Mini Seasonal Family Sessions are one of our favorite options for families who want updated photos but are already thinking, There is absolutely no way my toddler is giving us a full hour.
We get it, we’re parents too! Some kids are happy to hang out with us for an hour, and some give us a solid 20 minutes before they’re ready for a snack and whatever comes next. That’s a big reason we offer minis throughout the year. They’re quick, and they’re more affordable than our full family photoshoot. Plus, 20 minutes is plenty of time for us to get a really good mix of photos without making the whole thing feel like an event you need to mentally prepare your family for.
One of our favorites is our Sunflower Mini Sessions every July. We typically offer them in two areas so our Maryland and Virginia families both have an option. In Maryland, we work with Sunflowers of Lisbon, which rotates between several farms, so our exact spot can look a little different each year. In Virginia, we typically head to Burnside Farms.
The only slightly unpredictable part? The sunflowers themselves. We would love to put the dates on our calendar months ahead of time, but flowers are not particularly interested in our schedule. Bloom timing depends on the weather, so we have to stay a little flexible and trust the sunflowers to eventually get their act together!
When Do Our Sunflower Mini Seasonal Family Sessions Open?
This is where booking Sunflower Minis gets a little different from our other Mini Seasonal Family Sessions. We can’t pick a date six months ahead of time and expect the sunflowers to cooperate. We wish we had that kind of authority over them, but unfortunately, we do not.
Bloom timing depends a lot on the weather. So we usually start getting a good idea of dates about three weeks beforehand. Once we know when the fields should be ready, we’ll announce the dates and officially open reservations.
If Sunflower Minis are on your wish list, our email list is definitely the best place to be! We’ll send out an email as soon as booking opens! We’ll also share updates on Instagram, so you know when things are getting close! The booking window can move pretty quickly once the flowers are ready, so keep an eye on your inbox around July. We’ll handle the flower stalking and weather watching; you just have to decide what everyone is wearing.
What Does a Mini Session Actually Look Like?
Our regular family sessions are usually around an hour, while our Sunflower Mini Seasonal Family Sessions are about 20 minutes. We know what you might be thinking: Is 20 minutes actually enough time to get more than a handful of photos? Yep. We move fast when we need to!
The biggest thing we want families to understand is that “mini” describes the amount of time. Not the variety or feeling of your photos! We’re not going to park everyone in front of the sunflowers and spend 20 minutes asking you to look at us and smile.
We’ll definitely get that classic everyone-looking-at-the-camera photo. We know somebody in the family wants it! But then we’re moving on. We’ll get you interacting with your kids, give everyone something to do, and photograph all the little expressions and personalities that come out along the way. Of course, we’ll get the classic family photos. But we’ll keep things moving so you get plenty of variety without the session feeling rushed!
The biggest difference between a mini and our full family photoshoot isn’t the type of photos we’re taking. It’s how we get there. With only 20 minutes together, we’re a little more hands-on with our direction. We’ll keep things moving so we can fit a surprising amount into a pretty short session.
How We Get So Much Variety in 20 Minutes
A full family session gives us time to ease into things. We can chat for a bit, let the kids check everything out, wander around the location, and give everyone time to forget there’s a camera following them around. With an hour together, we can hang back a little more and see what happens!
Our Mini Seasonal Family Sessions move a little faster, but that doesn’t mean we’re rushing you through them. Since we only have 20 minutes, we’re much more involved from the beginning. We’ll give your kids things to do, use little games, keep everyone moving, and switch things up before anyone has time to get bored. We’re not waiting around hoping for a good moment to happen. We’re giving your family plenty of opportunities to interact so we can catch those moments as we go.
This is where being parents ourselves comes in pretty handy! We know kids can be wildly unpredictable. One might walk up ready to tell us their entire life story. While another decides we’re suspicious and would prefer to stay attached to Mom’s leg. Someone might need a snack five minutes in. Someone else might suddenly become very interested in a bug they found on the ground.
We’re used to it. None of that means your session is going badly. You also don’t need to spend those 20 minutes telling your kids to smile, asking them to behave, or apologizing to us because they’re not doing exactly what you pictured. We’d much rather work with their personalities than spend the session trying to get them to act differently for the camera.
As a Maryland family photographer, I’ll jump in, keep the kids engaged, and get everyone interacting without making it feel like they’re being asked to pose over and over. Meanwhile, we’ll have already handled the planning beforehand! So you know where to go, what to expect, and how everything will work before you arrive.
Basically, you get to be in the family photoshoot instead of spending the entire thing managing everyone else!
Still wondering what we can possibly get in 20 minutes? [View a full Sunflower Mini Session gallery here — LINK TO BE ADDED] to see an entire session from beginning to end!
