From K-pop to ‘petrol station’ sets: How photo studios are clicking with customers

[SINGAPORE] Two decades ago, young Singaporeans squeezed behind the curtains of Japanese-style Neoprint booths to snap photos, embellish them with glittery doodles, and print them out as stickers.

Once omnipresent in arcades and malls, these booths faded away in the 2010s as cameraphone technology improved. Now, photo booths are back in vogue – but look nothing like before.

Today, minimally manned self-photo studios occupy mall units and line shopping streets such as Haji Lane. Instead of stickers and cartoonish filters, they offer props, detailed background sets and limited-edition frames featuring pop stars or anime characters.