This time of year, we have a lot of people ask us, “What’s the difference between a full session and a mini session, and which should I book?”
All of our sessions include our unparalleled customer service and beautiful heirloom quality products. The differences are in a few important areas including: date & time choice, location options, length of the session, variety and number of images, and cost.
Below I’ve broken them down in bullet points to give you a quick overview of each session type.
Full Signature Sessions
- Date & Time Choice: Full length Signature Sessions are on the date & time of your choice, depending on our availability and the best light of the day. We prefer to shoot in the mornings and in the last two hours before sunset, but we can also work around your schedule to choose the best time for you.
- Location Options: This is the biggest perk of a full session. We can shoot wherever you’d like from your home to the beach to a park or museum. It is entirely up to you and we LOVE shooting at places that are meaningful to your family.
- Length of the Session: Full sessions are an average of 1.5 hours but can go longer or finish sooner depending on whether I’ve got the shots I need and whether your kiddos are still having fun. I’ve had sessions go up to 3 hours because the kids were just having so much fun and the sun had not yet set, and I’ve had sessions wrap in about 45 minutes because the little ones were getting tired and hungry. No matter the length I always get a full gallery of images that you will love.
- Variety & Number of Images: A full session normally produces 60-80 images. We shoot a lot of variety from a few posed smiling shots, to more candid shots of your family being together having fun. We get shots of not just the whole family, but of Mom with the kids, Dad with the kids, sibling shots, each of the kids separately showing off their individual personalities, and we always get a few shots of just Mom & Dad together because we know the last time you had one of those was probably from your wedding.
- Cost: Print and Digital Collections start at $1800.
Should I Book a Full Signature Session?
Our Signature Sessions are perfect for the family who wants to capture what their family is like in this moment in time. Full length sessions give us the opportunity to capture the relationships in your family, and the personalities of each of your little ones in a location that is meaningful to you. With a full session you’ll get our full-service portrait experience from working with me to choose your location and outfits, to spending plenty of time in front of my camera, to having me help you choose your favorite images for your wall or album. AND if you have babies, toddlers or kids who are very shy and need time to warm you may want to consider a full session to give them a little more time in front of the camera to ensure that get those great shots you’ve been dreaming of.
Ready to book a Full Session? Email us now! We have a few spots still open this fall.
Mini Sessions
- Date & Time Choice: Mini Sessions are held 4-8 times a year on set dates and times, because they are shot back-to-back in a single block of time. Our Winter, Spring, and Summer Minis are usually on one date each. Because our Fall Minis are very popular, they usually get 2-4 dates.
- Location Options: We hold most of our minis in our studio, except for Spring Wildflower sessions, and our Fall Mini Sessions which are held at a few different outdoor locations.
- Length of the Session: Minis are 20 Minutes.
- Number of Images: A mini session normally produces 15-20 images. Because of time restrictions we focus on shots of the whole family. With a few posed smiling shots as well as more candid shots of your family being together having fun. We’ll also get some sibling shots, and time-permitting some individual shots of each of your kids.
- Cost: Print and Digital Collections start at $600.
Should I Book a Mini Session?
Mini Sessions are perfect for the family who needs just a few updated family portraits, wants to capture a special milestone, or just wants to try out a budget-friendly alternative to one of our full sessions. They are perfect for your holiday cards, gifts for the Grandparents, and a few new images to hang on your walls.
Is a Mini Session right for you? Click here to see what spots are still open!
