Minisession Info

Here is the set-up for 2024:

This was a previous year’s set-up, but these dress options for Mama’s are also available still. Please scroll down to see all of the Christmas Session options we will have ready for you!

PAYMENT

The remaining cost will be made the day of the session via cash, check, or credit/debit card (4% charge for card).

COLORS

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of ORGANIC, NEUTRAL, and timeless images. You will also never hear me say no to wearing white in my studio! I absolutely love WHITE on white! I love dark clothing too, but please keep in mind that it can sometimes (especially black) show every little piece of lint or dust ever in an all-white studio! I am a fan of earth-tones, muted tones, etc. Ultimately, the decision is totally yours, and these are just recommendations for how to make your images have that “Mariah Springs Photography” look!

CHRISTMAS SESSIONS: Obviously, Christmas is special and changes colors up a bit! A pop of red is beautiful. I always have my red/gold/green gowns available for moms. See the bottom of this page for options.

BABY GIRLS

Wardrobe not included for kids for minisessions. Babies and toddlers are everywhere. Legs in the air, arms flailing everywhere! This is why my wardrobe collection is full of ROMPERS! I love dresses, but I rarely use one that doesn’t include matching bloomers. I am on a ROLL trying to get great images of your baby! We need no worries with wardrobe. So many times I’ve gotten a great shot and then you can see the baby’s diaper because it was a dress with no bloomers!

BOYS

Wardrobe not included for kids for minisessions. Boys are simple to dress! I love suspenders and white button-ups and grey/tan shirts with little buttons on them and khakis/grey pants and light wash jeans. I also am a big fan of light blues in images, especially for Easter!

SHOES OR NO SHOES IS FINE!

Baby feet, kid feet, adult feet. FEET are okay! And shoes are okay if that’s your preference too! I always have the most trouble with this with dads. Let them know that the photo won’t be a close-up of their feet! You won’t be able to see details of parent’s feet! And obviously, you can still wear shoes if you prefer to do that. Please keep in mind with little ones, if they are sitting on the floor, etc, you will just see the bottoms of the shoes, which isn’t as cute as those little baby toes!

NAIL POLISH

There’s nothing worse than when I get my entire vision together for photos of my family and then look down at my nails and realize they are bright green or neon pink. Doh! I’m always last minute painting them. Pick NEUTRAL! You don’t want nails to be the focal point of your image. Red is great for Christmas, but I would avoid it for any other type of session.

JEWELRY

Simple is better. Remove the Apple Watch and the hair tie. Remove any large bulky jewelry. My preference is none, honestly, unless it is timeless and has MEANING for you.

CONSIDER THE SCENE

Be sure to not just think only about what will look good on your child, but think about it as a WHOLE with the scene. And think about where you plan to put them in your house and consider wardrobe in relation to that. Be careful with fake tanner. I love a good fake tanner, but if you are the only fake-tanned one amongst your whole family, editing can get a bit difficult dulling the orange tones.

OTHER

Just a few reminders:

PETS: I allow dogs in the studio, BUT if you want photos without your pet, be sure to bring someone to hold them/take them to the car after the few shots with them. If you have a specific allergy concern, please let me know; however, no two families will be in the studio at the same time.

Your time spot is your only one. If you are late, your spot is gone without refund. I'm so sorry, but it is imperative that you are on time since these are booked back-to-back. Please plan to arrive 15 minutes early. You must be dressed and ready to photograph at the start of your session time. Please do not plan to dress your children in the studio. I sign up for minisessions with photographer friends too with the same rule, and I just change my kids in the car upon arrival.

There is an extra charge for additional edits BEYOND the photographer's control (stains on clothes, clothes not fitting properly, hair, roots, etc.). Most small scratches and blemishes can easily be removed at no charge, but extensive edits beyond my control take massive amounts of time and will require an additional charge.

Immediate family only (No grandparents, extended family shots unless they are the guardian. Please know this rule is here for a reason. My studio can only accommodate so many people at at time. Only your immediate family unit will be photographed--so mom, dad, kids) Please reach out to me if you have a unique family dynamic, as I come from a unique dynamic myself, and exceptions can be made depending on the situation.

Photos of cousins/friends will not be taken together unless sessions are booked back-to-back

No photos will be taken in any other scene but the one designed for Christmas

Full family shots will be taken along with individuals of kids (Individuals of mom and dad will now be taken only by request at the time of the session)

**Multiple families will not be in the studio together. It is important for each family to have their own private time in the studio. Please wait in your car for my assistant to tell you to enter!

**Everyone planning to wear a dress needs to bring a back-up plan. There is no time alotted before the day of the session to try-on dresses, and we will not be able to allow people to try on several dresses. I have been offering wardrobe for minisessions for years, and I've never had any issues with time because of this. I just like to address it. Usually, as mom is changing, I do the individuals of the kids.

**Editing time takes 2 weeks. You will receive a digital downloadable gallery to the email address you signed up with. Please remember that if you are buying a session for someone else, please enter their email and info at booking so they will receive the gallery of their images. Please do not save photos from Facebook and print them, just because the quality will be bad and it will have my logo on it. Also, never screenshot the image in your gallery and then get it printed. It will look pixelated and have terrible quality. You must download the full size images to a computer and order from a computer. Phones are growing in capabilities, so sometimes there is enough storage space on phones to download full-size images and have them print fine; however, some phones AUTOMATICALLY compress photos, which means they shrink them, so to be safe, always order images from a computer. I recommend printing from Nations Photo Lab (prints lighter), Mpix (prints a little darker), or actually, Shutterfly does a decent job. Please see the big trifold poster when you come to my studio to see different quality photos printed from different places to make your decision.