Autumn 2023


Fair warning: This is quite a long post, but I wanted to disseminate as much info about these parties as possible so you, my potential client, can have most or all of your questions answered before you decide to book, so hopefully we can avoid any issues before they even happen!


I have just recently introduced Petite Portrait Party sessions as a new way to book my services for anyone who maybe doesn't need a full session with dozens of images, or maybe perhaps is less financially ready to commit to a full session. It's also a way to allow new clients to get a little taste of what it is like to work with me, while also making it a fun excuse to get family and friends together for portraits at the same time!


While my full sessions definitely offer more options, more variety in the images, and you certainly get more for your money, I understand that not everyone is ready to spend several hundred dollars every time they need photos:

  • Perhaps your Little's birthday falls during a tough time for you financially. All the bills are due, like, yesterday, but you don't want to miss out on documenting your sweet Baby's First Birthday with beautiful professional portraits.
  • Or maybe your family just needs a great updated photo for this year's Holiday cards, but you don't really need a full session to get that done.
  • Maybe your extended family is coming into town and it would be great to have a photo of everyone together, but it would also be nice to have different breakdowns of each nuclear family, just the grandkids together, multi-generational photos, etc. While this can all be done in a regular session, it might be easier if each family pays an equal portion of the cost, and gets to choose their own photos in the end rather than deciding who gets how much print credit, and how and when everyone can order, figure out what they need and where it all gets shipped after the fact. Everyone gets what they want with less confusion.
  • Sometimes toddlers will only cooperate for 10 or 15 minutes, and anything after that would be a struggle.
  • Maybe your high school senior is not super excited about picture day and doesn't need or want to do multiple outfit changes, but you're not going to let them graduate without getting those all-important Senior Portraits! Make a compromise with a Petite session--they only have to be in front of the camera for 10-20 minutes, and Mom and Dad will have some great photographs to send out to family with their Graduation announcements and possibly one or two favorites to frame and keep forever.


These and many other scenarios might make the Petite session the perfect option for you! You do have to plan ahead a bit; I do not do one-off Petite sessions. That's why I call them "Petite Parties." You must book at least 3 back-to-back petite sessions in the same location in order to take advantage of this soft of "mini" photo shoot. All you have to do is gather some friends or family to join the party, and you're all set:

  • Invite some of your toddler's friends from daycare to have a petite session with you! It's a play date that comes with a built-in photo session for each family! They can get pics of the whole family, or just the kids, and if they want to, they can bring any props or toys to incorporate to give it a more personalized touch.
  • Your teenager might have more fun with some friends or sports teammates coming along for support--plus they won't be the only one in front of the camera. They'll take turns and they can join in and/or watch their pals have their portraits made, as well, relieving some of the pressure of having the so-called "spotlight" on them.
  • Make it an office party! An excellent way to engage with your co-workers outside the work environment, meet their families, and network. You all can mingle and chat, or even potluck at a park while I get each individual family's portraits done. I typically don't do headshots, so I'd encourage everyone on the "guest list" to bring family or their significant other, but if they want to participate and just need some updated headshots, or new "dating profile" photos or what have you, I can make that work so they can still party with the rest of the group!


Let's talk prices: The more people you can recruit to your party, the more you each can save on your individual sessions, and there's a bigger bonus for the host of the party!

  • For Small parties of 3 or 4, the cost is $250 per session. The host of the party also gets a $25 print credit as a "thank you" for organizing the event.
  • For Medium parties of 5-9, each session is $225. The host of the party will receive a $50 print credit to order prints.
  • For Large parties of 10-15, each session is only $210. The host of a party this size will receive a $100 print credit.
  • For Mega parties of 16-20, each set is just $200! The host of a Mega party almost doubles their money and gets a print credit for $175!

Each set will have a small online gallery from which the respective family can download 4 digital images of their choice with a print release. There is ALWAYS an option to purchase more than what is included, but since everyone pre-pays for their Petite session, there is no obligation to order anything else.


How do I throw a Petite Portrait Party, you ask?

Well, when you throw a Petite Party, be sure to plan ahead. If you want to send a "soft" invite out just to see how much interest you can stir up in your friend group, feel free to feel people out before contacting me. Then, go ahead and get in touch with me as soon as you know you want to throw a Petite session party, so I can let you know my availability. You don't have to finalize the booking at this stage, but it'll help you know when and where you'd like to host your party, so you know what to tell your guests.

Then, get your guest list together and send your initial invites out at least 2 weeks ahead of time (more like 4-5 weeks for larger parties). Whether you're a more formal send-an-invitation-in-the-mail kind of host, a casual Evite host, or a simple mass text or group email kind of host, you're going to want to get a pretty good idea of how many people are wanting to participate and what date and time works best for everyone so we can determine the size (and cost) of your party.

Once you have a decent amount of RSVPs, we can sort out the exact time, date, and location of your Petite Portrait Party and get you officially on the books. You can then collect everyone's email address (with their permission) and send me their info so I can send them an official invite, contract, and invoice for the cost of their session--which will be determined by how many people showed interest in booking. Everyone participating must pre-pay at least 5 days prior to the party. If any last-minute invitees decide to join in (plans change, so I try to be a bit flexible) they can still pay online before the party, or they can pay cash at the party, but any payments after the 5 day cutoff will have to pay the $250 Small Party price, plus a $10 late fee, so please encourage everyone to book ahead of time so I am well aware of how many clients I'll be working with and we can block out an appropriate amount of time to get everyone's photos taken.


So how does this party thing go?

