simple Booth HALO app already. So, the only thing you’ll need to do to use these at your Halloween activation is to select them in the app.

Just navigate to the Props section in the Simple Booth HALO 2 app and click on Browse Packs–it’s outlined in red in the screengrab below and too the left.

On the next screen, select Halloween Party. Then you’re free to select as many as the props as you’d like.

Of course, the standard props included in the Simple Booth app could all work for Halloween too:

As always, you can add your logo or other overlays to your photos as well. It’s a great way to build brand awareness, plus it takes your social photography marketing strategy to all-new heights.

While you’re customizing your overlays, don’t forget to check out the Halloween themes we’ve created as well. They’re also available in the app. Browse through them in the Themes section and select your favorite.

The themes transform the start screen as well as provide an overlay on the images and GIFs.

Alright, we’ll leave you to it! #HappyHALOween from all of us at Simple Booth!

We say, “why not?”

You don’t need a reason to set up a dog photo booth. Dogs are amazing! We don’t even deserve them.

But we’re going to give you a reason anyway. Pets are the pinnacle of Instagrammable content. People love photos of animals and there’s a good chance that a collection of dog selfies will grow your internet presence faster that your own mugshots.

Better yet, you can make a real difference in the world by setting up a dog photo booth as a way to help your local animal shelter. It’s a great way to help with animal adoption, and you’ll probably make some great new canine friends along the way.

1. Plan your dog photo booth

First, decide whether humans will be in the photos with the dogs, or our furry friends will be getting personal portraits. If you’re aiming for dog exclusivity, you’ll need a slightly different game plan.

For dogs + humans

If you’ll have humans in the photos, you should invest in an iPad photo booth app made for live events like Simple Booth that shows a countdown, live preview and lets people interact with the screen for their pets. Humans will know when to smile, when to cue their dog, and can decide if the photo looks good, or whether to retake.

We talked to Sara Champagne at MYEVENTISTHEBOMB who has set up more than a few dog photo booths and she has this tip to share:

“Set up up a bench, chair or mat where people can sit down next to their dog. Then, make sure the iPad is slightly above eye level and angled down so the photo is at a pleasing angle for people and their pets.”

Sara Champagne, Account Executive at MYEVENTISTHEBOMB

For dogs only

If you’ll be snapping pictures of dogs by themselves, turn off that photo booth countdown timer. It won’t do much good.

In Simple Booth you can set your countdown time and start delay seconds to zero so it takes the photo immediately the screen is tapped. You can have someone help with this, or connect a Bluetooth media remote so you can take the photo wirelessly.

This is also a great opportunity to take advantage of the higher resolution of the back iPad camera, since your furry friends won’t be tapping the screen to start on their own or needing a preview.

Another option is to capture animated GIFs or short videos, which turn out better when the pup is moving!

Virtual dog photo booth

You can also get your pack together for a virtual photo booth. This is an appealing option because you can simply send a link to all the humans and they’ll fetch the photos. Virtual photo booths offer lots of fun overlays, stickers, and backgrounds to make each photo fun.

2. Bark for backdrops

Photo booth backdrops add a certain appeal to the whole experience. You can do something as simple as a plain color to keep it classy or go all-out and construct a colorful dog house!

No matter what you do, the key is creativity and having some fun with it to make it unique.

“We usually put up a cute backdrop so people have something special from the party. It makes the photo a little more unique and is an asset that can be branded or promotional in nature.”

Sara Champagne, Account Executive at MYEVENTISTHEBOMB

3. Dig up dog-friendly props

You should take advantage of any opportunity to play dress-up with your dog.

Having some props on hand to dress up your doggy subjects is officially known to take the fun to the next level. Hats, glasses, scarves—you can get creative with it. No promises that the dogs themselves will love playing dress-up, but their humans certainly will.

4. Camera tricks

Now comes the most important part: actually taking a great photo with each dog.

Dogs can get easily distracted—unless they’re chasing squirrels—so you should put someone in charge of getting each dog’s attention to make sure your photos turn out.

Every dog is different, so it’s a good idea to have a few tricks up your sleeve.

Dogs can be pretty willing participants. Once you know how to get their attention, they’ll do exactly what you need them to. They’re actually easier to work with than kids!

Sara Champagne, Account Executive at MYEVENTISTHEBOMB

Limit distractions from the start

If it’s feasible, try to block off the sides of your booth so that your furry friends are more likely to look in the general direction of the camera. This will make everything else easier.

