Make & keep
Label booth test strips so they do not become misleading examples
Keep rehearsal, sample artwork and a guest’s finished result distinct.
A test picture can later look like an ordinary portrait if its purpose is forgotten. A useful label explains why it was made and prevents an illustrative image from becoming accidental evidence of a real session.
Record the test’s purpose
Our example labels include crop test, exposure test, printer proof and fictional layout sample. Add a date and the settings being compared. If the picture came from generated artwork, say so rather than giving it the date and place of a real booth visit.
Keep two kinds of archive
Metro Auto Photo’s account of Alan Adler describes real repeated test sittings that became a photographic archive. Flashroom’s booth illustrations are product artwork. Both can be interesting, but they establish different things about people, machines and capture results.
Evidence: Operator information · Product record
Choose public examples deliberately
Before putting an image on a website, check that its caption explains whether it is documentary, illustrative or an actual exported session. Retain the source file and the label with the record. A beautiful image does not need invented provenance to be useful.
Sources & further reading
Sources for the specific facts and product descriptions above. Our worked examples, interpretations and practical suggestions are original editorial guidance.
- Metro Auto Photo — Melbourne analogue photoboothsOperator information
- Flashroom — official App Store listingProduct record