It’s that time of year again! I feel as though it’s Christmas Eve and I’m wrapping up the final gifts from Santa for Finley to put under the tree. All the while SO excited for the next day and celebration! This is because it’s officially time for FALL MINI SIGN UPS!
Fall Minis are my absolute favorite time of year for photography because I LOVE seeing my returning families year after year and meeting new families! This year the dates will be November, 5th, 6th, 12th, and 13th with 22 sessions available.
Whew! My mini-season was FAST and furious!! Over the course of two weekends (plus two rescheduled dates for weather), I met with 25 families and spent 12.5 hours taking pictures for them! I culled through thousands of images to find the best for each family and spent roughly 50+ hours editing! All in all, I delivered 2,424 images (which is a little deceptive because it includes the black and white duplicates). Whew!
It’s happening!! They are here!! The most wonderful time of the year!! It’s MINI SEASON!
I know I say this every year but I just LOVE mini-season!! I love love love that 90% of mini sessions are returning families and I get to see these kiddos grow up and get bigger and bigger each year! These sessions are SO fun and we’ll do just about anything to get the smiles! I LOVE all the bootie shaking, fart joke giggles, and silliness that happens during minis. I LOVE how excited the kids get to see me – almost as excited as I am to see them! I love catching up with families that have become friends and hearing about the new things that have happened in their lives. And I love being able to serve these friends with beautiful images of their families that they can keep and cherish.
All minis are 30-minute sessions at one location. You are guaranteed at least 15 images – the perfect way to snag a holiday card image and update your family albums. 🙂 Keep scrolling to see how to snag your spot for Richmond Minis 2021!
RICHMOND MINIS
Minis will be hosted on three separate days this year and at varying locations to add some versatility. All three dates also have rain dates mapped out and both weekends must be available in order to book in case of rain. Spots are more limited this year than in years past so don’t hesitate to grab yours!
To reserve your spot, email me at Alex@alexandra-michelle.com for full details. For details on how we will stay safe amongst the pandemic scroll to the bottom for COVID Precautions.
COVID INFORMATION:
In order to keep your family and my family safe, we’ll have to be extra cautious because of COVID 19. Please see the guidelines below that we’ll follow to make sure we are all safe. These are subject to change depending on the case numbers in Virginia.
All participants must take their temperature the morning of the session. If any participant has a fever or feels sick or is showing COVID-19 symptoms, they must forego their mini session. They will not have to pay the remainder of their balance and will be refunded their deposit.
Social distancing between myself (Alex) and participants will be kept when masks are off (6 feet at least)
Masks may be worn by adults when not being photographed.
Hand sanitizer will be available for use by participants
Unlimited air hugs will be available at any time.
25% Deposits are due upon booking and can be refunded only for cancelation due to coronavirus (aka showing symptoms, spiking a fever, exposure etc.). Final remaining payments can be made after the session has been completed and before galleries are delivered.
All payments must be paid online and cannot be paid via cash or check in order to limit germ exposure.
IF the state of Virginia goes into a statewide shutdown due to COVID numbers increasing and businesses are not allowed to operate and/or it becomes unsafe to host minis, the mini session may be canceled and full refunds will be made with advanced notice.
To all my Maryland families:
I am so sad I won’t be able to make it up to Maryland this year for minis. I want you to have the best portrait experience and so I’m sending you an email with a list of other photographers in the area that I think would do an amazing job!
Today, in so many ways, feels like Christmas because I seriously look forward to Minis all year! I love getting to see so many families that I cherish and have worked with for YEARS! Last year 88% of my Richmond Minis were families I’ve worked with before! This alone makes it so worth it! I get to see and catch up with people that I LOVE! Whether these are people that I’ve taught with, went to camp with as a kid, know from JMU or met while photographing years back, I’d consider them all friends.
Last year I added Maryland Minis to the mix and it was such a success! I had two times my expected number of sessions and got to scope out a new local location. Maryland Minis were such a treat because it was more relaxed and spaced out and I could easily go home during breaks. Plus I got to meet a bunch of new families with the cutest littles.
So for 2020 I’m going to do host both Richmond and Maryland Minis again! With all things COVID and having a new baby at home, I’m taking extra precautions for each session. For Richmond I’m asking that everyone make sure that the session date AND the rain day option work since we have to be outdoors and cannot reschedule outside of the rain plan weekend. I’m also asking that everyone take their temperatures leading up to the day of the session and the morning of the session. Additionally everyone will need to bring and wear masks while not being photographed and we’ll have to do air hugs from a distance (the worst restriction in my opinion). We will all keep a safe distance apart (at least 6 feet) and I’ll be using a longer focal length lens to make sure you still get dreamy images while staying a distance away.
I know I’ve said it a MILLION times but being able to see these kiddos grow up and get bigger and bigger each year is such a blessing! I LOVE all the bootie shaking, fart joke giggles, and silliness that happens during minis. I LOVE how excited the kids get to see me – almost as excited as I am to see them! I love catching up with families that have become friends and hearing about the new things that have happened in their lives. And I love being able to serve these friends with beautiful images of their families that they can keep and cherish.
All minis are 30 minute sessions at one location. You are guaranteed at least 15 images – the perfect way to snag a holiday card image and update your family albums. 🙂 Since this is my FIFTH year hosting minis I’m also going to offer a FLASH SALE of 10% off the session fee if you book (deposit paid) within the first 24 hours (aka today September 25th by midnight). 🙂
To reserve your spot, email me at Alex@alexandra-michelle.com for full details. For details on how we will stay safe amongst the pandemic scroll to the bottom for COVID Precautions.
