$150
(At least) 5 digital images/print license
Private sessions are in 10 minute slots. Trust me. This is plenty of time.
I’ve had many years of minisession experience. I wouldn’t steer you wrong. This is plenty of time. Please note that kids/babies WILL cry with Santa! You just need to be aware that your photos might all be crying images before signing up. Personally, those are my favorites of my kids years later (and yes, I love my kids, and no, I don’t think that’s cruel haha!) From experience with Santa images, they will either cry or they won’t. There is no “warming up” like with regular sessions. It just is what it is, so be sure to know that coming in and have fun with it! These are some of my favorite sessions each year!
Up to 4 kids (still just 5 images total) for siblings only (no cousins or best friends, etc, can sign up for one spot. You may sign up for two back to back spots to get shots together). I often get a lot of questions about this, and please, respect this decision. If I didn’t make this rule, 12 friends/cousins could all show up in one spot and expect to get images in 10 minutes. Trust me. I’ve had people try! Rules are made by experience haha!
Please arrive before your scheduled time! We will be on a back to back tight schedule this day, so your time slot is the only one available for your session. No refunds will be given for no-shows or late arrivals. Santa is booked by me for only certain times.
PLEASE NOTE: Please remain in your car upon arrival. Each child (or sibling group) receives a private magical experience with Santa. Kids must be dressed and ready upon entering the studio. I will have my assistant come wave you in. Santa will be in hiding when they enter the studio, so he can come behind them, and we can get some shots of happy kids beforehand in case the tears start! (Please check out the hilarious stream of photos of my little girl above).
Please let my assistant or myself know about anything specific you want, need, don’t want, etc. upon entering the studio.
Meet Santa…
Let me go ahead and take this opportunity to brag on Santa some! Santa came to me through the kind and amazing Liz Cook, and I can't thank her enough!
While Santa isn't delivering toys to millions of children across the world, he is a retired Chesterfield County Police Officer who spent years as a DARE officer and high school resource officer. He is also a trained computer forensic examiner working internet child exploitation cases. He retired from Chesterfield County in 2008 and works for Dominion Resources as a computer forensic examiner.
He began taking photos with his grandchildren which led him to now make appearances all over because he saw a need for a safe and trustworthy Santa.
What a resume!! That's a lot to take on all while assisting his elves throughout the year and flying all over the world in one evening! Impressive, Santa!!
What to Wear…
If you are familiar with my work, clothing is incredibly important in order to create the simple, timeless light and airy style! Neutral palettes with the pop of red from Santa will create a beautiful and timeless image. And you will never hear me say no to white ha!!
Also, Christmas PJ’s are a GREAT option! Burt’s Bee’s sells the best ones, in my opinion!
I don’t recommend wearing any black. I recommend soft neutral colors. Consider this color palette. And honestly, it’s a “white Christmas” would look good too!
And consider how much red will already be in the image with Santa’s outfit. Your pops of color will come from the red in Santa! I recommend letting that be your only pops of color. This will make for a beautifully planned timeless image.
I ordered my kid’s outfits from Amazon and H&M.
I do have floral crowns and some Christmas headbands available in the studio. No other wardrobe options will be available for these sessions.
What about SHOES?
Well, I know it’s winter, but guys, these kids aren’t wearing any shoes in these images, and if they were, you wouldn’t really be able to see the shoes anyway! You would just see the bottoms. Granted, they will be on Santa’s lap, BUT I never put my kids in shoes for ANY images because
I love baby and kid feet—they are the cutest!
You rarely see anything but the bottoms of the shoes, and sometimes that can throw off the entire image!
So, that is up to you guys, but consider no shoes or consider what the bottoms of the shoes look like if you decide to include them.
SAFETY GUIDELINES
Please let me know if there is anything at all you are uncomfortable with doing for photos, etc. My assistant and I will be wearing a mask at all times for your protection.
Please no one in the studio except the subjects in the photos and parents. Please, no one extra needs to be in the studio just to watch mainly because it is very distracting to the babies/kids. It often backfires when intended to help.
Santa changes his gloves between each session for safety precautions and has always done this, pre-COVID and post.
