Michele StuevenThe photo booth, famous for spitting out those black and white strips of memories, made its debut in 1925 at the International League of Amusement Parks and Theater Conventions show in Atlantic City. Since then, it’s become popular all over the world as a fun way to capture sentimental moments with friends and family.
San Francisco-based vintage-inspired photo booth company, Photomatica, has opened LA’s first Photo Booth Museum in Silver Lake.
On the heels of the brand’s successful brick-and-mortar location in San Francisco’s Castro District earlier this year, Photomatica is bringing the unique experience to LA to celebrate photo booth history, culture, and creativity. Angelenos may be familiar with Photomatica’s analog booth that has a permanent space at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
The 1,350 square-foot space features four restored analog photo booths and one digital booth, with a little modern twist as they do accept credit cards and Apple Pay. There’s a drying station to finish off the photo strips, and you can make your own keychain as a souvenir.
Doug Ellington built his first photo booth in 2010 when he couldn’t find a vintage booth to rent for his wedding and enlisted the help of his college track teammate, Matt Dewalt. Since then, the duo has built and restored more than 250 custom photo booths and produced thousands of events. Photomatic has grown into a team of 30 builders, managers, technicians, and event attendants.
Kelsey Schmidt/Photomatica
Drying station (Kelsey Schmidt/Photomatica)
Keychain station (Kelsey Schmidt/Photomatica)
Kelsey Schmidt/Photomatica
Kelsey Schmidt/Photomatica