I am so grateful that you are coming along to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year, Christmas.
I know from my own family’s experience, Mini Sessions are so perfect and stress free as they are fast and you get amazing images to share with all.
To help you get the best experience possible, I’ve created this Christmas Mini Session Preparation Guide that you can read whenever you find a spare minute.
On the day, I’ll give direction and guidance to a point, such as positioning you in the best light around the few props I’ll have here and there, asking you to look at each other, smile at the camera, play tickle monster, cuddle etc but mostly I am just creating a space and opportunities for connections to happen naturally in the time we have together.
Take whatever you need from the below - as I have mentioned it is only a guide!
Where will the sessions be held?
The sessions will be held at the Davies Family Farm, which is located at 10 Orrvale Road, Orrvale. You’ll find it on the corner of Orrvale and Benalla Roads.
Note: please park on the Benalla Road side of the farm, where you’ll see a large, open gate. You can drive in, park on the empty field before the you see the Christmas trees.
What time should we arrive?
I ask that you arrive no earlier than 5-10 minutes before your session time, to avoid any car park congestion.
As soon as it’s your turn, I’ll instantly become BFF’s with your kiddos and get familiar with your family. Your session will go for a maximum of 15 minutes. If you see I’m running 5 mins overtime, not to worry - we’ll still have the same amount of time, I have breaks in between some sessions to catch up.
How do we prepare ourselves for having photos?
What if my toddler is wearing his grumpy pants and our dog is tearing the sheets off the line?
FACT: all of these things happen! As a Mama to 3, I get it. I really do. I get that families are chaotic and messy and crazy and intense. Instead of fighting and trying to make everything appear perfect, let’s get real and just embrace it. While I always aim for a money shot for you, my next mission is to get the most natural photos of your family’s connection.
Some extra tips
Feed the kids well before the session. No one enjoys themselves when they’re hangry!
Bring along some clean snacks for the kids while you’re waiting if you need to. Grapes, pretzels, sultanas and crackers are all good options!
Allow yourself plenty of time to get ready so you don’t feel rushed later on when you’re getting the tribe in the car. Eliminating any stress will help you relax and enjoy your 15 minutes of fame!
Usually the kids will be excited for some Christmas magic, but if they don’t normally like having their photo taken you can talk to them about how they’ll get to see real life Christmas trees and smile for photos that will be sent to Santa (if you’re down for a Santa bribe, that is!). I’m also hoping to organise a Letters to Santa mailbox that they are welcome to post an early letter in if they wish!
Please note: During the session you are not permitted to take any pictures with your mobile phone while I am shooting. It is a quick session and this will distract children and make them look away. Do not stress, I will be providing you with professional images! At the end of the session if we have time, you’re more than welcome to do a behind the scenes videos for social media.
Wondering what you should wear?
Don’t worry! I have a few tips to help.
Pick your colour scheme and stick with it! I recommend choosing 2-4 main tones and basing your outfits around them. For more traditional Christmas photos, richer hues paired with lighter neutrals look great together, and will pop amongst the pines.
Neutrals are the easiest to coordinate and look great just about anywhere (think white, cream, grey, beige), but if you’re looking to stand out with pops of colour, the best place to do that is with your outfits!
No logos if possible. You want your images to be timeless and sometimes logos/text on clothing can be a little distracting.
Just wear something you’re comfortable in and actually like how you look in it. If you’d rather a more casual look than dressy - it’s perfectly fine to wear nice jeans + cozy sweaters and it’s also totally okay to come in rocking matching family PJ’s! These are your photos and you should wear whatever look you want!
Remember, if your children are comfortable in their clothes, then they will be relaxed and calm during the session!
HOT TIP: Start with you. Choose YOUR outfit first, then choose complimenting outfits for everyone else! I love to throw all our outfits on the bed when I’m deciding between different options.
Fur Babies are Welcome!
Dogs are welcome! Feel free to bring your fur baby too, as long as they have some basic manners and is leashed —we would love to have them! When booking your session, please just let me know that doggo is coming too so we can get extra excited to meet them!
Who else can come?
While these 15-minute sessions will be for immediate family only, if you’d like to include more of your extended family, you are more than welcome to book back-to-back timeslots so we have time for more photos.
When and how will we receive our photos?
Within 1-2 weeks you will be emailed a link to an online gallery that allows you to view all the edited images from your session. I ask that you favourite the 5 images you’d like as your digital files to download, and send me an email once this has been completed so that I can release them to you. If you absolutely cannot choose 5 favourites and have to have them all, you have 2 weeks to upgrade for just $150. Once I release your full gallery you can download all your images.
After the 2 week period the gallery upgrade cost will $200.
What if we want to purchase prints, products or Christmas cards?
The online gallery system I use is fantastic for browsing product options using your images. You can create greeting cards, framed prints, woodblock prints and more. If you get stuck with anything I am just a phone call away, or can always put it through for you manually.
I am holding these sessions earlier in the year so that I have plenty of time for your images to be returned to you and enough time for you to prepare Christmas gifts and share with family and friends. On receiving your online gallery, be sure to order asap to have products ready for collection by Christmas.
