For those who don’t know, I offer two types of sessions – mini sessions and full sessions.

Mini Sessions happen at set dates and times of the year (most usually the spring and autumn), and are held at the same location. These currently cost £50 per family, and what you get for this is a 15 minute shoot, followed by a gallery of images with anything from 40-60 edited images to select from. The price also gives you two free high resolution images, with the option to buy more if you wish.

A full session can happen at any mutually convenient date over the year, be held at a mutually agreeable location within the entire region of D&G, and for this you get me for up to an hour. Usually, you will get anywhere between 80 – 250 edited images to choose from. The cost of this session is £90 (with packages available to include prints, digital images or coffee table books).

The question I am asked often is, what is the best session for me. So this blog will explain the pros and cons, which should make your decision an easy one.

MINI SESSIONS

These are absolutely perfect for young kids, particularly on their own or a small group of 2-3. Parents like these sessions as they are quick, and we usually get what we need in a short space of time.

Mini Sessions aren’t always great for kids who are shy, or need a bit of time to get used to me. I can sometimes find that children like this get overwhelmed and upset by the intensity of the pace. If you have any doubts, perhaps get in touch for a chat and we can discuss the options, but I would definitely suggest considering a full session as we can ease into it, let them go at their own pace and take time to get to know me before I introduce my camera.

Mini Sessions are also not recommended for larger groups. I usually suggest keeping it to a small family, but I have had mini sessions with a smaller group of cousins which has worked fine. I did one recently for three cousins which was just the right amount of time for them, and we got some great shots in the process. (pictures below).

From experience, mini sessions with multiple children under a certain age can become far too chaotic. For this short period of time, I really need them to be able to take some direction for photo’s, but if the children won’t sit still and are running off in different directions (which is perfectly fine and expected for young ones) I would encourage you to consider a full session where I can take my time with them all, and try to capture natural as well as group shots.

Mini Sessions are absolutely brilliant for so many, as they are a fast and affordable way to update the family album each year. However, I would recommend a full session for many other reasons, which I will list below.

FULL SESSIONS

If you want a session with a larger group, say an extended family shoot such as the one above, and you also have a particular location in mind within the region, then a full session is for you. With this family, we took a walk up the Castramond Woods in Gatehouse of Fleet as the bluebells are wonderful there, and let the younger boys explore, climb trees and generally enjoy themselves.

Again, this smaller family had a location in mind in Dumfries, but we spent an hour exploring the beautiful grounds and letting the girls have fun in the process. Because it’s more relaxed, I do manage to capture more natural images than I might do in a mini session.

With a full session, you can have a more personalised experience – I have photographed families on their farms, with the family horses, at the beach, even in gardens if they are suitable, and at locations covering the length and breadth of the region.

Another reason for booking full sessions would be if you’re looking for a newborn or baby shoot at home, or if you wanted a more bespoke package. The family in the images below actually ended up combining three full sessions into a package – from maternity, to newborn, to first year. I am always happy to offer bespoke packages.

Hopefully this gives a little taste of what to expect from both sessions, but please get in touch if you want any more information, I’d be happy to help. 🙂

Or simply, what looks best in a photo. Here is a little guide on what to wear/not wear during your shoot.

You can never underestimate the importance of styling when it comes to creating a great photoshoot. It’s amazing how making a little bit of effort to what you are wearing can be the difference between a mediocre shoot and a brilliant shoot. It’s all in the detail.

What you are hoping to achieve is a look which looks effortless and natural. Although it’s very cute when clients do occasionally turn up in matching outfits, the perfect styling for me is when everyone has their own look. So even if cousins are in the same dress (as in the example below), it’s the unique accessories or different coloured cardigans which will set them apart. This was a great example of a really well styled shoot from last Spring.

In this shoot, they worked with blue and yellow, but because they weren’t identically matching and wore different shades of blue and yellow, it worked really well. It was also a great choice when working with the daffodils and Spring colours.

The rule I give to clients is simple.

Please avoid too much black or dark colours. But if you are going to have a lot of dark colours on, try to break it up with pops of colour here and there. Without the pops of red and blues, this family shot wouldn’t have worked as well in the dark cow shed.

Try to include some colour in your outfits. You can either go for pastels and lights, or brighter colours, but pay attention to the following tips.

The best approach is to select three to four colours from which you can then pull your outfits.

The next example chose from a palette of pinks, blues and browns. I loved how they had a pop of bright pink with the little girl’s gilet and mum’s jumper, but it wasn’t overpowering and was complemented really well with the son and dad’s darker outfits. You know I said about matching outfits being cute 🙂 I also love that they introduced some pattern in their shirts, so it wasn’t just plain blocks of colour.

