Easter always seem to be around the corner (anyone else lose track of 2020)?! Planning and executing Easter mini sessions can be a really feel stressful at first, but with some proper organization, they can be a fun addition to what you can offer your amazing clients!

What is an Easter Mini Session?

Easter mini sessions (or ANY themed mini) are short photo sessions that tend to be much shorter than a typical session, and the client receives fewer images. (Mini sessions tend to work really well for kids who don’t love taking photos, just sayin’.)

Family/kid photos are ALWAYS trending right before any major holiday, so make sure to plan early and get those clients on your calendar.

Planning Your Easter Mini

Photographers tend to start planning anywhere from three to four months for their mini sessions (although I’d be lying if I said I’m this organized). In reality, don’t want to leave them until the last minute, as you want to make sure to give yourself enough time for those things that will inevitably change.

The main question is how many sessions do you think you want to plan in one day or one weekend. You can space them out hourly, to give yourself plenty of time, OR, you can get your blood pumping a little and plan them 10 minutes apart! It depends on if you like to live dangerously!

Tip: On your first attempt, we’d suggest spacing your Easter mini sessions apart. It may make for a longer day, but there is nothing worse that getting stressed and flustered if your clients don’t show up on time!

We recommend using a calendar to schedule in your minis and make sure to have that with you on the day of your sessions. Another tip…make sure you have each client’s phone number and email readily available just in case you need to get in touch with them on short notice.

Check out our email templates for mini sessions here!

Marketing Your Minis

Marketing your mini sessions is really where you need to focus your efforts. You can share your offer in the obvious places like social media, your blog, and website, and via email to past clients. Offering a “special” discount to past clients is always a great way to get them excited and ready to book.

Another way to get people interested is by offering mini-session gift certificates. Friends and family can potentially buy them for one another.

Pricing

Pricing can vary greatly for mini sessions but can range anywhere from $75-$300+. You can choose to offer one set basic package, or you can offer different packages with varying amounts of photos.

So for example, you can offer $150 Easter mini sessions that last 20 minutes and your clients get six edited, high resolution photos. Obviously, you can charge and offer whatever you’d like, but this tends to be something standard you’d see in the industry for a typical shoot and burn photographer.

If you plan, say, 20 mini sessions one weekend at $150, that could add up to $3k. Not bad for a weekend’s worth of work!

One Quick Note

If you plan to use a real life bunny for your Easter mini sessions, remember that you will need consent from your clients. Sometimes scared animals can bite or scratch, so make sure the use of animals is also covered by your insurance.

AND PLEASE, make sure that you and your clients are treating your live prop with love and respect. The last thing you want is an unhappy bunny during a session!

For more on mini sessions, check out this podcast on all the ways to successfully plan your minis!