1968 Auto-Photo Model 14 / Found at a thrift store / Photo by Bre Conley ©AUTOPHOTO 2009

“There’s a little dose of magic in every analog photobooth photo. It takes a collective dedication and love for these machines to keep them alive, and that’s what drives me – to inspire and collaborate with photobooth technicians around the world.” – Bre Conley Saxon

I don’t think that there’s anyone involved with vintage analog Photobooths who isn’t passionate about keeping them as part of our cultural experience and legacy.   Photobooths used to be in airports, train stations, shopping centers, Woolworth’s and Ben Franklin’s, as well as amusement centers and arcades. Now they are located in photographic supply stores, photo centers, museums, bars, and restaurants.

Through Instagram I met Bre Conley Saxon who founded AUTOPHOTO and is passionate about preserving their legacy. In 2009 she found her first vintage analog Photobooth and now operates twenty-four Photobooths across the US.

Bre, along with other Photobooth colleagues and enthusiasts, organized and held The International Photobooth Convention in NYC this past August.  And to top that off, she recently opened The AUTOPHOTO | Photobooth Gallery + Museum at 121 Orchard Street, New York City, NY.  With Photobooths across the country, this new space is  the headquarters for AUTOPHOTO and its flagship brick and mortar location.  With her ever increasing historical and technical knowledge and her commitment to the art form, Bre is working to secure the future for the magic of vintage analog Photobooths. As a long-time fan and artist, I cannot wait to meet her and visit The AUTOPHOTO | Photobooth Gallery + Museum.

AUTOPHOTO | Photobooth Gallery + Museum | 121 Orchard St. | New York City ©AUTOPHOTO

Bre Conley Saxon is a photographer and entrepreneur specializing in the restoration and operation of vintage analog photobooths. Originally from Georgia, she studied traditional darkroom photography at the University of Alabama and later at the Brooks Institute in California, where she honed her craft and developed a lasting love for all things vintage.

In 2009, Bre discovered her first photobooth—a 1968 Model 14 from a thrift store—and was immediately drawn to its mechanics and history. Determined to keep these rare machines alive, she sought out two of the last remaining U.S. photobooth repairmen in New Jersey and California, training under them and building expertise over the next decade. Since then, she has restored more than 20 booths and helped strengthen a growing network of enthusiasts, artists, and collaborators.

She is the founder of AUTOPHOTO, a proudly woman-led company with a majority-female staff that restores, installs, maintains, and rents analog booths across the United States. As of 2025, AUTOPHOTO oversees more than 24 operating machines in seven states. Today, venues nationwide seek out AUTOPHOTO for authentic analog photobooth experiences. Bre is equally known for her commitment to community—hiring and training diverse technicians, and connecting artists, collectors, and enthusiasts with rare parts and knowledge.

In 2025, Bre co-hosted the International Photobooth Convention in New York, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the photobooth. In October, AUTOPHOTO opened its new headquarters in New York City, featuring rare and historic booths where visitors can take portraits and experience the magic of analog photography firsthand. The space also houses never-before-seen artifacts, rotating art exhibitions, and a rare analog photobooth gallery and museum—pioneering a new kind of space dedicated to both preservation and contemporary storytelling, and cementing Bre’s role as both a preservationist and an innovator shaping the future of photobooths.

AUTOPHOTO | Photobooth Gallery + Museum | 121 Orchard St. | New York City ©AUTOPHOTO

J.K. Lavin: Tell us about yourself- your background in photography and the beginning of your passion for vintage analog Photobooths- what’s your earliest photobooth memory or experience? 

Bre Conley Saxon: Since watching my first photograph appear in a darkroom in high school, I have been captivated by the magic of analog photography. I would go to the mall with my friends and leave with color photos from analog photobooths. I later earned my BFA from the University of Alabama and went on to study at the Brooks Institute of Photography in California. I shot weddings professionally for ten years before turning my full attention to photobooths.

AUTOPHOTO | Photobooth Gallery + Museum | 121 Orchard St. | New York City ©AUTOPHOTO at night

What and where was your first photobooth?  Where did it come from and how long did it take to get it in working order? 

In college, I worked in the darkroom with my friend Ali. In 2009, she came across a 1968 Auto-Photo Model 14 in a thrift store and knew I’d be just crazy enough to come pick it up. It turned out to be an 800 pound paperweight that sat in my garage for years while I researched how to bring it back to life!  Back then it was nearly impossible to find information on analog photobooths since digital had completely taken over.

