Length of Sessions

When I get new inquiries, one of the frequently asked questions I get is, "How long is the session?" I feel like that's such a tricky question to answer, and it can vary so wildly.

I typically say that the session length is up to one hour for milestones or families, or up to two hours in length for couples and seniors. But because I am human, and I am photographing humans--some of them very small humans, I hate putting a timeframe on the family session.

Sometimes I'm able to get a ton of great shots in a small window of time. That typically occurs when the family arrives on time and comes ready for photos. Parents have prepped the kids in the car on their expectations. Everyone has full bellies and empty bladders before we start shooting. We've communicated beforehand and know what poses and arrangements everyone wants.

In two years of doing sunflower sessions, almost all of the sessions go very quickly. I'm able to knock out the photos within 20 minutes. Anything longer than that amount does not equate better photos. It's so hot at the tail end of July when sunflowers are in bloom. There's also lots of bugs and poison ivy to contend with. Staying longer in the field is only making the kids and parents more irritable. So, preparation ahead of time is key. Sometimes kids, especially teens, don't enjoy the actual photos. When I took photos for Ashley and her three-kiddo crew, they were having none of the photos. But they loved driving me around on the golf cart. We spent close to twenty minutes driving around the property and 15 minutes in front of the camera.

As crazy as it sounds, extended family sessions are often some of the fastest sessions to photograph. I always start with a group shot, then slowly break apart the group based on the ages of the children and how well they are doing. Each of these sessions were completed within thirty minutes from beginning to end. Each group had excellent communication beforehand and let me know what group arrangements they wanted.

On the contrary, I've had single family sessions with four people, take over an hour in length. Sometimes, the first part of a session is just about building trust with a camera sky kiddo. Other times, we need to pause and feed the baby or take a potty break. If I were to watch the clock, some of these great shots would have been missed. If my schedule allows, I will stay until I feel like I have enough useable photos for a gallery.

We started losing light towards the end of this family shoot, but it was also when nine-year-old, E, started opening up and felt comfortable with me taking his photo. I was able to capture photos of the family being themselves. There was ribbon twirling, crown wearing, and frog catching. I'm so glad this family trusted me and allowed that extra time for relationship building.