Be careful with bright colours though – they can dominate a group shot if there is too much of it! But little pops here and there can be really effective.

When photographing larger groups, some sort of cohesion between everyone’s outfits really pulls the group together, as you can see in this large family shoot. A simple colour palette, but the introduction of a few patterns has really added interest to the group.

Get creative with your outfits. Don’t be afraid to mix things up if you want to.

In the next example, they decided to pull from a really lovely pastel palette including a rainbow of colours. It included patterns, stripes, blocks of colours and did go against the three colour rule, but that was okay because they worked together beautifully. Effortlessly, as if they had just thrown their outfits on. I love this as it still gives the kids an individual identity.

As we’re into Autumn, here is a lovely example of a family pulling their ideas from a seasonal palette. Again, it’s combining stripes, checks, and simple blocks of colour but by sticking with similar colours it ties them together.

Don’t be afraid of wearing coats for a winter shoot. To be honest, I would be worried if you didn’t! But you can add pops of colour and layers of interest to a simple coat by layering on the scarves, hats, and colourful boots.

You might want to do something more ‘stylised’ which is perfectly fine, and can work really well for the right shoot. For example, the styling of this family for a recent maternity shoot made it so much more beautiful, in my opinion. And the other example below was from a wedding anniversary beach shoot, which worked so well.

For younger kids, why not let them get dressed up? This little love turned up to two separate shoots years apart as a fairy – she looked adorable every time.

I really hope this has helped you in some way to understand how important it is to make an effort with styling, if you can. However, ultimately if your child is not happy with their outfit and it is becoming a battle of the wills to make them wear it, I’d rather have a happy child than a grumpy one. So don’t lose sleep over it! 🙂

I was approached by Stephanie’s mum a month or so ago, as she was looking for a maternity/newborn shoot for her daughter.  This isn’t something I’ve ever done before, but having given it some thought I felt quite excited at the prospect of getting my teeth into something new.  I definitely had in my mind the kind of shots I was going for, and knew that an early evening when the light was going down at the beach would be the best setting for this.  It just so happened that Steph has a favourite beach, so the plans were made and her mum presented Steph with a surprise ‘bump to baby’ voucher at her baby shower.

I couldn’t have been happier with the maternity shoot. Steph paid attention to what I’d asked her to wear, as well as bringing a flower garland for her hair which was a lovely little detail, and she looked absolutely stunning.  Bradley was a star, taking direction well and really just getting stuck in. I loved that they brought along their dog, sporting her very own ‘big sister’ scarf. Arabella arrived a few weeks after this, and I went over to their house to capture the beautiful new arrival with her doting parents.

I’m so happy to get a glowing review from Steph today. Thanks Steph! 🙂

Really wanted a bump to baby shoot done but im not a hugely confident person and decided i wouldn’t bother. However when we were gifted a ‘bump to baby’ package from my family with Alice Rose Portraits i was so excited and im so glad we had it done, totally would have regretted missing out!

Lynne did an amazing job at making us feel relaxed and at ease the whole time! Our maternity shoot was on a beach that holds a lot of special memories and she did our newborn shoot in the comfort of our home. We loved every minute of them both and the pictures are something we will treasure forever as a journey through our first pregnancy and holding our baby in our arms – they are so special to us. Thank you again Lynne x

The ‘Bump to Baby’ package is now available.  Please go to my Prices page for more information.

I just love the Autumn! I make no bones about it, it’s just the most perfect time of year for so many reasons.  First of all, the colour is just gorgeous. The rich reds and golds of the trees, and the blanket of leaves on the ground adding to its general gorgeousness. Then there’s the beautiful light which isn’t as harsh as the summer months, with the added bonus that the ‘golden hour’ isn’t so late that it’s unthinkable to arrange a photoshoot during this time. Then there is the fact that everyone starts to bundle up in layers, scarves, hats and so on.  I could go on and on…..

Here are some shots from last Autumn to illustrate my love for the season.  And if you feel that you’d quite like to book a session with me in October and November, please get in touch and I will give you the available dates.  🙂

I love flowers for adding some gorgeous colours and added interest to a portrait, and always try to find a way of photographing children in amongst them throughout the seasons.  I love how each one offers something different, from winter snowdrops, daffodils and bluebells of Spring and the vast array of colourful blooms and wildflowers during the summer months, the variety is endless.  Even if there are no flowers to be found on location, I have introduced them in various ways as props, as they introduce a pop of colour into a photo.

If you are considering booking me for a photo shoot and love this idea, have a think about which is your favourite seasonal flower as this may give you a better idea of when to book me for.  Please get in touch if you would like to discuss this some more on lynne@aliceroseportraits.co.uk 07928 013519.