Our Story
2007
In 2007, Steve and Kate Austin became enamoured with photo booths.
Kate heard chatter about passport style booths during her career as a professional photographer which piqued her interest!
Whilst the concept was a lot of fun for guests, in contrast she knew commercial booths didn’t provide the image quality that important celebrations deserve. The very beginnings of In the Booth were beginning to grow.
2009
Subsequently Steve and Kate spent two years designing and perfecting their ideal booth. Kate’s photographic and creative background together with Steve’s event production and technical skillset laid the foundation. From humble beginnings sketched on a piece of paper, In the Booth finally snapped its very first photo booth strip of our young family in April 2009.
Our launch night in our garage consisted of friends and family snapping sample photos ready for our first bridal show. Some of our friends even showed up in their wedding outfits so we could capture bride and groom samples! Above all, we saw the walls of our photo booth envelop our family and friends in timeless magic.
The iconic design and style of an In the Booth photo booth and the magic created by guests behind that velvet curtain remains unchanged to this day.
2010
We worked hard building a solid foundation for In the Booth that was soon winning awards industry wide. At any rate word got out and we became a franchised company in 2010 to keep up with demand.
Photo booth numbers and locations grew, along with our ability to service more and more of our customer’s celebrations. Each event bought with it more refinement and innovation in those early years, which we look back on fondly. To the end that In the Booth were the first company outside of passport style booths to be able to offer photo booth strips pre-cut in half!
2012
2012 onwards bought further innovation with the addition of our own in-house magazine, moving our booking pack from paper to online; a classy props solution to the tacky feathers and plastic problem and more trophies on our shelf.
In the Booth were the first to launch video messaging; a previously unheard of service for a photo booth. Our customers went wild for this feature with some of those early videos remaining our favourites to this day.
In any event we continued to improve and innovate with every In the Booth product being a bespoke design.
2014
Before In the Booth, photo booth hire was not recognised as a category of its own as our industry simply had not existed before. In 2014 all that changed with our own category of ‘Photo Booth’ being added to the Australian Bridal Industry Awards. We’re super proud to have been part of the story that has made photo booths an event staple today.
2015
In the Booth broke the (photo booth) internet in 2015 with the launch of our industry-first app. Digital options such as hash tag printing had started to arrive on our shores from overseas, but we held firm knowing it wasn’t the right solution for the special event environment (closing in on a decade later, these services have all but disappeared proving it’s always right to follow your gut!).
As our app approaches a decade of use in 2025, it continues to provide enhanced digital experiences for our guests without taking away from the timeless booth experience we remain committed to.
2020
The dreaded C-word arrived and In the Booth bunkered down and held tight with the rest of our industry. Our phone was never turned off and no email went un-replied. In a time when many companies chose to “go dark”, we kept the candle burning and took one day and one lockdown at a time. We continued to innovate and refocussed on creating products to assist our customers through the most difficult circumstances.
In total, we assisted our clients in rescheduling over 1,500 events; many more than once. Our amazing team went through the worst of times and emerged stronger and more resilient than ever.
2023
It’s exciting times at In the Booth as we look ahead to our 15th birthday in 2024! We have many more exciting plans in the works, always with the goal of earning the position of Australia’s most loved photo booth hire company. Thank you for joining us on the ride!
We’re certified Aussie Made.
In the Booth started the same way most small Australian businesses do – in a garage. We’re proud to say we’ve held tight to our roots and are officially endorsed by Australian Made and Owned.
It’s Nice To Meet You.
We’re in the people business, so our people are everything.
Our Leadership Team
Steve is the driving force behind all tech development and innovation at In the Booth. He has an extensive background as an electronics technician and sound engineer, which put him in good stead for much of the business end of the booth. Steve has a keen eye and passion for events in regards to what works well and what doesn’t. The In the Booth app was one of Steve’s many brain child’s. Together with Kate, Steve doesn’t just innovate – he develops products that stand the test of time in a disposable age.
Kate is the photographic and creative arm of In the Booth. Kate’s background in family and wedding photography sparked the idea of In the Booth and the need for the ideal reception photography solution for weddings. Together with Steve, creativity and tech merged into the ideal answer for event photography, in the shape of a photo booth. Kate heads up our design office and always looks at the end result for our customers with a creative eye.
David brings his wealth of experience in the Australian franchise industry and management roles to our team. He heads up franchisee support and growth strategies and is passionate about improving every area of In the Booth’s operations to ensure a seamless experience for customers. David is also the first point of call for any pets in the office as he’s been known to pack “extra lunch” just for them!
Customer care at In the Booth doesn’t stop once an event is over. Toby looks after all event post-production and ensures every memory from every event is ready for our customers to relive their celebration. In similar fashion Toby produces our ever-popular highlight video production as well as managing our event archives.
Elise is the friendly voice you will most likely hear on the end of the line when you call the In the Booth booking office! Elise is responsible for all facets of booking management and ensuring details for every event In the Booth attends are running right on schedule. If you’re worried about which backdrop to choose, need a payment schedule update or need help with last minute changes, Elise will know just how to ease the event planning jitters!
In the Booth needs to be a well oiled machine and Darren mans the oil can! An Australia-wide network requires a consistent maintenance and repair schedule to keep our photo booths and equipment in tip-top shape. Darren also heads up all construction of new photo booths and other product developments in our Brisbane workshop.
An event company requires plenty of logistics. Isaac’s role encompasses future planning for upcoming event schedules including large scale events and custom corporate activations. Isaac also oversees training of new staff and works in conjunction with Darren on upcoming developments.
With her many years of finance experience in companies of all sizes, Karen brings a wealth of knowledge and accounting skills to In the Booth. Karen is responsible for all manner of financial requirements within our Head Office and Franchise partners. When she’s not crunching those numbers, Karen enjoys spending time with her husband and three sons and visiting loved ones in her homeland of New Zealand from time to time.
Last but not certainly not least! Yes, we have two Toby’s – “human Toby or canine Toby?” is a frequent clarifying question in our office! Canine Toby has been with us since the beginning and is a much loved member of our office. He’s hearing and eyesight isn’t what it used to be, but his nose for sniffing out unfinished lunches hasn’t failed him yet. On the super busy days we put him on the phones – but please remember to speak up 😜
Let’s get you boothing!
We just need a few details about your event to get things started.