Hello Spring! Finally!!
If the thought of a family photo shoot done in 5 minutes peaks your curiosity and you want to try it out, here are 5 thing to know before you book so you know what to expect in this very unique kind of mini session.
Short Version of the Blog Post:
1. You still receive high quality hand retouched imagery!
2. The sessions are guided and posed so you don’t have to worry about not knowing what to do!
3. The sessions are fast paced but I still give everyone my best!
4. Two Way Communication is the key to success!
5. Images are sent in a secure gallery about 2-3 weeks after your session depending on the season!
Quality of Portraits & Editing Style
The most important thing you need to know is that even in a 5 minute photo shoot, you receive the same high quality portraiture as any other session. I have 14 years of professional experience and proudly use my Nikon Df camera in full manual mode as an extension of myself. I do not use filters when editing my digital negatives but rather edit every image I deliver by hand using Photoshop and Lightroom, which means I am taking my time with each images to make sure that it meets my high standard. I retouch minor acne and scratches (If it comes up I try to ask about if a mark is a birthmark so I don’t accidentally edit those out), I remove distractions, I clean any lines (such as sticks on the ground), and give the images a nice polished look. As each photographer has their own “style”, I’ve always considered mine very clean and true to life in my colors. I’ve played around with trying to match my digital to the film look before and always come back to the clean & true to life style. If you’ve heard of “Light and Airy”, I’m more that than anything else if you’re looking for a definition, although I do not overexpose backgrounds on purpose like a lot of light and airy photographer do. The photographs you find on my website are all consistent with what to expect when you work with me.
Posing & Variety of Images
These sessions are what you would consider posed sessions. I direct every shoot and will guide you into what I would like you to do. With families, I always do: Family first, just the kids together, then a few of just parents right at at the end. If the kids are older we can sometimes sneak in individual images of each kiddo as well being that it’s a very simple headshot, but if they are younger I advise booking a second session back to back to give us additional time to get those individual images. I really do always advocate for parents to allow me to photograph them together without the kids because as a parent myself, I rarely get photos of just my husband and I by ourselves anymore and I know all other parents are the same. The kids appreciate it!When receiving images you may receive some images that are very similar with subtle differences, such as facial expressions or kids posing naturally slightly different. I include similar images on purpose because sometimes, for example, some people like showing their teeth in their smiles, and others don’t. I mainly include those subtle differences in high school senior photos. Also, the background will likely be the same throughout your entire selection of images which by nature is due to us shooting in just one location. I often find different angles at the location to give the set some variety, but if you want a lot of variety, please consider booking multiple sessions back to back or a custom session that allows up the ability to move around with easement of time and a larger variety of posed and candid photos.
Pace of the Session
It’s admittedly self explanatory that the sessions go by FAST. Often families will be waiting for their session with a couple families in front of them and I’ll get everyone in and out very quickly according to the appointment schedule. I do my very best to run on time and what helps out a ton is when families are ready to go (kids out of car seats, jackets off, etc). If families are not ready to go, it can cut into your session time which lessens the amount of images you receive. Now kids are kids and sometimes they are not having their best moments, and I’ve moved people around to try to accommodate kiddos who need a min to warm up. I try to gage a situation and do what we can to help everyone feel comfortable and ready. Doing this does sometimes cause me to run behind, which I do appreciate everyone’s patience immensely. The families I work with all know that there are times when a little TLC goes a long way, and if it were their kiddo, they’d be appreciative of the patience of others as well. It really is a group effort to help these sessions run smoothly!
Communication is Very Important to me!
When you book your 5 minute photo shoot online, you will receive both a text confirmation and an email receipt. The emailed receipt will include your booking confirmation and if you scroll to the bottom of the email you can reschedule yourself online in real time availability, it’s really awesome. The next time you’ll hear from me is no later than 1 day before your session with a group email (everyone is Bcc’d to protect email privacy) to everyone who booked with directions on where to meet me as well as any weather updates. If you have a sick family member, please do not show up to your session with said sick person, just message me or text to let me know and we’ll get you reschedule. I’m very very flexible on reschedules. Sessions are non-refundable but you have a year to rebook it so plenty of time to find a new date.The BEST WAY to get all the up to date information is to join my private Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/5minutephotoshoot, it’s here in this group that I post upcoming session info, editing updates on when sessions will be emailed by, and more. I don’t utilize the Facebook business page or Instagram much simply because it’s not shown in the algorithms and there’s just basic info that’s only relevant to clients or upcoming clients. Not spammy at all, strongly encourage you to join! It is only open to those living within the KC metro, just as an FYI.If you are not sure about something before booking, please email me! Extended family sessions are a blast but can require some extra details we can discuss before booking. I’m an open book, so please ask anything and just keep me in the loop on if things change. Life happens and we roll with it!
Delivery of Images
The average turnaround time is about 2 weeks, sometimes as long as 3 in the fall season (Sept 1st – Christmas), and I do not do sneak peeks of sessions purely based on the volume of sessions I do. You will receive a password protected gallery of images I select for you to keep and download, that gallery stays online for 3 months so plenty of time for you to download and back up. The biggest questions I get on delivery come in the Fall and so if you are wanting images back in time for holiday cards, be on the safe side and count back a minimum 3 weeks from the last date you need them by to be able to order your cards if doing physical cards.
Thank you for considering booking a 5 minute mini session with me! We have a lot of fun, it’s painless for spouses and kids, and the images are amazing. Can’t ask for better than that!
See you soon!
