- Great Yarmouth seafront, 1960s-1970s. A sunny day, families strolling the prom, ice cream in hand. And there we were – Barkers Photographic – with our cameras, capturing candid moments of joy.
The pitch was simple: we’d snap your photo, hand you a ticket, and you’d come back a few hours later to see the result. Hopefully, you’d love it enough to buy it.
We called them “Walkies” – candid photos of people enjoying their day out. No posing, no studio lights, just real moments captured in real time. Well, sort of real time.
- The Wait Was Part of the Experience (Whether You Liked It or Not)
Here’s the thing nobody mentions about the “good old days” of photography – the wait was agonising.
You’d hand over your ticket hours later, wondering: Did I blink? Was my hair okay? Did the kids look normal or were they mid-tantrum?
But you’d already invested time in coming back. You’d built it up in your head. And when you finally saw that photo? There was genuine excitement. Or crushing disappointment. No middle ground.
The brutal truth? Some people never came back. Lost their ticket, forgot, or just couldn’t be bothered to walk back down the prom. Those photos? Gone. Memories that never became memories because they were never claimed.
- Fast Forward: The Technology Changed, The Mission Didn’t
Now we do the same thing – just faster, better, and with a guarantee you’ll actually get your photos.
Instead of the seafront, it’s weddings, corporate events, festivals, parties. Instead of hours, it takes seconds. Instead of hoping you come back with a crumpled ticket, you get instant prints, digital galleries, social media uploads – all before you’ve even left the event.
But here’s what hasn’t changed:
- The quality. We still give a damn about getting it right
- The people. Real humans who care about capturing your moment, not just clocking in
- The purpose. Creating memories worth keeping
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- Why This Actually Matters (Because It Does)
Let’s be honest – most photos today get taken and forgotten. They live on your phone, never printed, never shared, buried under 10,000 other shots you’ll never look at again.
Our photo booths force you to stop and make a memory tangible.
You walk away with something physical. Something you can stick on the fridge, send to grandma, or stumble across in five years and actually remember that night.
That’s what we did on Great Yarmouth prom. That’s what we do now.
Only now, you don’t have to wait hours wondering if you looked ridiculous. You know immediately. And honestly? You probably look great.
Look, I could wax lyrical about “preserving precious memories” all day. And I do believe in that. But let’s not pretend the old days were perfect.
Reality check:
- Half those “Walkies” photos probably got binned after one look
- People lost tickets constantly
- We had no idea if you’d actually come back
- If you didn’t like the photo? Tough. We’d already done the work
Now? We’ve removed all that friction. Instant gratification, multiple shots, filters, digital copies, shareable links. We’ve made it easier to preserve memories.
But here’s the uncomfortable question: Are we creating more memories, or just more photos?
Because when everything’s instant and perfect and shareable, does anything actually feel special anymore?
I’d like to think yes. I’d like to think that when you’re at a wedding and you step into our booth with your mates, phones down, just laughing and being daft – that’s still a moment. A real one.
And unlike Great Yarmouth in the ’60s, you’re actually going to keep it.
Barkers Photo Fun Ltd – Still capturing memories. Just a bit faster than we used to.