Are you looking for Scituate beach mini sessions? Are you a particularly fun loving family who is looking for a photographer who loves to work with children? If you answered yes to all these questions, then you are in the right place! If you are new to my blog, welcome! I’m Christina Runnals, a South Shore Massachusetts family photographer specializing in light and natural family portraits. I presently live in the seaside town of Scituate with my two little boys, Callan and Ryan, and my husband Dan. In general, my blog is a place where I share my favorite images from all of my sessions. Today I am sharing with you some of my favorite images from my September beach mini sessions so that you can see what they are all about! Enjoy 🙂

Why Sign Up for a Mini Session with Christina Runnals?

If you are thinking of doing a Scituate beach mini session but need more info, read on! While you’re at it, check out the five families who attended my September 2022 beach minis. These mini sessions were epic!! We had the most beautiful morning light, everyone wore amazing outfits, and we had so much FUN!!! I mean, basically the pictures speak for themselves. So let’s start with a little spotlight on the Schlegel family, who took an accidental dip in the ocean at the end of their session 😂. This was indeed one of the highlights of my photography career, I was truly crying laughing at the end of these 15 minutes. Have a look!

I particularly love getting texts from my clients after they see their mini session gallery. Lauren said: “I am absolutely DYING over these pictures!!!! I have tears in my eyes!!!! You are phenomenal!!! I cannot thank you enough! You captured us! I have never ever liked pics of myself and I haven’t done this in four years!” Unquestionably, words like these literally make my day, or more honestly, my whole week!!

Scituate Beach Mini Sessions with Christina Runnals

In general, mini sessions are exactly what they sound like- very short sessions! They are booked one after another to help me to accommodate many families. They are good for those families that want updated beach family photos but don’t necessarily need or want to spend the time required for a full portrait session. Mini-sessions also make it easier on those who groan when they hear the word “family photos” (Dads and teenage boys… ahem….) 15 minutes for a photoshoot, no problem!! When people are looking for Scituate beach mini sessions, they love coming to me because of how well I work with the whole family.

Mini Session #2

Meanwhile, back to the mini session, we have the Dos Santos family. This family came to PLAY!! Once in a while, a family shows up that has taken to heard every word of my mini session preparation guide. My mini session preparation guide includes my best secrets for how to dress for amazing photos, how to change the mindset of your less-than-thrilled husband 😂, how to prep your kids, what to bring along to your session, how to get the most out of your mini session, and a whole lot more. My advice for Scituate beach mini sessions, in short, is always to just have fun and play around!! If you are having fun, then you will have the most natural, unforced looking pictures. See for yourself….

Mini Sessions FAQs

Since I get a lot of questions about Scituate beach mini sessions, I’d love to answer some of them right here for you!

When can we book our mini session?

In general, I typically hold my Scituate beach mini sessions in June and September. You will need to be on my email list in order to be alerted about my mini sessions. To add yourself to my VIP mailing list, simply click here to sign up.

How will I be alerted about mini sessions?

I will send out an email to my mailing list letting everyone know the dates and times of my September, October, and November mini sessions, and I will give you the link to book (you won’t be able to book yet though). This email will be sent out about two weeks before I open up booking for my mini sessions, and will tell you the exact date and time that booking will be open. Next, you will get another email about a day before I open the booking link, just to remind you that it’s coming up. Finally, you will get an email the moment I open up booking, again with the link to book!

How soon should I book our Scituate beach mini session?

As soon as the mini session booking link it open, you should book! Some dates sell out very quickly, and I never know how it will go! So just to be safe – do it quick!

Where are your beach mini sessions held?

In general, the location of my beach mini sessions varies from year to year! Sometimes they take place in Scituate itself, and sometimes in a nearby town. If you have a special place you would like your photos taken, I recommend booking a full session with me!

What is the difference between a mini session and full session?

Undoubtedly, mini sessions and full sessions are different for many reasons.

1. Location

As I have noted, one big difference between a mini session and full session is the location of the session. For a full session, you obviously get to pick whatever location you’d like! Conversely, with beach mini sessions, I designate the location. This is so that I can hold all sessions back to back.

2. Light/time of day

All of my mini sessions take place in the morning, a few hours after sunrise. A full session takes place either 1.5 hours before sunset or 45 minutes after sunrise for the absolute ideal lighting. I like to hold my mini sessions in the morning because typically young children are in better spirits at this time of day!

3. Time of year for Scituate beach mini sessions

As I mentioned earlier, my beach mini sessions take place in June and September. A full session can take place at any time of year you’d like!

