As part of my info blog series, I want to talk about the difference between mini-sessions and full sessions and which session might be best for you in the season of life you and your family are in. I am hoping this will help you determine when booking a session with me which one to choose!

We will start with Mini Sessions!

Mini sessions are short sessions (typically only 20 minutes in length) that are only offered on predetermined dates and locations with specific time slots that are available for clients to choose which one works best for them. Sessions are typically only offered at certain times throughout the year as a way to be able to help families update their family gallery wall within their home with the changing seasons.

We do them for Spring, Fall, Holiday, and even some specialty ones like my mini bride sessions! These sessions, being short in length, are perfect if you have little ones who you know will not tolerate a long session time. OR if you are only hoping to get just a few photos (minis normally include 5 digital images) of your family for a Holiday card or an updated canvas to hang on the wall or above the fireplace.

You will be surprised though in 20 minutes how many great photos we can capture and how many great memories we can create! It’s definitely a great and affordable way for families to get updated photos each year to document how much their kids have grown from one year to the next.

The next type of session I offer is what I call a FULL session. This includes family sessions, portrait sessions (maternity, senior, etc), newborn sessions, etc. These are sessions that are longer in length than a mini session (normally 1 hour or longer depending on the exact session you are booking) and include many more images allowing you a full update to your gallery wall or photo albums.

One reason to choose a full session over a mini session is just the length of time we have to capture your memories as well as the number of images that are included. Having longer than 20 minutes allows us to slow down and really spend time together and just be with your kids, be with your family all while I am nearby capturing these moments on camera. We will still get all the great combos of mom with the kids, dad with the kids, and kids individually, but it will also give you a chance to get some great candid shots that really showcase the love between each member of the family.

Whether it’s snuggling together on a blanket looking up at the sky, dancing and spinning around to your favorite song, stopping to smell the flowers, you name it, we will have SO MUCH FUN just spending time together and the camera is just a bonus!!

Another reason to choose a full session is, you, as the client has more control over time and location! I definitely have favorite spots I love to photograph but doing a full session opens up the option for you to pick a location that might be a favorite of yours or that means something special to your family! I will help guide you within that location the best spot for lighting and backdrop but we really can hold your session anywhere that will work!

We can also work together to pick the best date and time that works for you versus a mini session where I pre-determine the date and times so it may not work within your schedule. Another great reason a full session might be better for your family!

It is definitely up to you which type of session you want to choose for your family but my personal favorite are the full sessions as I just love to spend extra time with each of my families and really get to know them and capture every memory we can!

I hope this helps you decide what type of session to choose this year! I highly recommend trying a full session at least once and I promise you will not regret it!!

Until Next time,

Anna K