It’s almost September friends, and once that happens… it feels like time just slips away and the todo list keeps getting longer! Let me help make one thing simple. Booking a mini session for your Christmas photo is the perfect way to get what you need – a great photo (or 6) for your Christmas cards without a huge price tag or time commitment.

Why should you book a Christmas Tree Mini session?

Christmas tree farm mini sessions are a great way to quickly capture a few photos to use for Christmas cards or gifts or to get the sweetest personalized holiday decor. Since the sessions are only 20 minutes, you don’t have to worry about the kids (or your husband) getting bored or tired or ruining their special outfits before the session is over. It’s short, it’s easy, it’s fun, and then it’s over and you’ve crossed something off your to-do list! Maybe two things if you pick up a tree or wreath while you are there!

How to Prepare for your Christmas Tree Farm Mini Session

Before Your Session

• Choose the outfits you want you and your family to wear and lay them out together to make sure you like how they all look together. I recommend you choose one main color and build around that with neutrals and maybe 1 or 2 additional pops of color. Jewel tones look great with the Christmas trees. Be careful with the color green as it can easily blend in with nature! However, if you want a more monochromatic look browns, tans, and other neutrals are going to look best! You can always go a bit more holiday styled here pulling in reds and plaids to highlight the season and contrast with the trees.
• When it comes to patterns – less is (usually)more, but hey, rules were meant to be broken like we did here. I’ve seen some mix-and-match options that end up looking really good so do whatever fits your family’s personalities best! If you’re ever unsure how something flows together feel free to reach out and ask.
• Try on your outfits ahead of time to make sure everything fits just in case someone grew overnight!
• Get the kids excited by telling them about the fun activity of going to a Christmas tree farm for pictures. You can tell them what they’ll expect to see there and if you are excited, they will be too.
• Look up the address and know how long it will take you to get there. Unfortunately, we don’t have any tree farms right in our backyard, so these are typically a bit of a drive for my clients. I recommend building a margin of extra time into your schedule to deal with any mishaps, lost socks, or unexpected traffic.

When You Arrive For Your Session

• Plan to be a little early so that you have time to get dressed, give everyone a once-over, and adjust hair and outfits if needed.
• Remove items from pockets, spit out gum, and remove sunglasses and smartwatches.
• Find your photographer and wait nearby if it isn’t quite your turn yet.

During Your Session

• Be silly and have fun! As a photographer, I want to see you gently snuggle your sweet baby, hear your 5-year-old tell a silly story, and get a peak at dad lovingly teasing his teenage daughter. Because after all these are the things we want to freeze in time. Don’t be afraid to give hugs and kisses and surprise tickles. Just be yourselves and your photos will look candid and natural effortlessly!
• Share ideas! If you’ve got something in mind or want a particular photo, let your photographer know!
• And if you’re my client – You can rest assured that I’ll be prepared with poses and prompts to keep things moving and ensure you get a wide variety of photos. We’ll be sure to get everyone together, some of the kids, just mom and dad, and even mommy and me/daddy and me, and individuals of everyone as well, if time allows.

Side Note: It’s super helpful to have good friends who are really talented with a camera and who will help you out between their sessions so that you can jump in a few of your own family photos. So thankful to my sweet friend Chrissy for helping me out with this one!