Winston-Salem Mini Sessions

Mini Sessions are such a wonderful way to get updated family photos every year without (a) breaking your budget and (b) having to keep the kids happy for a full 1 hour session. Especially on hot North Carolina days, it’s so hard to be out in the sun for that long. The solution is a quick 20-minute mini session with me!

After you’ve booked your mini session, you may be wondering about the best ways to get the most out of those 20 minutes. So I’ve put together some tips on how to prepare for your mini session:

Arrive Early

In order to maximize on the time you do have, be sure to arrive early to your session. Arriving at least 10 minutes early ensures that you’ll have plenty of time to get everyone out of the car, through the parking lot, and to the photo shoot area. If you arrive late, you may eat into your session time and with a 20-minute session, every minute counts!

Have a Few Tricks Up Your Sleeve

If you know that your kiddos aren’t great in front of the camera or with meeting new people, bring along a few tricks that may help. This could be a toy that I can hold to get their attention, a treat to encourage them to smile, or an idea of a game we can play to keep them interested. I also have an app or two that helps with younger kids, but you know your kids better than I do, so it’s always nice to have some tricks up your sleeve :) The only downside to mini sessions is that there really isn’t much “warm up” time so we jump RIGHT in.

Don’t Stress

Mini Sessions are so much fun and really the point is for them to be as little stress on you as possible. So my best advice for you is to think of it as a fun activity for you and your family (or your fiance, or your baby bump, or your sister, or WHOEVER) and don’t stress over it. I’m there to capture you having fun and create memories of a beautiful day. This isn’t the type of session to plan for outfit changes or hundreds of combinations of portraits or ideas from Pinterest. This is the type of session where we get a bunch of fun candid shots. This is the type of session where we have fun and enjoy the day. I love these so much for this reason!

I hope these tips are helpful, but if you still have questions, feel free to email me at lauren{at}laurenjollyphotography{dot}com for more information.

You can see some images from my 2016 mini sessions HERE.