Mini sessions are my favorite type of family session. They are so quick and easy for me AND for the families I photograph! Let’s be real? What toddler or dad wants to smile at the camera for more than 30 minutes? Not very many. MOST of my family sessions are now mini sessions. I love that I can shoot and edit three sessions in one night, instead of trying to fit in three families in three different nights.
Because I offer mini sessions, I am able to fit in a lot more family clients each year and honestly, I stay way more sane. With weddings as our primary market, this is the only way I can fit in families to our crazy schedule. If you’ve never done mini sessions OR you’ve tried and failed, I have some tips for you!
1. LIMIT LOCATION
My mini sessions are limited to ONE location of my choice and only one look. YOU need to choose the location. Make it somewhere close and convenient. Mini sessions are not for custom locations or traveling far distances. Clients that want a full, custom location are willing to pay for that extra value.
2. Always plan THREE in a ROW
When I started photography, I had two types of sessions: mini and full. Clients could choose what they wanted. 95% of the time they would choose mini and 99% of the time the “mini” session would last for an hour (or more). I learned really fast that I was doing mini sessions totally wrong. You must plan several in a row to make it worth leaving your house for a 20 minute session. If you have to get a babysitter or devote a night to a shoot, it should at least be 2 in a row or a full session! I always plan three in a row an hour and a half before sunset.
3. Make them Special / Themed
Mini sessions should be done at special times a year. I don’t do many props or set ups with my style of photography, so instead of “Easter Minis” and “Halloween Minis”, I offer seasonal minis at my favorite seasonal locations. YOU can do whatever fits your brand. If that’s an entire scene with props and backdrops, do it. If it’s just a location, that’s great too.
For example, spring is almost here, which means blossoms. Everyone wants blossoms. I don’t have enough days of the week to do a bunch of full sessions before the blossoms are gone. Instead, I plan two mini session nights with 3 mini sessions per night. I fit 6 people wanting blossoms into 2 nights…instead of 6. I batch edit them at the same time, and I only worked 4 times instead of 12!
4. Charge Right
Don’t sell yourself short. You will not attract your ideal clients; instead you’ll be attracting bargain buyers looking for the cheapest package. Keep your mini sessions at 60%-70% of your full session pricing. It is half the time, but it is not half the work. Yes, there are less pictures and “looks” but you are still showing up, directing, editing, marketing, etc.
5. Don’t Give Away Too Much
Remember that you can’t get all the shots you normally get on a full family shoot. Mini sessions are limited to one location and look. I usually give them a few great family shots, an individual shot of each kids and some playful shots. If someone wants a custom location, they pay full price. I have several mommas that come to me to get a look that no one else has. They pay my full session fee for exclusivity and variation.
6. Offer Products
My mini session clients get the same opportunity to order products as my full sessions. If you do IPS, make sure you give your mini session clients the same opportunity. Make “mini session product packages.” This will give your clients a feel for what you offer, heighten your sales and get them in the door for future (and maybe even custom) sessions.
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Hi there, I’m Kylee…a wife, mother and full time storyteller capturing candid and romantic love stories + real life family fun. I love all parts of owning and running a business + LOVE sharing my secrets with others.
follow along on Instagram for all sorts of tips, inspiration + stories….
@KyleeAnnPhotos
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Kylee Ann Maughan is a family and international brand photographer based in small-town Northern Utah. She has been a business owner for 13.5 years, and also runs a successful and award-winning associate team. Kylee hosts semi-annual retreats, speaks at conferences and teaches online courses about running a small business and marketing. Her niche in coaching is helping moms turn their passion into profit, while being the mom they dream of.
March 21, 2016
Kylee Maughan
