It's springtime in Pittsburgh! Do you know what that means? It's a GREAT time for new photos! Have you ever done a mini session with your family? They are so much fun and quicker than a regular, full session. Mini sessions vary among photographers but a typical session with me goes something like this...
I will pick a theme, a date, and a time slot range. My mini sessions are 15 minutes long which is just enough time to get a good variety of family photos. I offer five digital images included but if you love the entire gallery or additional images, those are also available for purchase. When you book, I send over a PDF of my signature "Client Experience Guide" that lets you know ALL about the experience and what to expect after booking all the way through gallery delivery.
Right now, I'm working on spring "Mommy and Me" minis. To prepare for these, I do a trial run to make sure I am ready for the actual day of minis and to ensure they go as seamless as possible. Here's a little backstory of how this particular "model session" went. It started with a beautiful mama and her fabulous kids and ended with a LOT of laughs!
Let me start by saying we rescheduled this session several times (thanks Pittsburgh weather!!). We FINALLY got a day with 67 degrees and sunshine in the forecast. We had gone from weather in the 70's, to rain, to snow in April, then back to the high 60's so we had to jump on that moment! I wanted to capitalize on that sunshine and take my son, Aiden paddleboarding that day since we were going to be in the same park as the session. We weren't meeting Mesha and her kids until after 6pm in order to get that dreamy, sunset light so I thought I had plenty of time to do both that day. I should know by now that things ALWAYS take longer than expected.
Aiden and I met our other friends at the park to paddleboard together and let me tell you, that paddleboard was a challenge to inflate. We finally got ourselves together, shook off our frustrations and got into our wetsuits. I mean, come on, it's not THAT warm! Off we went, me silently praying that we didn't fall into the lake for so many reasons! We were having a great time and before we knew it, it was almost time to meet for the photo session. The paddleboard was a bit more challenging to deflate so I didn't have time to take the wetsuits off before meeting them. I spoke with Mesha on the phone and explained to please excuse our appearance and she just laughed!
We met in North Park at these gorgeous rock formation in the center of a field. The location is beautiful and you'd never guess it's at the busiest intersection! The rocks provide a natural reflector to make their skin really glow. There are plenty of opportunities to climb, and the floral hoop added a pop of color especially with the beautiful blue sky. We tried out many different poses and the Barnes family were troopers for climbing rocks while they were so dressed up!
Mesha perfectly coordinated their outfits. Her blue dress paired with Tori's dress complimented each other for this mother-daughter duo. And let's not forget Jordan who looked so handsome next to his mama. Mini sessions are great for families because they are a short amount of time and the kids tend to stay attentive. I always have a "must get" shot list in my mind and was able to get over 25 poses in that short amount of time.
About halfway into our session, we had climbed to the very top of the rocks, flower hoop in tow. We were finishing up the kids photos and we notice a few vehicles drive up to the rocks, through the grass. Much to our surprise, out jumps an ENTIRE wedding party! Bride, groom, bridesmaids, groomsmen, parents, flower girl, photographer, videographer....you get the idea. We were pretty much done up there so wanted to be respectful of not being in their photos so we started our trek down the rocks, flower hoop in hand, dressed in wetsuits (and Aiden still had his life vest on). Much to my mortification, I remembered what Aiden and I looked like. Wetsuits AND water shoes. We must have looked like a special pair of somethings! As the large group laid eyes on us, I felt the need to blurt out "NO! I don't normally photograph families while in wetsuits!" and ran off to the other side of the rocks! I certainly got some sideways glances but rest assured, that still wasn't even my most embarrassing life moment.
All in all, my session with Mesha was amazing! We laughed our way through the last shots and I hope she has some great memories of her kids!! Hopefully she can block out our clothing choices that day, although she insisted on getting documented proof of this occasion! Mesha and her kids were amazing to work with and I am lucky to have met them last year when she booked a full family session with me.
If you're thinking of booking mini sessions this year, I have a few planned so far:
Spring minis on May 30th (booking now)
Senior Grad Minis
Sunflower Minis (August)
Fall Colors
Holiday
I will be sending all the details out via my VIP email list, so if you haven't signed up yet, you'll get a special surprise for doing it! I promise we will have fun getting timeless photos for you to cherish for years (wetsuit not included!!).
