It’s that time of the year again when I’m getting organised for my 2022 Christmas Mini Sessions at my Studio in Stoke By Clare, Suffolk.  We are located close to towns like Clare and Haverhill, only 30 minutes from Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket and Sudbury, and 45 minutes from Cambridge, Colchester, Saffron Walden and Braintree. ⁠ Our Christmas Mini Sessions have become more and more popular every year and they are a fast but fun session in our studio, with 2 or 3 different setups for children up to the age of 11 and Parents too if you’d like to join in!  My sets are classic Christmas with a vintage feel and I always have lots of fun sourcing new backdrops and props to make your photos unique and different from the previous year’s images.

This year’s Christmas Set-ups:

This year we are going with a stunning giant Christmas Wreath on a simple white background which is perfect for Family and kids photos alike.   Even babies that are sitting up can be photographed in this setting with the help of my beautiful green velvet chair.

I love this set-up and think it looks great when the subjects are wearing some red and white to make the image pop.   The green on green looks lovely too as modelled by my clients above.   This green dress, the red and white stripy romper and the red and white pj’s are all part of my studio wardrobe so you are welcome to borrow these during your session.

My next set-up is perfect for up to three little ones with a Christmas Tree background, tent and sledge.

For my third set-up, I’ll use my beautiful vintage bed on a darker wood background, plus some christmas decorations including a tree and presents.  This bed is great and can sit up to three children comfortably.

What do I need to bring with me?

It’s really worth planning your outfits before you arrive.   I do have white nighties from age 2 up to age 8 and woolly rompers for age 6 to 18 mths, and some pj’s up to age 10 but you are welcome to bring your own pj’s too.  

If you want to bring your own clothes,  I’d recommend sticking to a classic style to make sure they fit in well with the look of the photos. You will also need a wintry outfit like jeans, a woolly jumper, scarf and hat perhaps for the Christmas Tree Scene! Clean wellies or winter boots look better than colourful trainers if you can source some.

For the Giant Wreath photo, you could opt for colourful clothes to make the image really pop, (think red, white, yellow, blue, pink or purple or if you prefer more tonal with neutrals, whites and greens.   For Mum’s, I do have the lovely green dress as modelled by my lovely client above, and a similar one in red which you are more than welcome to borrow.   But do try to think about what everyone is wearing together in the image so that the clothes complement each other and aren’t clashing.   I’d avoid floral prints or large logos for sure but matching Christmassy jumpers or pj’s, Checked shirts or pj’s will be absolutely fine if that’s more your thing.

Other than that, for small children you might want to bring a drink or snacks to give them an energy boost if they need it.  Please avoid anything chocolate though as that melts and gets everywhere or large cookies which can take small children ages to finish and can hold up the session. So small easy to eat snacks like cut up grapes or rice cakes might work better.

What can I do with the images from my Session? 

My clients love to use their photos for Christmas cards and for calendars with their favourite photos from the year, and these make great Christmas presents.   They order mounted prints and one of my stunning Folio Boxes and add images to the box every year, or they gift the mounted prints to family and friends for Christmas.  Some clients like to get Wall art to bring out to decorate the house at Christmas time.   I have some clients who love Albums and they love to get a new Album every Christmas and have built up quite a lovely collection over the years which are lovely to look back on as the kids grow up.

Or some just like to share the images on Social media!  The options are endless and the choice is up to you!

How much does this all cost?

The price for the sessions are as follows:⁠ ⁠

£175 for a 30 min shoot plus x3 Digital images or⁠

£225 for the 45 min shoot plus x5 Digital images.⁠

This is for up to 3 children per family.⁠

Please add on an extra £25 per extra child. Payment is taken in full on booking and unfortunately, I can’t hold dates or times for anyone to keep it fair to all my clients as I often have a waiting list of clients wanting to book these sessions.

After your shoot, you will be sent a link to your gallery of the best 10 to 15 images for you to choose your favourites from.  The gallery will be open for 48 hours, unedited and watermarked but all the images you include in your package will be fully edited before they are sent back to you and I aim to get your photos back to you within 2 weeks. ⁠

Additional Digitals can be bought once you’ve seen your gallery of images for £50 each.⁠   Or you can upgrade your collection to have all of the Digitals from your shoot. Frames, Canvases, Mounted Prints, Folio Boxes and Albums are also available for purchase.

Dates Available:

Sat October 15th  – SOLD OUT

Sun October 16th – SOLD OUT

Tues Oct 18th – SOLD OUT

Sat October 22nd  –  9.30am BOOKED, 10.45am, 12.00 BOOKED

Tues October 25th – SOLD OUT

AND NOW WE HAVE A NEW DATE AVAILABLE:

Sat November 19th – 9.30am, 10.45am or 12.15pm

It all sounds fantastic, how do I book? 

To book a 45 min session with x5 Digital images, please click here

or to book a 30 min session with x3 Digital images, please click here to make your Booking now!

Click the link, and scroll down to find the Christmas Mini Sessions. ⁠

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Otherwise, I’ll look forward to seeing you at your Mini Session!

Thanks,

Alison x