Before photo booths, artists sat inside boxes to paint portraits at parties, though the intense paint fumes meant that keepsakes became increasingly expressionist as the night wore on. Preserve memories accurately with today's Groupon: for $599, you get a four-hour photo-booth rental and event scrapbook from The Memory Machine in Jersey City (a $1,200 value).
The Memory Machine's capacious booths can house up to 10 people at a time, churning out candid photo strips taken by a high-resolution SLR camera. Booth occupants select a customizable picture or solid-color backdrop, then refer to a 20-inch screen that previews their poses before a flurry of flashing studio lights preserve their grins along with the ghosts of Christmases past perched on their shoulders.
Booths print out shots within 13 seconds on two 2”x4” or 2”x6” strips which can be printed with custom phrases, one strip for guests to take home, and one strip for a scrapbook that contains all images from the event. Each four-hour rental includes setup, maintenance, and removal service carried out by two booth technicians. These technicians will ensure the booth operates smoothly during events, plus, they will be happy to sketch portraits of any vampires in attendance, as they cannot be photographed.