Five Tips for a Successful Santa Mini Session

I am busy planning for this year’s THIRD (!!!) Annual Santa Event and truly these Santa mini sessions are some of my favorite sessions of the entire year. The heart of my business is families and a goal with all my sessions is to capture the joy that families bring to each other — and there really is no better time of year for that than the holiday season. The magic that is in the air is one I have always felt and getting to experience that (and document it!) with my clients is an honor that I do not take lightly.

After a couple years of these events, I have some tips + tricks that I have learned along the way to help make your Santa mini session the best one possible. Through this blog post, I will share these along with some basics about this year’s Ashley Brickner Photography Santa Event.

Looking for tips for a successful Santa mini session? Sharing some below.

Frame is as a positive experience.

I send out a Session Prep Guide when a client books any session with me and this is a tip I always share. As a mama of four myself, I know that photos (or really anything with kids!) can sometimes feel stressful, but sometimes just hyping it up as something really positive before will make all the difference. I absolutely understand that some kids don’t like or are scared of Santa – all my kids were as toddlers! – but preparing them before could help with that. Before the event, you could possibly read a Santa book together, look at pictures, or watch a show with Santa. Let your kids know that Santa will be there and share your excitement with them! 🙂

This year I will also be bringing back the “nice list”, which will be displayed the names of all the children when clients walk in. This is something you can tell the kids about prior to get them excited – they love to search for their names on the list!

Prepare.

Do the logistical things before to make sure the day goes smoothly. Make sure you give yourself enough time to get everyone ready and to get to the event on time! Each time slot is ten minutes and since these sessions are scheduled back to back, arriving late will result it less time with Santa and less photos (and we definitely don’t want that!). You are also welcome to arrive a little bit early – there will be a bathroom available if needed.

Dress for the part.

The Santa Event is meant to be an experience AND as an event that results in beautiful images that I hope you treasure for years to come. As with any photos I take, I always encourage you to plan your outfits ahead of time with thought as the styling makes a big difference in the final outcome of your photos!

Here are some general tips:

• Stick to classic, timeless colors. Think neutrals or traditional Christmas colors like red and green! Neons or brights should be mostly avoided as these can be distracting and create color casts on skin tones.
• Coordinate the family. These Christmas mini sessions can be used for any of your immediate family. It’s important to coordinate (not necessarily match!) and this can be done through colors and prints. I typically suggest picking no more than three colors and using those for the outfits of the family members who will be photographed.
• Choose a direction to go with and go with it! One of the fun parts of these sessions is that you can really get creative. I have had clients in pajamas and others in sequins and both photographed beautifully! What is important here is that you stick to one “theme” for the entire family.

Upon booking your Santa mini session, you will receive a follow-up email with outfit inspiration for the event. I also always let my clients know that I am available to help with the styling (and love to do it!).

Bring something special.

I encourage you to help your child (children) pick something special or fun to bring to the session. This year I am so excited to add something new! – I will be mailing letters from Santa to each child complete with a wish list that they will fill out and can bring the day of the event. Other ideas include a favorite stuffed animal or a book that they can show to Santa. This can help them feel more comfortable and excited for their session!

Just go with it.

Ultimately, with all my sessions, I remind parents to just go with it. There have absolutely been Santa sessions when the child cried and it was just fine. It showed the moment and their growth from year to year and honestly – aren’t the crying ones some of the most memorable ones?! 😉 Some of my favorite images the past couple of years have been one child crying while big brother or sister help console them and I know that as a mama, that would be an image that I would treasure forever.

Also of note, I reserve one minute at the beginning of each session for a photo before Santa walks in, just in case!

This year’s Third Annual Santa Event will be live and ready to book on Tuesday, September 1st. In addition to the santa mini sessions, I will be offering a Home for the Holidays Event which will be a photo event without Santa focused on capturing images with a holiday backdrop. Both events will be available to my email list first and you can join that list here! The location will be help at my natural-lit studio in the Great Neck area of Virginia Beach.

If you would like more information on the these sessions or if you are interested in working with a Virginia Beach family photographer, you can inquire here or email me at ashleybricknerphoto@gmail.com. I hope to get the opportunity to work with you!