4. Length

Obviously, the main difference between a full session and mini session is the length of the session! At this time, mini sessions are typically about 15 minutes in length. Comparatively, full sessions for families are approximately 1 hour in length. Surprisingly, full sessions are often a better choice for when you have small children because it sometimes takes them a while to “warm up” during a session.

5. Variety of pictures

Yet another difference between a mini session and full session is the variety in your images. My beach mini sessions produce a good amount of variety in our 15 minute allotment, but we can only do so much in such a short time! A full session will result in many more “poses” and different backdrops.

6. Number of images you get to keep

Another difference between mini sessions and full sessions is that with a mini session, you get to keep only a few of your pictures. So let me explain! After your beach mini session, you will firstly get a beautiful gallery of all your images with watermarks on them. You will get to choose a few (typically five) to download. If you’d like you can purchase additional images, or even purchase your entire gallery, for an additional fee! Overall, about 90% of my Scituate beach mini sessions clients decide to purchase their entire gallery. Comparatively, with a full session, you get a gallery of un-watermarked, high resolution images and they are all yours to keep!

7. Financial Cost

Of course, since a mini session is much shorter than a full session, the cost is significantly less!

8. Flexibility (or lack thereof…)

Mini sessions are non-refundable! If you must cancel, you may use the money you paid for your mini session toward a future mini session (although there is on guarantee the price will remain the same from year to year). You also must make sure you are available the day of the mini session (Saturday) as well as the rain date (Sunday).

9. Pets!

I unfortunately am not able to include pets at my beach mini sessions. However, pets are welcome at any of my full sessions!

Beach Mini Session #3

This family is a return family for me, and these boys are my kind of guys. This is probably because I have two little boys of my own, and understand that you cannot tame their energy – you just have to go with it!! These boys barrel into our sessions like a tornado, with CRAZY wide smiles, not to mention contagious laughter. I laugh out loud just looking at these pictures to be honest – so much love and energy!!! These are some of my favorite ages to photograph, and require games and movement activities galore – since these are my specialty I love it!!

Booking Scituate Beach Mini Sessions

Are you looking to book a beach mini session? If you would like to book your own mini session with Christina Runnals Photography, I would certainly be honored! Firstly, you will need to sign up for my mailing list. Next, you should make sure you are following me on Instagram.

Mini Session #4

This session was actually my first of the morning, and we began at 7:45 AM! This family was so cute! To begin with, this cute little girl took a bit of time to warm up; sometimes little kids can be hit or miss at mini sessions! This is because mini sessions happen so quickly, that the little one doesn’t have time to get used to the situation. Nevertheless, I managed to get a bunch of cute pictures of her! I may have had to sing “We Don’t Talk about Bruno” or “Let It Go” at the top of my lungs… but I got them 😂

Can’t wait for June? Book a full session now!

If you don’t want to wait until June or September to have your pictures taken, I suggest booking a full session with me! Firstly, go to my website to find out all the details. You can find out about my packages and pricing as well. Then, go to my family booking page to easily book your session.

For a full family session, do keep in mind that it’s always best to contact me as soon as possible to schedule! My calendar for the entire year does usually fill up all of a sudden by mid-summer. For this reason, make sure to get in touch asap!

Scituate Beach Mini Sessions: #5

Another return family of mine can be seen here: the Wrights! I love this family. Firstly, I met them at their second daughter’s newborn session. They have basically been with me from the start! Their girls are a bit camera shy, however, I have a feeling that next year they are going to be past that shy stage that some little ones go through! This family certainly had the most beautiful outfits on, and I love the way the blues looked against the sparkling waters.

Client Feedback

As I have said, I just love hearing from my clients how they felt about their time with me and the resulting pictures!

Lauren said: Christina was amazing to work with. All you have to do is show up and she takes care of the rest…. She has creative poses and pays attention to every last detail. We all had a great time with genuine smiles and laughs. The photos are absolute perfection…. Memories preserved for a lifetime!

Jackie said: Christina is amazing! She was SO great with our two wild toddler boys and we could not be happier with the photos!

Kind words like these truly make my day 🤗

Christina Runnals is a nationally published family photographer who specializes in taking photographs that are light-filled, glowy, and full of joy! She photographs beach mini sessions in Scituate or near Scituate twice a year!   Since mini sessions often sell out quickly, be sure to be on her mailing list for mini session alerts. If you are ready to book a full session, she is always so excited to be considered.  Please check out her family portrait session page here for more information!

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