Inside the booth
Photo booth lighting: a simple test before the session
Find clear faces and a consistent colour before adding effects.
Begin with a saved photograph made in the room you will actually use. Good booth lighting keeps faces readable across the whole group and through the whole sequence. The right arrangement depends on the camera and venue; an expensive light cannot fix a badly positioned subject by itself.
Find the main light
Put people where a soft, reasonably even light reaches their faces. A window can work for a daytime home session, but check how the light changes and whether the background is much brighter. Avoid making the camera face a bright window while the people remain in shadow.
Move the sitter, camera or light in small steps and compare saved tests. Judge the eyes, skin and background together.
Test the sides of the group
Photograph somebody at the left edge, centre and right edge. A setup that flatters one person may leave the others dark or outside the light’s useful area. Keep the actual group close enough to share the lighting. Check spectacles for glare and adjust position rather than asking every guest to remove an important personal item.
Make the colour repeatable
A mixture of different light colours can make one side of a face look unlike the other. Simplify the sources where possible. If your camera or software allows a consistent white-balance setting, test it under the event lighting before leaving it in place.
Look at the finished export as well as the preview. A decorative colour effect can hide a problem in the preview while leaving the saved skin tones strange.
Choose flash or continuous light by the workflow
Continuous light lets people see the lit scene throughout. A flash needs a tested camera and trigger arrangement. Follow the equipment instructions rather than assuming any flash or ring light connects to a phone. Inform guests when the setup uses bright flashes and provide another capture arrangement when necessary.
For an evening event, repeat the test after daylight has gone. The important standard is a reliable photograph made under the real conditions, not the appearance of the lighting equipment in an empty room.