It’s been nearly 10 years since Rhonda Ross came up with the idea. She had been to many parties, bar and bat mitzvahs, etc., and realized that “at the end of the day, it’s all a blur.”
Enter PictureThisAZ. “We started in 2005 with one photo booth,” she explains.
Rhonda now has six photo booths available for rentals, and they’re busy all the time.
Here’s how it works. Let’s say it’s a bar mitzvah. Rhonda meets with the family prior to the big day. The young man gets to choose a scrapbook in personalized colors and theme to fit his event. The booth comes complete with an attendant who interacts with the guests, encouraging the use of props and adding to the fun. The guests can enter the photo booth as often as they like; each person in the photo receives a quickly developed photo to take home. And there’s an additional copy that goes into the individual’s book. Guests have the opportunity to write something special to the bar mitzvah boy as well. At the end of the evening, the book goes home with him! No waiting for months for the photos to come in! Plus the guests go home with labeled souvenir photos.
Rhonda, who has lived in the Valley since 1982, feels strongly that having such a personalized keepsake is an important reminder to the young man of just how loved he is. “With all the bullying going on these days, and all the tough times young teenagers have, it’s nice to have something so positive to look at and remind themselves of all the friends and family they have who surround them with love and support.”
The idea has caught on for other types of events as well. Rhonda says they often do weddings, schools, corporate parties, quinceañeras and adult birthday parties. “All age groups love the photo booth,” Rhonda remarks.
“People tend to feel less inhibited with no photographer there, and with the help of the fun props we provide, they can be as silly as they like.”
PictureThisAZ is a bit of a family affair, with husband, Mathew, and sons, Ryan, 20, and Adam, 14, pitching in to help. Members of Temple Solel, the Ross family enjoys helping each other and participating in such an upbeat business.
As their website says, “You create the dreams, we create the memories.” picturethisAZ.com | 602-423-6830
