Deciding if Minis are a Good Fit for You | Cumming Family Photographer

Ever get confused with photography lingo? I’m not sure when and where the Mini Session first surfaced, but it has become very popular.  For some reason when people hear those words, they come running! Typically Minis are a much shorter and more affordable alternative to the typical photography session.  But that doesn’t necessarily make it the best deal! I’ll go over some of the ways that my Minis differ from typical sessions and you can decide which is right for you.

1. Length

Minis are typically very short, and sometimes have a particular theme.  My Minis are 20 minutes or less of shooting time. The good news is the short time allows for children to quickly get through a session.  However this also means that if someone has a meltdown, there is less time to recover. Minis are scheduled back to back, so once your time slot is over another family will be ready to begin, and I have to respect each client’s time frame.  As for themes, I’m a big believer in the whole of idea of “less is more.” I don’t use a lot of props, and I don’t dig into themes often. Another thing to keep in mind is that there isn’t as much time to get lots of different groupings and poses.  For whole family Minis, my goal and plan is to get the following shots: whole family, siblings together, and individual child if time allows. With a Full Session, there is a lot more time for personalized groupings, multiple setups/backdrops, and lots of candid and in between moments that tell a full story.    

2.  Location and scheduling choices
One of the reasons photographers are able to offer Minis at a discounted price is because they are setup at one location.  This cuts out driving and maximizes time. In this case, the location is chosen by me in advance, and we mostly stay in one spot.  Due to the limited amount of time, we can’t explore and move around a location as much as I would in a Full Session. The date is also chosen by me and I open time slots back to back, so there is less freedom in choosing the best day and time for your schedule.  

3.  Personalization
This is the part about Minis that is hard for me.  I love all of my clients. I enjoy talking and building relationships and trust and want to make everyone feel as comfortable as possible.  I enjoy making you laugh and pointing out the obvious awkward feelings when a stranger is telling you to look at one another while they circle around you clicking away.  At the end of most of my sessions, as I walk with families back to their cars, I often hear them make comments with pleasant surprise like, “Wow, that was easy!” or “That was fun!” That is the positive of a normal session with me.  I have time and flexibility to work with your children, making photos into a fun game to ease the pain that we as parents so often experience when we are just trying to get one good shot of everyone!

With Minis, I’m stuck in one spot behind the camera ready to get going as each family arrives in order to maximize shooting time to provide the best quality shots in the shortest amount of time.  I have an assistant who greets families as they arrive and sends them to me at their starting time. After each session ends another is ready to go. In Full Sessions I always strive to make my clients feel special and appreciated and provide the highest quality experience possible.  If you have envisioned certain photos, I always try to make that happen. Due to the fast pace of Minis, it just isn’t quite as relaxing and personalized as normal sessions.

I hope that helps you learn a little more about Minis! Minis are a great way to get updated portraits when you aren’t in need of a longer, more personalized session.