'Let the good tiimes roll'
Couple launches new mobile photo booth business
Malorie and Bryce Faulkner’s photo booth business, Little Candid Camper, adds a creative and unique twist to any special event or occasion.
The couple, who have been married for five years and have one son, decided to start their business now because they saw the opportunity of a growing town and asked, “how can we be apart of that?”
“People are becoming more and more creative with their events,” Bryce said. “With their wedding receptions, with their parties, with whatever it is, they’re wanting unique things and they’re wanting very creative things and unfortunately El Dorado doesn’t have an exuberant amount of different things that people can pull from and use that makes their event special.”
Malorie described the photo booth as old school and new school combined.
“Because unlike the old school photo booths were you just got a print out, you get unlimited print outs through ours and you’re able to email a digital copy, send a text message with a digital copy … we can do all of that from the booth instantly,” Bryce added.
The Faulkners have a wide variety of props that they can fit to any theme for any occasion. Bryce said the camper is completely customizable, even down to the photo strips that are printed out.
The majority of props are set up outside of the camper so customers can pick out what they want to use before entering the photo booth. Once entering the photo booth, there is a bench that is towards the back of the camper, which has a stand with an iPad on it. The iPad uses a simple touchscreen interface system that the customer can touch and the photo shoot process begins.
The iPad camera can take anywhere from three to four photos, and immediately previews a copy of the photo strip for customers to see.
From there, the customer can decide whether they want the photo strip texted to them, emailed or both. The photo strip will also print out two copies for the customer to keep.
The Little Candid Camper has professional lighting, a professional photo printer and air conditioning. “The software that we use is all professional,” Bryce said. “Its made and sole purpose for being designed was for pop up photo booths.”
The Faulkners also have a generator for the camper, allowing them to provide the service at any location.
“We provide our own power, which is why we could do it out in the middle of a field and it would be OK,” Malorie added.
They received the camper in February and worked their first wedding earlier this month.
“(The couple) were so gracious to let us be a part of their wedding and in trusting us since it was very new,” Malorie said. “But it turned out amazing and it was such a big hit because it was just the talk of the wedding.”
Bryce added that they had a line waiting at the door throughout the entire wedding. The bride told Malorie that the Little Candid Camper was her “most favorite part about (the) wedding.”
The Faulkners have been to and a part of many weddings, but this was the first time they were able to enjoy a wedding from a different perspective.
“Normally when we’re part of a wedding, we’re in the wedding,” Malorie said. “But we got to actually be an addition to the wedding and so that part was really cool. We were just absorbing everyone’s excitement and joy and it just kind of solidified why we do what we’re doing.”
In addition to working events, they will also take the Little Candid Camper to festivals as another way to market and show people their photo booth business.
They also provide a unique guest book, filled with photos taken from the event. For example, if a bride and groom decide to have the guest book added, at the end of the wedding, the Faulkners will present it to them with photos from the guests, who can also write notes
beside their photos if requested.
The Faulkners also man the camper throughout the entire event, in case anything goes wrong.
“If something goes wrong with the internet, or whatever it may be, we’re there to fix it,” Malorie said. “We’ve planned for any type of crisis to happen.”
Bryce said that they love to shop locally and that everything they have purchased for their business has been made in the USA.
They are also adding an online shop where anybody can purchase handmade picture frames that will fit a 2x6 photo and they want to sell organic material Little Candid Camper shirts, among many other things.
The couple, who both work at Murphy USA, said one of their favorite parts of the photo booth business is the joy that it brings people and it’s the whole experience that makes it so great.
“From the time that you walk up to the camper and you see it, to you going to all the different props and picking out the prop that specifically you want to use in your picture, and then going into the camper and actually having it taking your photo … it’s a full experience and I think that’s what’s so amazing about it,” Bryce said.
For pricing, the two hour minimum starts at $450, with additional hours being $195 per hour. According to their website, the experience includes completely customizable photo prints, unlimited photo prints and social media sharing, unique and fun photo props, along with the professional equipment and a professional attendant.
“A lot of people that know Bryce and I know that we love renovation, we love design, we love people and we love photography,” Malorie said. “And this idea was an outlet for us to kind of showcase our passion all in one thing.”
Other than working full time jobs and having the Little Candid Camper on the side, they are full time parents. Bryce builds and refurnishes old furniture and they both do decorating during the holidays. In addition, they also have a passion for music and lead worship for their church.
“After all the blood, sweat and tears and Bryce and I questioning ourselves … when we were in the middle of the wedding and we were providing the fun for people, that took away every anxiety, every question that we had,” Malorie said. “We really brought joy to people and it was just like, ‘this is why we’re doing this.’”