Mini Sessions really are perfect for capturing that fabulous little personality of your child. Sessions are short to ensure that children don't get over tired/stimulated and are usually "painless". That being said, as is the nature of children, I/you cannot guarantee star quality performance from your child on the day. I will do my best and I love engaging with kids on a very silly level, however I will also need a lot of energy from you to get the shots that you are hoping for. 

Whilst I know that it can feel like the pressure is on to get the perfect images it really helps if you relax as much as possible. Children can sense when their parents are getting stressed and simply won't perform. I have a lot of experience with children; I have four of my own as well as working almost exclusively with small children in the studio, so I will pull out every trick in the book to engage with your little one and get the best out of them. Please try to remember to look at me with a relaxed expression, rather than trying to engage your child. I'll pull the silly faces and act like a clown if necessary as no-one is going to be taking my picture! 

It can be helpful if you're not in the picture to help me to get the attention of young children, they tend to react better to the voice of their parent. Please come as close to me and specifically to the camera as possible so that I can get their eyes looking right at me. 

I will capture your child as he or she is. I don't ask children to smile for me, I want to give them a reason to. Some children are introverted and will need some quiet, gentle coaxing to help them relax, in which case the resulting images will reflect this quietness. It's so important to me to record the true personality of children and not their forced smiley face. 

Usually one the first questions I am asked by families is "what should we wear", and it is a very important question. What your family wears for your session can make or break your final portraits and with some careful planning you can create a look that is both timeless and beautiful and fits to the style of your family and home.

For studio sessions I usually recommend dressing the whole family in neutrals; white, creams etc. For smaller children and babies I still feel that their fresh, rosy skin is best of all and advise a simple white body or neutral coloured romper. Boys can go topless or with little suspenders.

For outdoor sessions, feel free to get a little more creative. It can be fun to choice a bold pattern or floral design for one member and then the rest of the family more simply. Try choosing a colour that you like, for example grey and dressing everyone in shades of every except for that one person who you dress in a splash of colour, for example yellow. You could also add a yellow accessory to one of the grey outfits.

Important to remember if dressing the whole family you should view the entire family choices as though you were creating one outfit. You wouldn't dress yourself in stripes, spot and floral at once so avoid doing this when putting together your wardrobe for the day. 

Textured clothing such as lace looks wonderful on Mama's as do detailed necklines, pretty sleeves.

If all else fails, keep it simple, no big, busy designs or logos and stick to just a few key colours.

Have a think about your hair and makeup. There's no need to go overboard here, but a little special touch here and there can go a long way in creating stunning portraits. Feel free to enquire about my in house make-up artist who specialising in natural, organic looks.

Pinterest is a great source of inspiration so feel free to take a look at my "what to wear" boards

https://www.pinterest.com/familyasart/what-to-wear-little-folk/

https://www.pinterest.com/familyasart/what-to-wear-family-sessions/

There are limited slots available so to avoid disappointment please book well in advance.  Please check availability (below) before booking.