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Tag Archives: photomaton

Modern Photobooth Token – The Magnolia Photobooth Company

February 21, 2013
Digital Photobooth Images, Photobooth News
6 Comments

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Tokens are an old means of operating and managing coin-in-the-slot vending machines such as automatic photobooths. Magnolia Photobooth Company (see one of their tokens, above) design and build their own photo booths, some of which are operated using this system. Unfortunately they are generally phasing out their tokens in the USA, however it is still being used in a few booths around the world, specifically in Seoul and Toronto.

One of their clients, Kiehl’s, is the only company in the USA that has committed to keeping the token system. It is an integral part of the marketing of their business. They hand out tokens to people who buy product or are about to buy product in their boutiques. They can immediately redeem it for a branded strip of booth photos or use it on their next visit.

Magnolia Photobooth Company are a tiny crew with only 9 full-time staff that runs an extensive national digital photobooth rental operation in the USA and internationally.

As a photobooth rental company Magnolia is very creative in its marketing. They have an interesting blog (click here to have a look) and a book that documents a journey they made with their booths to various events around the US. You can see some of the book here and buy it here.

To see another, older photobooth token from my collection, click here.

Peter Tower, the owner of the company is (almost) seen below holding a copy of the book.

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Saving Private Ryan – 3 January 1999

February 20, 2013
Photobooth 45 Year Project (Archive)
2 Comments

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3 January 1999, Southland, Melbourne

Another strip of me and my sister Susan, this time before seeing the movie Saving Private Ryan. Sue was pregnant in this picture. We shall see more of my sister and the manifestation of this state in a future post.

This strip is part of the series Photobooth 41 Year Project. You can see all the posts that document the series by clicking here.

Becky Time Machine

February 19, 2013
Becky and Friends, Photobooth Time Machines
6 Comments

This is a summary of the changes we saw in Becky in the larger series of strips of Becky and Friends. Becky must have been born in 1955, as from information on one of the strips, she was 22 in 1977.  As many of the photos are undated, the sequence is a guess based on the few confirmed dates from the backs of the strips. I think I have it pretty well correct.

One of my favourite parts of collecting booth photos is seeing the changes in people over time. It is unusual to find so many over such a long period.

Please click on the first photo to see the gallery in a larger format .

Self-Portrait Of An Art Visionary – Damian Michaels Photobooth Strip

February 18, 2013
Photobooth Art
6 Comments

Damian Michaels is an American artist, writer, curator and publisher who has lived in Melbourne since 1994. His work is part of the outsider art movement. Outsider art is a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture. Often, outsider art illustrates extreme mental states, unconventional ideas, or elaborate fantasy worlds. Damian sees his art as spiritual, psychological and an emotional mirror to the collective consciousness. His art is revelatory and message-laden but that message is for the viewer to interpret. It is not prescribed by the artist. This altered photobooth self-portrait is part of a series of works Damian has done using photographs old and new, as his canvas. Apart from loving this as the only piece of photobooth art I have in my collection, I enjoy its movement and humour. For me, it is an appropriate self-portrait of a man with a creative spirit and an apparently great sense of fun. To see more of his work and read more about him, follow the links below.

  • At Raw Vision, Colin Rhodes writes about Damian's underlying creative processes.
  • Damian's Flickr Photostream where you can see more of his altered photos and other works.
  • His facebook page
  • and Damian's website where you can buy copies of his publication Art Visionary magazine

Ice Creams – Part Two – 18 December 1998

February 15, 2013
Photobooth 45 Year Project (Archive)
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18 December 1998, Luna Park, Melbourne

Moana and I – still celebrating with icecream! Yay!

This strip is part of the series Photobooth 41 Year Project. You can see all the posts that document the series by clicking here.

A Photobooth Valentine

February 14, 2013
Vintage Photobooth
18 Comments

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Happy St Valentine’s day!

These sweet photographic love-notes are undated but I’d say they were taken sometime in the 1940s, possibly during WW2. They have the look and sentiment of war-time keepsakes, probably sent from the USA to this lady’s lover overseas.

They are so cute and unusual, I cannot understand why any descendants of this woman didn’t want to treasure them forever.

Ice Creams – Part One – 18 December 1998

February 13, 2013
Photobooth 45 Year Project (Archive)
4 Comments

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18 December 1998, Luna Park, Melbourne

My travelling companion, Moana, was visiting from the UK. My sister Sue, was temporarily living back in Australia, after a few years in Ireland. What better way to celebrate a reunion than with icecreams and a photobooth session?

This strip is part of the series Photobooth 41 Year Project. You can see all the posts that document the series by clicking here.

Becky and Friends – Part Six

February 12, 2013
Becky and Friends, Vintage Photobooth
10 Comments
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Undated

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“Becky 22 yrs. Dec. ’77”

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Undated with unidentified friend.

These are the final strips in my series about Becky and her friends. Our little girl has grown up but still loves to pull faces for the camera. And hasn’t she nabbed herself a gorgeous boyfriend?

I wonder where Becky is now? What is the story behind the photos? How did this brilliant series of souvenirs of a seemingly happy child’s formative years, come to be in the public domain?

I wish I knew Becky’s surname so that I could find her, but maybe her friend Pam Meadow will Google herself one day, discover these pictures and be able to tell us more of the life behind this archive.

Cycling Tour Of New Zealand – 17 November 1998

February 11, 2013
Photobooth 45 Year Project (Archive)
6 Comments

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17 November 1998, Spencer Street Station, Melbourne

These photos were taken on the way to Melbourne airport. I flew to New Zealand for a cycling tour of the northern tip of the North Island. Whilst there, I also visited multiple relatives.

I was already beginning to feel some of the effects of the neurological condition Myalgic Encephalomyelitis from which I suffer. Tiring easily, headaches and muscle pain, are some of the symptoms. The problems were mild at this time, so I was still able to carry on a normal life.

This strip is part of the series Photobooth 41 Year Project. You can see all the posts that document the series by clicking here.

“Jacquline”, Melissa and Wesley

February 8, 2013
Polaroid Photobooth, Vintage Photobooth
2 Comments

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Here is another of the rarer polaroid photobooth photos. Although the quality of the image isn’t great, I like the effect of the faces emerging through the darkened space.

I am betting that this photo belonged to Wesley and that he wrote the names on the front of the photo, misspelling Jaqueline’s. Yeah, typical boy. Yeah, sexist comment. Oh me, oh my.