Mini Session
mini sessions
at my portrait events are a fantastic way to access top-quality photography at a more affordable price and less time investment than a full private session.
Because mini sessions are built around a highly efficient, "short and sweet" model, they have a different flow and faster pacing than a full custom session. In order for you to get the most our of your time slot, and for us to be able to capture as many great images as possible, it's important for you, the client, to understand what to expect up front and to arrive early, prepared, and ready to go!
This mini session prep guide will help you know what to expect at a portrait event with me, so that your mini session can be smooth, enjoyable, and stress-free– and result in a beautiful gallery of images for you to pick from afterwards!
first things first...
wardrobe planning
Choosing outfits can be a stressful process for many of my clients, if left to their own devices!
I've put together a detailed wardrobe guide to make this process easy, understandable and stress-free:
special concerns
I plan extensively to make sure that my portrait events serve my clients well.
If you have any special concerns for your session– your husband has mobility issues, or you're self-conscious about a certain physical feature, for example– don't just keep quiet and hope for the best!
Get in touch to discuss your concerns with me, so I can advise you, and plan accordingly. That's what I'm here for.
what to expect at your mini session
...on portrait day and after
On Portrait Event day, you'll arrive early for your session and park your car. (Arriving early is paramount! These sessions are quick, and scheduled back to back. There is no margin for error with timing on mini sessions.) You'll see me nearby, shooting with the client scheduled before you. While you wait for your time slot to start, you'll want to do any last-minute adjustments to clothing, hair, etc.
Some things to double-check while you wait for your session to start:
- Make sure hair ties, apple watches, etc. are removed from everyone's wrists and stowed in the car.
- Have everyone empty pockets, and either leave those items in the car, or carry a small bag with you, that you can set to the side while we're shooting.
- Double check hair and makeup for any last-minute touchups.
- For small children-- wipe hands and faces, including the corners of mouths and eyes.
- Check glasses for smudges (or stow them in the car, if you prefer portraits without your glasses.)
- Grin in the mirror and make sure there's nothing in your teeth!
At the start of your session time, make sure you're out of your vehicle and ready to begin.
My assistant Tricia may be on hand assisting. If so, she will make sure you're ready to go, and bring you over to me for the start of your session.
I'll introduce myself and get everyone's names if we haven't worked together before. If you have any particular poses you're especially wanting, let me know these up front; I'm happy to accommodate. Then, I'll lead you over to our starting place, and the shoot begins!
For posed shots, I will direct each pose– telling each person where and how to stand or sit, and then backing up to look everyone over and adjust small details like hand placement and posture.
Some shots will be more candid, and I will prompt instead of posing-- having you to hold hands and walk toward me together, for example.
I will typically get multiple different arrangements– everyone together, mom with all the kids, each child individually, etc. The number of arrangements we're able to accomplish during your time slot depends largely on how cooperative everyone is.
Once we're finished, you're good to go! All that's left to do is wait... Two weeks after the shoot, your edited online proofing gallery of the beautiful images we captured together will be delivered to your inbox.
You will simply look through your gallery, select the images you want (whether the number included, or upgrading to additional images or the entire gallery) and download! It's as easy as that; and I am always available after the session, should you need any help with the gallery process.
I can't wait to work with you on Portrait Day!
Read on for more tips leading up to session day, to set your family up for success...
general Tips for success:
reserve portrait day for portraits
The day of your portrait event is not the day you want to also get dental appointments knocked out, or to try to squeeze in a day trip to the museum.
Plan to keep portrait day a relaxed, open day on the calendar, so that everyone will arrive for their mini session energetic, happy, and rested. This is pivotal with younger children, but is highly beneficial for everyone.
maintain little ones' routines
Consider your children's typical daily schedules when booking your mini session. If the portrait event overlaps with usual nap time, communicate with me prior to booking so that we can pick a time that disrupts your child's schedule as little as possible. Make sure they're not arriving for the shoot starving or thirsty– it's hard to be happy for pictures when your belly is growling!
discuss the plan with kids beforehand
The best time to get the kids on board with a photoshoot is before you arrive. Explain to everyone what's happening, and how they can help.
Something along the lines of the following, tailored for their ages, usually works well: "Okay guys, we're going to go get photos done with Laura! Your only job is to listen to her really well and follow her instructions, and she'll make sure our photo shoot doesn't take long at all. After the shoot, if you guys do a great job listening, we'll _______..." (get ice cream, go to the movies, go out for dinner, etc. – I highly recommend the promise of a treat after the shoot, to motivate mini session cooperation!)
map your route ahead of time
Be sure you know exactly where you're headed before portrait event day– where to arrive, which entrance to use, where to park, where to meet me. Review all your instructions when they're delivered prior to event day; and if anything is confusing or unclear, get in touch with me right away! I'm always happy to help, and want to make sure your session is easy, efficient and stress-free.
Waiting until you're pulling into the general area we're shooting, only to discover that you actually don't know where you're meeting me, could result in you missing your time slot all together!
arrive with time to spare
Check Google Maps for traffic delays, calculate your route, and plan to arrive 10-15 minutes ahead of time.
You want to allow plenty of margin to straighten collars, comb hair, wipe toddler faces and hands, remove hair ties and cell phones and stash them in the car, and be ready to hop out of the car and get started when I finish with the clients ahead of you in line.
finally, breathe, and go with the flow
Just a final note for your preparations, from a fellow wife and mom:
After all your planning, and outfit-choosing, and "no, not your crocs– your nice shoes!"-ing, and getting everyone in the car on time, is done– the most important thing for you to do is to relax, breathe, roll with whatever happens, and decide to enjoy yourself. Remember, if every little thing doesn't go exactly according to plan– well, that's real life with this beautiful family you've been blessed with!
On our most recent vacation, I booked a photoshoot with another photographer for my own family, so I wouldn't have to juggle taking our pictures while being in those pictures, for once. It was the first time I'd ever booked someone else for our pictures, and I was so excited for it. (The original motivation that launched me into photography was that I love, love, love pictures of my family and my precious babies.) So I planned our out wardrobe exactly, I gave the kids the speech, my wonderful husband was on board, and we had everything prepped for the perfect session.
Well, the day before the shoot, my youngest son got stung on the face, out of nowhere, while we were on the beach– and woke up on shoot day with one of his big beautiful blue eyes swollen shut! He was totally fine, thank goodness– but the little guy looked like Rocky Balboa, about twelve rounds into his first match with Apollo Creed. Definitely not what I had in mind for my long-awaited family session.
We couldn't reschedule, as it was supposed to storm the entire rest of the trip... so we went ahead with the session. And once we arrived for our shoot, the lovely coastal sea breeze I'd been counting on to ruffle our hair beautifully, decided instead to be a gale force wind that preferred to blow sideways, violently, the entire time. (I had, of course, chosen to wear my thigh-length hair down and loose, as had my daughter.)
At that point, I knew I just had to laugh, and go with it... because that's how real life is sometimes! And if things weren't going to go according to plan, I wanted to be sure the memory that my kids had of that photoshoot was one where we had fun together as a family– not where Mommy was stressed out and miserable because things weren't working out according to her perfect plan.
So, we joked and laughed with the kids about how ridiculous the wind was while it blew everyone's hair across their faces... and my little boy smiled his biggest with his one good eye (bless his heart!)... and we all had a blast, being together... and the images we got from that evening are precious, and chaotic, a little ridiculous and full of joy– just like my family that I adore.