The Benefit Of Longer Photo Sessions

I wanted to share something that happened to me over the weekend that really opened my eyes as to why short family or newborn photo sessions aren't for me:Every April 30th Finns throw a party called Vappu, which usually is a reminder that summer is on it's way. (Ironically enough it was actually snowing in Finland during this Vappu!) We were invited to one of these parties hosted by my husbands coworker, a fellow Finn,  and we were happy to accept the invitation.Over the next few days I realized there were quite a lot of people going to this event – 45 to be exact – and we did not know most of them. This made me terribly nervous!I feel quite uncomfortable at bigger events where I don't know a lot of people. I'm ok if I'm at a big gathering with a purpose (ie as the official photographer), but when I'm supposed to mingle I feel awkward and tend to velcro myself to the same people for the entire event.Nonetheless, Saturday evening we arrived at the event dressed in summery outfits and ready for a night of good food and singing. After hanging out for a while, nervously making sure that I said my own name correctly when introducing myself, I notice something:Some of these kids look familiar. Some of these kids look VERY familiar.I realize that I've taken pictures of these kids during mini-sessions 2.5-3 years ago. And because I've focused entirely on the kids, I have no memory of what the parents look like!My comfort level dropped even further. What if I introduced myself to someone I've worked with, and didn't recognize them? I think I would have died.You see, a couple years back I didn't do video chat consultations before booking with clients, and I didn't make an effort to interview the clients beforehand in any way. The sessions were short, which meant that the focus of the session was to make sure there were enough pretty pictures – which means that the pictures weren't really focused on the kids' super awesome personalities. To be able to be effective, the sessions had to take place in the same location – which meant that the backdrop for the pictures wasn't meaningful to them.So – two years ago I had a choice to make about what to do to cover my costs as well as pay myself a salary. I could keep doing those short sessions and easily book a ton of clients – clients who would have been forgotten once the photos were handed over. Or I could choose to do longer sessions, which would allow time for everyone to get comfortable around the camera, to bring out their true personalities, and have pictures in an environment that was important to them – usually the home.After this past weekend, I am terribly relieved and happy that I chose the latter option. The session experience is a whole world away from what it originally was during that first year, I can deliver so much more value to my clients – and remember their sweet faces after!