How To Prepare For Your Upcoming Mini Session- And Arrive Stress Free!
Mini sessions (also sometimes referred to as limited edition, petite, or micro sessions) can be such a great option for many families, for several different reasons. They are typically seasonal and/ or revolve around either a Holiday or some sort of “fun” experience such as glitter. Individual photographers may treat their mini-sessions differently - so this tidbit of information may vary!
One thing that will remain the same though is how to successfully prepare for them.
Here are a few quick tips on what to consider for the day of:
Plan Your Timing Correctly
- If you have small children, this could sometimes make or break your session! Plan your session around nap time, so you can ensure your child(ren) is ready to show their happiest faces and expressions during their time in front of the camera, especially since there is less of a “warm-up” time frame for mini sessions.
Arrive Early To The Location
- Since your mini session time frame won’t allow for much extra “warm up to strangers” time for your little ones, arriving early (roughly 10-15 minutes) could help them ease into the transition of your session time. This extra time will also allow for unexpected traffic stops, parking locations, walking to the site if needed, and changing of little ones!
I have a lot of parents with small children that plan to change outfits upon arrival in case of car sickness, wrinkles on outfits, drooling, or the ever not so lovely diaper blowouts in the car seat that nobody wants to happen - but usually do when we REALLY don’t need them to.
This mainly pertains to little babies and toddlers, but arriving early to ensure you’re where you need to be and stretch from the car ride never hurts!
Bring A Favorite Toy For Genuine Smiles
- Your child(ren) may not even need you to pull tricks out of the bag for genuine smiles and giggles during their mini session, but having some of their favorite toys as a backup plan can help in a time of need! I usually pull lots of tricks out of my sleeve to get smiles and grins, but we all have our off days and sometimes we need a little extra spark to get our biggest smiles to shine!
Prepare Your Child For What To Expect
- Sometimes mini sessions may involve objects your child(ren) may not be used to, (examples: animals, cake, textures such as sand or glitter, etc) and preparing them beforehand can help the initial “shock” of something new being close to them or even on their hands if applicable.
Mini sessions are quick and fun - and I hope these tips help you prepare and enjoy your experience that much more!