So much flexibility here! Let your group know what time(ish) to arrive at the party--typically held at a local park, or even in your spacious back yard, if you prefer. Just consider what kind of background you're going to want (and your guests would want). Usually someplace green or with water or interesting architecture makes for better portraits than a parking lot, in front of a busy street, or a tiny patio with dead plants and a dusty grill (duh). Also keep in mind that I prefer to use natural light (the sun) whenever possible and having a shady space with a little tree cover often creates the best lighting scenario, vs. and open field where everyone will be squinting and harsh shadows will ruin the overall look of your photos. Please also be mindful of how early or late your session is--once the sun goes down, quality photos will be tough to get. Photo editing software can almost work miracles in the right hands, but let's not rely on it TOO much!

Since not everyone will be having their portraits made at the same time, not everyone has to be there at the same time. We'll block out a chunk of time to get everyone's sessions in, so people are welcome to leave after their session if they can't stay for the whole party, but be sure to let everyone know that if everyone arrives "fashionably late" there might not be enough time to get all the sessions in, and no refunds or reschedules will be available.

Your party can relax, mingle, chat, play, eat (just don't spill on your clothes before your portraits!), watch each other take pics, or do whatever you like in the meantime while you wait for your turn in front of the camera.

It can be a real party where you BBQ and catch up with friends or family, the kids can run and play (careful, though! Hopefully no scraped knees or grass stains will ruin your photos!), you can play music if you like (but not too loud, so I can still get my little subjects' attention), and I can just float around in the background and grab each family throughout the party for a few minutes to snap their photos before they return to the group. You can even add a Petite Portrait Party event to your child's birthday party where each guest gets their own mini photo session. What could be a better party favor than that?

Or it can me more focused on the portraits themselves and a little less "party" where everyone shows up within their allotted window of time and gets their photos done, and they can stick around and hang out, or leave and go about their day. Whatever is more your style, or suits the needs and schedules of your guests.


Do you bring any props or backgrounds?

If you would like a specific theme for your photos, we can discuss what kinds of props, backgrounds, or setups we can use for your Petite Portrait Party. A few ideas off the top of my head with some related Pinterest photos:

  • Little girl having a mermaid birthday party and we want some coral/seashells/ jellyfish/ pearls/starfish/costume mermaid tails/and whatever other ocean themed decor. How cute! https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AebxCjbaitAXYYzQSCmiBe9HYqfw7chIdCnAsMHJlVMfCLfgcV1oRac/
  • Tea party with cups, saucers, teapot, and a child-sized table with tablecloth and matching napkins, cute hats, etc. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/27443878973586141/
  • Fall family photos with mums, haybales, pumpkins, and all the good Fall vibes. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/492649952018502/
  • Watermelon Summer pics! (Image below credit to a friend of mine, Kelly Guess Photography, located in Appomattox, VA)

The possibilities are endless! (Sorry the web address links don't actually work. But you can copy/paste if you'd like to see the inspiration I've found from other photographers doing themed portraits).

If I already have props that fit the theme, I'll bring them along and we can use them. If I am required to purchase items to fulfill the theme, we'll have to discuss a budget for the items you're wanting included. If I do the shopping and keep any of the props I'll use again in future sessions, I'll split the cost with the host of the party. The amount I'll cover will be determined on how well or frequently the items can be re-used. In the example below, I'd cover part of the cost of the crates, which can be reused, but the watermelons would be on the host's bill, if that's something they want in their session. If the host wants to go out and purchase any or all props themselves, they are more than welcome to.

Turnaround:

The timeline of when your guests will get their photos back is very dependent on how many guests are in attendance. For Small Parties, the turnaround can be a little as 2 weeks, but could be longer; and for larger parties, it could be up to 6 or 7 weeks. With Small and Medium Parties, I try to deliver all of the galleries at the same time (there may be exceptions, but this is usually the goal). And for Large and Mega Parties, I'll release the galleries a few at a time in the order of when the clients paid--first come, first serve. Each client will receive an email with an invitation to view their online photo gallery and next steps on how to go about choosing their favorites and downloading their 4 included images, as well as how to order any extras, if they like.


The sort of "FINE PRINT"

Examples of little snags that might arise from booking a Petite Party and how we can handle and resolve them:

If, for example, the host has 9 RSVPs who pre-pay, and then 1 more family joins after the cutoff date or pays cash the day of the party, unfortunately that does not qualify for the "Large Party" price for the entire group. Everyone will still pay the "Medium Party" price. And, as mentioned before, the late-comer will pay $260 (the "Small Party" price, plus a "$10 late payment fee).

On the other hand, if you have 6 people say they're interested, and we set the Price Per Client at the "Medium Party" price, but then only 4 people pre-pay before the cutoff date, each participating client will be billed for the difference between the "Small Party" price and the "Medium Party" price and this must be paid before I take their photos. They can choose to pay online through their emailed invoice, or pay the balance in cash the day of. If they do not pay the balance before the photo session, they will only receive ONE image with their package, instead of the 4 images everyone else will receive. If they pay the balance within 5 days of when their gallery is released, they will then be able to download 4 of their favorites.


I do not currently offer parties for any more than 20 sittings. It is a large undertaking that I am not prepared to handle at this time.


This is a new program I'm offering, so I'm sure there are lots of other ideas, scenarios, challenges, and things that can arise as I start booking and completing these parties, so please have patience and bear with me as we figure out the best way to take care of every situation. If you have any questions that I didn't answer in this post, please reach out! Click the link below and fill out the form!


Or, if you're not sure this is the right option for your photography needs, please check out my "Investment" page for other pricing and collection options that may be a better solution for you!


Cheers! And thanks for reading!