Autophoto has “flipped the table” on the formerly male-dominated photobooth industry
The women-run venture focused on salvaging and displaying analog photobooths opened a new Toronto location on Oct. 16, 2026.
In 2009, Breanna Conley Saxon, a recent photography school graduate, discovered an analog photobooth in a thrift store. For a mere $200, she purchased the booth. Little did she know how much that small decision would shape her future.
“It was a dying art that I was determined to keep alive,” said Conley Saxon.
When first delving into the world of analog photobooths, Conley Saxon encountered some obstacles. There was little publicly available information about the mechanical aspects of analog photobooths and it was difficult to find a mentor. She also was a woman in a heavily male-dominated field.
Nonetheless, she persisted. As the world emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, she invested her savings into purchasing 10 photobooths, placing them around the United States to keep the art of photobooths alive and accessible.
Conley Saxon’s passion for photobooths led to her founding Autophoto: a museum, gallery and studio that preserves and displays vintage analog photobooths. Beginning with the 2009 thrift store purchase, the company grew as Conley Saxon continued to buy and restore photo booths.
“I just thought people were going to want to document [moments] with their loved ones,” said Conley Saxon.
Conley Saxon had previously worked as a wedding photographer for a decade and witnessed firsthand the resurgence of analog photography.
“I was kind of gambling that the tangible analog would be a special thing. Anytime there’s anything niche or rare, people tend to realize it’s special."
Meanwhile, fellow analog photobooth enthusiast Emily Botelho, who has been deeply passionate about the art form since she was a young child, began embarking on an ambitious project of her own: visiting all of the remaining analog photobooths in the world.
“For those of us old enough to remember when 35mm was the only camera that you could use, a photobooth was magical because it was straight away,” said Botelho.
“By today’s standards, three to five minutes is a long time to wait,” Botelho added, “but at the time, it just felt incredible.”
Botelho’s mission to visit all remaining analog photobooths around the world led to her meeting Conley Saxon in 2024. The two women quickly discovered that despite being quite different, they shared a similar drive, passion and eagerness to learn.
“It was a very easy mentor-mentee relationship that grew very quickly,” said Botelho.
With Conley Saxon’s generosity and mentorship, Botelho gained the essential skills required to properly restore and maintain analogue photobooths.
In late 2025, Botelho launched the company Four Poses, which sources, restores and rebuilds vintage photobooths to display around the GTA. Four Poses’ booths have sparked significant social media attention, including the recently-placed vintage booth in The Image Centre at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).
Botelho was essential in convincing Conley Saxon that an Autophoto museum would thrive in New York, despite Conley Saxon’s initial concerns about the high rent prices in Manhattan.
“I knew from the first suggestion it was going to be successful,” said Botelho about the first location of Autophoto. “I knew people would line up; I knew it would go viral,” she added.
“It is a scary gamble but we just truly believe in it,” said Conley Saxon.
Opening its doors in Oct. 2025, Autophoto became the first photo booth museum in New York City. Located on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, the museum was a success, drawing lines and media attention.
“We’ve been surprised at how successful [Autophoto’s] been, seriously, in such a short span of time, which was a huge confidence boost,” said Botelho.
Autophoto officially opened a second location, on Oct.16, 2026, in Toronto, located at 501 Queen St. W. The new location is larger than the Manhattan space which gives the company “a bigger footprint to tell more history,” according to Conley Saxon.
While the museum’s contents alone sets itself apart, Autophoto is also a rarity because Conley Saxon made the deliberate choice to hire a team of about 80 per cent women.
When she initially entered the photo booth industry, it was heavily male-dominated and highly competitive, like a “gatekeepy” secret, Conley Saxon felt. Now, because the industry is relatively small, she feels her efforts have played a major role in changing that narrative.
“In this very small, niche community, I think we’ve flipped the table and it’s definitely more female-driven than male dominated at the moment,” said Botelho.
Conley Saxon and Botelho associate photobooths with feminism, and feel that photobooths allow women to express themselves and be whoever they want to be.
Marketing campaigns for the Photomaton, an automatic photo booth that debuted in 1925, heavily targeted women, focusing on the new ability to pose without judgement and adjust their appearance in private, according to the panel.
Botelho felt that photobooths have historically been “one of the great levelers in society” and are seen as safe spaces for women and those in marginalized communities who find it difficult to go to a photographer.
Her sentiments are reflected in a University of Mississippi panel of experts, according to whom, women have used photobooths for decades as a safe, inexpensive, convenient and creative way to produce self-images.
As for women who want to turn their passion project into a successful business, Conley Saxon offers some advice.
“Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do it. Anything you’re motivated and dedicated to work on, you can do,” she said.
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