Mini Sessions in Orange County!

Posted on October 4, 2018 By Blogging with Brianna

Hi Friends…

Last week… or was it the week before? I’ve lost track. Anyway – last week (I think) I went a little nuts about how much I love the fall… This week I’m going to tell you one of the reasons I love the fall…

BECAUSE IT’S MINI SESSION TIME!!!

If you go to any local parks in Orange County this time of year… you’ll see a sea of photographers busting out family portrait sessions. For us photographers it can be quite a challenge to navigate our locations and not get into each other’s way – but it is inevitable that if you look out for it, everywhere you go you’ll see families ready for photos, or having their photos taken. It’s that time of year where everyone starts color coordinating, parents fight the little ones for early naps so they behave for their session, and everyone is anxious to get that perfect holiday photo to send out with their holiday cards. If you see families in restaurants that are color coordinated and you see a massive look of relief on the faces of the parents – you can probably bet they just finished their holiday session and are so glad it’s over.

While everyone wants that yearly family photo it can be TOUGH to get it done because:

Timing – it’s the busiest time of year for everyone! School is back in session, sports seasons are starting, and you have to prep for all of the upcoming Holidays. And for many families getting your kids or dogs to cooperate for a specific amount of time is nearly impossible.
It just always seems that when you finally have your session set, something inevitably goes wrong… one of your kids has a black eye, or a cut on their nose, someone didn’t nap and they’re cranky… someone got sick… the dogs don’t cooperate, etc etc.
MONEY! This time of year is expensive, and so are portrait sessions… While they are worth every penny – it can still be stressful all the same.

This is why we. love. mini sessions!

They are short and sweet. We only spend 20 minutes and we knock out everything you need for your holiday cards! Little ones attention spans don’t last very long, so mini’s are PERFECT for families with little kids, couples who just want a couple cute shots for their memories, or couples with dogs!
Lucky for you we are pro’s and have some tips below to help avoid some of these disasters (probably can’t help prevent your kid from getting a black eye)!
Mini sessions are short and sweet and therefore more affordable than a full length session! These sessions get you what you need in a timely manner without breaking the budget.

Here are our tips for a successful mini session with kids:

Try to coordinate your session for AFTER nap time. Kids always do better when they are well rested! Take them to the park early in the day so they can run out some energy and take a good solid nap.
Coordinate your outfits, but don’t get TOO matchy-matchy. Gone are the days where everyone wears a white shirt and jeans. Choose 3 colors that look nice together and mix it up among your group.
Prep your kids all week long! Let them know in a fun way, that you guys are having a photo session! Make it exciting for them – let them see the outfits you chose, and tell them how they get to wear that special outfit for picture day. Tell them who you want to send photos to, and even get silly and practice smiling with them. This will get them excited for their session and ready to perform for the camera (hopefully!). If your kids HATE getting their photos taken… prep them anyway… and give them some incentives for doing well at the shoot.

If you do not have kids – but want to bring your dogs:

Bring a puppy wrangler! A friend or family member who can help manage the dogs in case you don’t want them in every single photo.
Bring their favorite toy or treats so that we can coax them to sit and look at the camera 🙂

We do all of our mini sessions in Orange County and this year we are only doing TWO dates as opposed to three. Our calendars are filling up fast, so if you haven’t already reserved your spot – don’t waste another minute!! Below are our mini session details and locations, as well as some photos from last years fun.