Photomovette

Photobooth Dogs

2011-04-28T09:43:00.003+01:00

A few months ago a friend of mine told me she had seen this book in Foyles... obviously I had to seek it out. And I'm so glad I did! A must for both dog lovers and photobooth enthusiasts. It even features a booth strip of Anatol Josepho (the inventor of photobooths) and his dog...

2010-10-28T09:06:00.002+01:00

Just a selection of strips from the last event we did at Utrophia, in conjunction with their New Cross Cinematograph. If you were there, remember to upload them onto our Facebook and Flickr group!

Camera Obscurer

2010-10-25T20:34:00.004+01:00

Yesterday, we were very excited to be featured in the Independent on Sunday, in an article about photobooths. Very well written by Kate Burt, it also features some of our friends; Alex at Photoautomat, the photobooth artist Mr. Mixup, and Tim and Brian who run www.photobooth.net. It also showcases a beautiful digital booth called The Mighty Booth, and The Expressive Photobooth, devised and constructed by Tim Hunkin (which sounds awesome; we must go visit!)

The article can be read here. There is also a hilarious picture of us taken by the very talented Jean Goldsmith; she had about 7 of us squashed into that tiny space... and it was all I could do to keep a straight face.

If you came by to the event at Utrophia on Friday night thanks so much... it was a great night and I'll do a dedicated blog post on it soon.

The New Cross Cinematograph Theatre

2010-10-18T21:13:00.006+01:00

We are very excited to be taking part in a very special event at Utrophia, home of our photobooth. The New Cross Cinematograph Theatre opened on the spot of Utrophia in 1910, providing the people of South East London their first look at moving image. It was officially opened by the Mayor of Greenwich and Deptford on 22 October 1910, and now, exactly a hundred years later, Utrophia are re-enacting the occasion with the creation of a portal that loops back to that time and space, charting the ensuing journey of how we captured and represented the light of life. Dress up, eat cake, marvel at light projections and document the process in true old-fashioned style in one of the only black and white booths in London!

New website!

2010-09-30T15:23:00.006+01:00

We have a new website. It's at www.photomovette.co.uk. And it's just gone live! Do check it out...

2010-09-02T11:17:00.003+01:00

The other day when I went back to visit my parents I came across a pile of old photographs and old family albums. There are some gems in there... and this one particularly caught my eye.

My dad, with his dad, in a photobooth in Derby in 1928! (My dad must be about 18months old). I'm not sure the exact dates of the introduction of photobooths in the UK, but I reckon this must have been one of the first times my grandfather entered one. He certainly looks unsure about how the machine works!

Berlin strips... ooer

2010-03-05T12:41:00.005Z

24 hours, 8 photobooths, 4 boothers, 1 city.
The result:

Booths of Berlin

2010-02-20T22:22:00.010Z

A short stint in Berlin last week to meet up with Anthony and Andrea of Chicago's 312Photobooth culminated in a kind of mini Photobooth Convention. Our challenge: all 10 of Berlin's photobooths in one day. We didn't quite succeed... after trudging through snow, stopping occasionally to warm up with a bear, we visited seven out of the 10, with the 8th closed over winter. Anthony and Andrea visited the last 2 after we had gone... their report can be found here.
Much to Anthony's astonishment, all of Berlin's booths are outside... and somehow seem to metamorphose into their surroundings:

It was such a fun visit... so good to see Anthony and Andrea. Strips from the booth up here shortly.

A Fool's Errand

2010-01-13T16:50:00.004Z

We had booked today off to go to Bookham, to the Photo-Me headquarters. We hadn't planned for the torrent of snow that fell in the night...
Consequently, this being England an' all, trains were minimal. We managed to get to Bookham, but none of the Photo-Me staff did... and no trains back to London. So off we went down the pub, where we ate lunch by a roaring fire. Not before a quick photo opportunity in front of the HQ, of course.

Season's Greetings!

2009-12-22T22:01:00.001Z

Xmas Party

2009-12-16T10:41:00.003Z

The Christmas Party went with a bang! The booth worked perfectly, the chemistry was looking great, and lots and lots of new people came. Boothers were fuelled by mulled wine and delicious cakes provided by the Utrophia crowd, while the jivers amoungst us kept warm dancing to DJ Dandy's tunes. Even Santa popped in to say Ho...

