5 Signs a Mini Session Isn't a Good Fit for Your Family

It’s Fall! It might still feel like summer, but technically, it’s fall. Which means that all those trees are going to be turning beautiful colors all around Central Illinois within the next few weeks!

Fall also means I’m in full on busy season mode! I just announced my Fall and Christmas Mini’s a few weeks ago and I wanted to let ya’ll in on a little secret…

Mini Sessions aren’t for everyone.

There, I said it. And it’s true! They aren’t. Here are five signs a Mini-Session would not be a good fit for your family…

1. You have young kids and big expectations.
   Young kids (ages 2-3) are wonderful! I love them! But we also know they aren’t always willing to cooperate when we need them too. They’re just on their own time and want to do things on their terms. It’s not bad; it’s just nature. If you have little ones who have a tendency to not cooperate all the time, and you want them to sit with their sibling and smile, a mini-session may not be a great fit. They tend to want more time to warm up and let those personalities shine. This takes longer, so a good fit might be a regular session for your family.

2. You have shy kids that need time to warm up to strangers.
   A shy child usually needs time to open up to strangers and photographers. This is normal, but a 15 minute mini-session probably won’t cut it. I would consider a longer photo session to give your child a good amount of time to warm up and be comfortable around me.

3. You want a lot of photos and a good variety.
   Unfortunately, Mini-Sessions aren’t great for having a variety of photos. It’s just the nature of the Mini-Session beast. With a small time frame, I want to ensure I capture your whole family, but I’m not always able to get a huge variety for you of details vs. landscapes, various combinations, and a nice mixture of candids and posed. If you want a much wider variety to choose from, a regular photo session might be for you.

4. You want extended family included.

   Alright, this is one of my rules. Nothing is worse than doing mini sessions and having a client show up with 15 family members trying to get the most bang for their buck. Trust me, it cannot be done. Not well at least. Go halfsies with your siblings and purchase a gift certificate for christmas or something.

5. You want to change clothes.

   All the time I am asked if seniors can just do a mini session. Sure, I guess. As long as we are on the same page that mini sessions aren’t long which means props, outfit changes, and location swaps don’t happen.

If none of these apply to you, great! Otherwise, a full family session might be best.