September 2011
2 posts
Winning the West
Since relocating our nerve center to the Central Texas area, we’ve learned one thing:
People love western themed events.
Luckily, we love designing for western themed events, because of the ample amounts of imagery and iconic looks we can incorporate into our custom photo templates. Here’s a sampling of the designs we created for Starburst a recent Wrigley event. Some of the...
Green Screen 102
In our previous Green Screen 101 post, we gave you the general rundown on how the process works — but lets face it, the explanation was very rudimentary. Ready to dive in a little more? Then read the following conversation, where we’re actually just talking to ourselves:
Green screens - why green?
Although the chromakey process can be done on any color, green and blue are typically used in...
July 2011
6 posts
8 tags
8 tags
For the past three years, SUM Booth has worked with Konami to bring fans customized versions of their products. In the past, this meant Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, the top selling trading card game of all time, according to the folks at the Guiness Book of World Records. However this year, some of the other licenses jumped on board and we offered a wide array of photo giveaways — from the standard YGO...
WatchOver the past three years, one Konami fan has returned to our booth time after time to amass a collection of cards that would rival Yugi himself. This dedication screams two things: he’s a huge fan of Yu-Gi-Oh!, considering he’s committed hours and hours of time to stand in our line to build his collection; and we must be producing something cool enough to warrant standing in line...
Guilloché — Spirograph for Grown Ups
Ever want to take your spirographs to the next level? Yeah, I know that’s not really something at the top of your to-do list, but the Guilloché Pattern Generator is a cool way to generate the math-based patterns that are common elements in paper money. Named guilloché after the French engineer Guillot, who invented a machine that could scratch fine patterns and designs on metallic...
June 2011
1 post
May 2011
1 post
April 2011
1 post
8 tags
March 2011
3 posts
13 tags
March Madness
Before the NCAA Tournament heats up, a smaller dose of March Madness is delivered in the form of conference tournaments. Each school, regardless of their regular season record, has a chance to scoop up a precious spot in the postseason if they get on a hot streak. Because of this, fans from schools all over flock to these conference tournaments, hoping to inspire their team to beat the odds and...
3 tags
With this SUM Booth, I thee wed
Every now and then, we like to showcase our services on the local level, so when the opportunity came about to bring a little SUM Booth action to brides in Del Mar, we jumped on board. It’s always a lot of fun hearing people’s reactions to SUM Booth, ranging from “that’s so cool” to “I didn’t even think of doing something like that”, and overall...
February 2011
1 post
Back on campus
San Diego State University brought SUM Booth back for another student pre-game event for the #6 ranked Aztecs basketball team, and although a rare rain storm was sweeping through the region, it didn’t dampen fans enthusiasm one bit.
Check out photos from the event here!
January 2011
3 posts
7 tags
Going Postal at the Winter Classic
Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these courageous photographers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.
We kind of re-purposed the Post Office slogan there, but when it comes to the last two NHL Winter Classics, the similarities are hard to deny. First, let’s fire up the flux capacitor and go back to January of 2010 to the Winter Classic in Boston...
3 tags
Las Vegas' Newest Headliner: Us
1905 - Town of Las Vegas established with the opening of the Salt Lake, San Pedro & Los Angeles Railroad 1931 - Gambling legalized in Nevada 1935 - Hoover Dam dedicated by President Franklin Roosevelt 1944 - Liberace makes his Las Vegas Debut 1966 - Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino Opens 1973 - The MGM Grand Hotel and Casino Opens - Worlds Largest Hotel 2011 - Super Ultra Mega Booth...
December 2010
1 post
7 tags
We
Over the years, San Diego State has been one of our favorite reoccurring clients, and it has nothing to do with reliving our glory days while on campus. Well, maybe just a little. Beyond that, one of the primary components of what we do isn’t just design and photography — it’s fun. And suffice to say, if you had to pick an age bracket to describe fun, the college age would probably...
November 2010
2 posts
6 tags
Introducing Super Sync
In honor of Cyber Monday 2010, SUM Booth is excited to announce the availability of a feature aimed to bring a whole new level of sharing to your next event.
Introducing Super Sync.
Typically, when an event is completed, an online gallery is uploaded within 48-72 hours for guests to relive the fun and excitement. However, in this age we live in, it’s not just about revisiting those...
Inspire
Not to sound pretentious, but I’ve always been a big fan of design and photography magazines published across the pond in the UK. This year’s edition of Computer Arts’ “The Book of Inspiration” has further reinforced that stance with a tome chock full of insight, inspiration and ideas from heavyweights in the design world.
One of the more impressive highlights was...
October 2010
3 posts
Budget tight? Try S.U.M. Lite!
Even though it’s become a bit of a cliche in this economic environment, we know that money has been tight for people out there, and probably will be for the foreseeable future. So what are we to do — simply rest on our laurels and only provide our premium photo fun at full price, and leave out folks who are just out of that price range? Well, that’s no fun, and honestly it makes us...
