Italian Photobooth
Photomaton photographs are the most natural.
8 poses
8 different expressions
8 minutes waiting
Five lire!
These are the only Italian photobooth photos that I have in my collection. The envelope they came in is very rare. Though I have a number of these from France, I have never seen another one from Italy. There are 6 of the original eight photos in the group. I had thought there were only four, but received a welcome surprise on scanning them, when I notice another two, lightly stuck to the back of another pair.
The photos show a very handsome young man in a formal collared shirt and tailored jacket. He was obviously having trouble with knowing what to do, as can be seen by the pictures where he is looking down and by the gloved, pointing hand that appears in the bottom left image, below.

The number of booths in each country is listed on the back of the envelope.
He is a handsome kid. Can you email me, Katherine?
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I will try again. This will be the third attempt. Wish me luck. I have no idea where I am going wrong!
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Sent! Hope it works.
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Nit only were the photos charming, the piece was educational. Lovely. Thank you.
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You are welcome!
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what a cute one. Great photos. ..and it’s good to know, that there are 61 Photomatons available in Germany. Maybe I’ll find one to get after all this years at least one nice shot of me. 😀 🙂
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Hi Markus, It sounds like you never see a photo of yourself that you like. I used to be very familiar with that feeling!
I don’t know how many photobooths are still in Germany but I am sure that there are more there now than in most other parts of the world. There is a great Berlin based company that has old booths in quite a few cities they are called Photoautomat. http://www.photoautomat.de/standorte.html
They are keeping the old technology going. I love them for that!
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😀 😀 😀 thank you for that advice. Twice a year I’m in Berlin and I will try the Photoautomat. This side is so inspiring! The ‘galleries’ and the ‘art’ subsides are great!
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They are! I admire them a lot. I hope you post whatever photos you make, Markus!
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I like the idea that people try to capture their whole body in four segments in that photo booth. So funny! Maybe it would be an nice idea to capture the face in four segment and patch that together to one photo. 🙂
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Yes! I have seen it done but I suspect it is mostly successful for people who have access to the mechanism and are able to stop the shots going off in quick succession. I tried it once but it didn’t turn out so well. Give it a try when next you are in Berlin. You may do much better than me.
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Yesterday I met an old friend and we remembered a story where a photo booth teached me a lesson in being polite, in the way of ‘let other do first’. We once needed photos of us to getting a visa to Thailand. At the train station we found a photo booth and I pushed her aside with the words ‘me first !’. I sat down, insert the money… ..click, click, click, click. When the photos were ready I noticed that you only could see my nose, eyes and forehead. Somebody had screwed down the chair to the lowest level. Then she turned the chair up again and got her brilliant photos. So I had learned my lesson to let others do first. – A photo booth with social features. Cool! 😀
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That is a very funny story Markus! Glad you learned your lesson. 😊
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What a sweetie!
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What a great find! I’ve never seen that background on a Photomaton before. Very cool!
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Hi Meags. Yes, it is very nice. It reminds me of some old curtains from the 1930s that my grandma had in her back bedroom. Very Art Deco.
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Another great post taking us back in time. 🙂
Just spotted this in the Reader – photographer is recreating the codes and conventions of a PhotoBooth shot.
http://eugeneatlee.com/2016/03/27/photo-booth/
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Thanks for the link. It looks interesting! Happy Easter to you.
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I am just catching up here! There is something so heart string pulling with these old photos Kate! So many stories!
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Thanks Hanna. They certainly have that effect on me. It is lovely that you see that too.😊😊
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yes! 🙂
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