What To Know About Spring Mini Sessions
Spring Mini Sessions are right around the corner making this a great time for a little refresher on what my Mini Sessions are about, plus some additional information to help you prep for this springtime offer.
Refresher on Mini Sessions
Who are they best for?
A Mini Session is for literally any kind of session… Maternity, Family, Couples/Engagement, Seniors, You with your pet chickens (I’m for real, but I also love if you have a dog or two you want to bring with)…
They’re ideal for busy families. Great for creating an engagement announcement and save-the-dates. Perfect for senior portraits if your teen doesn’t want a big fuss. I’m down for documenting whatever this moment of your life is all about!
As of writing this blog, my Minis are 20-minute sessions. Short enough for those on a tight schedule, long enough to get plenty of natural looking loosely posed shots and lots of adorable candids. The results? Great digital images you can keep, share and make into fun wall hangings, gifts or simple prints.
Why can’t you choose your own Mini Session date?
It’s because of the shorter 20-min time slots that my Minis only come around a few times a year. Unlike my full one-hour+ sessions that can be requested for any date, I book Mini Session clients back-to-back over the course of a morning, afternoon and/or evening. And in some Mini Session offers I choose to schedule sessions for a full day or full weekend. It just makes it worth my time and planning effort as a photographer.
What about location and weather?
You know I love shooting outdoors and each event location is thoughtfully chosen and planned out to fit the mood of the season. My Mini Sessions page will always tell you where!
I’ll likely always plan my Spring Mini Sessions for May because April can be too cold and possibly snowy, and June is pretty much summer. But as we all know, Minnesota can also be one of two things in May: absolutely freaking beautiful or occasionally rainy.
Even though it can be a bit temperamental, May is generally in the high 60’s to low 70’s with low precipitation probabilities.
This is why this year (2023), I’ve decided to reserve a backup weekend just in case the weather is a total mess on the original event weekend. I’ll probably keep doing this just so that there’s no worries for anyone booking.
To be clear, I do not reschedule/cancel just for funsies or because the weather is slightly less than ideal. The show WILL go on despite a light rain and gloomy skies. If there are any sprinkles, no problem, I have clear umbrellas! Now, a downpour, on the other hand… that will ruin my equipment, your stylish looks and positive attitude, and of course, our chances of getting great photos. So, I keep a very close eye on the weather, tracking it up to the minute and keeping my clients in-the-know.
How the actual heck do we plan and prepare?
When planning your outfits, it’s wise to plan on layering. Just like with autumn sessions, there’s nothing worse than a possible crisp breeze chilling you to your bones, giving you goosebumps and making your exposed skin a bit pink or red. Not great for photos. But you also don’t want to get hot! Choose something you can easily throw a cardigan or jean jacket over.
Not sure what to wear? I love helping you decide! My clients get the benefit of unlimited email/text support and my guidance toward perfectly coordinated outfits for the whole family. Planning to buy new clothes for this? If you’re on a tighter budget I’ll help you choose cute outfits from Target or Amazon. Occasionally I’ll suggest Baltic Born (a favorite brand of mine), because I love their style and you deserve it!
As for footwear, that’s up to you. Just make sure it’s easy to for you to walk around in the grass in. Ditch the spiky heels… or possibly ditch shoes all together, if you’re into a casual, carefree natural shoot!
I’m all about letting your kiddos be kiddos and catching you all in the moment. In order to get those natural and candid photos that you hire me for, you gotta get the idea that you all need to ‘look at the camera’ out of your brains.
In fact, I hardly want you and your crew to look at me at all. Springtime is an amazing season with lots to look at and explore. If you’re worried about how you’ll actually get those candids, it’s as simple as walking around our location, smelling the flowers, looking at the sights together, interacting with each other naturally and with what’s around you.
I may prompt you into great photos by asking you to do a little tickle fight, or whispering sweet-somethings, or giving you an action to try out.
You’re also welcome to bring props and pets. I prefer something personal to you and your loves. Maybe a favorite book to read a few pages from, a guitar so dad can sing a sweet tune to your kiddos while you’re piled on a picnic blanket. Or, even though they’re totally not a prop… you can bring your pet! They’re always living in the moment and giving their humans genuine reasons to smile! They make your session fun!
Spring Mini Sessions are a great way to capture this moment, this season of life, this age with your kiddos. I hope you’ll consider it a time and budget-friendly way to keep updated family photos, share your good news (engagement, baby on the way), or simply capture yourself in the beauty of the season.
Did I leave something out? Ask me in the comments! I’d love to know what else you’ve got questions on so I can keep creating blogs that support you in creating the best, most beautiful lifestyle photos.
