Taylor here…. picking back up with some information about portrait sessions. Today I am discussing the differences between mini sessions and full portrait sessions.
First let me introduce a family that we have had the honor to photograph for the past few years. Holli has shot all of their newborn sessions and I have shot their family for the past 3 years! This is the second year they have had me out to their home for their family portraits. They have such a beautiful property (and family!) We ended the session with cupcakes to celebrate the boys’ recent birthday parties!
Sometimes I have new clients ask what the difference is between mini sessions and full portrait sessions. It seems like a good idea to go ahead and discuss some of the pros and cons for both types of sessions. The truth is that people choose mini sessions for a variety of reasons and others choose full family sessions for the same reasons. So there isn’t a clear cut answer to the question, “should I book a portrait session or a mini session?” It really just comes down to what works best for you and your family!
The first thing to know about mini sessions are that they are not themed and do not come with some sort of “set up” (i.e. “back to school minis”). At this time, I do not offer these types of mini sessions. (Although I am offering Santa mini sessions this year, those are a completely different ball game and for the purpose of this email, I am not considering those “mini sessions”.) Mini sessions are truly just a shortened version of a full portrait session.
For so many families, they are looking for an opportunity to document their growing family each year and so often they want to do it in the fall, right before they send out Christmas cards. As a way to accommodate so many families, I started offering mini sessions over the years and they have been such a huge success, that I can’t seem to offer enough mini sessions each fall!
Mini sessions are short and sweet, only lasting about 20-25 minutes. This is the perfect amount of time for those younger children, fun-loving dads and even the exhausted mama ;) !! About the time kids start getting really tired of smiling or holding hands with their siblings, its over! Time to pass out my “surprise” treat and head home!
I almost always have an assistant at these sessions and together we are moving quickly and working hard. She is working hard behind the scenes, keeping kids smiling, laughing and drawing their attention to my camera. I have a “bag of tricks” and plenty of games up my sleeves to keep the sessions moving and interesting. My assistant is so helpful and very busy grabbing stools, blowing bubbles, doing cartwheels, chasing dogs and holding babies, sometimes all at the same time! Most of my families love these sessions. It seems to be an easy commitment for them and many times I hear of the anticipated ice cream or donut trip planned following the session!
Mini sessions are less expensive than full sessions, but also less flexible. I have multiple families coming back to back on these days, so unless something is worked out ahead of time, I do not have the time to adjust for starting sessions late or rescheduling a session on the fly. I offer multiple nights and weekend dates for mini sessions throughout the fall and spring, but these are set in advance. I try to do sessions in the Norman/Goldsby area as well as the Oklahoma City Metro. Often times the exact location is not decided upon until 1-2 weeks ahead of time, as I wait to see what locations are the most beautiful at the time of sessions. Trees can be full and beautiful with changing leaves one year, but the next they can be barren and stickly.
Mini sessions include the shooting time, as well as 20 digital images to download. These are your favorite 20 images that you choose from your full gallery of approximately 75-100 images. There is always the option to purchase more photos or the entire gallery.
As for our full portrait sessions, there is so much more flexibility. These sessions can be scheduled any day of the week, morning or evening and we can choose a location that works for both of us and fits the aesthetics of your shoot. I like to think of these sessions as customizable. I often have clients that want to plan a session on their property or at their home.
These sessions can be great if your child takes a little bit longer to warm up to the idea of new people, new places or experiences. I have more time to build a relationship with the kiddo, show them my cool camera and some of my toys. We do a little more walking and exploring and also distracting! Over a short period of time in the beginning, I can build a lot of credibility with these little guys and usually get them to be more cooperative for the family photos when we are asking them to be still or be held (some of those active toddlers don’t like to be constrained!).
During these longer sessions, when things aren’t working or a location isn’t ideal, we can move on, find a new spot, distract the kid with a quick game of chase to find a new place that will be like a “restart” for the kiddo! There is also a little more time and freedom to capture some candid shots. It’s not that there is less posing (unless that is what you want), its just that we have time to capture some candids while we walk, explore and even play a few games with the kids.
I also have clients who sometimes want to do an outfit change for their kiddos during the family session. Mini sessions just do not give us enough time for this, but our portrait sessions do allow us to do a quick wardrobe change for the littles! Most of the time this is a change into a birthday shirt or outfit.
Full sessions last about one hour and these sessions include the full gallery of images (90-120) for you to download.
Both of these sessions are for immediate families only. If you are wanting grandparents, cousins or other family units to hop in the photo, we can make your sessions an extended family session which adds some extra time! Or if it is just a family member or two (i.e. grandma and grandpa), we can just include this as an add-on to your portrait session.
