I had so much fun earlier this month doing my first mini session marathon day at Fort Monroe! It felt like a huge step for me as a photographer, and I learned so much doing it. I really believe in sharing the things you learn if they can benefit other people so today’s blog post is a series of mini session tips for photographers!

1. Plan Ahead!

I scouted the location one week prior at exactly the time I’d be having my sessions. And ruined my favorite black toms in the process, bringing wet canvas shoes out on to the beach 😆

2. Allow yourself breathing room between each session.

I scheduled each session with 10 minutes in between which helped if a client was late or I got too excited and went past the twenty minutes (which I usually did). Having that extra ten minutes allowed me to grab any extra shots I felt I needed, chat with the family for a minute, or get a drink of water.

3. Leave extra EXTRA early.

Imagine this – you double check your bag, say goodbye to your family, head out the door, and before you reach your shoot location you unexpectedly find yourself in a different city!!

Oh yes, it happened to me!! For those not as familiar with Fort Monroe, the exit is the last one on the highway before you go over the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel into Norfolk. Well, blame the construction, my breakfast that my loving husband made me, or my overall excitement – but somehow I found myself passing RIGHT by Fort Monroe and heading onto the bridge!! At that point it’s too late to turn around, you’re stuck until you hit the other side and have to turn around!

Thankfully I had left myself extra time and there was no traffic on the HRBT at 7:45am (a miracle unto itself). Imagine if I hadn’t left myself that extra buffer time, my entire day would’ve been thrown off and my poor clients would’ve suffered because of my error!

4. Bring water.

I like to talk A LOT during my sessions, whether I’m posing, chit-chatting with littles or parents, or just chattering to make my clients feel more comfortable, my mouth is always moving! It was a lifesaver to grab a quick drink between sessions. Even with that I still ended up losing my voice by the end, and I only had six sessions!

5. Having a posing flow in your head before you start your day.

This is probably the most important tip when you’re considering a mini session marathon day like this. I used to think I had to come up with unique poses for each client, and don’t get me wrong, I do still like to challenge myself creatively that way. But when you’re shooting quick sessions back to back there isn’t always time to allow yourself to get super creative.

All of my families have different ages and number of children – so having a similar posing system that I run through will often still look different for every family, but it helps me have a better plan for the session. A twenty minute session is NOT where you want to blank on posing!

6. It’s not about you.

Woah. That’s not how you were expecting me to end this post, is it?

But let’s think about it. These images are so important for your clients. Maybe they just got photos done last year and are wanting some updated shots in a new location, sure. But what if these are the first family photos they’ve had taken in 15 years – or ever?! What if they have recently been through something difficult in their family and this is your opportunity to bless them and truly capture the love they have in this season of life?

Remembering that these photos are about more than just building your portfolio, getting you some quick income, or whatever the reason may be is so incredibly important! For me, it’s inspiring. It challenges me to work harder to better serve my clients and strive to get them the best images that most accurately depict their family in the right now. And really, what could be more important than that?