So you've signed up for your first mini session and have a million questions. Start here and shoot me an email or comment below if there's anything I've missed!
First and foremost, if there's a current mini session being offered, I'll include a button to sign up here.
What to Wear
Most importantly, dress for the season and weather that day.
For children in diapers, I recommend bloomers or shorts under dresses and skirts and onesies or other tucked in or body suit style top to avoid the diaper being seen. Cloth diapers also work.
For children in dresses and skirts, I also recommend having something underneath so underwear is not seen. Shorts or bloomers work well. We’ll aim to not see those either, but just in case it’s good to have something on.
Aim to be coordinated but not be matchy matchy. Try to be on the same spectrum of casual to dressed up and coordinate your colors.
Avoid neon, busy patterns like thin stripes or small checkers, clothes with stains or tears, and clashing colors. Make sure clothes fit well and aren't too baggy or too tight. At locations like The Endicott Estate, The Arboretum and Larz Anderson that have so much lush greenery, avoid wearing green.
In 15 minutes, we won’t have time for an outfit change but I do recommend bringing a backup outfit for all family members just in case something gets dirty.
White naturally reflects light and therefore photographs very well.
Getting Kids Excited
My biggest tip is to never bribe children for photographs. If you do, they’ll look at it as a chore or something they have to do but don’t want to, like getting ice cream for getting their hair cut or eating their veggies. Instead, let’s make it fun for them. Talk about how excited you are for photo day!
Feel free to load me up with their favorite songs, jokes, silly characters, etc. The more I know about what makes them giggly and happy, the better!
You can bring their favorite toy so long as you’re okay with them having it in the photograph. This can actually be pretty adorable when it’s their favorite teddy or a memorable item that you’d like to have captured. If they're still in the everything in the mouth phase, we'll save it as a last resort.
When to Arrive & When you Arrive
Arrive at least 15 minutes early. Given the tight time frame, we will have to end at your session end time even if you arrive late so that the family after you can have their full session.
I will email you the address and parking information so take a look ahead of time. Some locations have longer walks than others from the parking lots to the photo shoot location.
When you arrive, you can do any final touches like brushing kids hair, putting their shoes on, delinting (I always have a lint brush on me if needed) etc. Please remember to take all items out of your pockets so they don't bulge in the photographs. And make sure to not be chewing gum!
What's Important to You
Let me know your priority shot at the start of your session. Are you hoping to get one of the whole family, just the kids, kids individually, kids just with mom or kids just with dad? Let me know and we'll shoot in that order. We likely won't have time for everything I just listed, so if you tell me what's most important to you, we'll shoot that first and go from there. And if that whole list sounds great to you, let's follow up with a full family photo shoot some time.
Props
If requested, I have a Radio Flyer red wagon available to families if they would like to use it. It does not have the wooden side panels so this is great for kids who are stable and able to sit on their own.
If you have additional props that you would like to incorporate, please feel free to bring them.
Photo Follow Up
Photographs will be made available to you via a personalized online viewing gallery emailed to you within three weeks. You will be able to download all of your high resolution images from this gallery and have the option to print high quality prints from White House Custom Color, or print on your own.
Photo Crediting on Social Media
Please remember to give a shout out to Tracy Rodriguez Photography when posting on Facebook and Instagram.
What's Included
15 minute mini session
High resolution images with printing rights
A three week turnaround guarantee
A personalized online viewing gallery with 10 years of cloud storage
A digital download link