Mommy & Me Minis
If you've ever wondered if you could make mini sessions work for your business, wonder no more! The amazingly-talented newborn photographer Elizabeth Sylvester, of Liz Yvonne Photography, has generously shared with us a little bit about herself, her journey as a photographer, and some of the secrets to her success with Mommy & Me mini-sessions. Read on for all the details!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Where do you live? Family? Pets? Interests?
My name is Elizabeth, but I go by Liz. I am married to a crop farmer in the middle of Louisiana, and we have 3 rambunctious little boys! I love to swim, work out, travel and spend time with my family. My children take up all of my free time, so my interests have taken a back seat for the time being. I have always wanted to be a mom, so maybe they are my greatest interest. They keep me on my toes, for sure!
How long have you been a photographer, and how did you decide to specialize in newborn photography?
With 9 years of photography under my belt, I am now feeling like I have found the style of photography I love the most, newborns and mother/baby. I started photographing weddings in college and kept with that for the last 9 years. Shooting 20-30 weddings a year is NO easy task. It was such a hard job, especially leaving my family on the weekends and most weekday afternoons, so I decided to take a leap of faith and start on my newborn/family photography journey 5 years ago. I started out shooting all of my newborn sessions in the clients home, and I was charging next to nothing. It wasn't long before I was super burnt out. I was packing my jeep up with every prop I had, my giant beanbag, and loads of other necessities that I needed to shoot sessions. I then moved into a SUPER tiny studio pace that was maybe 150 square feet. It was a great space to be able to learn and grow in. Once I felt like the investment was worth it and that I was into newborn photography for the long hall, I started renting a larger studio. This June (2018) marked my 3rd year opening my "big" studio, which is about 800 square feet.
I also started newborn photography by learning the safety aspect of it first. I took many different newborn workshops, read as much as I could about safety with newborns, and got into a few newborn photography groups on Facebook to ask as many questions as they let me.
How did you decide to specifically do Mommy & Me Minis? How often do you do them?
So last spring, while I was prepping for my studio minis for little ones, it occurred to me that I could totally start offering an easy way for moms to come in and get beautiful shots with their children. I had a florist in the studio space next door to me, so I got with her and we created my mommy and me bed set ups. I have a wooden backdrop that I built with antique wood, and we used that as the headboard. We decorate the headboard with different flowers for every set of minis, and they get more beautiful every time. I try to do mini sessions in the studio 3 to 4 times a year; I do both "Mommy & Me" and "Just Littles." Depending on the demand, I usually book the sessions pretty quickly. My last set of mini sessions sold out in a matter of a couple hours. This next set of mommy and me minis will be my 4th. I am looking forward to putting a new spin on it with the florist to make it even better!
What gear do you use? Natural light or studio lights, or both?
I use all Canon gear. I shoot the Canon 5D Mk III body with the 35L 1.4, 50L1.2, and 100 28L lenses for different parts of newborn sessions. My favorite lens of all is my 50L 1.2. It has never steered me wrong, but I make sure to send her off often to get cleaned and checked. I started out newborns solely shooting natural light. I have GIANT windows in my studio that pour in the most amazing natural light, but on days where it is cloudy or raining, I found it hard to bump up my ISO high and get the same quality, so I invested in my Paul C Buff Einstien light and 86" PLM umbrella. I LOVE MY STUDIO LIGHT SET UP! It is so great and seamless with the way I shoot natural light. So I now shoot about 85% of my newborns with studio lighting. It is just easier to shoot the session and batch edit with studio lighting.
Do you do anything to prepare your Mommy & Me clients before their shoot?
I try to help guide them with outfit choice as best as I can. I tell them to stick to neutrals and/or pastel colors. No patterns or loud colors that will distract from them or the set up. I also tell them to book a time slot that they feel will be best for their child's nap schedule. If they are coming with a tiny one, I suggest that they come in a little early, maybe 10-15 minutes before their session, so that they can feel it out. Many times, if a small one comes in and you stick a camera in front of their face right away, it doesn't go over well. I have a kid's section of the studio where they can sit and play. I take that time to go and sit with them so they can see that I am not scary. It is VERY rare that I get a child that doesn't want to be in front of a camera. I have so many tricks to make sure they have fun during their time in front of the camera.
What are the guidelines for Mommy & Me Minis? Age restrictions? # of kids restrictions?
There aren't really any. I have had children from 2 weeks old to 14 years old. I had one mom come in with her 5 children and it was one of the sweetest and smoothest sessions I had that day. If the mom is wanting individual pictures of each child, and she has over 2 children, I tack on a small fee for each additional child and make sure we have enough time between their session and the next.
What have you learned along the way that you think others could benefit from knowing?
Make sure to give yourself enough time in between session slots. I usually book 10-15 mini sessions a day, in 30 minute time slots, with 15 minute of session time for each session. People WILL show up late, and people WILL show up early. I have also had clients completely forget their time slot and ended up having to wait until I had a gap to fit them in. You have to just be ready for anything. You also have to make sure you are patient, because there are kids involved that don't know you. Take the time to talk to them on their level; get down on the floor and talk to them. I always ask the mom what their kids are into and try to talk about those things. Let the children touch your camera (I promise it won't break) and then have a reward for them to look forward to at the end of the session. I have organic dye-free suckers and gummies ready for the end of sessions. Also get props that will make them laugh. I have little stuffed animals that attach to my camera that usually do a great job at getting them to look at the camera. Whatever you can get that works, use it.
How do you advertise for your Mommy & Me Minis?
Facebook and Instagram have been my only advertisement and it works REALLY well. I will post on Facebook the date that I will be releasing my mini session spots to book and ask that people tag as many people as they can in the post.
What days do you shoot the sessions, and how far apart do you book each client?
I shoot mini sessions on Friday-Sunday and book 10-15 each day depending on the demand. I book them in 30 minute slots and leave myself an hour around lunch to have a break. You have to make sure you give yourself a break to eat and rest. I also dump cards onto my hard drive mid way through.
How much do you charge for the sitting? How do you sell the prints or digitals? What do most of your Mommy & Me Mini clients purchase and how much does the average M & M client spend?
Mini sessions are $100-150. This includes their time slot and 5 digital images. They also get a discount for ordering within 24 hours of their session being uploaded to the Instaproofs site. Mini sessions usually have an average of $300-400 in sales on top of the initial package. My normal newborn and family packages start at $450. I give an incentive to pay in full by giving them a discount code for additional purchases. I sell all my digitals and prints/products through Instaproofs. I have plans of doing in person sales, still through Instaproofs, in the coming years.
What is your favorite thing about being a Mommy & Me photographer?
Connecting with families and giving the moms the opportunity to be IN the pictures with their children. As a mom, I get so caught up in making sure I capture every moment of my children's lives that I forget to get in the shots with them. I want these moms to have a memory of what life was like with them at this size, age and stage. It is so fun getting home after a set of mini sessions and seeing the fun moments that are candid between moms and their sweet ones.
How do you use Instaproofs to help you with your sales, delivery, and presentation of your photo sessions?
After I finish editing my clients proofs, they go straight onto the Instaproofs website. From there, they fulfill their credits and have 30 days to order additional prints and products with their special discount codes. I also have a 24 hour discount for orders that usually helps get sales right away. I also love how instaproofs has the layout for proofs. It looks professional and it is also very easy to navigate! I love that I can also email in batch through Instaproofs to send out sales and discounts during peak times of the year.
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A giant thank you goes out to Liz for this great interview! We appreciate her taking the time to share some of her mini session secrets and experiences with us!
You can find more of Liz's photography on her website, on Facebook, and on Instagram.