Remember those photo booths in subway stations and dime stores? We often felt embarrassed with the clandestine rendezvous with an anonymous camera. Then once out of the booth, we stood nonchalantly as we waited for the machine to spit out our photos, before quietly walking away to discretely view our selfies.

These days, photo booths offer trendy opportunities to preserve rites of passages we share with our loved ones or to remember fun events such as a holiday office party. The photo booths of this millennium offer high-tech options, superior photo quality, an array of backdrops and enough room to fit in the whole costumed crowd – masks and smiles optional. There’s even a red carpet option.
In Whatcom County, Kelsey and Aaron Tolsma caught the photo booth bug six years ago. And similar to other small business owners, the couple launched their business Oh Snap Event Photo Booths from a personal need.
“We loved the idea of having a photo booth at our wedding but at the time it was a new idea and there weren’t any here in Whatcom County. After attending a friend’s wedding in California with a booth, we knew this was something we would love to bring to our community,” recalls Kelsey.

With this concept in mind, the newly married couple set their inspiration in motion. “We spent months researching different options for booths, designing our logo and figuring out all that went into starting a small business,” Kelsey explains.
Several months later, Oh Snap Event Photo Booths landed its debut gig. “Our first event was a local company’s holiday party in November 2011. We are now going into our sixth year of business,” says Kelsey.
Kelsey and Aaron offer high-quality photo booth rentals, backdrops and a social media feed. The couple covered all their bases with studio lighting, a DSL camera (as opposed to a phone or an aim-and-shoot camera), and even a green screen option. Clients can include logos and Oh Snap offers unlimited printing so guests can share their photos with friends who didn’t attend the event.

Kelsey, Aaron and their two booth attendants provide a user-friendly photo opportunity for party guests. They offer props and backdrops for either a private enclosed booth or a group open booth experience. In fact, the revelers can just leave their personal cameras at home.
Once guests have snapped their instant photos, they have the option of posting them on social media and they print right out. It’s fun. It’s lively. Guests strike poses with their friends, colleagues or family members, with or without masks. And the business owners have a blast offering the photo opportunities to their clients.
“The thing I enjoy the most about running the photo booth is making connections with local companies and people here in our community. I get to bring fun to their event. We get to be a part of so many awesome events each year, including weddings, corporate events, fundraisers and birthday parties. It’s fun to capture the enjoyment at the events. I love running the booths at the events,” says Kelsey.

Kelsey and Aaron saw a niche that required filling. They researched photo booths and the intricacies of starting a small business. And with new technology and this age of the selfie, preserving events is as easy as a snap. It also helps that we live in the age of the entrepreneur in which a construction professional and an educational professional create a business that brings smiles to their clients’ faces.
And while this Whatcom County-based business mostly serves our region, the couple receives invitations to events outside of the community. “The majority of the events we do are here in Whatcom County but we do travel all over Washington State bringing photo booths to a variety of fun events. We are thankful for our community and the support they have shown our small business,” says Kelsey.

As far as the future of their business, Kelsey says, “We look forward to meeting new clients and working with repeat customers. And we look forward to bringing a great photo booth experience to all clients while working to make our booth experience even better than it has been in the previous years.”
For weddings, the holiday bash, a birthday party or other large event, get into the photo line and take a photo. It’s a snap.
Oh Snap Event Photo Booths can be reached at 360-441-8084. Get a quote for your event by visiting the Oh Snap Photo Booths website.
Sponsored