Apple Podcasts |Spotify |Transcript

More Resources: Prep Week | 12 Theme Ideas Freebie

Spring is right around the corner, which means it's the perfect time to start planning your Spring Minis! With warmer weather, blooming flowers, and families eager to capture seasonal memories, spring is one of the best times to book out your minis. Today, I’m sharing creative Spring Mini Session ideas that will make your Minis stand out, attract more clients, and boost your bookings. Whether you’re looking for fresh ideas or want to refine your approach, this episode will lend inspiration to help you plan successful and profitable Spring Minis! Before diving in make sure you sign up for my newest FREE resource... PREP WEEK! This 4 day training paired with today's episode is a guaranteed win for Spring.

Here's What We'll Cover:

Why Spring? (5:45)

Theme Ideas (7:52)

Questions to Ask While Planning (11:25)

Prep Week (15:03)

Spring Mini Session Ideas

A well-thought-out Spring Mini Session idea can be the key to booking out your spots quickly! A strong theme creates excitement making it easier for potential clients to envision themselves in the session. It also helps you stand out from other photographers running minis in your area, giving you a unique edge in the market. The best spring themes are fresh, colorful, and family-friendly! By incorporating elements that feel light and full of life you'll end up attracting more clients. And while being unique is important just make sure it appeals to a wide range of clients! Some go to Spring Mini session ideas would include seasonal flowers (think blue bonnets or cherry blossoms), vintage Spring picnic, Easter Minis or a flower market location!

Spring Mini Marketing Must

Preparing for your Spring Minis starts with capturing promo shots that will attract clients and fill your calendar. The best way to do this? Set up your Mini Session backdrop in advance and use a real family for test shots. This helps potential clients visualize what their photos will look like and creates instant marketing content. If you're doing a wildflower field theme, you can use a stock image of wildflowers for early promotion and then update your marketing with an actual portfolio image once you've photographed a session. The key is to help future clients envision themselves in your promo!

If you’re feeling unsure about how to market your minis effectively, Prep Week starts next week! It’s a FREE, four-day challenge where we’ll cover marketing strategies, pricing, workflows, and everything you need to book out your minis with confidence. Don’t miss this opportunity to make your Mini Sessions more profitable and stress-free, sign up today!

Apple Podcasts |Spotify |Transcript

More Resources: Episode 107| Prep Week

Pricing your full sessions correctly is key to making sure your mini-session pricing makes sense and stays profitable. In this episode of Minis Made Easy, I’m breaking down how full sessions set the foundation for your pricing strategy, common mistakes photographers make, and the steps to ensure your full session pricing supports (not competes with) your minis. If you’ve ever struggled to balance these two session types, this episode is for you! Before diving in you need to how to price your Mini Sessions. This is only possible by doing a CODB which I walked us through in last week's episode! Give THIS podcast a listen then you'll be ready to jump into how to price your photography sessions so they make sense.

Here's What We'll Cover:

Define a Full Session Vs. Mini Session (2:52)

Pricing Mistakes (5:42)

Sessions that are NOT Minis (10:29)

Key Take Aways (15:01)

Why Full Sessions Set the Foundation for Your Photography Pricing Strategy

Full sessions play a crucial role in your photography business. They offer clients a full-service experience while establishing the foundation for your pricing structure. As the premium option, full sessions set the perceived value of your work and help differentiate your services from mini-sessions. Mini-sessions should be a lower investment, but they must still reflect your expertise and not undercut the value of full sessions. A common mistake photographers make is pricing minis correctly but then realizing their full session pricing no longer makes sense! Often this requires an adjustment to maintain profitability. By positioning full sessions as the high-end choice and aligning your pricing strategy effectively, you can create a sustainable and profitable photography business while ensuring that both session types attract the right clients.

