Bow Cam: a disposable camera for your event

Turn on Bow Cam

Open your registry and go to the Bow Cam tab, then press “Turn on Bow Cam”. Your camera gets its own QR code and link, separate from your registry's, so guests who scan for photos land on the camera rather than your gift list.

It starts with sensible settings: 24 shots per guest, and an album that develops at 10 AM the morning after your event. You can change any of it under Camera settings, before or during the event.

• Turn it on a few days early and take a test shot yourself, so you know what guests will see.
• Once it's on, your registry page also shows guests a link to the camera.

Put the camera QR on your tables

Guests can only join if they can find the camera. When you print table cards, choose Bow Cam under “QR code opens” and the cards open the camera instead of your gift list. The card message starts as “Scan to take photos with our Bow Cam”, and you can change it.

• One card per table works well. Once a few guests start shooting, the rest follow.
• Have the MC or DJ mention it once: “Scan the card on your table to grab a disposable camera.”
• Copy the camera link from the Bow Cam tab and drop it in the group chat for anyone who can't scan.

Show it on the big screen

Big-screen mode has a Bow Cam option too. It shows the camera QR in large print with a running count of photos and guests so far, which is a fun nudge for anyone who hasn't joined yet.

• Put the camera up early in the evening, then switch the screen to your registry or a fund after the speeches.
• Leave it up for a minute or two so people have time to get their phones out.

What guests see

Guests scan the code, type their first name so you know who took what, and the camera opens right in their phone's browser. Each guest gets a roll of 24 shots unless you pick a different number. Like a real disposable, there's no preview: they see how many shots are left, and that's it.

When their roll is done, they see a countdown to when the photos develop and can leave their email address for one note when the album is ready. We don't keep the address after that.

• The first time, the phone asks for camera access. If someone taps no by mistake, the page offers their phone's camera app instead.
• If the signal at the venue is weak, the camera keeps trying to save each photo in the background.
• Up to 300 guests can join one camera.

When the album develops

By default, the album develops at 10 AM the morning after your event, in your time zone. That's when everyone sees the photos together, and shooting closes at the same moment. If your registry has no event date yet, or the date has passed, it's set to 10 AM the next morning instead.

To change it, open Camera settings and look under “Photos develop”. Pick another date and time, choose “When I press Develop now” to decide on the day, or choose “Right away, as they're taken” if you'd rather everyone see photos live during the party. Check the time zone so the reveal lands at the right hour.

• The morning-after reveal is half the fun. It gives guests a reason to open the album again over coffee.
• When the album develops, we email you and any guest who asked to be reminded.

Review, hide and download photos

Your Bow Cam tab shows each photo as it comes in, with the guest's first name. Unless you change it, you can look before the album develops and hide anything you'd rather not share. Hidden photos stay out of the album, and you can show them again any time. If you'd rather be surprised along with everyone else, turn off “Let me review photos before they develop”.

Guests can report a photo from the album, and a reported photo stays hidden until you decide. When you're ready, “Download all” saves every photo in one zip file.

• Under “Who sees the album”, choose “Only us” to keep the photos to yourselves.
• Turn off “Guests can save photos” to make the album view-only for guests.
• Photos are kept for one year after the album develops. Download them before then.

Privacy

Unless you chose “Right away, as they're taken”, nobody but you sees the photos until the album develops. After that, guests see it only if you chose “Anyone with the camera link”. We remove location details from photos before they're saved.

Guests can delete their own photos at any time, and you can delete the whole album from the Bow Cam tab. We delete Bow Cam photos one year after the album develops. The Bow Cam section of our Privacy Policy has the full details.

• Ask guests to photograph only people who are happy to be in the album.