Austin Faces Project...

Here is a neat project using the photobooth as a tool to study a place, and in turn study the culture of that place.  The creator, Greg in Austin, has asked photobooth users at the Shangri-La booth in East Austin to attached their names, place of birth, and small thoughts to a strip of themselves, giving a direct account of the person and personality of the sitter.

We most often view photobooth strips without any additional information to help us paint a picture--no words and often times with no knowledge of the subject's whereabouts or attitudes at the particular moment.  By adding the names and words of the subjects, these strips have become a direct historical (albeit, admittedly wholly unscientific) account of the drinkers at a particular bar in Austin on a particular night.  The words themselves add an element of connection to the individuals while at the same time giving an interesting cross section of a greater unknown population.

Hope to see more as this project develops and evolves...

 Check out the blog austinfacesproject.blogspot.com to watch as more strips are added.

Illusion #1

Illusion #1

Found obscurae...

While these are obviously not taken in a photobooth, they still have a certain spontaneous anonymity.  The study and collection of vernacular photography, or found anonymous snapshots, shares a common gene with found photobooth strips.  Both tend to posses a certain spirit of mystery and toss-away carelessness.  Rarely does this genre of photography appear staged or premeditated, and when it does it seems to be purely for the benefit of the photographer and not for some higher meaning or motive.  These photos (circa 1920s-1940s?) provide a nice historical reference to everyday rural life.  They were found in a secondhand store in Savannah, Ga.

Out with the old... chemical change today.

Strip on left indicates exhausted chemicals.  Strip on right indicates correct exposure.  And lunacy.

Congrats Ashley and Eric!

Kentukians Ashley and Eric came down to our fair city this past weekend to tie the knot Savannah style, complete with a courtyard reception and spring time downpour.  Ashley wanted a photobooth at her wedding but wanted the look and feel of the vintage booths as well.  So we got the call and had a blast with this bunch of Midwesterners.  They needed very little coaxing, or alcohol, to hit up the booth and keep it working all night long.  Great times were had by all...  Congratulations Ashley and Eric!

The Happy Couple

The Texas Saga, continued...

The fellers down Texas way have been at it again.

Obscura's brother company, Retro Photobooths in Austin, has just released another beautifully restored vintage Model 21 back into the wilds of the funky Austin nightlife.  This booth was found in despair, sadly neglected and starved for attention in a popular Austin hotspot about 2 months ago and was quickly bought and taken into Retro's Hill Country rehabilitation shop.

Before- ready for rehabilitation

There is no telling exactly how long the booth had been sitting in this state of disrepair.  We can only guess that the operator who had been performing the necessary routine maintenance had, for whatever reason, stopped performing the necessary routine maintenance.  Once the technician stopped checking on this guy, the booth just sat and rotted.  Chemicals were most likely left in the booth, who's fumes reacted with the metal components of the booth, and thoroughly corroded a lot of the inside of the cabinet.

With a little tlc and brake parts cleaner (not to mention a couple of wtf moments) the guys were able to get this guy up an running.  For a more in-depth look at the rehabbing of an old booth read a little further down this blog.

And so, faithful Austinites, you've got yourselves a new booth in town!!
Check out the newest addition, affectionately dubbed Ol' Pinkie, at the brand new Beauty Ballroom, 2015 East Riverside.   It's pretty cool.

Ol' Pinkie, ready for action

Dog Days of Summer Sale!

Rent our digital-vintage Model 11 for your event for the ridiculously low price of $975!  Get ready for the Savannah swelter and book by May 1st to receive the Dog Days of Summer Sale discount!