A hundred years ago, Anatoly Zeo, a Russian immigrant, opened the first automatic photo booth in Times Square. People could take eight photos for 25 cents, and it was very popular. About 280,000 people used the booth in six months. Since then, photography has changed a lot. We now have digital cameras and smartphones. Many thought photo booths were old-fashioned and not needed.
However, in recent years, photo booths are popular again in cities like London, New York, and Barcelona. Teenagers enjoy using them because of the analog experience. Raphael from Autoo in London restores photo booths and has many machines in London and Barcelona. Younger people are interested in analog technology, like vinyl records, and photo booths are part of this trend.
In 2022, a photographer in California, Brian Eslava, brought his photo booth to events. Celebrities and influencers, such as Kylie Jenner and Jaden Smith, used it and shared photos on social media. This made the trend very popular among young people. Interestingly, people often take digital pictures of the analog photos to post online. In New York, Zoe and Brandon opened a photo booth in 2024, which also became popular on social media. Photo booths are now a mix of nostalgia, fun, and social media trends.
Vocabulary:
• Immigrant (noun): a person who moves to another country to live there
• Analog (adj): using old-style technology, not digital
• Revival (noun): the return of something popular or used again
• Trend (noun): a popular style, idea, or activity
• Restore (verb): to repair something to make it like new
• Hype (noun): excitement and attention around something
Source: BBC Global