Believe it or not, the holidays start much earlier for photographers than the last couple months of the year. For most, the holidays actually start in May after wrapping up Spring minis. We're planning, researching, and executing our ideas to present our clients with our setups by mid-summer when many photographers open their booking links. But with all this chat about Christmas minis sessions, maybe you still ask yourself, what are they?
What is a Christmas mini sessions?
Minis are short (10-20 minutes) photoshoots on a particular day and time the photographer chooses. The number of images you receive can vary based on the session and the photographer. Turnaround time (the amount of time it takes for your photographer to return the images after completing them) can also vary based on a million different reasons including time of year and how busy they may be. Holiday minis are not limited to the winter holidays either. Your favorite photographers may have a few different minis throughout the year including Spring minis, beach minis, wildflower minis... The list is endless!
Now you know what a Christmas mini session is, but maybe your next question is why are we discussing it in JULY!?
That is a great question! If you are a photographer, checking out the holiday decor at Hobby Lobby in June, while the other customers are staring in disgust is totally normal. If you aren't in the industry, you might be like those customers thinking to yourself that this person with a cart full of ornaments has totally lost it, but there's a method to our madness!
It's all about time! The last 4 months of the year for must photographers is considered the busiest season of the year. Everyone and their mama are wanting updated family photos for the yearly Christmas cards. If the process of getting pictures taken was only you show up to the location with your photographer, take a couple pictures, receive them the next day, then it would be a piece of cake and we could likely wait to take pictures in December.
However, the actual process for most photographers is so different!
The process looks more like this:
-Decide on the setup or location
-Plan out the look and vibe of the mini sessions
-Get booked by amazing clients
-Discuss styling suggestions with each of the clients and create inspiration boards unique to that family's style. (I love this part of the planning but this is not a one-time conversation that I have with my clients. Often times it means going over lots of different styling options again and again.)
-Day of the minis arrive! This may be a multiple day event or just a single day with many families back-to-back.)
-Culling (the process of choosing the best images from each session) begins.
-Between culling and final delivery are 100 more steps that each take more time.
Scheduling Christmas Mini Session Helps You Too!
Plus, if you plan on sending out Christmas cards, you also need to have enough time:
-To pick which photos look the best on the card design you've chosen
-To add any holiday greetings or family update
-To address them and drop them off at the post office and hope they arrive before the holiday!
Time is very limited, and your photographer needs time to accommodate all that has to get done during this hectic time of year. And with all that is happening, your photographer also wants to enjoy the season with their loved ones as well and do all the fun things there is to do in the last few months of the year.
Christmas Mini Session Photographers Near You | Cintia Ally Photography
So, if you know you'd like to send Christmas cards this year, start looking for photographers you'd like to work with based on their style or set-up. Get on their schedules asap to get access to the best times (golden hour for those outdoor sessions!). Ok, after all that, I hope you feel comfortable understanding what is a holiday or Christmas mini session and that you're ready to book with your photographer right away!
I'm so excited for my Christmas mini sessions set-ups this year! I'm back at the greenhouse in November, but in Octo
ber I'll be doing these classy studio sessions! I'm obsessed with the look of them and since the weather will still be typical central Florida weather, we'll be indoors with the AC!
Booking is open now for past clients and email subscribers! Next week, booking opens for everyone! Set your calendars to book your spot on August 3rd!
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