Many more pics to come... and if you have any to add to our Flickr site our Facebook that would be grand!

Rhythm Riot

2009-12-01T10:37:00.000Z

A decadent weekend spent in the '50's... dressing up, dancing, and generally having a lot of fun. The first official use of our booth photos, too... on our passes:

Oh! how we'd love to take it there next year...

Christmas Bash

2009-11-19T08:44:00.004Z

Here it is: the highlight of your Christmas calendar. Due to popular demand, we will be hosting the Photomovette Christmas Party on Sunday 13 December. Another chance to use one of the only analogue photobooths in London! If you're very good, you may get a chance to have your picture taken with Santa... and who do you want to be with in the booth when the mistletoe appears?

Guest DJs Miss Aloha and DJ Dandy will be spinning your favourite rock 'n' roll tunes, and the wonderful people at Utrophia will provide a fully stocked bar to keep those creative juices flowing. We have a great prop box, but feel free to bring your own to add to the mix. For inspiration, click here to see what we got up to at our fundraiser.

£5 entry fee, which includes unlimited use of the photobooth.
At: Utrophia Project Space, The Ice Cream Factory, 136 Tanners Hill, Deptford SE8 4QD
Close to New Cross Overground (trains from London Bridge), Deptford Bridge DLR, and numerous buses.

A beautiful mistake

2009-11-17T14:47:00.011Z

Yesterday we mixed a whole new batch of chems. It felt so good getting rid of all the old stuff.

We amended our toner slightly, and sure enough, the strips are less sepia. Also mixed the chems with hot water, meaning the environment was much warmer than usual. And consequently, less smudginess! So we are finally getting there.

In the process of our tests, we found this... the strip got stuck behind one which was already in there, and so wasn't bleached, nor redeveloped. Totally love the result... had to scan it in quick before it disappears...

Creative Comments

2009-11-15T14:29:00.000Z

Just a few examples of the comments book we had at our party:

Fun fun fun!

2009-11-11T09:27:00.007Z

Here are just a few examples of what people got up to in the booth at our party last week... such fun!

More can be seen on our Flickr site... and remember, if you were there and have some cool strips, we'd love to see them! Become a member of our Flickr group and pop them on there, or join us on Facebook.

Party pics!

2009-11-03T14:18:00.008Z

The big day finally arrived. Rainy and very wet - not a good start.

The misfortunes continued during the morning. We were running late, a miscommunication had occured at the space, and the next exhibitors were all set to mount their work just as the DJ equipment arrived. Meanwhile, one of the tanks exploded (I'm making it sound more dramatic than it actually was, but suffice to say we are now running the machine one chemical tank short), I managed to drop the paper cannister with an almight crash, and, just to top it all off, the machine refused to flash. Perhaps the baby got pre-party nerves. It was not the only one; it was an hour before the start and we were about to call the whole thing off. Just before sending that fateful email, we decided to try one more time - a miracle occured and all worked as it should.

So we felt we deserved our glass (or bottles) of champagne! We were lucky to have three of the best rock n' roll DJ's around; Miss Aloha, Frankie V and DJ Dandy, who ensured the tunes kept spinning. Julia of Recycled Beauty came with some of her beautiful hair flowers, and Utrophia did a fine job manning the bar. Thanks also to our door people: Sarah Jane and brother Craig, Kaoru and Gavin, and Joe and Mayumi.

And a thanks to Sophie Mitchell for taking some fabulous photos:

And more to come; watch this space!

Badges

2009-10-30T14:31:00.000Z

We have badges! Thanks to the wonderful people at Button Badges for a speedy turnaround and an absolutley fabulous product.

These will be available to buy at our events... contact us if you want to be on the mailing list.

Sepia tones...

2009-10-27T14:44:00.001Z

A few pre-party strips, with the aid of our newly acquired prop box!

Our strips still sport a sort of sepia tone, which bothers me slightly but it's fine for now (and actually other people think it's great!) Also we have managed to get rid of the white borders, but consequently we have overlapping frames. Again, nothing major to worry about; I have to keep remembering that we are our worst critics! Our guests on Sunday won't notice anything.