“I really am a good looking guy.”
– Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, while autographing photos SUM Booth had just taken and printed on site
Thinking outside the booth
One thing we take pride in at SUM Booth is breaking paradigms and putting our own unique touch on standard themes.
Take the example above, which was recently produced at a RE/MAX event. The client wanted the photo booth to go hand-in-hand with the overall theme for the meeting, which was “Reach for the Top” and incorporated mountain imagery. Of course, this is a popular theme that...
September 2010
1 post
6 tags
Ein, zwei, drei, suffa — Oktoberfest is here
When Oktoberfest comes along, it allows us all to channel our inner-German and partake in the fun, festivities — and drinking — that surround the age-old Bavarian celebration. So when the German Trade and Invest group wanted to host their very own Oktoberfest party in conjunction with a local tradeshow, they called on SUM Booth to transport guests to four different German landmarks to make the...
August 2010
3 posts
Kinda like Manifest Destiny, only the other...
Although SUM Booth has always been available across the nation — actually, across the globe — we now have a home base on the east coast.
What does that mean to you? It means that one-day events such as weddings and corporate events within our 100 mile service radius can now have a Super Ultra Mega Booth with no additional travel fees! That radius includes major metro areas such as Philadelphia,...
Yu-Gi-Woah!
Three events, two states, multiple early morning news interviews and nearly 7,000 (yeah, you heard me correctly) custom trading cards later, the whirlwind summer of 2010 with Konami Digital Entertainment and Yu-Gi-Oh! has come to a successful end with the close of the World Championships in Long Beach, CA.
At our first stop at Comic-Con International, fans of all ages (and costume types)...
July 2010
2 posts
7 tags
The Happiest Place on Earth
It’s been a busy couple of weeks for SUM Booth. With the NHL Draft and SHRM10 behind us, it was time to set our sights on one of the biggest events of the year — MLB FanFest!
One of our specialized services are trading cards, so the world’s largest baseball festival and customized baseball cards go hand in hand. But this is no standard endeavor — it’s on a grand scale....
Just the FAQs, ma'am
What exactly *is* a Super Ultra Mega Booth? SUM Booth is an open air photo station featuring a real-life photographer, professional lighting and high-speed on-site printing. There’s no countdowns, no claustrophobia, and no computer controlled cameras. At SUM Booth, we believe in certain tenets — customization, quality of product, and no limits — and we deliver them with a personal touch. We...
June 2010
5 posts
7 tags
2010 NHL Draft recap
After logging miles traveling to Columbus, Ottawa and Montreal the past three years, it was nice to hop onto the I-5 and drive north from San Diego to LA for the 2010 edition of the NHL’s annual Draft. And this past Saturday we did just that, bringing our personalized trading card photo station to the home of the Kings — and a team with some guy named Kobe on it — the Staples Center.
NHL...
4 tags
Green Screen 101
Unfamiliar with the green screen process and how everything comes together? As you can see above, everything starts with our custom designed photo template, which in this example was a wedding with an “Old Hollywood” movie premiere look — complete with a vintage Rolls Royce parked in the foreground.
During the event itself, we take photos of guests in front of a green screen, as you...
SUM-mer Savings
As the temperature starts to rise this summer, we’re lowering prices on all single day events to the tune of 20%. Yep, you heard right — twenty percent! Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, holiday parties, galas, corporate rallies and pretty much any single day event. The savings is added onto the total price of the reservation, so you’ll receive that savings on any...
4 tags
Get carded in LA
Later this month, SUM Booth will be packing up and hitting the road for the 2010 NHL Draft. This time, however, the location is a little bit closer to home — the Los Angeles Staples Center.
Partnering up with Upper Deck — the official trading card of the NHL — we’ll be there to provide free (yes, you heard me right) personalized trading cards for fans in attendance. We’ll supply you...
2 tags
Visual reboot
This weekend we launched a slight redesign of the SUM Booth website, as you can see in the comparison above. A little more simplified and less cluttered, we wanted to be able to give you the info you want in an easier manner — and of course, polish up the visuals as well.
What do you think? Let us know!
May 2010
5 posts
1 tag
“The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old...”
– John Maynard Keynes
5 tags
The Curious Case of Photo Buttons
Although our standard process normally involves 4x6 photos, we’re always looking to extend ourselves outside the proverbial box. Today, at a political-themed luncheon, we extended it to the form of a photo button, delivered on-site to guests within a minute or two.
“The world is but a canvas to the imagination.”
– Henry David Thoreau
4 tags
SDSU's Trading Block
One of the premium services we offer is the creation of trading cards at events. With a realistic look and feel, these cards end up in the hands of guests on the spot, delivering a hefty dose of instant gratification.
San Diego State University has done a great job of leveraging the trading card format to promote different sports on the front, and highlight upcoming student activities and...