RICHMOND MINIS
Minis will be hosted on Saturday and Sunday November 7th and 8th with the RAIN DATES on November 14th and 15th. Both weekends must be available in order to book in case of rain on the weekend of the 7th and 8th. Spots are more limited this year so don’t hesitate to grab yours! Can’t wait to see you in November at Byrd Park!
MARYLAND MINIS
Minis will be hosted on October 17th, 18th, 24th and 25th! YES that’s right we added another weekend! Session times are limited to evenings which to grab that beautiful golden hour light. Session times range from 3:00pm -6:00pm. Minis this year will be hosted at Oregon Ridge Park!
And of course – here is a glimpse back at some of my favorite images from last years minis 🙂
COVID INFORMATION:
In order to keep your family and my family safe, we’ll have to be extra cautious because of COVID 19. Please see the guidelines below that we’ll follow to make sure we are all safe.
All participants must take their temperature the morning of the session. If any participant has a fever or feels sick or is showing COVID-19 symptoms, they must forego their mini session. They will not have to pay the remainder of their balance and will be refunded their deposit.
Social distancing between myself (Alex) and participants will be kept at all times (6 feet at least)
Masks will be worn by adults when not being photographed.
Hand sanitizer will be available for use by participants
Unlimited air hugs will be available at any time.
25% Deposits are due upon booking and can be refunded only for cancelation due to coronavirus (aka showing symptoms, spiking a fever, exposure etc.). Final remaining payments can be made after the session has been completed and before galleries are delivered.
All payments must be paid online and cannot be paid via cash or check in order to limit germ exposure.
IF the state of Maryland or Virginia goes into a statewide shutdown due to COVID numbers increasing and businesses are not allowed to operate and/or it becomes unsafe to host minis, the mini session may be canceled and full refunds will be made with advanced notice.
I am so excited to be writing this post and announcing that for the first time EVER I’m going to be hosting holiday mini sessions in BOTH Richmond Virginia and in Baltimore Maryland!
As I was going through the images from last year’s minis it hit me how much I LOVE them! I’m scrolling through all these sessions with people that I LOVE so dearly and are such good friends I come across my friend Sarah’s mini from last year. Her daughter had just turned 1 just a few months before and was PRECIOUS! As I’m looking through these pictures I’m struck by how much smaller and younger she looks from just one year ago! This is my FAVORITE part about family photography. The chance to be a part of a family’s journey and capture their kids growing up as we try to freeze time – even for just a little bit. It’s amazing to see how much each kid changes from year to year! I genuinely look forward each year to minis and getting to reconnect with families and see how much they’ve grown.
This year I’ll be hosting minis in Richmond and in Baltimore and I’m so excited for the locations that have been picked! I’ll be hosting minis in Richmond on November 9th and 10th and in Baltimore on November 16th and 17th.
So what do Christmas Minis entail? It’s 30 minutes with a guaranteed 15 images. It’s perfect for busy families who really want fresh new images but don’t always have the time for a full-on session. It is also great for those who are looking for a few images for a holiday card! To snag your spot please feel free to email me at alex@alexandra-michelle.com with the day you’re hoping to do a mini for and I will get back to you with more details to move forward. 🙂
So excited to hopefully see you in November!! In the meantime check out some of my favorites from last year. Also if you’re in the Baltimore crowd, keep scrolling for a sneak peek for our Baltimore location. 🙂
Maddie is turning TWO in September and it doesn’t feel that long ago that I took her newborn pictures!! (see post here) In her newborn session she slept the entire time and let me tell you, she has definitely livened up! 🙂
Maddie girl is a curly top beauty who is active, curious and independent. We got to Libby Hill Park and Maddie was instantly on the go! She wanted to see everything and more than anything wanted to run. She was fearless as she took off down the concrete hill – this girl will be a force as she grows up and I mean this in the best possible way! I can see her growing up to be a leader who charges forward and an energy people want to be friends with. She perfectly embodies one of my FAVORITE quotes “and though she be but little, she is fierce” – Shakespeare (A Midsummer’s Night Dream).Read More »
Alysa is my grandlittle and for anyone who was in a sorority (or fraternity) reading this, you know what this means, but if you’ve never been in Greek life than you may not understand. In fact, Grammarly just told tried to correct me and when I highlighted over the word it said “Unknown word” haha! Basically, it means she’s in my sorority family and that we spent a lot of time together through college! Lucky for me, our fun continued after college when she moved back to Richmond! We did almost everything together! From setting up classrooms and class materials to sewing, wine tasting, and even being a practice model for me, it was always nice to have Alysa in the same town to hang out with! Fast forward to now and she is married and has a baby! It’s crazy to think about how much we’ve grown since the days back at JMU.
Three generations of women met for this portrait session. A baby blessed to a woman who will cherish her every day of her life. A baby who was prayed for when she was just an idea and now her sweet sunshine is here and the joy she gives to others is palpable. Read More »
Yall have been asking for it – waiting for it – excited for it, and now it’s HERE! The May Minis SNEAK PEAK!! Each of these sessions will get their own blog post in the upcoming weeks but for now, I wanted to show off just a taste of how GORGEOUS and fun our sessions were this past weekend.Read More »
It’s finally time to announce Mommy and Me Minis! ::HAPPY DANCE!:: This is my second year in a row doing these fun spring minis and I love it! Last year I opened up only a few slots seeing as it was my first time hosting them and they sold out within a week! I’ve already had people reaching out to get on the list for this year’s sessions! I’ve got a total of 16 slots available and I’m hoping to fill up as many as possible while in Richmond! Read More »
