What is the difference between a micro session and a mini session? Do I really need a full hour? Is 15 minutes enough time?
These are some of the questions that might run through your mind as you go to book your family session. And while some of the answers are simple (15 minutes versus 60 minutes), there might be other factors that put you in one category or another.
First, I will define what the sessions are, and what they include.
Now, let’s look at some of the questions you can ask yourself to determine what session is the best fit for you.
I will be using my family throughout the post as an example - we are a family of 5 (me and my husband, a 6 yo girl, a 3 yo boy, and a 1 yo girl).
SHORTER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER, EVEN IF YOUR CREW IS YOUNG, WIGGLEY, AND DOES NOT ENJOY PHOTO SESSIONS
When considering what kind of session to book, you’ll want to balance how short of a session your crew wants with how much time you think you will need. Less time might sound ideal if you have a rambunctious crew who doesn’t enjoy photo sessions, right? You might be trying to “just get it over with” as painlessly as possible, but this could actually result in more stress.
My husband does not love family photos, but if I book a 7-minute micro session, that places a lot of pressure on our 3 young children to listen to us, obey commands from a stranger, smile, and have zero meltdowns in a short period of time. Sometimes little kids need time to warm up and be goofy before they’re ready to smile for the camera. If I book a longer session, that gives me and my family a little more space to be playful and relaxed, which will yield much more natural photographs and a better overall experience.
Booking more time sets children up for success and gives them room to just be kids.
MORE PEOPLE AND A DIVERSE GALLERY (VARIETY IN POSING, POSED VS UNPOSED) WILL REQUIRE MORE SESSION TIME
How many people will be in your photos? Are you booking a family session for your nuclear family, or are you looking for a photo session with extended family (grandparents, multiple families, lots of kids)? The more people in your photos, the longer session time I would recommend, especially if there are a lot of children under 7. A good rule of thumb is about 15 minutes per nuclear family in order to get photos of multiple groupings and give little kiddos some breaks.
So, for example, my little family of 5 is likely to get a nice updated, posed family portrait in a 15-minute mini session (I would hesitate to book a micro session due to the ages of my kids). If I were to include grandparents, I would look at a session length of 30 minutes at least. If I were to include my entire extended family (7 adults and 4 young children), I would book a 1 hour session. This allows plenty of time for lots of different groupings, and gives all 4 little kids time to take small breaks.
If you are including extended family, especially lots of young children, you need to book a longer session.
VARIETY IN YOUR FINAL GALLERY WILL REQUIRE MORE SESSION TIME.
How many and what kinds of images are you wanting? This might seem obvious, but the longer the session time, the more images you will receive. A micro session might yield a complete gallery of 30 images IF everyone is in a great mood. A full hour might yield a complete gallery of 100+ images!
But the number of images might not be as important as what kinds of images you are wanting.
If you are looking for one posed photo of your family smiling at camera, to update your family portrait or for your holiday card, a micro or mini session is probably perfect for you.
If you are hoping to grab different posed combinations and groupings (eg. just mom and dad together, just dad with all the kids, just mom with all the kids, a photo of the kids, a photo of each child, etc.), you’ll obviously need more time. The larger your family, the more time I recommend. A family of 3 (mom, dad, and one kiddo) could probably grab a diverse gallery of posed images in a 15-minute mini session, but a larger family like mine, with 3 young kids, would need more time to capture that kind of variety.
If you are hoping to grab a variety of posed and unposed (“candid”) photos, a micro or mini session is not for you, especially if you have young children. The majority of a micro or mini session is spent trying to get everyone to look at camera and smile at the same time. There are often fun, playful photos taken in that process because that’s how I work, but if you want to prioritize giving your children time to run around and play, and interacting with them in a relaxed, natural way, you need more than 15 minutes.
If I have 15 (or 7!) minutes with your family, you can bet your bottom dollar I’m leaving my camera on its optimum settings. I cannot risk missing a great shot of your family if I only have a brief time with you. But those grainy, blurry, out of focus “artsy” shots - they take planning and work, even if they look random and “candid.” Even unposed images are often the result of some forethought and instruction. Coaching you/your kids into “unposed” poses, or changing camera settings, all take time. So if you are hoping for some unposed, candid-looking, artistic shots in your final gallery, you’ll want to book a longer session (30 minutes might be enough for a small family, but 60 minutes is best).
TL;DR - check out this flow chart to figure out the minimum amount of time you should book for your family session.
Hopefully, this offers clarity about the different kinds of photo sessions, and how you can use them to optimize your investment of time, money, and effort. Please do not hesitate to shoot me a message if you’d like help choosing what kind of session to book, and I look forward to seeing you and your family this fall.
Your life is worth celebrating and this season of your life is worth capturing. Right now.
