Soldotna resident Teresa Kiffmeyer wanted to share her passion for photography and, at the same time, provide a fun and unique experience. To do so, she created 907 Photo Booth.
Started in 2013, 907 Photo Booth allows people at parties and events to have their photo taken while using any number of props and backgrounds available, in order to create light-hearted and memorable photographs. Prints are made available seconds after the photos are taken and can contain personalized borders and logos.
Kiffmeyer got the idea to take entertaining and humorous pictures a few years ago when she attended the wedding of a family friend. She thought it would be fun to take pictures of guests using her grandchildren’s dress up clothes.
Kiffmeyer, a retired teacher, said she saw an opening in the market for such a business. After she found out that no peninsula businesses provided a similar photo experience, she started collecting props and buying equipment in order to start her company.
So far, the reception has been great.
“It’s a lot of fun and people love it,” Kiffmeyer said. “It’s also a great after-retirement thing.”
Kiffmeyer said that by providing masks and props, she is able to capture more interesting photos.
“Everyone gets to dress up,” Kiffmeyer said. “It’s funny — you put a mask on someone and their whole character changes. They can be goofy instead of serious. And there are some people who want to have more serious (photos) and that’s fine.”
While the name may imply that the photos are taken in a fully enclosed set, the photo booth is open-air. Kiffmeyer said the idea of having an open-air photo booth would allow more freedom when it came to taking pictures.
“I decided against doing the traditional get-in-a-booth, because that limits the number of people,” Kiffmeyer said. “So, it’s open-air. I can take a picture of one (person), or I can take a picture of 15 if I want.”
907 Photo Booth travels to each appointment and sets up the booth before the event starts. After the event, the clients are provided with a digital copy of all the photos taken. There are also different photo packages available depending on how long a particular event is.
Not only does 907 Photo Booth provide photos for birthdays, weddings and other private parties, it also does charitable work for organizations such as the American Cancer Society and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Even with the business being well received, Kiffmeyer still hopes to improve and grow her business. She currently has several ideas that she is considering.
“I can see doing something maybe around the Kenai River with fishing,” she said. “I can see setting up and having a picture of the Kenai River and people coming in with their fish. There are a lot of possibilities out there, I’m just trying to explore them.”
For more information, go to: http://907photobooth.com.
Reach Ian Foley at ian.foley@peninsulaclarion.com.
