Brides Abby Kitto, left, and Hannah Merritt had their auras read together at their backyard wedding last year. Photo: Jason Thomas Crocker
Writer: Hailey Evans
We all love a good photobooth moment. At gatherings like weddings, birthdays, even your high school reunion, photobooths create instant physical mementos for your crowd to take home, stick to cork boards, inside phone cases or on fridges. There’s less pressure to be posed and put together, so even the camera-shy can get a kick out of them. Grab your group, pick a prop, repeat.
But what if you’re getting bored of the basic photobooth song-and-dance? Enter: the aura photo.
Heather Ann Roe, owner of KIN DSM, uses her aura camera to take portraits of singles and groups in her East Village mystic shop, under the brand Kindred Auras. She recently added a mobile service, renting out the camera for events and parties.
In order for the auras to be visible on film, Roe’s Polaroid camera is hooked up to the AuraCamera 6000 system, which includes two metal hand plates connected to the apparatus modifying the camera. Guests place their hands on the metal sensors to measure biofeedback and possibly their electromagnetic fields — the company doesn’t explain many details about their proprietary technology — and the camera captures their personal auras on film. The whole process takes about 15 seconds.
But these Polaroids aren’t your typical snap-and-go affair. The real fun begins as your film develops, revealing layers of colors floating around your head. When it’s fully developed, Roe or a team member explain what your colors say about your energy.
As part of the service, you get your picture to take home along with a handy reference sheet that explains the different colors. Pictures can be taken single or with a buddy, to show how auras mingle and influence each other.
Depending on the type of event, the amount of interpretation can vary. If a lot of people are waiting their turn, the Kindred Auras team might just hit the basics. But “I’ll always do more in-depth evaluations if there’s time or people are curious,” Roe said. “It’s always the skeptics, the people who get dragged into it with their friends, who afterward are like, ‘I’m really glad I did this.’”
One pair of brides hired Kindred Auras as a fun activity for guests during their backyard wedding, where they pinned up the aura photos on a large easel display for everyone to admire.
“It became like a mingling place for the guests,” Roe said. “They would come up to show people their auras, point out different friend’s pictures or discuss their readings.”
Kindred Auras has so far popped up at bachelorette parties, weddings, galas and even the Des Moines Art Center’s Christmas party. They’re currently booking mobile events through 2026, so Roe suggested inquiring online at kindsm.com for you’d like to spice up an upcoming party.
Photos from Kindred Auras suggest no two auras are exactly alike. Photo: Duane Tinkey
BACK UP … WHAT’S AN AURA?
“Aura” in the sense we’re talking about is the energy field that surrounds each person as a metaphysical representation of their state of mind, including mood and disposition. The term was first popularized in the late 19th century by English spiritualist Charles Webster Leadbeater. Today’s Gen Zs have also adopted the term to refer to someone’s magnetic confidence, style or cool status unrelated to spiritualist practices.
AURA PHOTOS ARE OLDER THAN YOU THINK
The photo process is based on the principles of Kirlian photography, which was invented in 1939 by Semyon Davidovitch Kirlian. Technology has advanced over the decades, but the notion to photograph unseen energy fields remains the same. The AuraCamera 6000, a souped-up camera system is marketed as a device that “measures readings from a hand sensor and exposes those readings as an aura representation to an instant film photograph,” according to the company’s website.
