It’s party time (excellent!), but you know hardly anyone on the guest list. What’s a would-be wallflower to do?

Why, bring your camera and a few props, of course!

Pack some of our great photo projects and you’ll have your party-animal pals posing for mugshots, jumping for joy — even leaping in the tub — in no time.

Just don’t forget to get a few shots of yourself with all your new friends.

p.s. New on Photojojo Uncut: A spiffy ghost cameras shirt from Oddica, and a Swiss museum that will put your photo on its wall for real!

People love to have their picture taken, but those “Say cheese” shots are just a little stale. These projects will help you freshen your photo ops and force you to meet new people. If they’re afraid of looking goofy, smile and assure them that everyone else is doing it. (It works surprisingly well.)

Don’t hesitate to ask groups of people. That way, you’ll get several shots at once.

And hey, don’t forget to jump in the conversation and get to know your subjects after you put down your camera!

Bright Idea #1: Who Framed _____ ?

Entertain your friends and frame your enemies with your take on Hilary McHone’s “Who Framed … ?” project. Hand your friends-to-be a pair of bunny ears and an empty frame and tell them to strike a pose to get this party started.

In the unlikely event that you don’t have bunny ears on hand, tiaras, fake mustaches, and piggy snouts work equally well.

See this project in action at a recent House 2.0 party in Hilary’s Flickr set or on her blog.

Photo Credit: Hilary McHone

Bright Idea #2: Photo booth

Bring a bit of the boardwalk to the party with your very own photo booth. If you’ve time or money to spare, you could rent or make your own, but it’s just as easy to use your imagination.

Remind your subjects that there’s nothing serious about a photo booth. Tell them to make goofy faces and move around (but only a little; there’s not much room in a photo booth.) Don’t hesitate to reuse your bunny ears in the photo booth. Bunny ears make everything better.

Take four or five rapid-fire shots of your subject, make ‘em black and white for extra oomph, and paste them together photo booth-style after the big bash.

Photo Credit: Maggie Stein

Bright Idea #3: Make ‘em jump!

Ratchet up the energy with some shots of your fellow party-goers jumping for joy. It’s a well-documented fact that you can’t look dour when you’re leaping, so you’re guaranteed cheery shots.

Have fun with this one, but please jump responsibly. The ladies might want to shed their stilettos before taking to the skies. The gentlemen, too, if that’s their thing.

Photo Credit: Katarina Gavrilica

Bright Idea #4: Mug ‘em

Every really great party results in at least a few mugshots. With a dry-erase board and a marker, you can help keep the boys in blue out of the picture and your new pals won’t have to call their parents to bail them out in the morning.

Be ready with a few timely suggestions for your willing subjects. Here’s are a few ideas to get you going:

• Have your subjects jot down a nom de plume, along with a fictitious crime.
• Tell them to write one thing about themselves that most people don’t know.
• Ask five nearby people each to write one word describing your subject.

Photo Credit: Craig Clement

Bright Idea #5: Hit the showers

Bathrooms often feature interesting backdrops such as colorful tiles and shower curtains. And who doesn’t love standing in the tub and smiling for the camera?

Ask your friends to sing their favorite shower-stall tunes and catch them as they croon, or see just how many people will fit in one bathtub.

Just try not to showcase your host’s grubby grout.

Photo Credit: Kara Canal

Keep snapping and have fun!

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