Merry Christmas!
We are so excited that you are coming to Gold + Grace Photography to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with us!
Our Christmas Mini Sessions are the most joyful and fun photoshoots that we offer throughout the year. We absolutely love seeing the joy on everyones faces as they enter the studio to have fun!
To help you get the best experience possible, we have created a Mini Christmas preparation guide to ensure we have a successful shoot.
HOW TO PREPARE
Location – Plan ahead of time and use gps coordinates to determine how long it may take to arrive at the studio. Also take into consideration any traffic that may affect travel time before your Christmas mini session. As the sessions take place on a Holiday weekend, traveling may take longer than normal.
(Studio Address: 2336 E. Highland Rd. | Suite 104| Highland, MI 48356 )
Arrive on time – Your assistance with arriving on time is so important for a successful day. When you arrive we will ask that you wait outside (preferably in your car) whilst other families are being photographed. Once we are ready for you to come in, one of our assitants will come out to let you know we are ready for you.
Images – Our Christmas Mini Sessions run for 30 minutes maximum to provide you with the best 5 images. Sometimes, they can be less than 30 minutes, don’t freak out, it’s less because you guys have been awesome and nailed every pose! We will ensure you get various images of your children and family, and provide you with a full gallery to select from.
Sets- We have three setups this year, our Snowy Giftshop, Snowy Cookie Stand (kids only), Yule Fireplace. You are more than welcome to use either set, or both if you prefer! Just let us know which set you wish to be photographed in when you walk in.
No mobiles – During the session you are not permitted to take any pictures with your mobile phone while Natasha is shooting. It is a quick session and this will distract children and make them look away. Do not stress, we will be providing you with professional images. At the end of the session if we have time, you’re more than welcome to do a behind the scenes videos for social media.
PARENTS
It is really important that you allow us to build a great connection with your children. We understand some children can be shy, we will do our best to interact with your little one and capture their innocnce for you! We just ask that you let us try some of our tricks first and if they don't work we will ask you to join in to help us get their attention for a gorgeous smile and giggle!
There is no pressure on your children to perform at the session, natural shots are always best! We aim to shoot in a fun, relaxed, and easy manner. This way there is no pressure on them to be perfect, or looking at the camera with big perfect smiles, in every shot.
If you are wanting a full session, then please contact us direct for further information.
It is critical you supervise your children to ensure they don’t damage any props or studio equipment during your session.
(we will be holding over 24 sessions that weekend and there are a lot of families who would be left disappointed if props or equipment get damaged.)
What to Wear
No logos if possible. You want your images to be timeless.
Remember, if your children are comfortable in their clothes, then they will be relaxed and calm during the session.
As it is a 30 minute session we don’t have time for BIG outfit changes. If you did want to change into a Christmas outfit or PJs for a shot, you can do this but please note that you will cut into your 30 minutes so that is entirely up to you and your session.
COLORS:
It is always good to pick three coordinating colors that go well together and one of those colors being a neutral colour (example; cream, beige, tan, brown). You don’t necessarily need to be all matching in identical outfits, as this can be distracting for your photos. Mix it up a little with textures too but stick to your color palette.
Colors that work great with all three sets:
Neutrals: Cream, Beige, Brown, Tan, Kahki, Champagne
Colors to coordinate with neutrals: Reds (Burgundy & Maroon look great as well) Greens (Olive, Sage, and Pine green's all work great) Blues (Think darker like Navy), lighter Grey's, Black.
You can find LOTS of Christmas clothing at Old Navy, Target, Amazon, JCPenny, and Kohls!
TOP TIPS
Arrive early! This way you are relaxed and ready to go when we call you to come in.
Plan your children’s sleep / awake time for that day if your session is during their sleep time.
Feed your children before the session to ensure they're full and happy. Arrive a little earlier and do this in the car if needed. Feel free to bring anything as bribery, and remember chocolate chip cookies will be provided for each family.
Clean your children’s faces (eyes, nose, mouth), it’s amazing what is always left behind espcially if snacks are provided on the way to the studio. We have wipes in the studio for you to use too.
Fingernails trimmed/nailpolish, hair cleaned/styled. There will be no editing special requests such as fixing chipped nail polish or frizzy hair during Christmas Minis.
Remove all hair ties or kids watches before the shoot to ensure no marks are there. Again there will be no special editing requests, we cannot edit out hair ties or watches.
Parents don’t forget about yourselves!! Ensure you give yourself enough time to get ready before the session.
SETUPS
This year we have three beautiful sets to rock your Christmas Mini session, you can choose to do only one setup or you can do both! It's up to you and your family what you choose. Just make sure to let us know when you arrive to the studio which setup you wish to use and if you have any outfit changes.
SNOWY GIFT SHOP:
This is becoming a traditional Christmas Setup for Gold + Grace! We've offered these for 2 years now, and each year kids and families of all sizes and ages absolutely love it! We provide We provide a bench for family photos and we'll have a Santa mail box for photos of just your littles. There will also be fake snow provided to those who wish to let their kids blow snow at the camera!
NORTH POLE COOKIE STAND
Introducing our new photo set at Gold + Grace! We are thrilled to offer an alternative or additional option for your photos. Specifically designed for children aged 1-13, this smaller set is perfect for capturing holiday photos of just the little ones. We'll also provide chocolate chip cookies for the children, if permitted. It's a super sweet and clean set, perfect for those looking to capture the essence of the holidays with their kids.
VERDANT YULE FIREPLACE
This stunning backdrop features a deep green wall, accent holly wallpaper, and a gorgeous fireplace. It's the perfect setting for your family Christmas cards! Complete with a comfy couch and beautiful holly for decor, this set will be accented with pops of red. We can't wait to share it with you!