Why Mini Sessions Work So Well for Younger Kids
If you have little kids and the thought of asking them to participate in photos for an entire hour already sounds exhausting, a mini might be a really great fit!
Twenty minutes moves quickly. We can get everyone involved right away, switch things up often, and usually finish before the kids have had enough of us. Some children would happily hang out for a full hour, while others might not. Kids are unpredictable, we know better than to take that personally.
Please don’t come into your session feeling like your kids need to be on their absolute best behavior. They don’t need to stand still, smile on command, or suddenly become children you don’t recognize just because we’re taking pictures. We’re parents too, so we know what getting out the door with kids can look like. Someone suddenly doesn’t like their outfit. The shoes are wrong. We’ve been there!
As your Maryland family photographer, we’d much rather meet your kids where they’re at and work with their personalities. We’ll keep them busy, give them things to do, and change gears when something isn’t working. You don’t need to spend the entire session trying to manage everyone or worrying that your child isn’t “cooperating.”
That’s our job. Yours is much easier: show up, hang out with your kids, and let us handle the rest.
What You Get With a Sunflower Mini Session
Our Sunflower Minis are 20 minutes and include 15 edited images of your choice. Once you get your gallery, you’ll also have the option to upgrade to the full gallery for an additional $150. Most of our families end up going with the full gallery. We always take it as a pretty good sign that we managed to fit a lot into those 20 minutes!
Another reason we love minis is that they make it easier to update your family photos more often. A full one-hour session isn’t something every family needs or wants to book each year. Especially when the main goal is simply getting some new photos of everyone together.
That’s where our Mini Seasonal Family Sessions are really great. You can do sunflowers this summer, cherry blossoms next spring, or come back for another sunflower session next July. It’s an easy way to keep documenting your family as the kids change without committing to a full session every single time.
Plus, with kids, a year can make a pretty noticeable difference. The little one who needed to be carried through most of last year’s session might be the one we’re chasing around the sunflower field this year!
Mini Seasonal Family Sessions Aren’t Just for Families With Kids
We photograph plenty of families with little ones during our minis, but you definitely don’t need kids to book one! Sunflower Minis also work really well for maternity photos, couples, or anniversary sessions. If you love the sunflower fields and only need a quick update, 20 minutes might be all you need.
Plus sunflowers aren’t your only option! We offer Mini Seasonal Family Sessions throughout the year. Including cherry blossom minis in the spring, fall minis, and holiday minis. So if sunflowers aren’t really your thing, or July is already packed, you’ll have other chances to grab a shorter session. We also have families who come back for minis because it gives them an easy way to keep their photos updated without doing the same thing every year.
There doesn’t need to be a big occasion behind it, either. Sometimes you look at the last family photo you have hanging on the wall, realize everyone looks suspiciously younger, and decide it’s probably time for an update!
Mini Session or Full Family Photoshoot: Which One Makes More Sense?
This really comes down to what you want out of your photos! Minis and full sessions are pretty different experiences. If you want more time to wander around, explore a location, and change outfits, a full family photoshoot is probably the better fit. Having an hour together means we can slow things down, take breaks when we need them, and spend more time on different groupings without watching the clock quite as closely.
A mini is great when you mostly want updated photos and don’t feel like you need a full hour to get them. Maybe your kids do better in shorter bursts, you really love one of our seasonal locations, or you just want a handful of new family photos without making a whole afternoon out of it. That’s exactly what our Mini Seasonal Family Sessions are for.
If you’re stuck between the two, just ask us! Tell us a little about your family, your kids’ ages, and what you’re hoping to get out of the session. We’ll point you toward the option that makes the most sense for you.
Want to Book One of Our Mini Seasonal Family Sessions?
Our Sunflower Mini Seasonal Family Sessions happen every July, with sessions in both Maryland and Virginia. Since we’re working around the flowers, we’ll announce the exact dates once we have a good idea of when they’re going to bloom. The best way to catch those dates is to join our email list. We’ll send an email when reservations open, and we’ll also share updates on Instagram as we get closer!
If you’re interested in a mini but already wondering how your kids are going to handle it, don’t let that stop you. We’re parents too, and we know asking a three-year-old to care about family photos is a pretty big ask. We’ll keep things moving, give them something to do, switch gears when we need to, and make the most of the time we have together. You don’t need to spend the session trying to get everyone to behave for us.
If you’re looking for a Maryland family photographer and a shorter session sounds like a good fit for your family, we’d love to see you at one of our minis! [Join our email list for upcoming Mini Seasonal Family Sessions — LINK TO BE ADDED] to be the first to know when new dates are available!
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