How to Price Photography Sessions for Profitability and Alignment

Setting the right price for your full sessions starts with understanding your target client... their budget, what they value, and how to position full sessions as a premium experience. Next, calculate your costs and desired profit by factoring in session time, editing, and business expenses to ensure your pricing reflects your expertise and brand. A good rule of thumb is to set your full session price at least double your mini-session price to maintain a balanced structure. For example, if your full sessions are $500, your minis should be in the $200–$250 range.

Finally, communicate the value of full sessions by emphasizing their benefits—longer session time, more variety in locations, all-digitals included, and a fully personalized experience. Educating your clients on the differences between full and mini sessions is essential because not all sessions can be a mini. Certain session types, like newborn and cake smash photography, require a full session to provide the best client experience. By aligning your pricing structure strategically, you ensure both session types complement each other while maximizing your profitability.

Pricing your mini sessions can feel like a guessing game. Should you charge what other photographers do? Should you price lower to attract more bookings? Or maybe you feel like you're just throwing out a number and hoping it works. If you’ve ever second-guessed your pricing, you’re not alone! Many photographers struggle with setting prices that not only attract clients but also ensure profitability. Today we'll be calculating your cost of doing business (CODB) because pulling numbers from thin air or copying what other photographers are doing won't help YOU and your business succeed! Let's learn how to price your mini sessions for profit!

Why Calculate Your CODB (3:40)

Gathering Your Numbers (7:02)

Calculating Your Numbers (10:34)

Brand New Resource - Prep Week (20:18)

Have you ever felt like you're working hard, but you're not sure that you're seeing the profit from? Have you ever wondered if you're even covering your costs and making this thing worth it? Whether you're a numbers person or not, learning to calculate your Cost of Doing Business is a must! In the simplest terms you make sure all expenses and taxes are covered in your revenue AND you're paying yourself. Statistics show that most photographers don't make it past year 3. This is solely because they don't price their work appropriately.

Step one you need to list EVERY expense you have. Let's take your Spring Minis Sessions for example! List out any expenses that would go towards them including softwares like your CRM (gallery delivery), Lightroom or Imagine AI (your editing software), email marketing, google domain, website costs, gear, props or client gifts, etc! If you pay for something annually divide it by 12 to give you a monthly amount. Next, calculate the number of hours you spend on Spring Minis. Don't just include your shooting time! List the time spent marketing, driving to locations, editing and post processing! Lastly, ask yourself: how much do I want to be paid for my hourly rate? And please pay yourself more than a teenager who works at Costco! I suggest no less than $50/hour because you are well worth your time!

In any given month for Spring Minis list how many sessions you realistically want to book. For example's sake we'll say 16 (that's 2 days of minis). Here's where gathering your numbers come into play. How many hours will you spend on these specific Mini Sessions (for everyone it's different, but remember to include marketing, post processing/editing, shooting time). So, you should have your total number of expenses for one month and the number of hours you will work for these sessions. Take your hourly rate multiplied by the number of hours for these sessions and that's your profit. Next, take your expenses and add them to your profit amount. Finally, divide that number by 16 (the amount of sessions) and this gives you the bare minimum you should be charging for your Mini Sessions! If this amounts to less than $150 you should consider either recalculating your expenses or paying yourself more. It's a good rule of thumb that Minis start at $150 and go up.

By running your CODB, you can confidently price your mini sessions for profit. This way you cover your expenses, pay yourself a fair wage, and generate profit for long-term success. If you plan on doing Spring Minis you need to register for my brand new (FREE) 4 day training! It's called PREP WEEK! Essentially I am coming alongside you, and together, we are prepping out our Spring Mini sessions. Get all the details and register for Prep Week HERE!

As we're headed into this new year and our Mini Sessions season I wanted to talk through the importance of planning EARLY!  January is the perfect time to set the tone for your year. Preparation like this will set you up for success and why not determine this year to be your most profitable!? In this episode not only will you learn why planning ahead is valuable, but you'll understand what happens when you don't. So, for starters let's look at key reasons why planning your Mini Sessions early is a must!

