You’ve probably seen the photos: a dreamy portrait wrapped in clouds of red, violet, and gold, looking like something between a Polaroid and a painting. That’s aura photography, and over the past few years it has gone from a niche curiosity to one of the most requested experiences at conferences, trade shows, brand activations, weddings, and all types of parties. If you’ve found yourself searching “aura photography near me” after spotting one of these portraits on Instagram, you’re in the right place.
In this guide, we’ll break down what an aura photo booth actually is, how the technology behind aura photography works, what the colors are said to mean, and why this experience has become such a hit at live events.
What Is an Aura Photo Booth?
An aura photo booth is a photo experience that captures your portrait and overlays it with a colorful “energy field” based on readings taken from your body. Instead of a standard photo, guests walk away with a one-of-a-kind portrait surrounded by glowing color, along with an interpretation of what those colors represent.
Here’s the typical flow. First, you place your hand on a sensor plate. That sensor takes biofeedback readings from your hand. The system then translates those readings into colors and digitally generates your aura image as soft, cloud-like halos. We then capture your portrait with your aura cloud all around you. Five seconds later, you’re holding a printed aura portrait that is unique to you, with a summary and interpretation of your aura color meaning.
The result feels personal in a way regular event photos don’t. Two people can sit in the same booth, one after the other, and walk out with completely different portraits. That’s a big part of the appeal: it’s your photo, your colors, your reading.
A Quick History of Aura Photography
Aura photography has deeper roots than most people expect. The story starts in 1939, when a Soviet inventor named Semyon Kirlian discovered that placing an object on a photographic plate and running an electrical current through it produced a glowing outline around the object. Kirlian photography became a sensation, and many people interpreted those glowing halos as evidence of a life-force energy surrounding living things.
The version we know today came along in the 1970s, when an American entrepreneur named Guy Coggins built the AuraCam. His camera combined a standard portrait with a second exposure driven by hand sensors that measured biofeedback. The colors weren’t random. They were generated from real readings of the sitter’s body and layered over the film to create the signature aura effect.
Coggins’ analog cameras are still in use, but most modern aura photo booths use digital cameras, refined sensors, and software that renders the color overlays instantly. The technology got faster and sharper, but the core idea hasn’t changed in fifty years: measure something real from your body, translate it into color, and turn it into a portrait.
How Aura Photography Actually Works
Let’s get into the mechanics, because this is where most explanations get vague.
The heart of an aura photo booth is the hand sensor. When you rest your palm on the plate, the sensors measure biofeedback signals such as skin temperature and the electrical conductivity of your skin, sometimes called galvanic skin response. These are the same types of signals used in lie detector tests and some fitness wearables. They shift based on things like circulation, stress, relaxation, and even how warm or nervous you are in the moment.
The system maps those readings to specific zones and color values. Different sensor readings correspond to different colors, and the position of the readings determines where the colors appear around your head and shoulders.
Then comes the portrait itself. In the original film cameras, this happened through a double exposure: one exposure captured your face, and a second exposure printed the colors over it. Digital aura booths do the same thing with software, blending the color field over your image in real time and printing the result on the spot.
So is aura photography “real”? Here’s the honest answer: the camera is genuinely measuring something, and your body’s state in that moment genuinely shapes the colors you get. Whether those colors represent a metaphysical aura is a matter of personal belief, not settled science. Some guests treat their reading as a meaningful snapshot of their energy. Others treat it as a beautiful, personalized piece of art. Both are valid ways to enjoy the experience, and part of the fun at an aura reading event is hearing how differently people relate to their portraits.
What Do the Aura Colors Mean?
Every aura photography tradition has its own interpretations, but most readings follow a similar color language:
- Red is associated with passion, energy, and drive. Red auras often show up on people who are excited, physical, and living in the moment.
- Orange points to creativity, confidence, and social energy. It’s a common color at lively events, which makes sense.
- Yellow suggests optimism, playfulness, and intellect. A sunny color for a sunny mood.
- Green is tied to growth, balance, and healing. It often appears around people in a period of change.
- Blue signals calm, communication, and emotional depth. Blue auras tend to read as peaceful and expressive.
- Violet is linked to intuition, imagination, and sensitivity. It’s one of the most requested colors, and one of the most striking on film.
Most aura photo booth experiences include a reading card or a short explanation with each portrait, so guests don’t just get a photo, they get a story to go with it. That story is what people share, compare, and talk about for the rest of the night.
Why Aura Photo Booths Work So Well at Live Events
A standard photo booth gives guests a fun photo. An aura photo booth gives them a conversation.
That difference matters at events. When someone gets their aura portrait, the first thing they do is show it to a friend and ask, “What did you get?” Suddenly two strangers at a corporate mixer are comparing readings. A wedding table is passing portraits around. A line forms, not because the booth is slow, but because people want to watch each other’s colors appear.
This is why an aura photo activation has become a favorite for brands and event planners. It checks every box a good activation needs. It’s visual, so it photographs beautifully for social media. It’s personal, so every guest gets something unique. It’s interactive, so it creates a shared moment rather than a passive one. And it produces a physical keepsake that guests hold onto long after the event, often with the host’s or brand’s name printed right on it.
Aura experiences fit almost any event type: weddings, birthday and anniversary parties, corporate events and holiday parties, brand activations and product launches, festivals, galas, and wellness events. Anywhere you want guests talking to each other instead of staring at their phones, an aura booth earns its spot.
What to Expect at an Aura Reading Event
If you’re planning to book or attend an aura reading event, here’s what the experience usually looks like from the guest’s side. You’ll sit for your portrait, place your hand on the sensor, and hold still for a few seconds while the reading is taken. The portrait prints within five seconds, and you’ll receive an interpretation of your colors, in printed format and digitally receive it instantly with further details on you aura color meaning.
The whole experience is fully customizable. Whether we can spend 45 seconds or several minutes with each guest, we can adjust the throughput to match your event’s needs.
Bringing an Aura Photo Booth to Your Event in New Orleans or Nationwide
If there’s one city where an aura experience feels right at home, it’s New Orleans. This is a place that has always embraced mystique, color, and celebration, and an aura portrait fits a NOLA event the way brass bands fit a second line. But the experience doesn’t have to stay in New Orleans! We’d love to bring this interaction to your guests no matter where your event is nationwide.
At Boogie Booth, we specialize in photo booth rentals across New Orleans and travel throughout the United States, and our aura photo booth rental is one of the experiences guests ask about most. Whether you’re planning a conference, a corporate event, a brand activation, wedding, or a party that needs something people haven’t seen before, we’ll handle the setup, the prints, and the readings so you can enjoy watching your guests light up, in every sense.
Curious what your aura looks like? Reach out to Boogie Booth and let’s find out together at your next event.