An Abbot Kinney session… and why I don’t shoot minis.

I get asked this question often, and because I aim to please, I have thought about it truly and deeply… but my conclusion is always the same. I don’t shoot mini sessions, and I want to take a moment to explain why.

The short answer is, I just don’t work that way. I don’t like to rush. So much in life is rushed. And, rushing kids just doesn’t work. It’s really that simple.

Will we get some really great shots in 30 minutes? Yes, of course.

Will we get all the amazing candids and authentic relaxed/playful/curious/loving moments that I set out for at every session? No, I can tell you, we won’t.

But what it really boils down to, is time. The time we spend together is essential for so many reasons.

First, if everyone has time to relax a bit and let me do what I do, we will always achieve the magic. Even if your kid is grumpy that day, or YOU are grumpy that day, or it was chaos getting out the door and everyone is grumpy that day. A full session allows time for everyone to chill out and refocus on the fun. Or, maybe everyone is in a great mood, but it’s taking a minute to warm up and get comfortable with the camera. There are a million scenarios I could share from my experience, blowout diapers – snack breaks – meltdowns – the usual toddler dilly dallying that happens on a daily basis in my house, but all of them just point to how necessary our time is together.

Second, my creative juices have really JUST started flowing about 30 minutes in! The last thing I want to do is say goodbye, reset my brain and start all over with another family. If I’m meeting you for the first time, I want time to get to know everyone and figure out what puts the sparkle in your eye. If you are a repeat client, I want that time to reconnect with your kids, so we really get the authentic smiles and moments we are all hoping for.

My favorite is, “…but we only need a couple good shots” …

My first thought when I hear that is… do you know what it takes to get those good shots? I will say, 95% of the time it takes more than 30min. With kids, things can take time, and that’s okay! Plus, I don’t know about you, but I’m a mom of two and I run a business full time – it’s all a labor of love, but I’m tired! If only for this couple hours we spend together every year, let’s slow down and relish in all that love we have for our children, and our spouse, and what makes us so awesome. If we relax, our children will too, and the images will just be that much better.

And guess what, I don’t want to only give you a couple good shots… I want you to have ALL the good ones! Even if you don’t think you care about them now.

Generally, I just don’t think I am the photographer you should hire if you only want “a couple good shots”. I don’t want you to “say cheese” in front of a Christmas tree, that is so boring and not why I do what I do. Each image is like a work of art to me. I want to document your life and your love. I want to capture those beautiful parenting moments that might feel a bit cloudy right now, but 10 or 20 years from now, you will miss so much your heart aches. I want the REAL emotions, the good and the bad. And, I want the quiet moments toward the end of our session when everyone let’s their shoulders relax and finally kind of forgets I’m there. That’s my favorite part, it happens every time.

I think you get the gist. I could go on, I’m obviously very passionate about this subject, but I will leave it at that. And for all those sensitive types, I am in no way trying to come down on the photogs that offer mini sessions. I understand why they do them and who knows, maybe some day I’ll change my mind. Never say never… But probably not any time soon.

Alas, here is an awesome example of a truly relaxed morning stroll I took with some of my favorite clients around Abbot Kinney. Now, it was hot and humid as hell at 8am, and we were all sweating like dogs… and, I was a couple months pregnant with Atlas and super nauseas the whole time. So yeah, not the perfect circumstances for any of us, but you would never know it because we took our time. Enjoy!