In previous years, I’ve done my Mommy + Me Mini Sessions on a farm with a floral-adorned tree swing, in a lush field of green grass, and in a lifestyle studio, to name a few. This is perfect for spring mini sessions and my clients love them! For my annual motherhood portrait event this year, I really wanted to revamp my offering and provide a truly luxurious experience for my clients. I booked a stunning Bridgerton-inspired studio and invested in several new gowns for my Client Closet. I poured over how I could make these “mini sessions” stand out and be incredibly special. I’m so thrilled with how the experience turned out!
These are advertised as motherhood sessions, but I’m always happy to have dads jump in a few photos. It’s helpful to have him there, too! Once my clients decided to turn this into a Mother’s Day gift for her own mother, which you’ll see in the photos below. It was so special to have three generations together to celebrate their motherhood!
Behind-the-Scenes
This month, I’m taking members of Membership for Motherhood Photographers behind-the-scenes of the motherhood portrait event. They’ll get to see me photograph four luxury portrait sessions. One of the sessions even included a Session Film, which is a new offering and option for my clients.
In the behind-the-scenes video, members will see how I work with children quickly, pose the parents and families, and more! And the best part? These are mini sessions, so my families will receive a beautiful gallery of images without spending tons of time in a studio!
Planning & Booking Mini Sessions
If you’re dying to know how to plan and execute service-focused, luxury mini session then you’re in the right place. Let me share the tips and platforms that I used to make these a huge success!
Plan Ahead
By giving my clients a heads up as soon as I booked the studio, they could save the date on their calendars. This gave me more time to plan the timing, pricing, and offerings without waiting until the last minute to open bookings. I used Flodesk to market this portrait event to my VIP client email list. If you’re not using email marketing in your business then you’re missing out! Join Flodesk and get 50% off your first year with my referral link.*
Online Scheduling
My go-to platform for staying organized is 17hats. Clients were able to book their motherhood portrait sessions online, which then triggered an automated workflow. Contracts, emails, invoices, reminders, and questionnaires were all send automatically. Automating my client communication has been the biggest time saver! You can try 17hats for free and save 50% on your first year here.*
Delivering Digital Files
Once the sessions were done, I spent the time to cull and edit each family’s gallery. I used Pixieset to deliver the digital images. From there, clients could download their photos as well as order prints and wall art from their online print shop. You can join Pixieset for free and receive an extra 250MB of storage with this link.*
Each client received 15-20 images. I take a lot of time to choose only the very best images and make sure that my clients receive a variety of poses and photos in just a 15 minute session. Believe it or not, delivering too many images is a huge disservice to your clients. Focus on quality over quantity, always.
Custom Album
One of the offers that really helped to set my Motherhood Portrait Event apart from so many other photographers was that I included a hardcover album with every booking! Of course my cost of this album was reflected in the price ($575+). Once my clients’ online galleries were delivered, I designed and ordered a beautiful album for each family from Kiss Books. Kiss makes stunning albums for professional photos, not consumers. To get started with a Kiss Books account, you’ll need to apply and wait for approval. Click here to receive a $50 credit after your first $100+ order!*
Here are a handful of my favorite images from this year’s Motherhood Portrait Event. I’d love to take you inside this beautiful studio so you can watch me photograph each session. I even shot some video clips and created a Session Film for one of the families! You can see the behind-the-scenes video and the final gallery of images right now inside the Membership for Motherhood Photographers. Once you join, head to the May 2023 lessons. You’ll also get access to ALL previous videos inside the MMP since it started in May 2021. Every month I post a new business masterclass and behind-the-scenes session video. If you’re a visual learner, then you will LOVE all the amazing content waiting for you to binge. Join now!
*This blog post includes affiliate links in which I may receive a small credit or commission if you make a purchase. I promise to only ever share the platforms that I personally use and recommend.