Treats, lots of treats

Pups everywhere are motivated by food and the scent of food, so there’s no better way to get their attention than with the promise of a treat. Reward the dog after each photo and you’ll have a very willing participant on your hands!

Draw attention with light

A change in light brightness can often attract a dog’s attention and get them to look toward it. If you have lighting for your photo booth such as Simple Booth HALO®, you can turn up the brightness right before the photo takes to get the dogs to look right where you want them too.

Make some noise!

An attention-grabbing sound right before taking a photo is a classic way to get pets to perk up. You can clap your hands, play a sound from a speaker or simply squeak a dog toy.

Don’t be afraid to make a goofball out of yourself, it’s part of the fun!

5. Praise your good doggy

Once you get the perfect photo, shower your dog in scratches, tummy rubs, treats, and, of course, a dazzling social media post so all the dogs of Instagram can see how adorable they are!

Don’t forget to tag #simplebooth so we can gush over your precious pup and join in on the fun!

During all that time, we’ve learned how to turn a lot of things green—even those that maybe, probably, shouldn’t be green. But that shouldn’t stop you.

Here are 12 everyday things you can green-ify this St. Patrick’s Day to create a unique experience at your party or event:

1. Green beer!

Guinness is by far the most popular choice for St. Patrick’s Day. Is it too dark to turn green? Science says: “Yeah, it is.” Unfortunately, Guinness is too dark to truly turn green, although you might be able to get some green foam out of it.

Instead, pick something pale. Harp is the perfect pale, Irish, beer to turn green. The easiest method is to simply get your hands on some classic food coloring, place 3-5 drops in a glass, and then pour your beer. Remember to put the drops in first — if you do it after, it tends to get stuck in the foam and never really mixes in. If you want to go natural, you can also use spirulina or matcha powder, although these will definitely change the flavor.

2. Your body

Time to bust out that green Halloween makeup again. Or, for just about $5, you can by a brand new tube of green body paint. If you don’t have time for shipping, try your favorite local party supply store. And yes, you can also get your body airbrushed green, but a bottle of the makeup solution alone runs close to $40, and you’ll have to track down someone willing to do it.

3. A river

Chicago does it, so why can’t you? Well, unfortunately, the Chicago green dye recipe is top secret—and, of course, environmentally friendly. So, we don’t know exactly what they use, but we do know they use about 40 pounds of powder to do it. It actually starts out orange until it mixes in.

4. That fountain outside

The Chicago river might be a little daunting, but that fountain you walk past every morning seems a little more doable. If you’re worried about kids or pets ingesting the water, you can take the safe route and try liquid chlorophyll—the pigment that turns plants green. A bottle should do it, at least for a little while, which will run you about $10.

5. Your photo booth backdrop

What? You’re not planning a photo booth for your St. Patrick’s Day party? What kind of a monster are you? First get that photo booth secured, then ensure you’ve got a green backdrop and plenty of ridiculous green props for the photos. Bonus points if someone shows up in green body paint and blends in with the backdrop.

6. Ice cubes

Not everyone will be on board with Guinness, so why not serve up some green ice cubes for cocktails? You could even fill up a kiddie pool with green ice. All you need to do is turn some water green with food coloring and start filling up ice cube trays.

7. Green cupcakes

You’ve heard of red velvet cupcakes, so why not make them green instead? You can also just use regular chocolate cupcakes and use green frosting with green sprinkles to keep it easy, but still festive.

8. The air

Go beyond just getting a green light and actually create an effect of the air itself turning green. Grab a fog machine and place your green lighting so that it’s shining up through the fog (aka uplighting). It will be a St. Patrick’s Day miracle!

9. A fondue or chocolate fountain

Adding some food coloring to your cheese or chocolate fountain will make delicious waterfalls of green. Just be sure you’re using either light-colored cheeses or white chocolate, or the color might not come out so appetizing.

10. Chips and dip

Get some kale corn tortilla chips and mix up some fresh guacamole for a green appetizer, no food dye needed. You can also add some celery to the mix. You can also bake your own spinach chips in the oven.

11. Irish pizza

Pizza may or may not be Irish (it’s not), but that doesn’t mean you can’t turn it green. Use fresh dough and some food dye to get a nice green crust and top it off with items like green bell peppers and spinach. You can even find some greens that resemble shamrocks to throw on top.

12. Your (or someone else’s) toilet

Ever been to a St. Patrick’s Day party with green toilet water? Now’s your chance. You can use these bath color drops designed for kids—just place one yellow and one blue one in the tank the night before and let them dissolve. Voila, everyone will be seeing—and other things—green.