How to get the most out of your mini sessions.

How to get the most out of mini sessions

Mini sessions can be stressful. Being on a time crunch can create some mind blocks, especially if you have multiple clients booked back to back.

Here is how I tackle mini sessions to get the most out of your time, and give your clients more than what they expected. Resulting in more sales and better yet.. more happy clients!

Create a workflow. While this doesn't always go exactly as planned, having a general workflow will keep you on track for some basic shots and might even allow you to clear your stressful mind and allow you to get creative. This is my basic go to workflow, but I always suggest matching the vibe of your clients and the kids. You are of course welcome to add to this if the kids are not cooperating or the clients have special requests, but this is something that works for me as a default workflow for mini sessions that I can always come back to.

If a workflow is new to you, I would go over it in your mind the night before just to familiarize yourself with it.

WALKING

Start with walking. This gives everyone a chance to warm up to the nervousness of being photographed. It's simple and it's one clients tend to like the most. Ask your clients to walk a few times in different ways to add variety.

a fun family photoshoot in red deer alberta

a family photoshoot in drumheller alberta with everyone laughing

a family enjoying a photoshoot while photographer goes through a session workflow

Stop at the finish line and pose

Give them a place to stop walking and squeeze everyone together for a quick posed shot. Then once you get that, get mom and dad to tickle the kids a bit, regardless of their ages. This gets everyone laughing.

a family being happy and laughing during a photoshoot by a red deer alberta photographer

a family from calgary alberta laughing as they get photographed

let's get creative

At this point we are ready for something a little fun and creative. I get mom and dad to stand together, they can love and admire each other, while the kids run around. This can be done in so many creative ways, but here is one I did that took seconds, and allowed the kids to just be kids and not feel uncomfortable with poses.

poses by the lemon post photography in red deer alberta as children run

stop drop and pose

Now I get mom and dad to look at me and have the kids run on either side of them for hugs. Notice mom and dad are in the same spot and I just got the kids to run to them.

A group of children laughing and playing together outdoors against a desert landscape background.

Once we get this shot, I simply ask mom and dad to bear hug the kids. Again, same spot!

A family poses together for a portrait in calgary alberta

While in the same position again, I ask mom and dad to tickle attack for a different version of the same pose. You can even crop and zoom in to get more emotions but I'm showing you the pulled back version for education purpose.

Happy family embraces and laughs together while posing against desert hills in matching green and cream outfits.

change up the shooting spot

At this point we have gotten half the shots we needed within a matter of minutes and we can move on to something a little different. We changed up the location a little and added some "adventure" to the session. I keep it simple as it's the quickest. For this I just asked the family to stand on a rock edge. Notice how many different images can come from one action.

A group of people hiking together stand on a rocky hill against an overcast sky.

Four people hiking along a rocky ridge trail in the badlands under an overcast sky.

Family of five stands together in casual clothing against a rocky outdoor backdrop on an overcast day.

Three people stand together outdoors against a cloudy sky and barren landscape backdrop.

change up the grouping

Now it's time for shots of each parent with the kids and then the individual of each child. I then add on another "silly" walking one in a new location. You will see how different the vibe is even with the same walking pose.

A family of four in coordinated neutral outfits poses together against a desert canyon backdrop.

A person wearing a white sweater and floral dress stands outdoors against a desert-like background in sepia tones.

Person wearing an olive green button-up jacket and khaki pants stands in front of a desert mountain landscape.

Someone wearing a cream cardigan sweater and dark jeans poses for a portrait against rocky desert terrain.

A joyful group walks together through a dramatic desert canyon landscape with barren hills stretching into the distance.

A family sits together on a rugged brown hillside for a casual outdoor portrait in muted earth tones.

time for fun and games

This should bring you to well over 20 images by now which should be far less than offered for a mini session. I suggest offering no more than 10 images for mini session.

Now I'm at my final few minutes of my mini session, where I like to play games, do silly poses and have them sit on the ground. I save the sitting and games for the end incase anyone gets dirty.