I often get asked whether I will be offering Mini Sessions anytime soon, and while I do enjoy offering them once in a while, they are not for everyone. Today I am sharing some pros and cons of mini sessions so you can decide whether they might be a good fit for your family

Pro #1: Short and Sweet

Time is valuable, no matter who you are, and I can certainly appreciate that. An evening long lifestyle session might not be in the cards for your family or this season of life, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t update your family photos. Mini sessions allow you to get those updated images of your family without requiring a big time commitment.

Con #1: Short and not-so-sweet

Some kids are shy or play strange when they meet a new person, and warming up to a new adult can be hard. If your toddler or pre schooler is shy, a longer session may allow us more time to get to know each other. A 20 minute session may not allow me a lot of time to get those genuine smiles and laughs that photograph so beautifully. Mini sessions are typically stacked back to back, which also does not offer a lot of flexibility with timing.

Pro #2: Budget friendly

Typically mini sessions are priced accordingly. When mini sessions are stacked throughout a day, there is limited travel required, and of course the shooting time is also shorter. This, as well as the decreased amount of photos being edited and delivered allows for the price to be cheaper.

Con #2: Smaller gallery of images

Shorter sessions mean smaller galleries. Of course if you are just looking for a few new updated photos for your holiday card, this may not be a bad thing, but my full session galleries are typically 100-200 images, whereas a mini session would give you 20-30 images. Not only do you get less images in your gallery, but you also get less variety. My family sessions are a mix of posed and lifestyle, but working with a limited amount of time means there may not be enough time for details or candid moments.

Pro #3: No planning required

Mini sessions are typically pre-planned at a specific location and time that you can choose from easily. This takes any stress out of deciding a location or activity for your session. All you need to do is show up!

Con #3: Not as personalized

Choosing to do a full lifestyle session gives you a more personalized experience and images that reflect your family. In a mini session there is not enough time to incorporate the interests of your family, and the gallery may not reflect your personality as well. In a full session we have more flexibility, we can explore your home or another location, play games and relax a bit more which provides a personal touch to your gallery.

After hearing about some of the pros and cons of mini sessions, what do you think would work best for your family? Remember, what works for you now may be different another year and choosing what is best for your family right now is what is most important!

If mini sessions are for you, I always invite my email list first – you can join my email list here to be the first to know!

Thinking a full session might be more your style? Reach out today to reserve your session!

Coming from a blended family myself, I can appreciate that photographing blended families may be stressful or intimidating. Having a few tactics to help you navigate family dynamics and ensure everyone has fun is important for creating lasting client relationships.

1. Start with a group shot

No matter the family, I always start with a more posed group shot. Especially when you are dealing with younger kids (or teens!), getting that shot off the hop saves you from a potential melt down getting your way later on.

2. Read the room

Family dynamics are tough. Everyone is entitled to their own feelings around the experience, and getting family photos might not be their first activity of choice. Respecting their feelings and boundaries is important for creating trust and connection. Ultimately if someone doesn’t want to be there smiling you aren’t going to change their mind, but by showing respect for their feelings you might make an otherwise uncomfortable situation an enjoyable memory.

3. When photographing blended families, focus on the kids individually

Grouping kids is often requested (usually for the sake of sharing images with grandparents) but it can also make kids feel excluded. Spending time chatting with each child individually makes them feel special and builds a rapport that can extend through the whole session. It can also provide you with talking points and bonding opportunities later on in the session.

4. Gather information ahead of time

Having an intake questionnaire or email conversation before any session is important for you to gather information about the family structure and any potential roadblocks. Prior to photographing a blended family you may want to know what sorts of groupings they want, if anyone is hesitant to be there, or what the kids are interested in. The more you know, the more you can prepare yourself and show compassion.

5. Most importantly, have fun

A blended family session is a family session. The most important part of my family session experience is creating a fun memory for the entire family. I treat every family with equal respect and kindness, in the hopes of creating a relaxing and enjoyable encounter that will leave them feeling good. I bring compassion and understanding to all of my sessions so we can create a comfortable environment to have fun in!

Photographing blended family sessions is always special to me, being from one myself. Bringing two families together is tough for a lot of reasons, but is can also be amazing. If you’d like to book a family session with me, get in touch today!

Wilkesport Extended Family Session at Greenhill Gardens

Greenhill Gardens offers so many beautiful options for photos! This Wilkesport extended family session from last summer is no exception. Extended family sessions are always so much fun, especially with so many grand kids to wrangle! This time of year I get a lot of inquiries for gift certificates.

Extended family sessions are split between big group shots and some more relaxed shots of the grandkids. I try to work through a list of all of the family groups, and then let the kids play and gravitate toward each other for more lifestyle images too.

Looking to gift a Family Session, but don’t know where to go?

Get in touch today! I can provide you with a beautiful gift card to present the lucky recipient and we can discuss a few location options. Extended family sessions can be at a location of your choice, or your home if you wish! Getting outdoors somewhere like Greenshill Gardnes means we can explore a bit helps the kids keep busy and comfortable.

Adding a new baby to the mix is always an exciting time, especially for a toddler, but this proud big brother did great for their at home session. He was so excited to love on his new baby sister and show me around their cute little play space. I have a soft spot in my heart for dad’s who love on their boys, and this dad was not afraid to give his little man hugs and kisses. That physical affection is so refreshing to see and I’m so thankful it is documented for this family.

Looking for your own at home session? They are great for kids of all ages – not just newborns! Get in touch today if you’re interested in booking a lifestyle session in your home.

YOU GUYS. I cannot even with the grin, the chunk, the big brown eyes. This golden hour session with Eden and her lovely adults was so much fun. Photographing families who are legitimately happy to be in each other presence is so EASY!

Another easy-breezy session down our quiet country road. Go where the light it best, my friends. You don’t need a huge spectacular garden to get an interesting environment and good variety in your images. TRUST. This entire session was shot down the road from my house, on the road and in a tiny little patch of grass where the light is dreamy in the summer. When you’re happy to be around each other and willing to have some fun, the photos will be beautiful and bring you joy no matter what.

Simplicity is often key for family sessions. A blanket in the grass and some fun games and interaction allows for a huge variety in images.

If you are interested in your own golden hour session on our country road, get in touch today! Who knows, maybe you can even stay for a drink after 😉 Want to see more from this location? Check out little Johnny chilling in the same place for a golden hour session here.

I photograph a lot of people I already know. It’s a small town thing, I guess. But this family had moved to our area from Quebec, and my first time meeting them was when they invited me to do an in home family session with them last summer. They were so laid back, and my favourite part of the experience was knowing they truly valued the lifestyle images just as much as the posed.

They specifically wanted lots of images of them hanging out and doing the things they love like gardening and playing outside. They also included grandparents in the session, which is always a lovely idea!

We spent the morning hanging out, chatting about their editing company and how they came to Chatham-Kent, we played outside, laughed a lot, and I left there with a huge smile on my face. This was one of those sessions where I go home so grateful and excited about what I get to do.

Gorgeous right? I truly hope these images are in family albums for them to look back on for years.

If you are interested in an in home family session like this one, please get in touch! I would love to document all of these little moments for your family.

I have never seen a baby with a bigger smile than this little dude. Just the happiest, easy going guy! Allison & Wayne came out to our place for a sunset mini session and it may have only been 20 minutes, but I’d say it was a success! I could have photographed that smile for hours!

Can you believe this session was completely shot just on my road? Trust your photographer’s people! Light is EVERYTHING!

I don’t do mini sessions too often, but if you are interested in joining my mailing list, that is where all of my mini’s get announced first! And believe me, they go fast! Sign up here!