Daughter and son sitting on a bench between their mom and dad during a family mini session in Monroe, NC
Husband kissing wife on the cheek in a couple photo during a family mini session in Monroe, NC
Husband spinning his wife while dancing in a flower field couple mini session in Monroe, NC
Baby girl with a big smile in a flower field at a family mini session in Monroe, NC
Teenage girl portrait taken at a family mini session in Monroe, NC
Two families walking in a line holding hands looking at each other and laughing during an extended family mini session in Monroe, NC

Have you ever wondered why photographers offer mini sessions or what makes them different from full sessions?

It's not just about the session length, there are a lot of differences between a mini session and other packages that photographers offer.


Let's break it down a little bit.


I am a portrait photographer based in South Charlotte, North Carolina. I mainly focus on families, but also take senior portraits, newborns, couples, and events. I just hosted my first round of mini sessions, so I am no expert, but I have thought so deeply about why I should offer mini sessions that I thought I should explain the pros and cons that I have found.


Family portrait including parents and baby at a family mini session in Monroe, NC
Young boy hugging his baby sister sitting on a bench during a family mini session in Monroe, NC
Couple walking in a flower field in Monroe, NC for a couples mini session
Two families together in an extended family mini session in Monroe, NC

Mini sessions are not one-size-fits-all.

Explore this list to determine if a mini session would be a good fit for you.


Pros:

  • Budget-friendly: Mini sessions are usually a photographer's cheapest option to receive photos.
  • If you need just a handful of photos: You may not need a full gallery of photos. Maybe you need a Christmas card picture. Maybe you are just looking for a few updated pictures to hang on your wall. Maybe you only need a few photos for an announcement, such as graduation, pregnancy, engagement, etc. Mini sessions usually offer 5-10 photos, depending on the photographer.
  • Short and Sweet: Worried your child won't last for a full session? Try a mini! They are only 10-20 minutes
  • Fun way to explore your city! Photographers host mini sessions in many different locations at different times of the year. I hosted spring mini sessions at Blue Hill Garden in Monroe, NC, and it was such a fun way to have an excuse to go there! They have huge fields of beautiful flowers. My four-year-old daughter and I went to scope it out, and we both absolutely loved it!! My clients were able to come early or linger after their session to explore the flower fields in their own time. They all talked about how beautiful it was and that they hadn't been there before!
  • Seasonal photos: A beautiful spring/fall/Christmas backdrop may be the perfect fit for what you are looking for, but you may not want a full gallery full of seasonal photos, as they can be less versatile. Mini sessions to the rescue! They may give you just what you need.
  • Try out a new photographer: If you are looking for a photographer that is a good fit for you, a mini session would be a budget-friendly way to test the waters and see if you think they vibe well with your personality! If you are looking for intricate posing or a highly formal product in a studio, I may not be the best fit for what you need. I am a very casual, playful, and natural posing photographer. My strengths lie in making your photo session a fun and memorable experience while also delivering great photos that feel like YOU.


Cons:

  • 15 minutes goes FAST: If you or your child are not comfortable in front of a camera and it takes you some time to warm up, a mini session may feel too fast or you may not get natural smiles if you haven't had time to get comfortable with your photographer.
  • Lower budget, but less product delivered: If you want/need a wide variety in your images, a mini session may not be enough. Full sessions can allow for an outfit change or two, ability to get more groupings of people than a mini will, and a wider variety of prompts/poses. You'll just get more pictures from a full session (which makes sense since full sessions are longer)
  • Hard to choose just a few pictures: Photographers normally offer you a gallery with more pictures than what is included in your mini session. Narrowing them down to only 5-10 can be really tough and you may end up spending more money to be able to download all of the photos you loved from your session.


To sum it up, mini sessions are incredibly wonderful for many different scenarios when you only need a few photos, but lack the robustness and variety that a full session offers.

Parents playing with children during a family mini session in Monroe, NC

As long as you find a great photographer and you are a good fit for a mini session, getting a handful of excellent images in a mini session is a guarantee. Since this was my first time doing mini sessions, I wasn't 100% sure how it would go, and I was a little nervous that I wouldn't be able to get 10 fantastic images in 15 minutes. But as soon as I finished each session, I knew that I would have a hard time narrowing them down. We got A LOT in 15 minutes. I was shocked by just how many pictures and poses I was able to get in such a short time frame.


So, what do you think?

Would a mini session be a good fit for you?