Have you ever wondered how could you possibly get a variety of quality photos from a 20 minute mini session?! Truth is, it’s easy! Today I’m going to share with you a little insight of my go to secrets for poses and variety in mini sessions.
Our example photos come from Megan and Tyler’s Christmas Mini Session at Southern Grace Tree Farm.
Now, I love having the time for introductions and setting goals and expectations at the beginning of my sessions. But, with mini sessions, these intros are quick! I’ve found the best way to start a mini is with a quick hello and then start walking! Walking gives both myself and my clients a little time to get comfortable with each other while still maintaining our own personal space. Let’s face it – posing for photos can feel so weird…but everyone knows how to walk! Walking photos feel comfortable and I love how full of life they are.
I mean, c’mon! These were our first photos in the session and they look like they were born to be Christmas Mini Session models. From here, it’s an easy transition into another pose. I just had them walk back to where they came from, stop in their mid-walk, and…boom! Gorgeous. I love getting different angles and compositions of people. Especially when the woman’s dress has beautiful details on the back. We spent a lot of money on those beautiful dress details, am I right, ladies?!
Speaking of dress details, if you need help coordinating your outfits, don’t hesitate to reach out! I suggested this one for Megan from Baltic Born. I love a good flowy dress in photos! You can find more tips about planning your Christmas Session outfit on my Christmas Session Style Guide. After I exhausted them a while with walking, I let them take a break. Literally, let them sit down and relax.
I coached Megan and Tyler into where and how I wanted them to sit, but they naturally grabbed hands like that. It was so cute so I just captured them doing their thing! One of the things I love during a session is capturing people how they are. I want your photos to be an accurate representation of you and your relationships!
An easy way to capture a lot of variety in a small amount of time is to include props! For instance, in the photo below, I kept them sitting down but just added a blanket for them to sit on. It gives the photo a whole new look!
And, the blanket can be used in more than one way…I just had them wrap it around them. They were really troopers for this one…Y’all know this Tennessee weather is not cold enough for a blanket right now.
Another easy prop to incorporate is a hat. Megan actually brought this hat without me asking her to. I had them do some more walking poses, except this time I added the hat and had Tyler fall behind a little bit to give them a different look.
And again….the stop mid walk…
And then just turn them around again!
So you can see, it’s easy to get a lot of variety in your mini session with different poses, compositions, and by adding props. Your 20 minutes will go by fast, but I promise you’ll get a variety of quality photos to choose from!
Our Christmas Mini Sessions are fully booked this year, but be on the lookout for more fun Mini Sessions planned in the future! As always, you can contact me at julie@julesharrisphotography.com for any questions you may have, advice for your upcoming session, or to book a session.
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