Question 1

What is Popcam?

Accepted Answer

Popcam is a self-serve camera kiosk that ships to your venue and runs itself. Guests walk up and leave with a polished professional headshot or a branded group photo, with no photographer or attendant needed. Inside each kiosk is a professional Canon mirrorless camera, built-in studio lighting and automated editing.

It’s proprietary, patent-pending technology, owned, operated and maintained end to end by popcam. There’s no hardware to assemble and no complicated software: popcam is plug and play in any environment.

Question 2

Who uses Popcam?

Accepted Answer

Employers, conferences, galas, nonprofits and community events of every kind. Headshots are popular at conferences, career fairs and HR summits; group photos are a hit at town halls, office openings, galas and celebrations.

Question 3

Can I get a headshot without visiting a kiosk?

Accepted Answer

Yes. With virtual headshots, you take your photo on your own smartphone, and it goes through the same editing and lands in the same account.

Question 4

How does Popcam get to our event, and back?

Accepted Answer

We ship it by UPS so it arrives about two business days before your event. When you’re done, pack it back in its case and UPS picks it up the next business day. Shipping both ways is included.

Question 5

How hard is setup? Do we need someone to run it?

Accepted Answer

Roll it in, plug it in, scan the SHOOTcode from your confirmation email and run a quick lighting test. It can take as little as two minutes, and no attendant is needed during the event. Before your event, we’ll walk your on-site contact through setup on a short call, and we’re a call or email away on event day.

Question 6

Is there anything to assemble or install?

Accepted Answer

No. There’s no hardware to assemble and no software to install. Popcam arrives ready to go and is plug and play in any environment: all you need is a standard power outlet. We own, operate and maintain every kiosk, so updates and repairs are included at no extra cost.* *Excludes damage caused by negligence or intentional misuse.

Question 7

Do we need Wi-Fi?

Accepted Answer

No. Popcam has its own built-in Verizon connection. If the signal drops, photos are saved on the kiosk and upload automatically once it reconnects. You’re welcome to connect venue Wi-Fi for faster delivery. All you need to provide is a standard power outlet.

Question 8

How many kiosks do we need?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the mode and your headcount. In group photo mode, one kiosk comfortably handles an event of about 500 guests. For headshots, one kiosk serves up to 50 people an hour, so for 500 guests who all want a headshot, we’d suggest two. Tell us your headcount and schedule, and we’ll recommend a setup.

Question 9

Is a backdrop included?

Accepted Answer

For headshots, no physical backdrop is needed: we remove the background and replace it with a clean digital backdrop. For group photos, most hosts use their own step-and-repeat or backdrop, and we add your custom digital frame on top. We also sell branded fabric signs if you’d like one.

Question 10

Can we do headshots and group photos at the same event?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Pricing is the same either way. We recommend running one mode for part of the day, then switching to the other, rather than switching back and forth. We’ll show your team how to switch on your setup call.

Question 11

How do guests get their headshot?

Accepted Answer

Each guest’s edited headshot lands in their private online gallery shortly after the shoot, and we email them when it’s ready, in an email branded with your logo and colors. They can download it any time, including the unedited original.

Question 12

How do guests get their group photo?

Accepted Answer

At the end of each shot, the screen shows a QR code. Everyone in the group can scan the same code to view and download the photo on their phone. Guests who sign in or sign up can tag themselves, and the photo is saved to their account next to any headshots.

Question 13

What editing is done to headshots?

Accepted Answer

Our pipeline automatically handles smart cropping, background removal and a clean digital backdrop, color, exposure and lighting correction, and subtle retouching, which can include light skin smoothing, blemish and shine reduction, and eye brightening. Glare on eyeglasses is fixed by hand (see “Does Popcam use AI?” below). Guests can choose from 20+ backdrops, plus any branded backdrops you add.

Question 14

Can we brand Popcam for our event?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can add your logo and colors to the kiosk screens, galleries and “headshot ready” emails, create branded headshot backdrops, and design a custom digital frame for group photos (Canva works great). Branded fabric signs and custom stand wraps are available for the kiosk itself.

Question 15

Can we get copies of everyone’s photos?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Organizers get an admin dashboard with every headshot and group photo from your events, labeled by name, with bulk download. For group photos, you also get a list of names and emails for guests who signed up.

Question 16

Do guests need an account?

Accepted Answer

For headshots, yes: guests sign up free at lumatic.app/signup with email or LinkedIn and get a personal IDcode to scan at the kiosk. For group photos, no account is needed; signing up is optional for guests who want to tag themselves and keep the photo in their gallery.

Question 17

Who can see my photos, and how long are they kept?

Accepted Answer

Only you and your event’s organizers can see your headshots. Photos are erased from the kiosk once they upload, and kept in your account so you have lifetime access. Want them deleted? Email support@popcam.me. We collect only your name, email and photo.

Question 18

Does Popcam use AI? Is my headshot still really me?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it’s really you. We use AI for some editing steps, but we don’t use generative AI, and we never re-imagine or synthesize anyone’s appearance. The face in your final image is the face the camera captured. Put simply, we don’t create new pixels of you. Everything in the final image that is you came from the camera. We can adjust, remove or reuse those real pixels, but we never invent them. The backdrop is a replacement; the person is not. Take glare on eyeglasses, one of the most common reasons a headshot is unusable. The usual fixes are to throw out the photo or deliver one of you without your glasses, which doesn’t look like you. Instead, we capture photos with and without your glasses, and then we copy your eyes from the no-glasses photo into the final image by hand, not by software. It’s more work, but nothing is invented. Beyond that, the pipeline makes standard photographic corrections to exposure, color and lighting, plus subtle retouching that can include light skin smoothing, blemish and shine reduction, and eye brightening. Each headshot is checked for lighting, meaning how bright the face, forehead, chin and background are, so the photo can be edited to correct it. The check finds where the face is in the frame but never identifies who it is: no face matching, no face recognition, no biometric data. Only the brightness readings are kept, alongside the photo. We never use your photos to train AI models. Every room’s lighting is different, and we’re always improving how Popcam adapts to it. Stay tuned!

Question 19

How much does Popcam cost?

Accepted Answer

A one-day event is $800 per kiosk, and that’s all-inclusive: shipping both ways, taxes, unlimited photos and the built-in internet connection. The price is the same for headshots, group photos or both. A full week is $3,000 per kiosk. Organizations that use Popcam all year can lease a kiosk starting at $12,000 a year. Many hosts also have a sponsor cover the cost in exchange for branded signage and photo frames.

Question 20

How far ahead should we book?

Accepted Answer

About 30 days ahead is typical, and earlier for peak event seasons, our busiest stretches. Not ready to commit? We can place a free, no-obligation hold on your date while you get approvals. Schedule a call or email sales@popcam.me to get started.

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