The difference between a full photo session and a mini photo session for graduates is time and number of photographs to choose from. A full session has a gallery of about 50 images to choose from, while a mini session has about 20.  

A Full Graduate Photography Session is about 45-60 minutes long with 2-3 clothing changes and up to 2 locations. 

Some reasons parents chose a full session 

+ To celebrate the graduate for all their hard work, a top student 

+ Photography was a gift to the grad, who wanted lots of pictures 

+ One outfit was not enough

A Graduate Mini is 20 minutes with 1 outfit and 1 location. 

 Some reasons parents chose a mini session 

+ A young man that was not interested in lots of pictures, but parents wanted them 

+ A shy graduate that wanted just a few pictures 

+ Busy graduate and wanted it done, but had a lot going on 

This High School Senior has been riding horses for a few years; it was meaningful to her to have photos taken at the ranch. We chose a full photography session because of the time it would take to work with the horses. I would love to be your Graduate Photographer and work with you on any creative ideas that you have.

I recently received results from testing a new photo paper, and I was so impressed that I am adding it to the products that I offer. 

Fine Art Paper is now available for Oval Heirlooms!!! 

Fine Art Paper resembles watercolor paper in texture, the colors appear rich, and the shadows remain moderate. In comparison, my mainstream favorite is photographic paper with a subtle sheen.

For those seeking a distinctive and unique option, fine art paper is an excellent choice! 

Visitors are welcome to view and compare the options in person. 

We bought our home with this purpose in mind, to have a studio I could work in when the weather was unbearably hot outside. It was perfect! Lots of big windows, and a large open space when you first walk into the house. It felt bright and airy with cream/gray walls and matching tile floor.

I had the sweetest models come into my studio this summer! I am putting together my STUDIO STYLE so that every image that comes out of the studio looks similar. You think that would be easy, but it’s a complicated challenge. This is where the perfectionist side of me comes out and I am trying to make all the details match!  

Light has color and that color changes throughout the day. So even if I photograph two babies in the same place, depending on the time of day the color would be different. Morning light is cooler and looks bluer. Then if it is sunny or cloudy the color changes even more. Needless to say, I cannot keep the color temperature of the sun constant. But I can set the Kelvin temperature for white balance in my camera! So, I set it to about 5500 K which is typical for a sunny day. This doesn’t completely solve the color issue, but it keeps everything within a similar range.

A way I could make the light completely constant would be to eliminate all outside light and control the light completely in my home studio. But there is a problem with this, the model lights that are on before the light actually flashes to full power are not very bright. So the whole place looks dim, and for a tiny person that can also feel scary. Not what I want for my little models! I want the studio to feel light and bright and like they are visiting a mom’s friend’s house to play for a little bit. So, I use natural window light mixed with studio lights. In mixing two light sources, the images are also not too flashy, meaning too bright in one spot and dark in another. I want there to be an overall brightness. So, the studio light to freeze time and light my little friend, and window light to make them feel happy and comfortable.

I think they turned out great in each of the individual sessions, and I found my overall STUDIO STYLE! Thank you to my little friends! 

Pros for a Studio Session 

📸Comfortable for littles, in a home setting with lots of natural light 

📸Images are bright and detailed because of the studio lights 

📸When it is too hot outside, but you still want to capture a milestone or birthday 

📸It can be a quicker experience than an outdoor session, because lighting is set up and relatively constant.