1) Take a photo kiosk
2) Strip it down to bare functionality
3) Encase it in a decorative concrete or metal pillar 3 or 4 feet high
4) Point it at an interesting landmark or scenic view
5) Charge people $1 for a photo of them in front of said landmark
6) Remove money and add film periodically

This, in conjunction with its related idea, might make a new business model for Polaroid. It would certainly do wonders for the advancement of bubblegum- and scratch-resistant lenses.
-- phoenix, Jul 27 2003

Scenic View Tele-Photo http://www.halfbake...20View_20Tele-Photo
Related. [phoenix, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Woto Photo http://www.halfbake...m/idea/Woto_20Photo
Underwater version of same. [Cedar Park, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Wikipedia on Print Club http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Print_Club
no mention of internationally famous landmarks, so you'll just have to trust me. [my face your, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Excellent, Smithers!
-- thumbwax, Jul 27 2003


"say cheese"
-- neilp, Jul 27 2003


"Smile, you're on concrete camera."
-- FarmerJohn, Jul 27 2003


This is baked in digital photo format, at some amusement parks. People in each car of a roller coaster are photographed, often while in an inverted loop. Once you exit the ride, you can buy a blurry photo of yourself with 3 complete strangers, for $10.
-- Amos Kito, Jul 27 2003


And allow adjustment of the camera/photographee height.
-- FarmerJohn, Jul 27 2003


I thought Polaroid went bankrupt.
-- otnas, Jul 27 2003


They filed for chapter 11 in 2001. They are still in business though.
-- DeathNinja, Jul 27 2003


This is an excellent idea. Manys the time I've had to fumble with the cameras of strangers in order to satisfy their requests for photos in front of landmarks. The resultant pictures would rarely be satisfactory.
Make sure you mark clearly the optimum stance point on the ground though.

<almost entirely off topic>The Japanese, being a shower of crazy bastards, have baked this in their own skew-whiff way: Print Club. Step into the booth, pick your background and have your photo taken. I have a picture of me standing in front of Big Ben that was 'taken' in Kyoto. </almost entirely off topic>
-- my face your, Jul 27 2003


I neglected to mention in the original idea that I expect a marker of some sort on the ground so the recipient will know where to stand.

I hadn't considered framing of the photo as I expected the device to be stationary and of fixed focus. The mirror is an excellent idea for many reasons, but seems too subject to vandalism. Maybe a sample photo with a box drawn to show where the subject will end up in the photo?

One of the ancillary benefits of this idea is that, if you don't want to pay for a photo, you have a built-in reference for a good place to set your camera. Just line yours up on top of the pillar, set the timer and get into frame. Focus, etc are up to you. Maybe the pillar has a built-in tripod mount?
-- phoenix, Jul 27 2003



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