Why are mini sessions 30 minutes?
I know what you're thinking: We only need a few good photos. Surely 10 or 15 minutes is enough.
Technically? You can take a lot of pictures in 10 minutes.
But taking pictures and creating a gallery full of genuine expressions, connection, variety
and images you actually love are two very different things.
After nearly 20 years of photographing families,
I've learned that the first few minutes of a session are often just everyone arriving and getting settled.
Someone needs their shoes fixed. A toddler wants to be held.
One child suddenly becomes deeply suspicious of the woman with the camera.
Dad is still figuring out where to put his keys.
And inevitably, someone needs a minute to warm up.
That's normal.
Which is exactly why I don't build my mini sessions around everything going perfectly.
Experience Changes How You Think About "Mini"
It's tempting to look at a 10 or 15-minute session and think, Why would I need more time than that?
And there are certainly photographers who offer incredibly short sessions with surprisingly large galleries.
But over the years, I've found that more images in less time isn't necessarily the win it sounds like.
My goal isn't to see how many files I can create before the timer goes off.
I want enough time to notice when your child is finally relaxing.
To get the smiling-at-the-camera photograph for Grandma
and the one where your five-year-old is laughing so hard they're falling into you.
Those moments usually happen after everyone stops thinking about the camera.
And you can't schedule that for minute seven.
Thirty Minutes Gives Us Breathing Room
A mini session is still quick. We're not spending an entire evening together.
But 30 minutes gives us something incredibly valuable when photographing children:
room for them to be children.
If someone needs five minutes to warm up, we're okay.
If your toddler decides they're absolutely not participating for a minute, we're okay.
If we need to move, play, reset or try something different, we're okay.
I don't need your family performing at maximum efficiency from the second you step out of the car.
In fact, I'd rather you didn't.
Why Not Just Deliver 50 Images From a Mini?
Because more isn't always more.
I'd rather give you a thoughtfully edited gallery with genuine variety than 47 slightly different versions of everyone standing in the same spot.
Yes you do get at the very least 30 images in your gallery to choose from from me.
Because really, how many nearly identical smiling-at-the-camera photos does anyone need?
Part of being a professional photographer is knowing what deserves to make the gallery.
You don't need every frame I take.
You need the good ones.
There's a Reason My Sessions Look Relaxed
The relaxed feeling you see in my photographs isn't an accident.
It's built into the experience.
The locations I choose, the time of day we photograph, the preparation I send beforehand,
the way I work with children and, yes, the amount of time I give your family all play a part.
I've learned what works because I've also had plenty of years to learn what doesn't.
So could we technically take family photos in 10-15 minutes?
Probably.
But I'm not interested in seeing how quickly I can photograph your family.
I'm interested in giving you photographs that actually feel like your family.
And for that, I'll happily give your toddler the extra ten minutes. 😉
That's why my 30-minute family mini sessions in Downers Grove and throughout Chicago's western suburbs are intentionally designed with a little breathing room.
Ready for family photos that don't feel like a race against the clock? Explore my family sessions HERE and find the option that fits your family best.