Eventually, I found Max (@classicphotoboothusa) and Mike (@photo_illusion_ca) and begged them to let me watch them work. They became my mentors and pointed me in the right direction. Max told me it would take ten years before I really learned everything there is to know about these machines and he wasn’t wrong. I’m still learning new things all the time. Restoring a booth is a lot like fixing up a vintage car because there’s always something new to uncover.

©Conley, AUTOPHOTO MUSEUM. Anatol Josepho Exhibit

What inspired you to start Autophoto?

After getting my first photobooth up and running, I was kinda hooked. My husband Bryant was always super supportive and encouraged me to find a second one since I had learned so much. From there, things just snowballed and eventually led to having booths all across the country.

I had been using the name SayBre, which came from my wedding photography business (like “say cheese,” LOL), but I knew it didn’t really fit what I was doing anymore. Things had grown beyond just me. I wanted a name that reflected the bigger picture, so I adopted Auto-Photo and gave it new life.

Auto-Photo was once one of the largest manufacturers of photobooths, distributing them around the world. The name had been abandoned for decades, so I revived it and rebranded it as one word, AUTOPHOTO, to honor its legacy while creating something new.

I’ve always been fascinated by the history of photobooths, and I felt that story wasn’t really being told. That’s what inspired me to open AUTOPHOTO | Photobooth Gallery + Museum. The profits from our NYC headquarters will go toward restoring old photobooths that have been saved from landfills or abandoned in basements and warehouses.

The AUTOPHOTO headquarters in NYC is like a collective. We have photobooth owners from around the country like Wes Landson (@instant.photobooth), and Victoria Hogan and Stephen Fetterusso  (@vintagevegasphotobooth) who have worked hard to bring their booths here to share a spotlight in NYC!

Auto-Photo Model 11, dating between 1955–1964, will be fully restored by AUTOPHOTO ©AUTOPHOTO

What has been the most difficult or challenging problem? 

It’s been a long journey, and I still feel like I’m climbing a giant mountain. When I first got into this business over a decade ago there was hardly any information out there. No one really talked to each other and a lot of people were pretty secretive with what they knew.

As a woman running her own business in such a mechanical and technical field, I’ve definitely had to work extra hard to prove that I could do this. That’s part of why I try to hire female and diverse technicians. I want to help break the stereotype that you can’t repair a transmission and also have fake nails because you absolutely can.

Honestly, the hardest part these days is just having too much to do and not enough time. I’m so excited about all the possibilities and wish there were more hours in the day to fix booths, collaborate with artists, and connect with photographers around the world.

Where and how did you learn about the chemistry and mechanics necessary to keep the machines in good working order? 

I learned a lot from Mike and Max, but they always told me it takes about ten years to really understand these machines and that’s proven to be true. The booths are finicky and seem to have a mind of their own. While there are common issues that come up, every machine also presents unique challenges that require on-the-spot problem solving, sometimes under pressure to get a booth running before wedding guests arrive.

Image07-Auto-Photo Model 12, Model 17, and Model 20 photobooths at AUTOPHOTO in New York / ©AUTOPHOTO

How many photobooths do you operate now? 

I have about 24 booths across the county and have founded a museum and gallery in New York that serves as our headquarters. But I don’t own all of the booths in our NY space. Some of the booths are owned and refurbished by others. This may not have been the best business decision because of the financial risks but I wanted to provide an opportunity to other technicians so they can have a spotlight in NY while I take on the risk.  Wes has put enormous effort into restoring his Polaroid booth and the Model 12, and he’s quickly becoming one of the top photobooth technicians. We also have Victoria Hogan’s Model 21 at AUTOPHOTO that’s part of Vintage Vegas Photobooth’s collection and was restored by Mike Rybak.

Do you have a favorite? 

I love the Model 11, I call her my unicorn. It’s the only booth I have of this model and I bought it from a girl, also named Brianna. It was meant to be.

Auto-Photo Model 14, 1964-1970s, at AUTOPHOTO in New York / ©AUTOPHOTO

Is there a special one that is still on your wishlist? 

Yes, any booth predating the first Auto-Photo booths in 1949.

How did the community of photobooth owners, operators, technicians and artists form and evolve? 

As far as I know, it all just happened naturally.  When digital booths took over people started to notice that analog booths were disappearing. I think fans and enthusiasts started to slowly find each other online. Tim and Brian have run photobooth.net for many years and their website was foundational in providing resources to the community. And then they started the International Photobooth Convention which was sometimes a small gathering and sometimes a larger event.

