Let’s talk about styled mini sessions because those types of shoots seems to grab a lot of excitement around the holidays. Here are my TOP THREE TIPS for setting up a styled mini session.
TIP 1️⃣
THE DETAILS – as a photographer
The small details make up the whole picture! The small details such a the ribbon & the wrapping paper on the presents that sat to the right of the van were just as important as the amazing van! The details are the thread that pull the entire setup together so you really need to focus on those when creating a set. I use a technique I call layering details, basically I start with the big things & determine where I will set the family/kids and work may way out from there. Be careful because you always want the focus to be on the client so don’t overwhelm the set up with too many small things. 💃
THE DETAILS – as a client
Bring things that mean something to your family if you can! Grandma’s knit blanket, a book you read to your kids every Christmas Eve, or your child’s lovie! Bring something to the set that puts your family’s stamp of authenticity on it!
TIP 2️⃣
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
First, I draw my design out (as you can see from my stories) and then I do a fake setup in my living room or garage. This allows to get the vision out of my head BEFORE the day of the shoot! That way I know if I need more props (or at times need to tone things down). But the key is doing this BEFORE the day of the shoot! Let me say that again for those of you in the back….DO THIS BEFORE THE DAY OF THE SHOOT! The day of minis are always stressful & rushed and honestly that situation is the perfect storm for a creative brain meltdown and y’all aint nobody got time for that on mini day!
TIP 3️⃣
THE CLOTHES
Y’all I talked about how important clothing and styling is to a session last week and it’s just as important to a mini see those socks I brought those for her to add another cozy element! If you have an all red set up you certainly don’t want your clients showing up in hot pink. Use those tips I gave in stories last week about styling clients & do yourself a favor, gift your business a month with style and select and wow yourself with amazing and easy client styling! I use their system to style minis so I can style 36 clients sessions in a day rather than 2 weeks!
