ROLL CALL

A QR code for birthday party photos, set up in minutes

Everyone at your birthday takes photos. A QR code by the cake is the quickest way to get them all in one place. Here’s how to set one up, step by step.

UPDATED · 2 MIN READ

Step 1: decide what the code opens

For a party, the two good options are a free shared album (guests upload photos after the party) or a guest camera (guests shoot with it, and photos go straight into the gallery). A guest camera gets you more photos, because nobody has to remember to upload anything.

Roll Call is a guest camera that opens in the browser, so guests don’t install anything. It’s free for up to 10 guests with 10 shots each. A 50-guest party with 15 shots each, kept for a year, is $30, GH₵385 or ₦21,750.

Step 2: create the event

On Roll Call, give the party a name and a date, choose how many guests and how many shots each (10, 15, 24, 36), and pick when the photos develop. It takes about two minutes, and you get the QR code straight away.

Step 3: put the code where people stop

  • By the drinks. Everyone goes there.
  • On the cake table, so the candles get shot.
  • On a card on each table, for a sit-down dinner.
  • In the party WhatsApp group, the morning of the party. A link works as well as a code for guests who already have it.

Step 4: say it once

Half an hour in, when most people have arrived, say it out loud: “There’s a QR code by the drinks. Scan it and you get a camera with 15 shots. You can’t see your photos until tomorrow, so make them count.” More scripts are in what the MC should say.

Step 5: the reveal

Pick a reveal that suits the party: midnight if it’s still going, brunch the next day, or press the button yourself on the actual birthday. Then share the gallery link with everyone who came, and download every photo at full size.

Questions

Is there a free QR code for party photos?

Yes. A shared album link turned into a QR code is free. Roll Call is free for up to 10 guests, which covers a dinner or a small party.

Do guests need an app to scan the code?

No. Modern iPhones and Android phones scan QR codes with the normal camera. With Roll Call, the camera then opens in the browser, with nothing to install.

How do I pay for a bigger party?

One payment for the event, never a subscription. Hosts in Nigeria pay in naira by card. Paying in cedis by mobile money is on its way: until then, hosts in Ghana pay by card in dollars. Everyone else pays by card in dollars, pounds or euros.

Read next

A disposable camera on every phone.

One QR code, no app for guests, and every photo develops at once. Free for small events.

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