Have you ever gone inside one of those photo booths that you see along a beach boardwalk, or in an airport? Every now and then I go somewhere and I will notice a photo booth and I always smile, just a little bit. Memories tucked deep inside rush to the surface of the times that I’ve sat in a photo booth and posed for the cameras. One of the novelties of these photo booths used to be the instant development of the photos. These photo booths were real novelties in years past; way before digital cameras, before, even I think the Polaroid instant cameras.

01In my scrapbooks at home there are strips of photographs of my youth, with various people in my life, taken in a photo booth. It had never occurred to me at the time, to even wonder who or how or why those photo booths were there; they were just interesting gadgets that were a lot of fun. No one would ever take one seriously as a machine to take a formal portrait, we always were making funny faces and laughing, or if on a date with a member of the opposite sex there might be a photo of a smooch or two in there.

In this economy that we are having right now, I wonder if the people that run a Photo Booth Rental are doing a good business. I would almost think that they might be doing a great business right about now. In difficult economic times, people tend to cut back on the big purchases, and spend more on the little purchases, and they try to find entertainment and joy in the little things. Seems to me that ducking into a photo booth and spending a couple of dollars for a little strip of fun black and white photos would fit the bill.