Yay! You’re booked in for a mini session! If you’re new here, I’m so excited to meet you & your family! Also, if you’re a past client returning, I can’t wait to see you again!

There’s a few things to prep before your session, and this is the guide that will walk you through everything!

 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE YOUR SESSION!

• Your mini session includes 15 minutes of shooting time. It’s CRUCIAL that you show up early, and allow yourself some time to get situated at the studio before we begin shooting at your scheduled session time. Mini sessions are booked back-to-back, and in order to keep the day flowing, I need to start each client at the agreed upon time, or else everything else falls apart. Please arrive at least 10-15 minutes early to get situated. We have a lobby you can hang out in until it’s time to begin the session!

• If you have a newborn that’s nursing, PLEASE make sure to feed the baby prior to the start of the session and do any diaper changes before we begin. The sessions are 15 minutes consecutive, so if we stop and take 10 minutes to feed the baby, that leaves us only 5 minutes to finish the session. Please make sure newborns are tended to before the session, as they are only short sessions.

• If you have little ones, bring some toys/snacks/treats/videos/music they like - in case we need to bribe them for a few smiles. As I’m not primarily a family photographer, I don’t have too many toys or items for kids at the studio. If you have something you think would work for a bribe or distraction, bring it! We will try everything we can to get a smile. As sessions are only 15 minutes, I cannot guarantee smiles from little guys if they just aren’t into it. I’ll do my best, but please know, when it comes to young children - there is a chance they may not give any smiles in photos. I cannot offer re-shoots or extended time if that’s the case as these are booked back-to-back.

• Only one outfit will be allowed for the mini session. There’s just not enough time to swap outfits during a 15 minute session. Please come dressed in your outfits you’d like to be photographed in.

• At this time, we are not allowing pets in the studio. Only outdoors please.

• Only one immediate family is to be present for the mini session. This includes parents, and children only. The room we photograph you in isn’t overly big, and when it comes to covid restrictions we have to max out at one family per shoot. One can be in the lobby while waiting to begin, and one can be in the room shooting.

• My assistant may be with me on the day of the shoot, and she can greet you in the lobby if I’m busy photographing other clients. We have refreshments and snacks while you wait and get situated :)

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE IMAGES/ORDERING PROCESS

• Your images will be sent via an online gallery shortly after your session. Time frames depend on how busy the week is for edits, but they will be coming no later than December 1st, to give you enough time to order Christmas cards.

• Your mini session includes 5 digital images, but you’re welcome to purchase additional images through your online gallery. I’ll send a separate email with directions on how to do so!

• You can purchase holiday cards RIGHT through your gallery! One less thing to worry about, and they’ll ship right to your doorstep! These are available in your gallery store once the images have been sent over.

• Photos will be delivered FULLY EDITED and in high resolution format with instant download after purchase.

I don’t have photos of the actual set yet, as we will be shooting some promo images the first week of November. However, here’s what I CAN tell you about the upcoming holiday set:

THINK…
- minimalist, neutral tones, bare christmas trees with white lights
- greenery & winter floral instalments for the concrete wall
- candle lit, cozy vibes for the moroccan wall
- multiple set areas for different vibes
- option for bed photos, couch photos, or standing photos

WHAT IT WILL NOT BE….

- no cheesy props
- not very colourful, we are keeping the theme brown/grey/black/white/green/white lights to match our studio decor

WE’VE ALSO TEAMED UP WITH AN INCREDIBLE FLORAL TEAM THAT WILL BE DOING SOME INSTALLATIONS FOR THE HOLIDAY SET! YAYYYY!

Some of you may have heard of them before, but we have KM Decor & Design coming into the studio to help with the floral installations. It’ll be our first time having a floral team help with our set design, and we are SO excited to see what they can come up with. More info to come soon!

so, what do we wear?

Here’s a few tips on how to choose outfits for your studio holiday session.

DO:

• Wear complimentary colour schemes, coordinate - but try not to match identically (stick to a colour theme, but try to bring in different pieces for each family member to compliment the theme. If your theme is green/beige, see the photo above where the clients outfits complimented each other - but didn’t wear identical pieces)

• Wear neutrals. You can also mix in some holiday colours like reds and greens to really bring out the holiday vibes.

• Wear nice shoes, or take them off! Some clients prefer to keep shoes on for photos, and some prefer to take them off for more “stay at home” cozy vibes. Either works.

• Bring any props you want included in the shots. We are keeping our studio VERY minimalist this year, so if you have anything in specific you’d like to bring - by all means! I’ve had clients bring in books for the kids to read, holiday signs to hold, stuffies to snuggle - whatever is important to you

• You CAN do the holiday pyjama theme (super cute), HOWEVER PLEASE NOTE: we do not have time to do outfit swaps. What you arrive in, is what we will photograph you in. The sessions are only 15 minutes, and that is just enough time to get all the shots I need. There’s absolutely no time to swap outfits in-between. If you’d like to do multiple outfits, you’ll need to purchase TWO time slots back to back, to allow for an outfit change. Otherwise, all the photos will be in the same outfit. If you choose to do pyjamas, all photos will be in pyjamas. Just something to keep in mind.

DON’T:

• Don’t wear anything with giant logos on them, or any logos at all really. They’re very distracting, and we want the focus to be on you & your family - not the giant ADIDAS logo on your shirt.

• Don’t wear neon colours, they don’t photograph good. Stay away from lime green, neon pink, anything like that.

• Don’t have anything in your pockets. This is a biggie. Please leave wallets/phones/keys in the lobby or shooting area, because pant bulges are not the vibe.

• Don’t wear any puffy jackets. We’re shooting indoors, it’s warm. Those never photograph nice anyways.

• Don’t match fully. Meaning, don’t have the whole family in identical outfits. This comes off as a little cheesy.. trust me. The only time it’s ok to match would be if you’re doing matching pyjamas, as that’s intentional. Otherwise, coordinate your outfits but try not to fully match.

STUDIO ADDRESS:

627 Main Street East, Hamilton ON L8M 1J5

IMPORTANT: Enter through the BACK OF THE BUILDING

Take either Sanford Ave S OR Burris St - to Aikman Ave. Our studio entrance is off Aikman Ave, not Main Street. Look for this grey building, and enter through the door that's circled! We are upstairs on the second floor. Look for signage that says “Loft on Main”

Parking is FREE!