So we are pretty much ready for the party - there has been so much to organise. Tim from www.photobooth.net is going to be in town this weekend so hopefully we are going to get to meet before the party so that he can iron out any problems we may have. Bring it on!

Party! Party! Party!

2009-10-22T12:49:00.003+01:00

After pouring all our cash into getting the photobooth up and running, we have somewhat neglected the outside... and it's not looking too pretty. So we need your help. Come to our fundraiser on 1st November - £5 suggested donation, which includes as many booth strips as you like, and dancing to your favourite rock n' roll tunes. There will of course be a cheap bar to keep those creative juices flowing...

You will then be proud in the knowledge that you have had a part in tarting up one of the ONLY analogue photobooths in London!

We are very excited to announce that Frankie V and another guest DJ will be spinning your favourite rock 'n' roll tunes from 6pm. So why not make a day of it? Get down there early, take some pics, then dance the night away...

The Quest for the Perfect Strip

2009-10-06T17:19:00.016+01:00

This month we have followed the quest for the perfect strip.
Aim: clean, black and white strips, centred image, black border, cut off at the correct place.
Result:
Due to some haphazard tinkering with the camera, the flash became intermittant, and wouldn't fire for certain frames. Scary!

Then, some wierd border action... sometimes white, sometimes black, sometimes white in the middle and black on the outside...

Now, we are left with a cleanish image, but the subject is too far to the right... but we're getting there!

1st strips! (finally)

2009-08-25T10:52:00.005+01:00

It has taken a very long time, but we have finally got our first booth strips. After having tried once in the darkroom, and getting something that looked like what you see to the left here, we thought we would go the whole hog and try it in the booth. After seeking advice from our booth expert friends in the US, of course!

And, compared to our darkroom venture, we were fairly successful. It was so exciting waiting for that first strip to fall into the slot. But, as you can see, there are still problems to iron out. We suspect the dark smudges are due to the chemicals not being right, although funnily enough the shape of them is the same as that of the spider arm which holds the strip.

With these discoveries comes a whole new set of things to add to our To Do list. It kind of seems like it will never end...

Fotomost: Photobooth Space Bridge Moscow-Chicago

2009-08-15T11:17:00.012+01:00

This is rather belated, I'm afraid... but better late than never!

I think I mentioned this project in one of our earlier posts, on our return from Chicago. Not wanting to be left out of the Convention because they couldn't come, Martin and Ira from Schnellfoto in Russia devised a project which was to bridge the gap between Moscow and Chicago. They had their friends and other photobooth users ask questions in photobooth strips. These varied from the surreal to the practical to the philosophical; one I can remember (cos I answered it!) was something like: What's at the end of your legs? Others were: Does telepathy exist? Is Andy Warhol really dead?

More images can be seen on Martin and Ira's blog

The idea was that the participants of the Convention were to choose a strip to answer using the photobooth. These were then sent back to Moscow, where Martin and Ira have exhibited the question and answer couples in a gallery space. A more eloquent description of the project can be seen here.

There was some talk of these strips being scanned and a booklet made... I will see if I can find out what happened about that. It was a great project; a real talking point of the Convention which made us all feel as though Martin and Ira were in fact there. Thanks guys!

Bad day turned good...

2009-08-10T12:54:00.005+01:00

The other day, I had my bike stolen, and I was told that work was cutting some of my hours...all in all not a great day. But I was meeing Siobhan and some friends in the evening, and we popped in to visit the booth at Cargo. Strange Firetrap "graffitti" has come off, I was pleased to see, and also the quality of the image seems to have improved. The flare has diminished, and the chemistry is nice and contrasty... Hats off to them! (and to note; screaming in a booth really is cathartic...)

Mr. Mixup was in town recently, and when we met him he had just visited the booth at Cargo. He showed us loads of strips he'd done in their booth, both using their props (which they bring out on a Sunday occasionally) and his own. They looked great - he also showed us some of the stuff he had done during the '80's and early '90's. It really is worth checking out his website for some inspiration.

A new look

2009-07-15T21:32:00.003+01:00

The more astute of you will notice our new banner... courtesy of Mayumi Mori, graphic designer and illustrator extraordinaire. More of her work will crop up on our website which is currently in the making... yes, Photomovette is getting serious!
As usual, updates here first!

