# Photo booths - where were they? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 25, 2024, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137 "2024-12-25T01:36:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/41 "2024-12-26T00:15:28Z")
I’d go to Kinko’s for passport photos. The indeed had a Poloroid (or similar) with two lenses that took identical passports photos at the same time. There was a template that cut them out to size. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/42 "2024-12-26T03:07:09Z")
> [@Coriolanus](#): > > I do not recall any actual phone booths where you closed the folding door behind you left on Long Island or NYC as of 2015. Psst, @Coriolanus; we’re discussing _photo booths_, not phone booths. I made the same mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/43 "2024-12-26T09:07:15Z")
When I saw the thread, this was going to be my answer. I also think there was one at Pay 'n Save ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_%27n_Save) > [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > And a pharmacy – repeatedly mentioned in this thread – is one of the last places I would have guessed as a location to take pictures. ), which was a PNW drugstore chain. > [@mixdenny](#): > > There are a few. Oberlin, Ohio has a Ben Franklin. I didn’t realize there were still any Ben Franklin’s left. The one in my parents’ home town closed years ago. Another PNW drugstore chain, Bartell’s, used to do developing in-house ([link](https://historylink.org/file/10143)), but that was before my time. Some of the bigger ones had a digital photo booth, but I don’t remember if they had the old school photo booths. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/44 "2024-12-26T09:15:12Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > ), which was a PNW drugstore chain. If you are trying to get me confused you are succeeding. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/45 "2024-12-26T10:21:53Z")
In the UK there are photo booths in train stations, shopping malls, and larger supermarkets. These will take ID-spec photos. Several years ago when I needed to renew my photo driver’s license the letter I got from DVLA asked if I wanted to use my current passport photo which was on file. Then a couple years ago when I needed to renew my passport I just took a selfie with my phone, cropped it to the correct dimensions, and used that with no problems. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/46 "2024-12-26T10:29:25Z")
Aiee. Thanks. I didn’t know photo booths - that either gave a strip of 3 photos of you and friend(s) or produce passport sized & acceptable were a rare thing. In that case, what kferr said about the UK. They are in the full-size Asda’s, Tesco’s et al. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/47 "2024-12-26T11:44:09Z")
Yeah it was a bit of a confusing OP for us Brits. The booths have been around, continuously, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one used for fun purposes. Just to add, the OP contrasted photobooths with going digital. I believe most if not all photobooths are now digital. From the point of the user, the appearance of the booths, and the process is the same though. The paper that the images are printed on used to be thicker and there used to be an instruction to wait for a couple mins after the photos are released before taking them. But with these being the only differences, it’s hard to remember at what point they all switched to digital. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/48 "2024-12-26T12:26:49Z")
They mostly still are one price in my area, although that price is often more than a dollar. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/49 "2024-12-26T12:30:18Z")
We have Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and Famijy Dollar around here, and the first is the only one where it’s all mostly one price: $1.25 (there may be cheaper stuff, like some greeting cards, IIRC.) the others have varying prices. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/50 "2024-12-26T12:47:36Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > And a pharmacy – repeatedly mentioned in this thread – is one of the last places I would have guessed as a location to take pictures. I supose the chemical expertise is helpful when developing the negatives? Weird, in my eyes. This, at least, is not a Europe versus America thing - dm (one of the largest pharmacy chains in Germany) will take your photo for IDs, at least at every store where I’ve ever asked about that service. I suppose it originated in the days of analogue cameras, when you had to bring the roll of film to a lab for developing - pharmacies would routinely do that, even though normally they wouldn’t develop the film in-house but rather ship it to some centralised lab. In fact, they still do this, even though the photo-taking for ID purposes is, of course, all digital now. ETAS: Perhaps part of the confusion is the very German distinction between _Apotheke_ (where you buy regulated drugs - prescription drugs as well as those that are over-the-counter but may, under German law, still be sold only in those places) versus _Drogerie_ (where you buy grooming products, cosmetics and the like). Both are translated as “pharmacies” in English (at least the UK - I guess the latter might be a “drugstore” in America), but only the latter will take photos in Germany. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/51 "2024-12-26T13:02:14Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > Perhaps part of the confusion is the very German distinction between _Apotheke_ […] versus _Drogerie_ Indeed, but the distinction is not a German one. Spanish _farmacia_ vs _droguería_ or French _pharmacie_ vs _droguerie_ are identical. But yes, indeed, although my English is much more British than US the word pharmacy completely threw me off. The thing about German is that it has kept the Germanic word, but so did the Dutch: _[Apotheek](https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apotheek)_. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/52 "2024-12-26T13:49:02Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > We have Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and Famijy Dollar around here, and the first is the only one where it’s all mostly one price: Mostly non-chain dollar stores here which might be the difference. > [@Schnitte](#): > > Both are translated as “pharmacies” in English (at least the UK - I guess the latter might be a “drugstore” in America) I don’t think so - there’s a much longer explanation, but for the most part in the US both “pharmacy” and “drugstore” refer to a place where prescriptions are filled. