What: Mobile photo booth with Canon T-5 camera at tourist destinations and available for bookings at parties and events.
Where: Santa Cruz.
Founders: Emilio Armenta and Roya Aziz.
Information: 415-799-FOTO, info@thefotobike,coom and thefotobike.com.
SANTA CRUZ >> Near the lifeguard station on the Santa Cruz wharf on a sunny breezy afternoon, it's easy to spot the bright yellow three-wheeled bike where kids are posing in oversize pink glasses and a royal crown.
A skinny four-sided blackboard at the back of the bike explains this is The "Fotobike," which delivers photo strip pictures in seconds, a vacation memento with a digital copy to share on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
"The only photo booth on wheels," according to its creator, Emilio Armenta, 29, a military veteran and a budding entrepreneur dressed casually in a white T-shirt, shorts and sneakers.
Raised in Modesto, he served four years in the Marines in Afghanistan, then three-and-a-half years as a private contractor there.
While in Afghanistan, he met Roya Aziz, a journalist with a master's degree from UC Berkeley, reporting on the country her family fled in 1981 after the Soviet occupation.
When they decided to return to the U.S., they picked Santa Cruz, not as hot as the Central Valley, but with a higher cost of living.
The engaged couple had the idea of a traditional photo booth but Armenta preferred to be outdoors rather than inside.
He decided to build a photo booth on a bike.
"The first one I built in the living room," he said.
Then he built a second one, with a bigger printer that required a stronger bike.
"I have five now," he said, explaining that he's looking for other veterans to join his venture.
He brought out the Fotobike for Dance Week in April and got a gig at the Museum of Art & History downtown in July for the Race Through Time biking and walking scavenger hunt.
"I have never seen anything like the Foto Bike," said Helen Aldana, who worked on Race Through Time.
"Folks lined up with excitement to take their team photo and continued to return to take more. It was fun, quick, and printed photos on the spot, making it easier for folks to capture silly selfies with other teams and new friendships made. It was lovely to witness."
The exposure led to a job doing a wedding at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center.
Armenta said he welcomes bookings for events.
When he's not booked, he and Aziz pick a location at random, perhaps one of the iconic surf spots in Santa Cruz.
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Armenta said figuring out what to charge for photos has been tricky.
When he charged $5, people told him he wasn't asking enough.
When he charged $10, people thought the price was too high.
So he's been asking for donations instead.
Friday, the lifeguards on duty alerted Armenta that selling wasn't allowed on the wharf, he said he was just accepting donations and asked them if they would like to get their picture taken.
"It's tough adjusting to civilian life — a dozen of my friends didn't make it back," Armenta said. "This is kind of my therapy. I'm outside, and I'm seeing people smile."
THE FOTOBIKE
What: Mobile photo booth with Canon T-5 camera at tourist destinations and available for bookings at parties and events.
Where: Santa Cruz.
Founders: Emilio Armenta and Roya Aziz.
Information: 415-799-3686, info@thefotobike,coom and thefotobike.com.
Source: Mobile photo booth Fotobike debuts in Santa Cruz
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