A kick up the Backside

2009-07-14T10:37:00.006+01:00

On the way home last night, I got a bit of a shock. Well, not a shock exactly, but a kick up the backside. We have been away a lot lately, and have put our booth on the back burner...Siobhan has been to Glastonbury, where she hung out with Mr Mixup of photobooth fame; I have been busy with weddings and family holidays and other Summery activities.

But first trip on the tube since I got back and I got what I needed to spur on a Summer of productiveness. In one of the free papers, what should I find but a massive article on photobooths. And I mean massive, practically feature. Apparently the photobooth is now the ultimate party accessory, with the likes of Agyness Deyn, Nigella Lawson and others hiring them for their dos; the "ice-breaking, must-have party drug of the Noughties".

So if that's the case, we better get a move on. And we must remember that these are digital booths; watch this space for the first (well, almost) REAL vintage booth....

Take 2 @ Cargo

2009-06-08T15:24:00.007+01:00

Second trip to the black and white booth in Cargo, Shoreditch... and this time a result. The first two frames just show how shocked we are that it actually worked!

The booth itself is still looking a little shabby. It seems they have tried to make an effort; the word Firetrap has been pasted all over it. At first we thought they may have got sponsorship from the fashion chain of the same name, but looking at their blog, it seems it is some sort of graffiti art...

As for the strip, it is a little muddy, with a strange flare in the top left hand corner. So we are not feeling too threatened. They are on photobooth.net now though. Bummer we are not the first UK booth on there.

How to move a booth; it's official!

2009-05-27T11:56:00.004+01:00

Since we witnessed the wonders of Anthony's technique of moving the booths in Chicago, we have been on the look out for similiar trucks. And we found this, which we thought was rather hilarious. I guess this way is officially the right way to move a booth, as illustrated by this lovely old man:

We are still on the look out for chemicals, but, finally, we have made contact with someone at Photo Me UK who seems really interested in our project and keen to help out. So fingers crossed some news soon.

No longer the one and only...

2009-05-23T09:30:00.008+01:00

We have found out we are not the only black and white booth in London. Photoautomat, the Berlin based collective, have got here first. We knew that they were planning to bring one to London, but didn't think it would be so soon.

So we went to check out our competition. It is based in Cargo, a very trendy bar in Shoreditch, which is housed in 2 railway arches. It is a decent venue; it has gigs and club nights and is also open during the day for lunches. And, because it is a rather large place, I was imagining the booth to be inside. But no - turns out it is in the beer garden! Which seems to me a rather strange place to put it; the only punters in the evening are likely to be the smokers who take refuge there due to the smoking ban...

Aesthetically, they have not pushed the boat out. From the outside it is just plain blue metal, scuffed and dented. Inside, instructions are written with black marker on a piece of paper which is sellotaped to the wall. So we were keen to see what the strips were like.

(photo courtesy of Photoautomat's flickr)

But the booth wouldn't take our money!

We asked the girls at the bar - they said the technicians had come that morning to check everything was OK. But it didn't work; the coins just fell through the slot. Judging by the strips on their website, however, they are not that great - a lot of flare going on in the top left corner.

So that was that. Disappointment but also an inside feeling of smugness! Siobhan went another time with a friend and the bar was closed so they couldn't try it out. Which was wierd, as it was a Thursday night.

When I heard there may be another booth in London (which, actually, was in Chicago - Brian had received an email from Photoautomat) I felt a little upset that we could no longer claim to be the first. But now, I realise that it is a good thing there is competition. It means the British are getting a taste for these old machines again, as are, it seems, other countries in Europe. This resurgance of old processes in a digital age interests me... so more soon.

Shedding its skin

2009-05-19T11:10:00.005+01:00

Last night at our booth meeting we decided to rip off all the horrible, grey industrial metal from the outside of the booth. It was strangely cathartic - but very hard work. My muscles are screaming this morning!

The front part with the lovely lady was easy enough to take off - just a few screws to undo. Then the side panels, too, were simple once we got the knack. It was the panel with the mirror which got us thinking. It was a bit like the Krypton factor - we just couldn't work out where it screwed in. In the end it was a case of lifting it from the bottom and hoisting it off its support.

