Your Mini Prep Guide
Studio family mini sessions are short, deliberately simple, and run in a dedicated, light-filled studio space that stays comfortably warm no matter what the weather is doing outside. Twenty unhurried minutes of your family in natural light — just enough to refresh your gallery without the commitment of a full session. This guide covers everything you need to know. 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. Waiting outside — in your car or in the entrance area — 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 - Toilet stop done, snacks eaten, faces wiped and tidy. The studio is comfortably warm, so no heavy coats are needed inside — but something easy to layer on for the walk in and out is always handy. (There is a toilet on-site for emergencies).
• 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
Studio mini sessions don’t include access to the full client wardrobe, so outfits are entirely up to you. Lean into neutrals and soft tones — cream, oat, taupe, 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. The studio is a comfortable temperature year-round, so dress everyone for the look rather than the weather. Linen, soft knits, cotton and simple layered pieces all photograph beautifully in natural light.
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 studio’s natural light is beautifully soft and flattering. Hair can be left natural or styled simply.
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 studio 10 minutes before your booked time. Use that window to park, settle, do last-minute outfit adjustments, nose wipes and toilet stops. Please wait in your car or entrance area until your slot — when it’s your time, I'll come to collect you.
- 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).
The Studio
The studio is a dedicated, light-filled space kept at a comfortable temperature year-round — so there’s no need to bundle up before you arrive or warm back up after we finish. The set-up is clean and neutral, with soft natural light coming through the windows. There’s nothing busy or distracting in the frame; the focus is entirely on your family. Studio minis are designed to feel calm and considered — a small, polished space in which to arrive, be photographed, and leave again, all inside twenty minutes.
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. A hand on a small shoulder, a child leaning in, a parent’s glance across the frame. All of it photographs beautifully.
If you don’t know what to do with your hands, look at 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.
After Your Session
Your fully edited gallery 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, where you can view every image from the session. Ten images are included with your mini session — simply choose your favourites. If you find you can’t narrow it down, you’re warmly welcome to upgrade to take home the full gallery. Prints, framed pieces and keepsakes can be ordered directly through the gallery at any time.
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
What happens if we’re late?
A timer runs across the day so 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.
Can we arrive earlier than our slot and wait nearby?
Yes — please wait outside the studio (in your car, or in the entrance area)
rather than inside. This lets the family before you finish on time and gives
you a quiet moment to ready your children before walking in.
Can extended family join?
Mini sessions are designed strictly for your immediate family only —
parents and children in one quick, considered gallery. If you’re hoping to
include grandparents or extended family, reach out and we can talk through whether a full Family 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.
Do we need to worry about the weather?
No — studio mini sessions run rain or shine. The studio is a dedicated,
climate-controlled space with soft natural light coming through the
windows, so weather on the day doesn’t affect your session.
Can I share the images on social media?
Absolutely — please do. A photo credit or tag (@kimmayphotographer) is
always appreciated but never required. I do ask that images aren’t filtered or re-edited before posting; the finished look is part of the final work.