Today I'm spending some time talking about my FAVE topic – Mini Sessions! We'll be going through Fall and Christmas Mini Sessions tips so you can prep for what's ahead. Before diving in I have a free guide called $3k Mini Sessions Blueprint! This gives you all the steps you need to make $3000 on a single (2-3 hour time block) set of minis! Enjoy! Now, here are my best Fall and Christmas mini sessions tips for 2022…
I typically advise people not to do a setup or “themed” Fall minis. Find a beautiful location and you'll be set. Most people need updated photos and when you have a beautiful location you can cast a wider net than props and a specified setup give you. So, look for locations with open shade, popular but not too busy and all over pretty places! As far as Christmas go this is the time to go for all the themed sessions! I love doing Red Truck Minis, indoor studio minis (maybe pajamas with a bed or a more formal couch) and another favorite is Tree Farm minis.
These are designed to be short sessions (15-20 minutes), stacked in a time block that you select and at a location you choose! This is the beauty of minis. Now you definitely need to run your own Cost of Doing Business to make sure you're structuring for a profit. A good rule of thumb is if you're doing less than $150 a session it's probably not profitable. My sweet spot for minis is $285 for 15 minutes and it includes 5 images. Do not include the whole gallery! Deliver extras and upsell the rest.
The biggest mistake I see most photographers making is they don't advertise early enough. Give yourself 6-8 weeks to give enough time to book out ALL the slots. I have a Mini Sessions Playbook in my shop that is a week by week checklist of all your to-dos leading up to your sessions. It does all the thinking for you and you just get to “run the play”.
This is how you can get every shot you need in a minimal amount of time. Believe it or not I can actually get all the shots needed in just 7 minutes! That leaves plenty of time to get extras, be patient with uncooperative kiddos, etc. I have a free Posing Class that shares tips and tricks for posing. At the end of the class you get my posing workflow for free! This is the workflow I use all the time too!
There's more in the video so be sure to check it out below! If you're looking for more mini sessions tips on advertising, check out this blog post!
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