As for the back, it was a sheet of thin metal which had not only been screwed on, but also STUCK on with double sided tape! And, to add insult to injury, underneath we uncovered a beautiful vintage veneer... now ruined cos of double sided tape and a crowbar, which was the only way of getting the bastard off.

But I think we have taken off a good 100kg from the overall weight, and I must say the booth does look a lot smaller, lighter and more manageable. But more importantly, it's a clean slate for the creative juices to flow!

An empty bottle, a rainbow and a skylark

2009-05-18T12:18:00.014+01:00

After the clear up, it was just us and Danny Minnick left... so we decided to spend the afternoon and evening looking for photobooths in different bars around Chicago.

First stop was The Empty Bottle, which Siobhan instantly fell in love with... it was a cool hang out; a bar and concert venue which included a games room with snooker table, pin ball machine and photobooth:

... run by the very friendly and fellow booth enthusiast Will.

The booth was a little dark... but not a bad thing!

Next, a tramp through the snow took us to the Rainbo Club; also famous for its booth, and a calender it produces each year of photobooth strips. Here began the collaboration between Photomovette and the King of photobooth art:

Finally, onto the Skylark, at the other side of town. And the other side of town in Chicago is quite a trek; we ended up getting a lift from a random guy we met in at Irish Pub. But we were rewarded with a bustling, uber-cool student hang out. Much to Danny's disappointment, we missed the live band, but were still in time to borrow the mic, so our strip in this booth had each of us singing our little hearts out. Very cool, Danny kept it... must get a scan from him one day. For now, you'll have to be content with this... Love the curved corners.

Then off we went in the snow, with a list of booths to try the next day...

ICP Chicago: Day 3

2009-05-14T11:21:00.012+01:00

Day 3 was a clear up day. On the Sunday we went to help Tim, Brian and Anthony break down the exhibition and move the booths. We got there a little late due to the very late night the night before, but were still in time to help Anthony pack up one of his chemical booths and move it to the truck.

And what an insight into what is to come! There is so much more involved than just the booth itself. Tarps, bottles, buckets... trolleys, straps and so on and so on. We helped Anthony dispose of the chemicals (not all; some are kept and put back in their boxes), and then helped him move a booth. Yes, I actually moved a booth!

The trick is to have the right kind of trucks. Trucks like this, one at either end, and strapped together:

Then, it is easy for two people to wheel it around:

Me and Anthony wheeling the booth to the truck. And very easy! (although admittedly I had the lighter side...)

And then I had an epiphany which I think is one reason why we found it so hard to find a space for our booth in London. Doors in the US are larger then over here. So you can get booths through any old door: (even through bleary, hung over eyes...)

Onto the taillift and into the truck (here Brian and Tim took over from me - this bit does require lifting.)

So that's it! Lessons learned. And it was time for a little celebratory photobooth crawl around Chicago... pics to come!

A very good start...

2009-05-06T18:34:00.005+01:00

So we finally had our first stint with the booth. Can't believe it's a month since we were at the IPC in Chicago, and we've only just got round to doing our first "booth evening". Now they are going to be regular... so hopefully blog updates will be more regular too!

But it was a very good start. Almost too good...

Our intention was to unpack the insides properly, and check that the transmission was aligned. In fact, we got much more than that done! Working through the DVD (which I highly recommend, it is dated in terms of hairstyle and technology but VERY useful), we checked the alignment of the transmission (fine), checked the alignment of the carriers (all fine) and checked the alignment of the tanks (also fine). In doing this, we had to run it as if it was taking a picture; all strobes worked (!), the paper feeds through smoothly, everything happens as it should - including the hairdryer at the end to dry the strip.

So we are over the moon. And trying to get our hands on chemicals. We also realised that we do not have the keys to lock the door, so for the moment it isn't light tight and is a little useless! But minor details compared to what could have gone wrong.

Also realised that we can take off the ugly grey industrial metal casing it is in very easily... so thoughts are now to aestheticising it which is much more fun!

More IPC news and images to come soon... watch this space.

The songbird and the Secret

2009-04-28T13:24:00.002+01:00

Just a quickie... as promised, the wonderful bit of artwork Siobhan made at the Convention:

and, the Songbird, an award winning cocktail by Bar de Ville:

Read a review about it here.

