October 2026 - In The Booth

PHOTOBOOTH HISTORY

Dolly Parton Photobooth

We love a photo booth featured in the news! Dolly Parton’s new Life of Many Colors Museum has opened in Nashville, offering fans an extraordinary look inside the singer’s life, career and personal memories. However, among the rhinestones, costumes and awards sits something wonderfully simple: a collection of rare photographs that appear to show a young Dolly Parton and her husband, Carl Dean, having fun in a photo booth.

OUR PHOTOBOOTHS

The museum officially debuted on September 29, 2026, inside Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel in downtown Nashville. Spanning more than 20,000 square feet, it represents the largest exhibition devoted to Dolly’s life and career. Visitors can explore everything from her songwriting and touring history to her famous wardrobe and personal memorabilia.

Of course, Dolly lived much of her life in front of cameras. Carl Dean, however, famously preferred life away from the spotlight. Therefore, the newly revealed photographs provide a particularly fascinating glimpse into their relationship. The previously unseen pictures show Dolly and Carl when they were young, apparently posing together inside a photo booth. Rather than polished publicity photographs, the images capture a relaxed and playful moment between the couple. Consequently, they offer something completely different from the glamorous professional photographs most people associate with Dolly.

That difference also demonstrates exactly why photo booth photos remain so special and why we do what we do.

For more than a century, people have stepped behind a curtain, sat together and captured spontaneous moments. Unlike formal photography, a photo booth encourages people to relax. We frequently receive requests from our past customers for replacement copies of lost prints that were dear to them. Photos from our booths frequently feature at memoriam events when a family member passes because “it was the last time the family got together”. This is not an honour we have ever taken lightly.

Dolly Parton Photobooth Events

Photo booths have documented everyday life since the 1920s. Inventor Anatol Josepho introduced his automated Photomaton studio to Broadway in New York in 1926. For just 25 cents, customers received a strip of eight photographs. The idea quickly became incredibly popular, and within several years photo booths appeared around the world.

Since then, countless photo strips have found their way into wallets, handbags, drawers, scrapbooks and family albums. Most importantly, people rarely realise the significance of those photographs when they take them. A quick photo booth session might simply seem like fun at a wedding, party, shopping centre or night out. However, decades later, that little strip becomes a snapshot of hairstyles, fashion, friendships, relationships and personalities. Dolly and Carl’s photographs demonstrate this to a tee. At the time, they were simply two young people sharing a moment together. Yet decades later, those same images have become treasured pieces of cultural history.

Print the memories you want to keep

Technology has certainly changed since Anatol Josepho’s first booths appeared. Nevertheless, the reason people love photo booths hasn’t changed very much. Almost 18 years later and over 25,000 events and the joy found in our booths is just as alive as it was in 2009. Digital images can disappear into phones, cloud accounts and endless camera rolls. However, a printed photo booth strip becomes something physical. You can stick it on the fridge, place it inside an album or rediscover it decades later.

As Dolly Parton’s Life of Many Colours Museum now reminds us, sometimes the tiniest photo eventually tells the biggest story.

INSTANT PRINTS

Photobooth That Prints!

If you’re searching for a photobooth that prints, it pays to check exactly what your hire package includes. Photo booth hire has changed considerably over recent years. In particular, digital-only photo booth options have become much more common. However, while digital images have their place, we still believe there’s something pretty special about holding an instant photo in your hands. It’s why we’ve based what we do on the vintage photo booths from the early 1920’s since our launch in 2009.

OUR INSTANT PRINTS

Why are digital-only photo booths increasing?

There’s a simple reason why more photo booth companies now offer digital-only packages. Essentially, removing printing simplifies the business model and reduces operating costs. Without a printer, companies don’t need to supply photo paper, ink or other printing consumables. Additionally, they can reduce equipment maintenance and remove another piece of technology from their setup. Therefore, digital-only booths can be cheaper and easier for operators to enter the market and manage.

Just like your printer at home, a photo booth printer is full of moving parts! Our instant prints are just one of the reasons we include an attendant in all hire packages. On the occasion there’s a technical issue, our customers and their guests will usually be blissfully unaware.

For customers, though, that difference isn’t always obvious when comparing photo booth packages online. You might see unlimited photos, digital galleries or instant sharing listed as package inclusions. However, none of those things necessarily mean you’ll receive physical prints. Consequently, it’s important to check before you book.

We still love instant photo booth prints

At In the Booth, we continue to offer physical instant prints with our photo booth hire packages. More importantly, we have no plans to change that! After all, the instant print has always formed a huge part of the photo booth experience.

Guests step inside, take their photos and then wait excitedly for their photo strip to appear. Seconds later, they’re holding a little keepsake from your event. Moreover, they can pop it into a handbag, stick it on the fridge or pin it above their desk. Digital is digital – a flash on your phone and it’s gone into the ether. A physical reminder for your guests helps the memory live on. Digital photos are convenient. However, physical photos create a completely different experience.

There’s also something fun about watching guests compare their prints throughout the night. Before long, photo strips appear on tables, beside drinks and tucked into suit pockets. Not to mention, guests heading back into the booth to create ‘another one.’just one more’.

That’s exactly why we believe a photobooth that prints remains such an important part of weddings, parties and corporate celebrations.

Digital photos and instant prints can work together

Of course, we’re certainly not against digital images. In fact, digital photo options provide another great way to enjoy your booth photos after an event. However, we don’t believe customers should necessarily have to choose between digital convenience and physical keepsakes. Instant prints give guests something tangible during the event. Meanwhile, our USB folio keepsake makes sharing, saving and revisiting your photos incredibly easy afterwards. Together, they create a much more complete photo booth experience.

Check before you book

Unfortunately, the difference between a digital photo booth and a photobooth that prints isn’t always immediately clear.Therefore, when comparing hire packages, look beyond words such as “unlimited photos” or “instant photos”. Instead, specifically check whether the company supplies physical instant prints at your event.

If you can’t find that information, ask the company directly. For example, find out whether every photo session produces a printed photo strip. Additionally, check whether prints are unlimited throughout your hire period or whether the package includes a set quantity.

A few simple questions before booking can prevent disappointment later. After all, nobody wants to discover on their wedding or party day that the “photos” they expected are actually digital files accessed through a QR code.

Some things are worth keeping

Technology will continue to change the photo booth industry. Likewise, new ways to capture and share photos will keep appearing. However, we think some traditions deserve to stick around. At In the Booth, physical instant prints remain an essential part of what we do.