In order to plan ahead you need at least 6-8 weeks before your Mini Sessions take place. When you start marketing early you get ahead of other photographers! Why not be the first photographer seen by your audience for Spring Minis and beat the competition? Rather than scrambling last minute to do Easter Minis or Wildflowers, you can prepare now and get fully booked! This also means you'll be maximizing your profits. You get the opportunity to think through your pricing, structure and upselling. And the best part is you can do it all--stress free!

One thing you need to look at is the calendar as a whole. Start with your personal calendar including birthdays, vacations, important dates. Then you can pencil in dates for Mini Sessions. That way you aren't overbooked and you have control of when you work! My suggestion would be to look at doing Spring, Fall and Christmas Minis. Next, an area you want to plan is thinking through the themes that you could potentially have for your Mini Sessions. You want to think of fun, creative ideas, but things that your clients will actually book. Lastly, plan ahead in your marketing plan! Put together a real strategy including your email list, your SEO and your socials. Trust me, good marketing takes time so tackle this early and give yourself the ability to be profitable.

I know there are so many things you have to think about when planning your Mini Sessions, but that's why I'm here! You won't be doing this alone. The danger in not being proactive is you'll be stressed out, overwhelmed, losing clients or missing out on profits! The earlier you start preparing the better off you'll be. Throughout the coming weeks I'll walk through all the important keys in planning your Mini Sessions! Tune in next week for specifics on pricing to be profitable!

Why I started planning ahead (1:55)

Why planning your mini sessions early is valuable (3:03)

Key areas to prep (6:08)

What happens if you don't plan (11:00)

If you're a family photographer looking for mini session tips to simplify your business while maximizing profits, you’re in the right place! I'm thrilled to announce the rebrand of my podcast: Minis Made Easy. This podcast is your go-to resource for everything mini sessions—helping you streamline workflows, master posing, and build a profitable photography business. The goal is to leave you inspired, provide actionable tips and educational content tailored for your photography business! I've discovered a major part of my why in this industry is to help other photographers in their journey. And friend, it all starts with mini sessions!

Profitability and Scalability: Minis allow you to serve more clients in less time while still providing an excellent experience. Simplified Marketing: With clear themes and short time slots, minis are easier to market and fill. Community Demand: Many photographers shared their struggles and questions about making minis work. This rebrand allows us to address those needs in-depth.

Each episode is tailored specifically to help you master mini-sessions. Here’s a sneak peek into what we’ll cover! Workflows: Learn how to streamline booking processes, client communication, and gallery delivery for a seamless client experience. Posing Tips: Discover techniques for maximizing short 10-minute sessions while keeping your posing natural and stress-free. Business Strategies: Get insights into pricing your minis for profit, marketing effectively, and scaling your mini-session offerings. Creative Inspiration: Stay ahead of the curve with fresh seasonal themes and evergreen session ideas that clients will love.

You can count on this podcast to serve you in key areas! I'll be breaking down the how, what and when for successful Mini Sessions and be sharing all the mini session tips. Let’s simplify the way you run your business while making your minis more profitable than ever.

This is one of those topics that, although it's not fun, is necessary. Especially as we head into a busy season you need to know how to set boundaries with difficult clients! After being in this industry for years I'll just let you know that if you haven't had a challenging client... they're coming. Which is why this episode will be helpful! I'll share some of my personal experience and give you pointers on how to work with them. But before unpacking that, I have a free class just for you! It's all about how to double your photography revenue this year. We'll touch on some business basics but dive deeper into business marketing! Rather than relying solely on pretty pictures you can drive your business with excellent marketing. Now, onto the "fun" clients...

It is so important to deal with clients with kindness. Remember, you're running a business and your conversation or interaction represents the brand/the business. It's very easy to match your client's attitude and energy especially if you don't mind confrontation. Some of you may be people pleasers and negative confrontation is a challenge, but remember kindness goes a long way. Stay professional and give your client a hefty helping of kindness! You have an opportunity to handle situations with grace and I suggest doing it over the phone. You don't want to give clients ammunition so even an email would be beneficial.

