Entering a small booth with a camera in front, a group of Gen Zs put their smartphones in their pockets and choose the background they like most from a touchscreen panel. Picking up the cutest props and striking a pose within 5 seconds while squeezing themselves to fit the frame, they take a rushed photo and immediately repeat the same process before the camera clicks again.

This is the experience offered by photo booths, which are enjoying a resurgence due to GenZs and millennials who are exploring new ways of capturing memories.

“There’s a time limit which, personally, makes the photo-taking experience more thrilling. You need to come up with a lot of poses in such a restricted time. The results can be funny because of this,” said Jullia Laydia, a college student.

For Denise Gonzales, another college student, the photo booth experience is defined by the moments before the camera clicks, “like laughing with your loved ones while trying on different props, thinking of the wackiest poses, and even the struggle of trying to fit yourselves in the frame.”

“I feel like there's more thought put into pictures taken using a photo booth, and that makes it more special,” she said.

Photo booths were a big thing for the older generations who did not have the luxury of technology and smartphones to take a snap of memories with their loved ones.

“Older generations would remember fairs, shopping malls, and specialty stores back in the day where these photo booths were plentiful. There is that nostalgia factor there, especially if we're talking about older consumers who grew up with photo booths,” said Dr. Erik Paolo Capistrano, a professor at the UP Virata School of Business.

These days, just a few scrolls on social media and photos of your GenZ friends inside a photo booth will pop up, especially on TikTok.

Some take their photos with friends or special someone. Others strike cute, romantic poses with their favorite celebrities featured in the photo frame.

“There is something exciting about getting your photos taken with your biases (favorite celebs)! I think this new activity has been ingrained in K-Pop fan culture already, making it a must-have agenda, especially because these events only run for a limited time,” Laydia said.

POSING WITH K-POP STARS

Photoism, a premium self-shoot studio and photo booth from South Korea, has around 400 branches across different countries including the Philippines.

Jay Gurbuxani, marketing manager of Photoism, said photo booths and self-shoot studios are in demand especially among millennials who are in it for the nostalgia and GenZs who are after the fun factor and sharing their photos online.

Hello Photo PH, a Korean self photo booth based in Philippines, is also feeling the high demand for photo booths.

“One of our stores near BGC High Street, for example, has a long line during the peak times. The average waiting time is around 20-30 minutes. During the pop-up events, we see even longer lines,” said Hello Photo PH COO Serena Lee.

Photo booths face pressure “to continue providing new content periodically so that they can last long with the fans,” Capistrano noted.

One of Photoism’s innovative ways of bringing customers to their booths is including K-Pop artists frames, and more recently in the Philippines, P-Pop artist frames.

“These frames are very well received by the fans as it provides the feeling of actually being with their favorite artists because not only are their poses interactive, their photos are also taken in our actual booths,” Gurbuxani said.  

Meanwhile, Hello Photo PH is “testing different angles of the photo booths and planning fun interior design concepts,” Lee said.

“As our first step, we are going to provide a high-angle photo booth soon in Q2," she added.

UP’s Capistrano noted that the booths also offer digital versions of their photos, which “makes it a no-brainer in terms of how much social media can play a role in all of this.”

“We simply just love to post stuff whenever the chance arrives,” Capistrano said.

With the business’ re-emerging popularity, Photoism plans to expand its reach by opening at least 50 more branches in different parts of the country this year.

Hello Photo PH eyes expanding from malls to airports, hotels, and schools.

Photoism’s packages range from P200 to P400, depending on the layout and number of copies. These packages usually include digital copies of the photos and a timelapse inside the studio during the session.

Hello Photo PH is also available in an almost similar price range at P200 for basic 4-cut, and P250  for wide 4 cut, 6 cut, and ID photo.