Your Mini Prep Guide
Mini sessions are short, considered and deliberately simple. Twenty minutes of your family, photographed outdoors in natural light at a shared location - just enough to refresh your gallery without the commitment of a full session. This guide covers everything you need to know so we can make the most of our twenty minutes together. Read it once now, and again in the day or two before your session.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS - PLEASE READ FIRST
Mini sessions run back-to-back with a timer throughout the day so that every family receives their full, paid twenty minutes. A few things to note before you arrive.
• Please wait in the carpark until your time slot - Every family is booked for a dedicated twenty minutes, and waiting in the carpark lets the session before yours finish on time - and lets you walk straight into your own slot without anyone feeling rushed.
• Please be ready to go at your allocated time - A timer runs throughout the day to keep things fair for every family. If you arrive late, your twenty minutes starts at your booked time, not at your arrival time — we simply have less of it to work with.
• Arrive with your children ready - Toilet stop done, snacks eaten, faces wiped clean and noses sorted. It can be nippy this time of year, so pop a warm layer on them for just before and just after - easy to remove when we start.
• Animals on lead at all times - For their safety and for the sessions running either side of yours - no exceptions.
• Please avoid telling children to smile or behave - I mean this kindly - it’s the single thing that most reliably makes a mini session harder. Children asked to perform withdraw; children left alone to be themselves give us the casual, connected moments we’re all here for. Let me do the directing.
Before Your Session
Mini sessions don’t include access to the studio wardrobe, so outfits are entirely up to you. Lean into neutrals and soft tones - cream, camel, sage, dusty blue, rich browns, soft whites. Avoid bold logos, bright primaries (red, electric blue) and busy patterns, which tend to pull the eye away from faces.
Dress everyone for the temperature, not the photograph. Chilly, red-nosed children don’t photograph well, and a warm layer is easy to remove for the session itself.
Pro-Tip - Lay every outfit out the night before - shoes, accessories and a quick-change option for kids included. Morning-of scrambling always shows up in the final image.
A simple natural look photographs best. If you wear makeup, keep it soft and light - the outdoor light is beautiful but unforgiving. Hair can be left natural or styled simply; wind is part of coastal photography and a relaxed style holds up best.
Pro-Tip - Avoid oil-based moisturisers in the 24 hours before your session. Oils sit on the surface of the skin and photograph as shine rather than softness - we're after the natural, matte texture of your skin, which holds the light far more beautifully.
The best-photographed children at a mini session are fed, rested and have just been to the toilet. A well-timed snack in the car on the way helps enormously; a hungry or tired child rarely rallies in twenty minutes.
Pro-Tip - In the car on the way in, play music rather than reminding the kids about behaviour. You’ll arrive with smiles still intact.
Need inspiration? Click here and go to images
On The Day
Aim to arrive at the carpark 10 minutes before your booked time. Use that window for last-minute outfit adjustments, nose wipes and toilet stops. When your slot comes around, walk down ready to go - nothing left to do at the session spot itself.
- A comb or brush for last-minute tidy-ups in the car
- A warm layer for each child (and you) for before and after
- Wipes and tissues - noses, faces, sticky hands
- A small, non-staining snack for emergencies
- A lead for any pets joining the session.
Handbags, coffee cups, toys, dummies and snacks all photograph poorly when clutched in small hands or left at the edge of frame. Leave them with someone who isn’t in the photographs - or in the car - so everyone is fully present.
Pro-Tip - Please remember to leave your phone in the car - a square shadow in your pocket kinda looks funny...while car keys can be either popped into your back pocket, jacket pocket or given to me (I'll keep them safe while you have a little fun).
Your Twenty Minutes
The session itself is unhurried and intentionally uncomplicated. I’ll direct you gently where direction is needed - where to stand, where to look, a small moment to hold - and then step back and let you be yourselves with each other. Running, laughing, leaning in, looking away; children in motion; a slow kiss on
If you don’t know what to do with your hands, reach for your children - you’ll have made the image. Resist the urge to correct, remind or referee during the session. Those twenty minutes are mine to manage; your job is simply to be there.
Children don’t need to be told what to do - they need to be allowed to be. I’ll talk to them directly, make small suggestions where needed, and photograph around whatever they give us. Some of the strongest images from mini sessions come from the in-between moments, not the posed ones.
Pro-Tip - Refrain from telling your children to "smile" or "look at the camera". This causes them to feel forced into an uncomfortable situation when, in their mind, they are there to play and simply be in the moment with you - that's what I'm after. The connection, the moments - love frozen in time.
Weather
In the case of heavy rain or conditions that are genuinely unsafe to photograph in, the full day is rescheduled - you’ll be notified within 24 hours of your session by text and/or email. The rescheduled day is the rain date listed in your original booking confirmation, at the same time slot.
After Your Session
Your ten best images, hand-selected and fully edited, will be delivered within seven days of your session. You’ll receive an email with a secure online gallery link and a personal download pin. From there you can view your images, download them in full resolution, and order prints or framed pieces directly through the gallery if you’d like to.
The ten images are your finished set - the ones I felt best captured your family in this window. Mini sessions are designed around a curated reveal rather than a wider image selection, which is part of what keeps them gentle on time and investment.
Pro-Tip - Your favourite images almost always live well as prints — not in a phone or a hard drive. Ordering one framed piece from each mini session is a beautiful way to build a rolling family gallery wall year on year.
FAQ
How many pictures will we receive?
Ten fully edited, high-resolution images, hand-selected by me, delivered within seven days of your session.
Can we request additional images?
For this particular Mini Session Date, there are only 10 digital images available. Future Mini Sessions may have the ability to upgrade to a fully gallery - if you are interested in future offers, please feel free to add yourself to my VIP Mini Mailing List - see the link below.
What happens if we’re late?
A timer runs across the day so that every family receives their full, paid twenty minutes. If you arrive after your booked slot, your session begins at your original time — we simply have less of it to work with, and cannot run over into the next family’s slot.
If we arrive earlier than our slot, can we wait nearby?
Yes — please wait in the carpark rather than at the session area. This lets the family before you finish on time and gives you a quiet moment to ready your children before walking down.
Can more than 8 family members join?
Mini sessions are designed strictly for 8 family members only - one quick, considered gallery. If you’re hoping to include further extended family, reach out and we can talk through whether a full Family Photography session or something bespoke might suit.
Can we bring our pet?
Yes, pets are welcome at mini sessions — they’re part of the family. Please keep them on lead at all times, both for their safety and for the families photographing either side of you.
What if my child cries or won’t cooperate?
Completely expected, and not a problem. Children under five rarely arrive on-demand, and mini sessions are paced around that reality. Please don’t tell them off or ask them to smile — it almost always backfires. Let me work around what they give us; some of my favourite mini session images come from the unscripted moments.