ICP '09 Chicago: Day 2

2009-04-22T19:00:00.016+01:00

Saturday was more of the same - boothin' an minglin' and generally having fun. There were some intellectual moments... Brian Meacham's compilation of clips of films, TV, and ads which had featured the photobooth in one way or another perhaps not one of them.. but a panel disucussion led by Tim Garrett about the future of the booth certainly became that way. The panel consisted of Nakki Gorannin, Mr. Mixup, Anthony Vizzari, and Nick Osbourne, author and photographic historian. Like many photographic discussions these days, the main question was analogue vs digital; a discussion of the future of things like the photobooth now that everyone has immediate photos to hand on their phones and digi cameras. I could waffle about this for hours (see first post), but won't, as lets face it we can go round and round in circles.

Mr. Mixup boothin'

Siobhan participated in Anthony's workshop about photography transfers... and produced a lovely little piece which I hope she will scan and pop up here. I, on the other hand, was too caught up with the fact that I had discovered what cool effects you get when shaking your head in a booth, and produced this, my first piece of photobooth art:

The day ended late, but not so late that we couldn't continue in the festive spirit and socialise with our new friends. We went to Bar DeVille, a bar with one of Anthony's booths (312photobooth.com). A Saturday night, the bar was heaving, and to a wee English girl whose nearest encounter with the States til now was in films, it felt like walking into a high school movie. But soon we had the bar to ourselves, courtesy of Eric Hay, friend and colleague of the Vizzari's who also happens to work at Bar DeVille. He introduced us to some boutique American beers, and mixed us one of the most delicous cocktails. So delicious, in fact, it has won an award in Chicago. And so delicious, we had to take it into the booth with us (strip to come... in the meantime have a look at these...)

This strip was a happy accident in the booth with Mixup and Carol, a friend of the Vizzari's. I just love the quality of Anthony's booths; just the right tone and contrast... it wasn't until the next couple of days when we used other booths in public places we realised just how lucky we'd been having free reign of his. I do hope we'll be able to get ours this good.

ICP '09 Chicago: Day 1

2009-04-22T09:43:00.018+01:00

Oooof! Don't know where to start really. Two weeks ago we got back from Chicago, where we attended the International Photobooth Convention. We had such a great time, and there is so much to share and tell! May have to post in parts...

The Convention kicked off on the Friday night with what basically turned into a photobooth party. It was set at Centre Portion, an artists led project space in the Logan Square area of Chicago, where there is a small exhibition space, and another room at the back with chairs laid out and a mini stage. In the gallery there was an eclectic display of photobooth art - from the classic, but beautifully executed single black and white strips by Danny Minnick, to the more intricate assemblages by photobooth.net's Tim Garrett; from the funky, colourful, psychedelic displays by Mr. Mixup, to mixed media installations such as a hand knitted scarf which incorporated photobooth images, by Andrea Vizzari. Brian Meacham from photobooth.net exhibited his collection of Photomatic cards, and Nakki Goranin of American Photobooth fame had some of her collection of old booth pictures on the wall. A veritable celebration of the photobooth, which provided inspiration and discussion for the rest of the weekend.

In addition to this, 312Photobooth, run by Anthony and Andrea Vizzari had provided the centre with 3 booths - 2 vintage B&W ones, and a digital one, cleverly disguised from the outside as a true old booth. These were free to use, and, with a very full prop box also on hand, visitors (incuding ourselves!) were going mad for the booth...

One of the hightlights of the evening was a project which came all the way from Moscow, from Martin and Ira of schnellfoto, from whom we bought our booth. They had asked friends to ask questions in the booth, which we were then to answer at the convention in our own strips, and send back to Moscow. The finishing dialogue across the pond and between two of the most powerful countries in the world will be exhibited in their space in Moscow. A great idea which was embraced by the attendees of the convention.

Day 2 coming up...

more pics on our Flickr site

Woohoo!

2009-03-24T17:21:00.009Z

It's in! It's finally here!

Many, many thanks to the hard working guys at Bishopsgate... who were totally unphased and seemed to rise to the challenge. In the end they made it look so easy.

The booth in the van...

and onto the pallet truck.
Through the arch...

and down the slope.

Building a ramp...

...to get through the door.

The pallet is replaced with wheels...

a snug fit through the corridor..

and into the studio!