Congratulations on your two recent  and very remarkable accomplishments:  Along with your colleagues, @classicphotoboothusa, @photoette and www.photobooth.net  you organized and hosted The 2025 International Photobooth Convention in NYC last August.  It was a huge success (and I will always regret not being there! ) and must have been a huge undertaking. 

Mid-20th-century original blueprints from the Auto-Photo Company / ©AUTOPHOTO

What was the idea behind that and what were the best moments for you?

It was a huge undertaking! I think I was invited to help host the convention because I’ve been so involved in the analog photobooth community over the years. I’ve helped a lot of people learn about analog booths, find booths to purchase, and even connect with jobs as technicians. I was very lucky to learn what I did from Mike and Max, and I’ve always wanted to share that knowledge with others. After co-hosting the convention I truly feel like part of the family.

A custom-made Photobooth Passport book created by AUTOPHOTO | ©AUTOPHOTO

How many countries were represented? 

I’m not 100% sure but I know we had people from Ireland, Canada, US, Mexico, Phillipines, Australia, South Korea, London, Portugal, Italy, Poland.

Is there a photobooth organization? Please share some of the highlights.  

Most of us stay connected through Instagram.  We also developed an app a few years ago to track analog booth data from technicians to identify common issues. We’re hoping to make it available to all technicians soon.

The first test strip from a mystery roll of 20-year-old color paper featuring Bre Conley. © AUTOPHOTO

And right on the heels of that came the opening of the Photobooth Museum in NYC. Please tell us about it. How many and what kind of booths? 

Co-hosting the convention is part of what inspired us to create the AUTOPHOTO | Photobooth Gallery + Museum in New York. We knew we wanted to host the convention there, and while searching for spaces and planning how to transport multiple booths to the city, my friend Emily, (@FourPosesFiveMinutes) suggested making it a permanent location. It’s been a vision of mine for many years to have a space dedicated to the history of photobooths and the convention was the final push I needed. Since we were already preparing to celebrate the 100 year anniversary and I had always wanted to share the history of analog photobooths, it just felt like the perfect next step.

We have 6 fully restored vintage photobooths and never-before-seen artifacts from inventor Anatol Josepho’s family archives, including an original 1920s camera, newspaper articles, and portraits of the inventor.

• Analog photobooths from every era
• Rare discontinued color paper (available seasonally, while supplies last)
• Only wide-format booth on the East Coast (producing 3 images on rare wide paper)
• Only working original Polaroid photobooth in the world
• Original photostrips on display and artworks inspired by photobooth technicians from artists around the world
• Artifacts from Anatol Josepho, the inventor of the photobooth, including original 1920s newspapers profiling his journey, how he landed in New York and built the very first photobooth that started it all.

©Jessie Curneal, Bre in the workshop

What do you think has created the momentum that we’re seeing in interest in vintage analog photobooths? 

There are two audiences. It’s the younger generations that didn’t grow up with physical photos to cut and paste into their scrapbooks that are discovering for the first time how beautiful photobooth strips are. And it’s also the nostalgia factor for many people who remember their high school dates or that one time they convinced their dad to squeeze into a tiny box for a photo. The rarity has also pushed the momentum. With so few booths around the world and knowing how hard they are to fix, I think it makes people want to grab photos before it is gone for good.

Original photostrips. (Left) Unknown photobooth technician found in a booth cabinet; (second from left to right) Bre’s mentors Mike Rybak, Max Sverdlov, and Jim Henderson. Photo by Jessie Curneal

What would you like to see happen for the future of vintage analog Photobooths?  

We got really close to seeing analog booths disappear forever. From issues getting parts, paper and chemistry, to the lack of knowledge being shared on how to fix them – we really did get close to losing them. I just want to see the artform continue. Sometimes it’s just silly photos with your friends, sometimes it’s capturing a self portrait that makes you feel seen, sometimes it’s creating a unique piece of art with an 800 pound box holding a camera – however the booths are used –  it is a joyful experience. I just want to see that continue.

I would really like to see analog booths all around the world get support. Every booth is a little bit different. Maybe there are white borders, maybe it’s black borders with a slight curve, maybe the venue has their name on the image. No one analog photobooth is better than another and I love seeing people who make visiting an analog booth part of their international travel plans.

Inside a photobooth | photo by Jessie Curneal

-Signage on a rare 1959 Auto-Photo Model 12 photobooth featuring wide-format photos of Julie Savage (left) and technician Wes Landson (right). © AUTOPHOTO