Preparing for your Mini Session


Punctuality!

As these are mini sessions, each family is allotted 20 min. These are back to back sessions for us. Being on time is very important. Being late eats into your session. Please arrive at least 10 minutes prior to your session time and be ready to start at the session time.


If you are running late, keep in mind we can not provide the entire 20 minutes since there is a session afterwords. This would result in less portraits and less time to go through all combinations of the poses we hope to achieve. Whatever remaining time you have left for your session would be utilized only.


Failure to arrive on time at all (missing your entire time slot) would result in a no show. We can not guarantee a rescheduled session.


Your Look!

We are always willing to help provide some guidance around what we recommend. Clothing can make a huge impact on the photos. Once you have selected your outfits, make sure you prepare them in advance and have them ready to go the night before. Get items laundered, ironed and anything else that may be needed.

If you need some help getting started, here is a Pinterest board we put together with some good examples of coordinated outfits–

Fall: https://pin.it/7BWdwjE

Spring: https://pin.it/1EiYMkFXH



Some Tips:

  1. Solid colors are better - avoid patterns, logos, graphics and illustrations. If you do choose to go with a pattern, we recommend choosing one item with a pattern and then planning other outfits around it. Some great color choices for fall sessions are: Creams, Grays, Tans, Light Pinks, Dark Blues, and any other fall colors. Pop of colors are great but we recommend avoiding colors like red, green and yellow as they can cast a color onto the skin and can tend to be not flattering.
  2. For family/group sessions, use of a similar color palette is always recommended.
  3. Simple is better!
  4. If possible, remove lenses from your glasses
  5. Wear clothes that give you confidence and comfort
  6. Definitely DO NOT wear outfits you would be afraid to get dirty. This is very important because if you are not willing to sit down on rocks, benches, etc. you are more likely to miss out on some great shots
  7. Wear reasonably fitted clothes
  8. Do not over accessorise
  9. Keep your pockets empty of items
  10. Avoid undergarments being visible - we do not go out of the way to remove those from being visible in the final photos
  11. Mind the neckline - as stated above in #8, we will capture the photos as they are
  12. For family/group sessions, match the formality - ex. if one person is in a suit and the other person is wearing a t-shirt and jeans...thematically it would't appear cohesive
  13. Shave the night before - helps prevent photos from capturing irritated skin and redness
  14. Nails can be a distractor in photos. We recommend chipped nail polish is removed. Kids nails are trimmed and free of dirt.
  15. Do not eat foods prior to the session that may cause coloring around the mouth


Things to Avoid!

  1. Stress: These photo sessions are meant to be fun! We recommend avoiding unnecessary stress on the kids. Set them up for success by making it as casual as possible for them. Encourage them to be their (best) natural selves. Have fun so that you can look back at these photos with great memories.
  2. "Cheese": Saying the word “cheese” actually creates a very fake smile, so we ask that you do not encourage your child to say it. We will “perform” and sometimes do some crazy things behind the camera to get authentic smiles & genuine laughter out of your kids, so just leave the direction to us! Nothing is worse than getting great smiles out of the kids but have Moms & Dads with open mouths from talking :)


Things to Keep in Mind!

  1. Your Final Payment is due 2 days prior to the session.
  2. Arrive 10 Mins Prior to your shoot and be ready to start the session on time
  3. We only remove items such as small blemishes or scratches. If there is anything else that's prominent that you would want the photographer to remove, please discuss with us during the shoot and point it out. We can not promise but we can try. We will not go out of the way to assume you would want something removed as we would respectfully not want to offend anyone if those are natural birth marks.
  4. Print Release - Please keep in mind that the print release provided to you is only for your use. Print release does not provide you with copyrights to the photos. Photos may only be used for your PERSONAL use only and may not be sold and/or provided to anyone for commercial/profit/contest without the photographers approval.