Photoautomats of Berlin

In Berlin, the photo booth is an institution, with booths, or Photoautomats, scattered across the city. The city’s old photo booths stand like relics from another era. Between concrete and graffiti, glass towers and overgrown lots, small boxes of light still wait on street corners. Around them, life carries on. Trains rattle overhead, laughter spills out from a nearby beer garden, music blares from an open apartment window. Yet within those thin metal walls, the world slows. Each booth offers a small, familiar ritual: a curtain drawn, a flash, the quiet anticipation of waiting for the strip to appear. I spent a summer tracing them across boroughs and borders, through alleyways and clubs, under rail lines, across a once divided city.

A photo booth with a sign reading 'Photoautomat' on top, placed against a pale yellow wall, with a shadow cast diagonally across the wall.
Inside an orange-colored photo booth with a black curtain, a stool with peeling paint, and shadows of leaves on the curtain.
An outdoor vintage photo booth with a yellow exterior, labeled 'Photoautomat,' located on a sidewalk with graffiti-covered wall and posters attached nearby. The booth has a small window and a seat inside, under a tree with string lights overhead.
An old, graffiti-covered photo booth on a city street with a blue sky above.
A woman in black walking past a photo booth outside a building. The photo booth is decorated with graffiti and has a sign that reads 'Photoautomat,' with options for photo strips and pricing listed.
Photo booth labeled 'Photautomat' with a metal exterior, situated on a raised platform with scaffolding, trees in the background, and a clear blue sky.
Photobooth with instructions in German and Italian, price sign for photos at 3 euros, contactless payment sign, and a door with a small window at the top.
A photo of a photo booth labeled 'Photoautomat' with a woman standing nearby using her phone.
A metallic photo booth with a red sign that says 'Photoautomat' on top, situated outdoors on a sunny day. Graffiti is visible on the booth and nearby walls, with an open door showing the colorful interior. In the background, there are murals on the buildings and clear blue sky.
An outdoor photo booth labeled 'Photoautomat' with one open slot showing a person sitting inside with their legs visible. The booth has a metallic exterior with red accents and black curtains on each side of the photo slots. There are informational signs on the front of the booth.
Photo booth with a metal exterior, a curtain, a round seat, and signs in German indicating photo output and waiting time.