This blog, Photobooth Journal, was originally started to document a collection of photobooth photos that make up a photographic journal of my life. It has since expanded to include photos from my collection of found photos from Australia and around the world.
The journal series starts with one photo taken on a trip to Melbourne shopping Mecca, Chadstone Shopping Centre in 1973, when I was 11 years old. The project is now in its 47th year.
Old chemical process booths are my favourite places to pose for a snap. To my knowledge there is now only one of these booths left in Melbourne. Unfortunately, it is a long way from where I live. Therefore, I am not averse to slipping behind the curtains of a digital booth when the opportunity presents itself.
My journal collection includes photos of myself with friends and family in booths in Australia and around the world.
My aim is to publish all the booth pictures of me alone and with others, in chronological order. The stories that accompany the photographs are less important than the images themselves, and are mainly there to contextualise where and when the photos were taken.
The series can be seen in reverse order under the category Photobooth 45 Year Project (Archive) on the right hand side of the main page of this blog, under the Categories heading. I’ve previously had trouble with re-labelling the categories, so it might just continue to say 45 Year Project for years to come!
Katherine Anne Griffiths (Please call me Kate)
Australia
(Updated October 2019)
Photobooth Journal 
Namaste…thank you for visiting and following my blog 🙂 Your blog is fabbo and I’m so glad I found you…
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The feeling is mutual!
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This is such a great idea you have here! 🙂 Did you know, when you were just beginning to take photo booth photos, that you would make it a practically life-long project?
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No,I didn’t think about it that way then. The project has been in full swing for only about 25 years and I get more and more obsessed with it as I get older.
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well, then it is good that you have some photos from back then (even though you weren’t actively working on it), so that you have plenty now 🙂
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Such a fun project! Hope you are well.
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Thanks John. I’m hanging in there.
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Thanks for checking out my blog, Katherine. I’ve always loved photobooths, I’m enjoting your project and seeing you thru the years in Jewell’s film. He did good. I’ve got some old strips we took at the Rainbow Club in the ’80s in Chicago. It was famous for it’s photobooth… the only bar I’ve known that had one. I’ll send you an image if you like.
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Those stories are wonderful Ted! Really enjoyed the three or four I got to. Yes, please send scans of any photobooth photos you’d like to share. I have posted others sent in by fellow bloggers on my blog. Would I be free to publish them? If no, please send anyway. I will honor your decision either way.
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Fantastic. So glad I stumbled upon this! Thank you
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Thanks Mr Holmes. Hope you found my comment on your blog of interest! Katherine
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I love this project and I nominate you for a Very Inspiring blogger award. Check out my last post:) My best wishes,
Inese
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Hi Inese. Thanks so much for the nomination. I appreciate it very much. I will see what I need to do to continue with the process. I may not get around to doing it due to my health making things very difficult for me at this end, but I am thrilled you thought of my blog.
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No worries, take your time, it took me a week too. I so hope your health is improving!
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Did some great photo hunting yesterday. I also found some photoboot photographs (4). Nothing spectacuar, but If you want them, let me know how to send them to you.
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Hi! That is so kind of you! I I would really like to have them. My email address is kgkatherine62@gmail.com. I will see what I have that will fit in with your collecting passion. We can do a swap.
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Very cool project. Looking forward to more.
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Thanks! I have many many more to come. I hope you won’t be disappointed, or left waiting for too long.
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I love your project. Here you have a tumblr with my collection of Spanish photobooth pictures. Hope you like it: http://fotodin.tumblr.com/
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Hi Celia, Thank you for your message and the link to your Tumblr. I love it! Do you only collect photobooth photos of men? I must say it makes a very impressive collection, expecially with the gifs. Espero verte aquí de nuevo.
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Photobooth journal is a wonderful, creative work of art. I sincerely love it!
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Thank you for that wonderful compliment! I feel very chuffed. 😊😊
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Such an interesting project. I am so looking forward to following your blog!
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Thank you so much Roberta!
