Photo booths are a great addition to any party. It gives people something to do. It helps people relax. It brings out people’s silly sides. The best part about them is that the photos act as a party favor to remember the fun times over and over again.

Here are some key tips to planning your photo back drop for your upcoming Halloween party.

• Keep it simple
• Use elements to create a frame around the subjects
• Take into account the height of your guests (kids party vs adult party)
• Maintain a color scheme (black, white, orange, purple and green are great colors for Halloween)
• Collect fun props to add variety (masks, feather boas, and hats are always fun)

The first thing we did for this backdrop was we hung a solid black sheet up. I was able to tie mine to a bannister, but you can use strong tape to attach it to the wall, pushpins, or make a contraption with PVC pipes.

For the top of the photo backdrop we used the tissue paper tassel garlands in tangerine, black, white, and silver. To complete the framing we used purple, white, and orange helium balloons  and tied them off with festive baker’s twine. We added some tissue poms at the bottom for extra dimension.

If your guests are still a little unsure of themselves in front of the camera then we have that covered too! Turn the photo booth into a fun game that everyone can participate in! (This works best for a party between 10-20 people.)

Have the photo booth set up at the very beginning of your party where your guests first arrive. Next to the props have a bowl of folded pieces of paper. Each piece of paper will have the name of either a movie or a Halloween character. For example: the headless horseman, a princess, Frankenstein, etc. They then have to portray the character in their picture using the props provided. They can do it with a friend or on their own, but they can’t tell anyone else what they picked.

Once everyone has participated, find a way to display the pictures (possibly projected big enough for everyone to see). As everyone is gathered together, go through the pictures and have people guess who they are supposed to be. It may even be helpful if you have a list of options displayed.

Be sure to check out Just Artifact’s collection of Halloween goodies!!