Prep Guide

Holiday Mini Sessions

I am so excited that you have booked a mini session with Northfork Photography! Holiday Mini Sessions are my absolute favourite photoshoots to do throughout the year. I love seeing the joy on your kids faces as they enter the studio. These sessions are perfect for capturing that childhood whimsy and magic that accompanies the holiday season.

To help you get the best experience possible, I have created this prep guide to ensure we have a successful shoot.

How to prepare:

Location: Sessions take place at my home studio located about

10 mins north of Hythe.

Arrive on time: It is imperative that you arrive a couple of minutes

early if you can. This way I can introduce myself and get your

kids a little more comfortable before we begin the session.

Images: The session is approximately 30 mins but some kids do

so well that we can wrap up in about 20! Which means they

are rockstars! A gallery preview will be delivered to you

about 1 week after the session of beautifully edited images.

From there you will choose the collection you would like to

purchase. All collections come with images and a print credit

that you can use in the online store. The smallest collection

is $150 for 5 images and a $25 print credit.

Specific Requests: I offer additional props to give your session

variety but you must request these before hand so I can be prepared.

I will be adding the option of parents to dress up in a Santa suit

in order to photograph the kids interacting with "Santa", however this

is more of an "implied Santa" and I will photograph the images in a

way that the parents face isn't visible. This is a far better way to

get Santa images without scaring your child with a stranger dressed

up as Santa. If this is something you want to incorporate then let me

know before the session.

No Cell Phones: It is important that during the session you refrain

from taking photos of your children while I am shooting. This

can be very distracting if I am giving them specific directions or wanting them

to look at the camera and they are looking at parents instead. But don't

stress! I will be delivering a gallery of beautiful images to you. If there's

time at the end of the session you're more than welcome to take a behind

the scenes photo or video to share or post to social media. Please tag

Northfork Photography so others can see!

Parents

It is really important that you allow me to build a great connection with your children. Please allow me to interact with your little one while I’m shooting before you get involved unless your child is upset. This way they’re not overwhelmed and I capture their innocence.

Should I require assistance, I will call you to come and join me on the floor and get their attention to help get a gorgeous smile and giggle. If and when I do this, please do not stand behind me as your baby will always be looking up in the photographs I take. You need to SIT right behind me (next to my camera).

There is no pressure on your children to perform at the session. I like to create storytelling images that show the kids interacting with the set and props naturally. I will get smiling shots as well, but the key component is to keep it simple and let them play!

What to Wear

It is entirely up to you whether you want your kiddos to wear Christmas pj's or special dressy holiday attire. Most clients choose the pajama route because its a little more cozy and relaxed. What ever you choose to dress them in will be fine but be prepared for it to potentially get dirty. So if its a fancy dress Grandma bought, you may not want to bring it. We can do an out fit change if you want to have them wear something nice plus pajamas but it needs to be quick as we are restricted on time. Sessions include real milk and cookies plus my baking set up has real flour. I always save that set for last.

Try to avoid logos if you can and for pajama shots I always say no socks. Socks are typically dirty on the bottoms and its a nightmare to edit plus they don't look nice. Bare piggies are always way cuter anyway! I do allow Christmas themed socks if they are clean. Bring them to the session and have your child change into them here.

If you have accessories like hats, headbands, etc... bring them and I will incorporate them into a few shots. I have a couple of Santa hats but they are first come first served because I don't want any cross contamination of lice so I sanitize these after each use.

Hot Tips!

Arrive early! This way no one is stressed out and the session can be relaxed.
Plan your little one's wake/sleep schedule if you can so they are not too overwhelmed at their session.
Milk and Cookies are supplied by me as well as hot chocolate for after the session you can take with you if you like. Please let me know if your child has allergies prior to the session.
Clean faces. Eyes, nose and mouth need to be wiped free of crumbs, gunk and boogers! I have wipes if you need.
Hair brushed and styled the way you'd like prior to the session. Plus clean fingers nails and feet. Trust me on the feet thing. This will save me countless hours of editing and get your gallery to you sooner.
Remove any distracting items like watches or hair ties on wrists.
Glasses. If your child wears glasses and cannot go without them for the session, I will do my very best to avoid glare on their lenses, but if they can take them off for the session this alleviates fussing with lighting direction during your short session or extra editing later on.

Image Collections

Collection A

This Holiday Mini Collection comes with 5 professionally edited high resolution files and a $25 print credit to use in the online store.

$150

Collection B

This Holiday Mini Collection comes with 8 professionally edited high resolution files and a $50 print credit to use in the online store.

$250

Collection C

This Holiday Mini Collection includes the full gallery of high resolution files and a $100 print credit to use in the online store.

$350

How to spend your print credit

There are a variety of products to use your print credit towards. Once you've purchased a collection, your gallery will open up and you will see a "SHOP" option. You can choose from heirloom prints, frames, tree ornaments and holiday cards. You will receive a discount code to use at checkout to complete your purchase. Allow for 3 weeks for your product to be delivered to you.

Set Ups This Year!

Holiday Library

Holiday Fireplace

Holiday Baking

Implied Santa

Door Sneak

Window

Additional options upon request

If you want to do any of these extra options, please let me know before the session starts. The Santa photos requires one of the parents to dress in the costume I have available, so I will have you do that when you arrive so you are ready when we need you.

I am so excited to photograph your children and create fun magical photos for you to enjoy!