How To Prep for your Mini Photo Session 

How to Prep for your Mini Photo Session

You decided to book a mini photo session and now you’re wondering how best to prepare. Well as a photographer who’s offered many mini sessions now I’m here to help! Mini photo sessions are a great way to get a few photos if you are short on time or just need a couple photos captured. Here’s the run down and all you need to know about how to prep for your mini photo session!

What are Mini Photo Sessions?

If you aren’t familiar with what a mini photo session is, it’s essentially a shorted photoshoot at a set location. Your photographer has planned the day and offered time slots back to back to work with you. It’s at the location of the photographers choice. These sessions are usually offered at a discounted rate due to the shorter time slots compared to a full photo session where you would have more creative freedom as the client. 

You’re booked, now what should you wear?!

You’ve chatted with your photographer, picked your time slot and sent in your deposit. Now’s the time to start the prepping. Your photographer may have suggestions when it comes to outfits or props to achieve your preferred look based on the location. When it comes to outfits you can think about the surrounding colors and textures of your location. I recommend wearing something in a neutral/similar color palette. Avoiding bright colors and busy prints can help keep the focus on you and not distract from your beauty!

Think about what you feel the best in too. Wearing something new and different from your normal attire can lead to you feeling uncomfortable or self-conscious in front of the camera which is the last think you want. The most important thing is for you to feel your best and most like yourself. Then you can really relax and feel at ease in front of the camera!

My #1 Tip: Plan accordingly! 

The most important thing when thinking of how to prep for your mini photo session is plan accordingly. You may be thinking “Duh!”. It sounds obvious but if you don’t your chances of getting dream pictures isn’t as high as you’re hoping. If you’re running late or get lost and miss your time slot you’re out of luck. Photographers book these sessions back to back and don’t have much leeway to offer if you’re late. They also are most likely with another client before you and won’t be able to be in contact if you’re late or lost. Be sure to leave early, figure out where to park and ask all your questions before hand. This way you will feel prepared and relaxed for when your time is here. 

Remember why you booked this session in the first place.

It can be easy to get caught up in the planning and worrying of being on time or picking the perfect outfit. If you leave room in your schedule to take your time and not be rushed you can really enjoy the process and remember why you booked the session in the first place. Are you celebrating a life milestone? Capturing your yearly family portraits? Booking a shoot just because you feel like it? There’s a reason you’re investing in capturing this season of life. I promise you’ll enjoy the photos much more if you are relaxed and can be in the moment. 

Thoughts on Mini Sessions

Here’s what a few of my clients have said about mini sessions:

Bailey: “So so much fun doing a mini session with Annie. We did Christmas minis with her and she made it natural for us. We brought props, but she did too just in case we came empty handed. We even brought our dog, and Annie did a great job in the short time managing our pup and was able to get so many different shots of us in our element. We’re always happy with our photos each time annie is behind the camera. Thank you, Annie!”

Lily: “We have had Annie photograph our family for several years now, and we absolutely love working with her. She is fun, bubbly, and incredibly helpful—especially when it come to guiding us through poses with little ones. She is so efficient, professional, and truly amazing with kids. Even in the rain she made the session fun and effortless and still captured the most beautiful photos of our family. We couldn’t recommend her more!”

Erica: “We are big fans of a mini session! My husband does not love to be in front of the camera, so when we need updated photos, mini sessions are perfect for us. Annie is amazing at keeping the session upbeat without too much pressure to move quickly. She always has a ton of ideas to pose us and the photos always turn out as amazing as they do during a long session. We love minis!”

Natalie: “Getting minis with Annie is super easy! We’ve done at least 3 or 4 minis with Annie and she chooses amazing locations and delivers a large and versatile gallery even in such a short amount of time! It’s a great session for young kids and dogs!”

Is it your turn to be in front of the camera?

If you’re in a season of life where you want to document and remember the special times let’s chat! Whether it’s a mini session or a full session I’d love to bring your vision to life along side you. Contact me here to get the conversation started, I can’t wait to hear from you! 

Want to see what a full session can look like for you? Check out Spring Engagements at the Tulips or Timeless Engagement Photos at the Capitol!