Pointing back to your contract gives you a backbone to lean on. And that's why it's crucial to have a legal contract that will hold up. I have one in my shop you can grab and they are there for a reason! A few things I have in my contract that protects me is found in editing. I have it in my contract that I do not remove things that wouldn't be gone on their own within 1-2 weeks. I won't altar someone's body because all bodies are beautiful and deserve to be captured. I also hold the right to including or excluding photos from their gallery. Sometimes the shot is blurry or simply doesn't turn out. I want to include photos that will not only be a good representation of my work but turn out well!

This is one of my favorites because it helps you illuminate the positivity and serve your client but protects you as well. You need to be taken care of which is why we are talking about how to set boundaries with difficult clients! So, give your client a yes but with a realistic boundary. For example, if a client wants something edited that's outside of your normal scope of editing. Maybe they want a car removed but the session was in a city. You can say yes, but only for 3 photos. Don't be a doormat, but serve your clients and try to go above and beyond.

I've had clients in the past that posed challenges and gave opportunity for me to respond by burning the bridge so to speak. But because I chose to be kind or work through it with them I gained a client who books over and over again with me. Some clients threaten to leave terrible reviews or just look for the negativity, however, you can always offer a full refund and just delete their gallery. If you can avoid that, do it! Find the resolution! But at the end of the day you may need a "do not book" list.

Hopefully these were some practical things for you to apply. Don't stress or be intimidated by challenging clients. Try to find a solution and always extend KINDNESS! The world as a whole needs more of it and why not let your business reputation be that you were professional and incredibly kind.

Stay Professional and Kind (7:42)

Refer to Your Contract (9:28)

Give a Yes with a Boundary (13:23)

Avoid Burning Bridges (15:11)

Let's talk about Mini Sessions! I'm doing a Mini Sessions Q & A from a thread in my Facebook group. There were tons of great inquiries so I'm taking the time to go through and answer now!  I'm also hosting a LIVE webinar this coming Thursday (if you're reading this current and up to date) all about MINI SESSIONS! This is a brand new class I've never taught and we'll have a Q&A section at the end for that too! So, if today's podcast hits home you'll definitely want to join. Be sure to register HERE regardless of if you can make it live or not. Thursday, July 13th @ 1:00pm CST. Once you register you'll receive the replay and get all the fresh content. Now, let's jump in!

This specific question stated, "If your sessions are 20 minutes and one of your children doesn't cooperate what do you do?" Here's the thing, my mini sessions are 10 minutes and most of my students do 15 minutes. So, when a child is crying the whole session or not wanting to participate you just do your best. If you're booking with a family and the parent knows ahead of time the child will struggle, opt for a full session. So what do you do? Keep snapping, try posing different angles to avoid the crying face, book with them in 6 months from now! Most of the time kids are uncooperative because it's new. I did this with a family and the second session was incredible. We got to celebrate the major growth. I'm also a believer in capturing true memories. The reality is kids cry. They don't always cooperate and that's part of life's memories!

This is a loaded question because there is so much that goes into marketing. Join the free class to go deeper! I would say good advertising doesn't just post to your business Facebook page or Instagram. You need all the pieces of the puzzle to present a full picture.

Practice, practice, practice! Start at 15 minutes and use a posing workflow. If you're worried about clients feeling like they aren't served well, it's because you need confidence in your delivery. It's important to know you've captured the right shots so you can deliver a full gallery. But how do you get to this place? Practice. Have family and friends over and do 15 minute sessions with them back to back. I use this posing workflow for all my sessions and that's how I've managed to do 10 minutes at a time!