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/53 "2024-12-26T13:54:40Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Yeah it was a bit of a confusing OP for us Brits. The booths have been around, continuously, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one used for fun purposes. FWIW, there was an episode of _As Time Goes By_ where the contrast of uses made for a gag or two. And then there’s the classic: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/FvNdhriwGuM/hqdefault.jpg "Hamlet Cigars Advert 1987: Photo Booth") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvNdhriwGuM) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/54 "2024-12-26T14:19:22Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > If you are trying to get me confused you are succeeding. If it’s “PNW” that’s confusing you, that stands for “Pacific Northwest”, a region of the US roughly corresponding to the states of Washington and Oregon, and maybe the bordering parts of Canada. Meanwhile, the US does have a distinction between “pharmacy” and “drugstore”, though they’re closely connected. A pharmacy is where you get prescription drugs. A drugstore is a small store that contains a pharmacy, but which will also sell over-the-counter medicines, basic groceries, candy, cheap toys, etc. A drugstore will always contain a pharmacy (typically a counter near the back of the store): A similar store without a pharmacy would be called a “convenience store”. But you’ll also find pharmacies in hospitals and in some larger grocery stores. Drugstores will often have a photo section (completely separate from the pharmacy, staffed by different people with different training and using different equipment), where in times past you could drop off rolls of film to be developed (I don’t know if they did that on site, or outsourced it, but that was where the customer went), and nowadays where you plug in your digital media to get prints made. There are other shops also that do just photos, but they’re rarer: Most Americans who want prints of their photos will go to a drugstore. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/55 "2024-12-26T14:26:31Z")
Wasn’t the goal. Messed up and didn’t realize it. You had mentioned that a pharmacy is the last place that you would expect to see a photobooth. In the U.S., most drugstores include a pharmacy counter, and I meant to give examples of two drugstores (each of which contained a pharmacy counter), which may have had photobooths. Anyway. Hubby suggested the roller rink, which was a popular gathering place in the 1980s. I went through some of the pictures from this article. Some of the captions include the location of the phone booths. > **[Four for a Quarter](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/four-for-a-quarter-7651349/)** > > Photographer Nakki Goranin shows how the once ubiquitous photobooth captured the many faces of 20th-century America ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/56 "2024-12-26T15:51:38Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > the very German distinction In Russia, Apteka’s typically only dispense medicines and even before Covid would do so behind a glass partition like a bank. Pretty much anything lesser than codeine can be bought without a prescription, including Korvalol which contains Phenobarbital. They might have cosmetics and things yet I’d not expect them to. And many of the supermarkets are fronted with little shops - travel agents, cell phone buyers and sellers, etc… and that’s where you’d expect to find a photo booth. In the UK, pharmacies can just be dispensaries or like Boots, sell an array of cosmetics and such. They still have a camera department and if they don’t have a photo booth, the supermarkets will. I renewed both my Irish and USA passport by mail (and took the photos myself and used the website to center it and tell them what size I needed). Same picture: The USA is in colour and the Irish is slightly smaller and they print it in black and white. Took another with my digital camera and did the same for my drivers license. Just back from Asda supermarket. “From £6” (about $7.50). Dunno what the UK passport requirements are and that does seem a bit pricey (dear). If it allows previews and retakes and you need it today, fine. £6 might be just drivers licenses so may be more for passports and I presume if you need more than one or two, that’s included. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/57 "2024-12-26T15:57:03Z")
> [@Coriolanus](#): > > In Russia, Apteka’s typically only dispense medicines and even before Covid would do so behind a glass partition like a bank. Pretty much anything lesser than codeine can be bought without a prescription, including Korvalol which contains Phenobarbital. They might have cosmetics and things yet I’d not expect them to. And many of the supermarkets are fronted with little shops - travel agents, cell phone buyers and sellers, etc… and that’s where you’d expect to find a photo booth. What is, I think, peculiar about the German system is that many drugs that are not prescription drugs are still subject to the rule that they can only be sold in licenced pharmacies. This includes, for instance, aspirin; it’s over-the-counter, but you won’t get it in a supermarket. So effectively, there are three tiers of products for the purposes of the pharmacy/drugstore issue: Prescription drugs, which you only get in a licenced pharmacy and with a prescription; OTC pharmaceuticals such as aspirin, which you don’t need a prescription for but which you still won’t get anywhere but in a pharmacy; and “everything else”, which, if it falls into the broad category of grooming and hygiene products, are often bought at a _Drogerie_ (but not a pharmacy) even though any place would be allowed to sell it. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/58 "2024-12-26T18:03:30Z")
I’ve recently noticed something new in London.'s Soho. There’s a chain of Korean photo booths, which appears to attract crowds (well, more than just passers by). I doubt if they’re cheap,and they don’t look as though ID is the main object > **[UK](https://life4cuts.co.uk/locations/)** > > UK Locations > Find your nearest LIFE FOUR CUTS store in the UK > New Malden View Map > Address > Cake & Bingsoo Cafe, 39 High St, New Malden > KT3 4BY > Soho View ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/59 "2024-12-26T19:34:34Z")
A local chain of stores had them when I was a kid. (They sold groceries, clothes, hardware, etc. So a big place by olden standards.) I never used one but I knew people who did. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137/60 "2024-12-26T19:43:50Z")
I don’t recall anyone ever using it but one of the local shopping malls had a photo booth before it got redeveloped into a town center, which was about a decade ago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-booths-where-were-they/1012137.md?page=4)