Easy really.
Just 6 men, a pallet truck, two trolleys with wheels, and some metal plates.

And the great unwrap! The best is yet to come!

Even closer... and still no joy

2009-03-05T18:07:00.000Z

Attempt number 2. This time, we decided to pay for some specialist movers. Kind of thought that it would be worth it just to get the thing in, and then we will have time to work out how to move it later. Quite a shock financially - it's basically costing us twice what it did from Berlin to London, and to go a fraction of the distance. But at least we'll be able to start playing around with our new toy...

Or so we thought. On the day in question, we got up early and packed the champagne. Only to arrive at Utrophia to find the removal men already there, surveying the site with an air of dispondance. They had not been warned about the uneven ground, and did not have the right equipment with them... so it would have to be done another time...

So disappointed! And angry... we had sent photos and specifications. But now other questions are starting to arise; is this studio really suitable? If it is this difficult to get in, how difficult will it be to get out? Should we perhaps find somewhere else?

And this is the position in which I will leave us in for this post. Watch this space!

So close... and yet still not here.

2009-02-18T12:25:00.000Z

It was going to be such an exciting day. We were finally going to see our booth, our baby! And have it in our studio to start playing with...

But no. That would be just too easy.

The booth had arrived from Germany last Friday, and was waiting to be picked up from the warehouse in Erith. We hired a luton van with a tail-lift, and drove out there first thing after morning rush hour. The plan was simple - load the booth into the van, take it to the studio, then meet our gang of burly young men who were going to help us get it onto a dolly truck and wheel it through to the studio. The champagne was on ice ready to be cracked open.

So we arrived at the warehouse. First hurdle: I hadn't been given a reference number by the German contigent, and for a brief minute we were worried we wouldn't even be able to go in. But not everyone gets a photobooth delivered, so that was soon sorted. We were directed to follow the yellow path around a building, go up some steps, through a couple of glass doors, under the stairs... and, what was that again? Please can you help us?! It was like walking through a maze, but we finally found the right office, and were given the official picking up note. More directions: follow the yellow path around this other building, park our van in this bay... and then talk to someone called Dave Skinner.

We finally found him; everyone en route was so helpful and nice - it can't be often they see 2 young women around that warehouse! And we saw the booth:

It looked so shiney and new; hardly as if it had been in storage in Estonia for a few years. We were getting very excited.

But then the time came to try and get it into the van we had hired. Turned out the booth was larger and heavier than we had suspected; and it was just a few centimetres too high to get in the truck! About 4 guys with forklift trucks were surrounding us at this point, trying to discuss ways we could get it in. Understandably, they were reluctant to tip it, and weren't in the position to handle it. It is in such good nick that it seemed a shame to do anything which may damage it.

So, in the end, we were directed back through the maze to the office we had started off in, and waited there while the wonderful Tony and Stuart wracked their brains to try and find a way. All to no avail. Back we went with an empty truck and a heavy heart... to drown our sorrows at a pub in Camberwell.

And we are still trying to work this out. If any of you booth-ists out there have any secrets about how to move these beasts, please contact us.

We're going to Chicago!

2009-02-08T23:08:00.003Z

Still no booth...

But some exciting news:

Kind of on a whim, and because we thought what the hell, we have just booked plane tickets to Chicago for the first weekend in April. It is the 2009 International Photobooth Convention, and we are looking forward to getting the word out on what we are doing and meeting other like minded photobooth enthusiasts.

And excited about using all 24 photobooths in Chicago!

The Waiting Game

2009-01-28T13:42:00.005Z

The booth is still not here.

And we are getting impatient.

But there are problems which we have to solve. Mainly, getting the booth to the studio. So quite a major one really.

It took us ages to find an affordable studio on the ground floor. However, we didn't think of the fact that the driveway to Utrophia is down a cobbled lane. So the shipping company cannot take it to the front door. They will leave it at the entrance to the driveway, on the street.

So we have the following options:

a) Hire a pallet truck. Probably not suitable due to the slope and the uneven ground.
b) Hire some humans who know how to shift a 400kg weight. Very expensive.
c) Hire a van, transfer the booth from the truck to the van and drive it the very short distance to the front door. At the moment this is the most feasible.
d) Get a dolly truck. Unsafe on the even ground but ideal for moving it around once it is in the studio.