Inside the podcast I talk about bad weather options, refund policies, deposits and more! I highly suggest getting a lawyer approved contract like the one in my shop. Mine was written by a lawyer so I can trust it will hold up when it comes down to it. I love mini sessions and could talk about circumstances, planning and the how to all day. Give this episode a listen, grab your pen and paper and write down notes because the questions are rich! And make sure you register for the webinar so you can get in on more. Mini Sessions have a power packed punch ideal for families to get them in and out with photos that last a lifetime!

What do you do with uncooperative kids? (4;03)

How do you advertise your minis? (8:33)

How do you get comfortable with short time slots? (9:24)

More Questions? (11:12)

All month long we've been talking about our Christmas in July Minis Campaign. Today, I'm so excited to finish this out with tips for ding a Christmas in July Mini Sessions Promotion! It's hard to believe we are at the end of June and our promos will be ready to go live soon. Before wrapping up how to do this promo I have a FREE guide to help you make your first $3k or more on your first set up mini sessions. Count it as a gift for those of you that have followed along and apply it during your actual Christmas Minis! Ready for some big tips?

I know we're down to the wire, but it's not too late to get started! Ideally you want to kick off this campaign at the beginning of July. I know you technically have a whole month, but you don't want to promote this at the end. Start the first week when this campaign is fresh and no one has been advertised to yet. That also means you need promo shots! If you're doing Red Truck Minis, Tree Farm or Indoor Studio Christmas Minis, talk to your vendor and see if you can get in there with a real family for promos. Make sure they are real families because they advertise so much better. Don't just show the setup. And of course use past sessions if you have them!

I suggest advertising for 2 weeks or until your spots fill. I have an associate team spread out in 9 different cities and in Dallas we open up July 1st. Our goal is to book 3 dates which is the equivalent of 54 sessions. Remember, I have multiple photographers so it's not all one person. We start by opening to our VIP email list, social posts ready to go and fb ads! These are all things we've prepped in June which makes it a lot easier with automated workflows. Once the 2 weeks is up, we switch to advertise Fall minis. We book these from mid-July to the end of August or so. Then we switch back to Christmas Minis!

Something I get asked often is whether or not to take a retainer. We do a 50% retainer at the time of booking and they pay the rest later. This has worked really well. Just be sure you're taking some sort of retainer. Don't let clients book a spot and pay later because they often cancel. And along with that, have your clients fill out a contract. This is vital for your business. If you're using one you just found on the internet and it's not written by a lawyer it most likely will not hold up in court. I have one in my shop that I use for every session and it was written by a lawyer so you can trust the language is legal!

If you have time this one is a big one! It will save you so much time in the long run, especially when you're in the thick of busy season. Most CRMs have automations for you to use so contracts get sent, invoice reminders go out and all the things. My automations include sending out my Questionnaire, Email Templates, and Client Experience Guide. It takes some effort to get it initially going, but it is well worth it! My preferred CRM is Dubsado and if your a Profitable Minis 2.0 student I have an entire module walking you through it. If you're not a PMC 2.0 student don't worry, it's opening soon!

There you have it, so many big tips and all to help you get a jumpstart on Christmas in July!

Get Started...NOW! (3:52)

How Long Do You Advertise? (7:40)

Hot Topic Question (11:45)

Set Up Automations (14:01)

Do you have a Christmas in July promotion? Today I'm unfolding the 5 reasons you SHOULD do a 'Christmas in July' Mini Session promo. But before we start the countdown, be sure to grab this FREE class all about mini sessions. As fall mini sessions are around the corner, this will be incredible useful for you. It walks you through the main marketing tips to get you fully booked! Now let's talk about Christmas in July!

Let me clarify, I am not suggesting you shoot mini sessions in July! I grew up in Texas and I couldn't imagine going out in the brutal heat for 2-3 hours of mini sessions especially as Christmas! I am talking about doing a promotion to book those minis in October. Each year I do Red Truck Minis and some sort of indoor studio Christmas minis. For my Christmas in July promo I book out my Red Truck Minis that I shoot in October. A big reason I love doing this promo is because my business gets put in front of A LOT of eyes. Red Truck Minis are desirable and capture the attention of clients.

