Mini-sessions are one of the best opportunities to get gorgeous images without investing in a full session. If you're wanting to get some beautiful updated images of your family between your yearly full session, there is no better time!
So how do you make the most of your session and ensure your portraits are perfection? You want images you're dying to print and hang on your walls, post on your social media, and images that bring a smile to your face every time you see them. Here are my top 3 tips to make that happen:
1. Choose Great Outfits (and here's how!)
There are some basic "rules" to follow anytime you get your portraits taken that most people probably don't know about! Your outfit choices are the #1 most important thing you can do to ensure your images are everything you want.
Don't wear clothes with lots of writing or crazy patterns on them. You want to keep your outfits fairly simple. When clothing is too busy, it draws attention away from the people.
Don't wear matching outfits. If everyone is wearing the same shade of blue, or all white, everyone blends together and there is no contrast.
DO coordinate colors. You want to choose colors that complement each other, without being identical. For example -- different shades of blue, gray, and white. See below for some great examples of outfit choices.
2. Bribe the Children!
During a full session, there is plenty of time to corral kids. During a 15 minute mini session... not so much. The best thing I see parents do is bring a reward for their kids and dangle it throughout the entire session. This could be a special snack, a visit to the park after the session, or anything that would entice your child. I also find it most helpful to actually have the treat in the car. I've seen many parents offer to take the kids for ice cream after, and I don't see that tend to work as well as actually holding the sucker behind the camera and telling them they will get it if they cooperate just a little longer.
Now maybe you're totally against bribing your kids and you're thinking I'm a total monster. That's okay. This is just what works with my own kids (because I definitely do this at every session with my 2 year old), and what I see work with other kids.
3. Relax and Have Fun
I am a huge believer that sessions should be fun. Photography is not just about the final images... it's about creating a memory at the session itself. Don't worry about how you or your kids look behind the camera, that's my job! You just need to enjoy being with your family and have a great time. The more you are able to trust the process and have some fun, the better your portraits will turn out because they will be natural and capture your family as they are.
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