Not to mention once we get it in, we have to be able to get it out again!

Apart from that, preparations are going nicely. Our studio is like a fridge at present, as it is on the ground floor of a warehouse type building with a concrete floor. We have carpetted it and fitted insulation into the walls (the carpetting documented by Joe Plommer here). Just a lick of paint and all set for the new addition!

The manual, the DVD, and the good old 80's hair-do

2009-01-08T12:14:00.002Z

So, it is January and the booth has not yet arrived. But the manual has. And boy is it scary:

No doubt these diagrams will become the wallpaper in the studio as we try to work out what an earth they mean..

On a lighter (and more reassuring) note, we have obtained a DVD of an old Photo Me training video. This guy is hilarious; proper 80’s hair do and such an earnest face. I found this clip on Youtube; it is sort of a trailor for it and is amusing in its own right. The thing is, although it is dead boring to watch, it is really informative and will be a lot more useful than the above manual.

The Beginning

2008-12-15T17:07:00.002Z

It was following a trip to Berlin in the Summer the obsession with photobooths began. Not the Photo-Me booths which are ubiquitous at railway stations, Boots and Woolworths, but the original, chemical, negative-less photobooths which flash four times and give you a strip of 4 different poses. In Berlin, a group called Photoautomat have collected and lovingly restored these old booths, converting them to accept the Euro and dotting them all over the city for the general public to use. It is a joy to see the slightly damp strip of photographs fall into the slot, with the familiar smell of darkroom chemicals and knowing that this is ultimately unique – it can never be reproduced in its original form.

On return to the UK, the search began to find such booths in this country. Pleas for information were posted on discussion sites, photobooth aficionados and companies were contacted; all to no avail. This country had truly gone digital, and, on entering a digital photobooth, I found out why. It seems that, to apply for a passport in Britain, one needs 2 identical passport photos. To this end, the digital booth is absolutely necessary and useful. But where is the fun?

In the USA, the story of photobooths is a totally different one. Chemical booths, both colour and black and white, are still in abundance (although sadly disappearing suddenly too). The concept behind the photobooth there is more in tune with the reason it was invented – it is a form of entertainment. The stools of many of the booths are also storage trunks for costumes, hats, and other props. The idea of dressing up and performing in front of an automated camera is fun and less intimidating than doing so in front of a human photographer. The photobooth is a place for friends to gather and each have an image to go home with to remind them of the event.

This idea has been translated into the digital age with purikura (or Print Club) in Japan. These oversized booths are large enough to stand up in, and large enough for up to six people. 12 flashes are fired; 6 from waist height (frontal), and 6 from above, so you are to look up to the screen which flatters the face. Once the pictures are taken the subjects choose four which they can manipulate by adding stars, drawing frames, writing messages and other bits and pieces. Although digital, each frame is unique and has the creative input of the user.

It is no coincidence that I am writing this a few months after Polaroid have discontinued their range. Polaroids were in a sense the precursor to digital cameras because you could see the image straight away; again, there was the joy of seeing the image appear before your eyes and knowing it was unique. No negative was available, and they had a shelf life – colours would fade and age over time, flaws would appear in the surface. But this, as with the photobooth, was their charm.

So it is time to bring back this sense of entertainment and nostalgia to the UK. After many hours on the internet and posts on discussion sites, we received an offer to buy one from Berlin. A photobooth enthusiast there was buying four or five from Estonia and getting them shipped over – he has a booth in Moscow and needed spare parts, and was looking for buyers for the other booths. Finding out the logistics made us think twice; the booth weighs 400kg, and hasn’t been used for many years. But, we figured that some things just need trying, so we jumped in feet first. Where to put it and how to work it were questions which would come later…

This was back in October; the booth is, at present, happily ensconced in very cheap storage in Berlin awaiting a new lease of life in London. The first major hurdle has only just been solved; the booth will be housed in an artist’s studio in Deptford, called Utrophia. We are excited about being there – the other occupants are the first people to whom we told our ambitious project who haven’t looked at us as if we are crazy!

As for how to work it, this will be a long, steep learning curve. The booth will be shipped over to London in January, and we intend to post our progress on this blog, along with the odd pic of our adventures. So watch this space!