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Took a brief look at some of the photos you posted and something clicked inside me. So I stayed a bit longer and took my time. There are stories behind these people waiting to be written. Don’t know for sure but I will try and I’ll let you know. Thank you for giving me something to occupy my mind.
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Thanks for the lovely comment and for taking some time to have a browse. I love the photos for the stories that can be imagined through the time and place of the making, the clothes, accessories or objects being displayed but mostly for the expression in the subject’s eye o r the mood that all the above things can combine to create. Having said that I am not a writer. I would love to read anything you come up with!
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I do the same thing with pictures and sometimes with total strangers that are around. Is there a mail to send you what I had in mind? will gladly look fot something new when (or if) I finish what I had in mind.
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I find it very interesting what you set out to do. It’s a great idea and I’m going to follow it with a lot of attention.
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Thank you! I do need to start adding more of self portrait photos. There are hundreds of them, so it is a bit daunting.
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Just discovered your blog via the blog of a fellow-student. I’m so impressed by your positive attitude towards life despite the problems it’s brought for you.
I’ve acquired quite a lot of photographs via eBay and also wonder how they got there and what the lives were like of the people who are stuck in that moment of time. I’ve often messaged the eBay seller to ask if they know anything of the people in the photos but they never do – most often reply that they got them at a car boot sale or such-like. So many hands those photographs have passed through.
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Hi Catherine, I used to message sellers to be rarely bother now due to hearing the same types of stories. I am grateful that people are out there saving the photos from obscurity, but do wish more could be discovered about them, even if only a year date.
Are you studying with Kate A.? Do you ever use your Found photos in your artworks?
Thanks for commenting!
Kate
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I guess there are people who are interested in the photographs themselves and others who see them as objects with sufficient value to sell. Of course, I’ve now reached the state where I obtain photographs, some of which are not as I expected but then feel unable to throw them away!
I’m also studying with OCA but not on the same Course Unit as Kate A who is really exploring photography as a medium and it’s so interesting to watch her progress.
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How strange that I’ve only just read this page… I hadn’t realised that the photos you post are of people you know or knew, – is that still true? I’d thought they were simply photos you’d bought. 🙂
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Hi Val. Your first thought was correct. I mostly buy my photos but I also have been given photobooth photos from people I know and I write about those too. The Photobooth 46 Year Project is a series of photos of me (mostly) or me with friends in photobooths. I haven’t added to that blog category in quite sometime but the archive link should be on this page somewhere. I’m writing from the WP App, so cannot see just now.
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Hey Kath, found your great photobooth blog while I was looking for information about Alan’s photobooth at Flinders St in Melbourne.
My mate found out today with posters stuck on the booth that they will be getting rid of it on 27th of May and saw that you have a wide following with your portraits and that booth itself.
My mate Sarah has created a Public Facebook petition to see if we can put an end to it or just help relocate. If they know how many people adore that booth then just maybe we can stop this.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/870812789768806/
Hope that link works if not it is under
SAVE THE FLINDERS STREET PHOTO BOOTH
Cheers,
Selina.
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Thanks for letting me know, Selina. I’m very unwell at the moment. The best I can do to help is share the posts from the FABULOUS Facebook group and try to get a post done here on the blog.
Last time this happened some Melbourne University students organised a reprieve for the booth. Please make sure Alan is behind the campaign, as it may be that the maintenance of the booth is getting too much for him, as much as dealing with the bureaucracy at Flinders Street Station.
It is a real kick in the guts to hear that this is happening again. I have many health appointments in the city at the moment (I live in Mornington). I always take between ten and twenty strips on each visit out of fear that both this booth and the Chapel Street booth will disappear soon.
Please email me at kgkatherine62@gmail.com at any time. I just wish I were well enough to get more involved in the campaign. Very best wishes. Kate.
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Great project, happy i found it and the person behind !
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Why thank you!!
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They’re closing down the chapel street photo booth owned by Alan. Is there any way to take a stand ?! Sooook dissapointing. Just went to take one last photo with a girlfriend after a year of not seeing one another.
Big kiss and hope you’re doing well
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