Summer is in full swing and the long warm evenings and days on the beach seem like they will go on forever. Fall Season seems so very far away but as summer trips end and the scent of new school supplies waft through your home, you will begin to think about your family photos this year and how you want your family documented.

It’s about that time friends!!!

We photographers are like big name stores sometimes, putting out our wares for the season long before the holiday arrives to ensure we have enough product for all our clients. Even though it may seem too early to be thinking about things like what to wear for your session or what location you would like…..fall schedules can fill up quickly! So pull up a beach chair wherever you are reading this from, take a big swig of your fancy umbrella drink, and read up on the the types of family sessions offered in the Fall to get your creative juices flowing and start to awaken from your summer zen. You can call it “research”. 😉

Like many photographers, I offer two types of family photo sessions because I understand that family photos are not a one-size-fits-all situation. Your family is unique and your photos should be too! I like to offer a variety of locations and lengths of sessions to give you the best options to pick from for your family each year.

My Fall Season begins in August and continues until December 1st. This is important because many clients will approach me in November asking to book a family session with their images delivered in time for holiday cards and gifts and this is simply not possible if I schedule anything after December 1st as it will take a minimum of 3 weeks to deliver images after your session.

Now if you are wondering what type of session is best for you please read on! There are pros and cons to both types of sessions and it’s important that you know what you can expect from each before you book!

Short Story Sessions:

short, sweet, easy

Short Story Sessions are my “mini-session” offering. They are hosted on specific dates with 3-5 time slots offered at the best time of day for lighting at that location. Due to the nature of these sessions I try to offer them at locations that have a long length of time with “good light”, easy parking and walking, and some amount of variety within the backgrounds.

What you can expect:

These short sessions are more geared towards nailing that perfect family photo for the year and some additional groupings based on how well the session is going. It’s usual for us to capture at least 2 family poses, and 2-3 additional groupings(kids together, mom with kids, dad with kids, individuals of kids). Due to the fast nature of these sessions it is unlikely that we will have time to capture more “story-telling” images in the course of your session.

Pros: Quick, Easy to book, Less expensive, and you get to pick your favorite 20 retouched high resolution images to keep from the comfort of your own home. You have the choice to upgrade later with the Bloom Upgrade ($150) if you want the entire set of images from your proofing gallery (~50 images). I often have an assistant along on these dates as an extra set of hands to help kids smile and arrange hair and clothing.

Cons: Due to the back-to-back nature of these sessions, if you are running late or your children need more time to “warm up” these sessions do not allow time to run long. These sessions are focused on delivering the perfect family shot for holiday cards and print so that will be our intention, if you prefer more candid/photo journalistic images these sessions do not allow time for those photo-ops to develop. If your child is having an “off” day there is less time to work with them and the tight timing does not allow for us to extend as long as it takes to get the faces “just right”.

Signature Family Sessions:

Relaxed, Custom, Creative

What you can expect:

These longer sessions are all-inclusive and have a lot more opportunity to customize the session to your family. You book the time, the place, and the date and have access to me to consult on the best wardrobe and timing for the location you have selected. These collections include 1-1/2 hours of shooting but can go longer if needed to capture all of your desired images. This session delivers 50 images of your choice and you have the choice to upgrade later with the Bloom Upgrade ($150) if you want the entire set of images from your proofing gallery (~80 images). You will also receive $100 in print products.

Pros: More relaxed shooting experience. More customized session where your desired photos are prioritized. More story-telling and detail images with a variety of smaller groupings and candid moments. Help with wardrobe selection to give you the best possible outfits for the location (outfits make a HUGE difference!). The length of the session makes it much easier to get kids to cooperate because we have longer to “warm up” and get genuine expressions. There is also an overall calmer, more relaxed vibe, as there is not time crunch.

Cons: Longer sessions can be hard for smaller children. Your time is valuable and you may not be interested in spending additional time on photos. This collection is more expensive (but includes more shooting time and editing time). These sessions require a bit more back and forth coordination to nail down a date/time/location with me.

Excited to book? I will be announcing Fall Short Story Sessions soon and my Fall schedule will be open for all bookings. After reading the difference between the two sessions, hopefully you know which session is the right one for you! As always, I am happy to answer any questions you may have. Make sure you are on my mailing list here to get the jump on booking when I announce my Fall dates! They do go quick!

For questions about my pricing, check out my investment page here.

Now go back to your fancy umbrella drink on the beach and soak in that last little bit of summer!

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