Mini Sessions are out. Minimalist Sessions are in.

Before we get into this blog post about how Mini Sessions are out, I want to acknowledge the irony. I have a list of “Mini” Sessions on my website…so what’s going on there?? My answer: I have a sense of humor about photography and my “Mini” Sessions aren’t what they seem to be.

Real quick, let’s just define Mini Sessions.

Mini Sessions are used by photographers as an opportunity for NEW clients to just “try out” their services. Clients would get a 15 minute session and 5 to 10 images with a smaller price tag attached. This is probably the most common way Mini Sessions are used.

Seeing how popular they are, I decided to give it a try a couple of years back.

It didn’t go well. Sure, I got some good photos and my clients got what they signed up for, but there was so much that was missing. And frankly, I know what it’s like to be on a limited budget and want just a few photos without having to pay a lot of money. The result didn’t bring back families willing to pay for an extended version year after year because, understandably, they can find another good photographer offering Minis any time they want. Or maybe it’s just me!

But ultimately I realized that most photographers are either over-delivering and charging a lot because of this, or we’re under-delivering and leaving clients wanting more.

That thought really got me thinking that we need to find a budget-friendly middle ground.

I can’t tell you how many times my Clients and potential Clients have said “I just want a few photos. Nothing crazy”.

And you know what? That’s NOT crazy!! But it’s not what most photographers offer. But why not? It’s a long story.

I’ll do my best to chop it up into nuggets. Forgive me as I have not studied the actual history of family photography, but I’ve been alive long enough to have lived it.

The History of Family Photography (According to Rachel)

For a long time, family Photography was something you’d go to JC Penny’s for. You’d pay for a session and then pay per image. They’d print them and you didn’t really get digital files. I’ve got several years worth of these.

Then with digital cameras being easier to obtain, we could have as many photos as we wanted. So we went a little crazy and gave clients hundreds of photos. It was so overwhelming for everyone involved.

Nowadays Mini Sessions are the thing. We book back-to-back sessions that are so short that everyone involved is stressed out of their minds and all we have to show for it is 5 to 10 images.

I’m trying something different that I like to call “Minimalist Sessions” - Mini Sessions for short because it does well with the SEO.

It’s the happy middle and I have a feeling it’s the way of the future.

Mini Sessions are out. Minimalist Sessions are in.

Minimalist Sessions are designed for families who don’t want a ton of photos, but want enough time during their session to be able to relax a little and enjoy it.

Mini sessions last 25 to 30 minutes instead of 15. You put a lot of work into getting your family there looking their best and you deserve to get enough time to enjoy it.

Instead of getting 5 to 10 images, you get 15 to 20 depending on the type of session you book. You can have the option to get more too if you’d like.

Once your session is over, instead of a 5 minute gap between families, I leave 10 minutes. It’s still shorter than I’d like to get to know you a little better, but my hopes is I’ll have the opportunity again when you come back throughout the year for other fun mini Sessions I have planned.

Because of the extra time I give each client and the extra padding in-between, I do fewer sessions and my prices are higher than actual “Minis”, but my clients are happier and much more satisfied with their investment.

Instead of thinking of them as more expensive Minis, think of them as way less expensive full service sessions! That’s actually more accurate.

Minimalist Sessions mean you can document more of what you want throughout the year.

Family photography shouldn’t be out of reach. Being able to book a few families at one location within a time frame and streamline the editing process helps me as your photographer to offer you a better deal but it’s still worth it for me to invest in my business. In turn, I hope you’re able to book more than one Minimalist session throughout the year and document more of what you want. Only having photos of your growing family once a year really isn’t enough.

I’m a mom and I am constantly trying to capture the rapidly developing personality of my daughter. Thankfully I am a photographer and I don’t have to miss out, but I can’t imagine only having really good quality photos of her once a year!

Do you love watching your kids rolling around in fresh fallen snow? Now you can capture it - and even be a part of the fun with Winter Minimalist Sessions!

Or do you love picking Berries in the summer? Berry Picking Minis!

If your family goes ALL OUT for Halloween, you’ve got to check out the miniest Minimalist Sessions that I’ll be doing this Halloween!

There are so many fun opportunities within your reach with Minimalist Sessions.

Over the next year 2024 - 2025 I will be doing a test run offering LOTS of minis to give you more opportunities to mark all of your favorite times of the year. 

Check out my Mini Session page to see what is up next on the calendar!

If you like my Minimalist Sessions, let me know!