What could be better than a Mini Session this season?
I don't normally talk about money. My pricing structure as a photographer is so varied and custom and instead of "steals and deals" I prefer to add more VALUE to what I offer clients.
The best example of this "value based" pricing structure is the season we're currently in.
It only takes a moment on the Facebook moms groups to see that most professional and even novice photographers have flooded the feed with their offer for "Holiday Mini Sessions" or "Family tree farm minis" etc, etc.
I get it. I did it too, and now you, the client, have been so customed to seeing these minis on your feed and the cards to get in the mail, feel pressured to follow suit. Spend a few hundred dollars to get a Christmas picture, upload to shutterfly or minted and create a beautiful card to send your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc. Again, I've done it professionally, year after year. It seems so easy, you just show up at the tree farm wearing your red and green, smile for a few minutes and you're done right?
But, there is a better way! Follow me through in this, if you will.
A few hundred dollars for a mini session is a great price. Over the past year I realized as a business owner that instead of constantly lowering my main offering prices, it would more beneficial for my clients and myself to increase value instead of decrease price. Give my client's more, and they'll actually save more in the end. Save more money, yes. But more importantly; save my clients time, stress and effort while killing lots of birds with one stone.
Instead of the mini option, book a family session. No time limits, no image limits, no ornaments, and no nick-nack-patty-wacks, Most photographers have a family session option that you can book any time of the year, and yes, you will pay more. But if you ask the right questions and find the right professional, a regular family session is more bang for your buck!
I can only speak to my own offerings to prove this to be true, so I'll tell you why this makes the most sense for my own photography sessions, here in Connecticut:
- Your kids need more than a few minutes. To your children, a photographer is a stranger and asking them to do things they don't usually do. We all need time to warm up in front of the camera. You will get better, more organic images if we take our time and let the children have some fun too.
- I offer a lot of planning services including a studio wardrobe, professional hair and makeup for mom, hair styling for girls, and professional design and printing service. If you add up how much doing these things yourself will cost (in time and money), that "cheap" session isn't so cheap anymore.
- And finally, why not take images that can be used in multiple ways. A Christmas tree farm, or antique truck seems like a sweet idea, but what will you do with those images after Christmas? Save yourself the mini money and take some Christmas shots on your phone to commemorate the Holiday season. Instead book a family session in the spring or summer and use those images on your Christmas card. Cards do not need a theme, in fact, I love getting cards that have images showing the family as they truly are. But of course looking their best at a beautiful location. The best part is that you can use these images all year and for years to come. Frame them for a gift for Grandma and Grandpa. Print an album for your coffee table and have your kids flip through it year after year. Print a beautiful landscape family portrait for your gallery wall or statement wall.
All of the images below are from my "Signature Family Sessions" and also found their way to Holiday Cards:
A Note from Ashley
Hello and thank you so much for checking out my work! I hope you enjoyed the images from my latest family sessions!
I have a beautifully simple and bright studio in Westbrook Connecticut, but also travel to my clients’ homes or meet families on location to create beautiful artwork from their images.
If you would like to see more of my work, please browse the Gallery of Work tab and make sure to mention your favorites.
As a mom of three boys, I know that these moments are fleeting. Photography is the only way to capture these moments in time and that’s my ultimate goal with my clients. The portraits of my children are priceless.
If you would like more information about a session, please fill out the contact form on my website and I will personally email or text you back within two business days. My studio is a short drive for anyone living in Middlesex, New London, or New Haven Counties. I also travel throughout the state of Connecticut and Rhode Island.