For too long I waited to advertise mini sessions when I started hearing people ask for them. The goal here is to advertise and make Christmas Minis available before your clients request it! You will be the first ones to mention these minis and chances are clients will stick with you because you brought it to them first!

Good marketing takes time and that means at least 6-8 weeks. Doing this in July gives you a major kickstart to the busiest time of the year! Regardless of whether or not your spots are fully booked, you're relieving the pressure by starting early. Once you've done the promo the ground work has already been laid and when Fall comes you will easily book out the rest. You won't be scrambling to get promo shots or workflows ready. You'll be prepped!

July is usually a slower month for mini sessions, so having something in this month carries you over to busy season! We collect 50% retainers (which I highly suggest you do) to lock clients in. This is a nice perk to having some sort of income during summer. For some of you that alone is enough!

The last reason I love doing a 'Christmas in July' promotion is you'll have a good expectation for your Fall. For one, you know what to expect from the second half of your booked sessions. But it also gives you a gauge of people's interest. Many clients may see your promotion and decide to book a fall mini with you. They may not be ready to jump to Christmas, however, it gets the ball moving for the next season!

I hope this encourages you to give it a try! There's a lot of beneficial components that come into play here. Start prepping and get your Christmas in July promo ready!

Greater Exposure (4:42)

Get Ahead of Demand (5:37)

Kickstarter (7:19)

Influx of Revenue (9:08)

Overall Estimate (10:45)

We're at episode 100!!! I'm thrilled to be able to look back and share how this began as well as how it evolved along the way. It's going to be fun, but before heading down memory lane I have something ALL about mini sessions for you. My students call me the Queen of Mini Sessions and it truly is the bread and butter of my business. I've learned a lot over the years and put together a blueprint for you to follow! If you've never made $3000 in a single day (2-3 hours) of mini sessions then be sure to grab this! It's called the "$3k Mini Sessions Blueprint" and lays out exactly how to structure a mini sessions day. This will be so helpful for Fall Minis just around the corner! Now, let's go back in time...

Back in 2020, we uprooted our family and moved to Nashville, TN! We were living in a townhome waiting for our house to be built and The Business Journey Podcast was birthed. We didn't have a studio, but my husband wanted to make sure it sounded excellent. So, we set up the computer, the microphone and there I was in my closet recording my first episode! I say this because not all starts are glamorous. Maybe you're not starting a podcast, but whatever it is just go for it. It doesn't have to be perfect or look like your long term vision. For me, I had this dream of being able to serve and connect with you in a way that was a lot more personal than just an email. And now, here we are!

Knowing the audience I have I wanted to be intentional to make episode consumable. Most of you are on the go, busy running a business or in the thick of it with family! That means you've got maybe 15 minutes in the car to listen in. When creating episodes I had to make it short, sweet and to the point. After all, the intention is to serve you with valuable content. Allowing you into my life and equipping you with business related content! This journey has not always been easy, but now 100 deep I am happy to say so worth it!

The goal of this podcast is to talk through topics or things that serve you well. I'd really love to hear from you! So, send me a DM and let me know what you'd like to see in the next 100. Maybe there's a special guest you'd like to hear from or topics for your business you need covered. I want to dive into areas that help you grow and give you insight. I always pepper in more personal subjects that allow you to have eyes into my life and business because I believe we grow from one another! Your voice is incredibly valuable to me so send an email with feedback or shoot me a DM. I take your suggestions to my team so we can coordinate and serve you better.

There's lots more inside the podcast, but I want to finish by saying THANK YOU! You truly are the reason we've gone this far and I'm proud of what we've been able to do in just 100 episodes. Tune in and reach out. I'd love to hear from all of you.

Not a Glamorous Start (3:29)

Short and Sweet (7:23)

What Do You Want to Hear? (11:29)