Bloomin’ Beautiful: Everything you Need to Know About Bluebell Mini Sessions

If you’re in the Somerset area and thinking of booking a family photoshoot this year you may have stumbled across my 2024 Spring Mini Sessions. These short and snappy sessions, filled with colour and personality are a great low cost way for families to capture some beautiful images in a gorgeous natural setting. This year, to make things extra special, I’m inviting families to a local bluebell woods near Yeovil to take their Mini Session images. It’s going to be EPIC!

To share with you why these Bluebell Sessions are not to be missed for any family looking for incredible images this year I’ve put together everything you could need to know right here. From session timings to what to wear to why bluebells are a protected species find all your questions answered right here. Enjoy…

What actually IS a Mini Session?

Think of a Mini Session as photographers offering a taster of their standard Full Photoshoot Experience. It can differ between photographers but most will offer a shorter session at a significantly reduced price with a limited amount of downloads or prints included.

My Spring Mini Session is priced at £99 and includes –

A 20 minute Family Photoshoot

5 Digital Image Downloads

1 A4 Framed Print of their choice

If families receive their gallery of images and wish to download more than their 5 images they have the option to purchase the full gallery for an additional £50.

Why don’t photographers offer these all year?

Some may ask ‘if these taster photoshoot sessions are so popular why don’t you offer them all year’? Good question. Personally, I find that offering these Mini Sessions one weekend just twice a year (once in the Spring and once in the Autumn) spurs families to book a shoot they would otherwise put off. We’re all guilty of kicking things down the priority list and unfortunately there are always things that seem to take more precedence than getting quality family photos together. Picking just two times a year when certain flowers are blooming or the leaves are changing colour can give families the push they need to bite the bullet and go for it, rather than say ‘Oh, we’ll book it next month’.

What’s so great about Bluebells?

Where do I start?! The colour, the smell, the magical visceral experience of standing in carpet of tiny purple bells. I just love them. I think it comes from visiting the Bluebell Woods with my Grandma as a child. Still now each Spring when they bloom she will call me to announce that ‘The Bluebells are here’ prompting us to get out and visit them.

Having a bluebell mini session will not only provide you with unique and timeless images but will also provide a magical memorable experience for you and your little ones that you can treasure always.

What should we wear?

The Bluebells distinctive colour and woodland setting means that styling needs to be a little more intentional than with say a beach or field shoot. I recommend that families stick to a white and pale pastel palette and as always avoid to many busy patterns that can distract the eye. Textures like denim and linen can give a lovely relaxed look and can provide a great starting point for families to start building a cohesive look. I also offer clients access to my Client Closet where I have a range of hand picked dresses that match the natural aesthetic of outdoor photography.

The weather can still be pretty fresh in late April/early May when the Bluebells are in peak bloom so adding light layers is always advised. So that clients can make an informed choice about foot wear I like to update them on what the woodland floor is looking like the morning of the session.

Why are the sessions all in the afternoon?

The benefit of shorter shoot times for photographers is that they can then schedule families sessions one after another. As a natural light photographer shooting in a leafy woodland setting like where the Bluebells are blooming can be tricky because the canopy restricts the access of light. To avoid this I like to make the most of that Spring light and schedule the sessions across the afternoon when the sun is low and poking through the trees.

I always ask clients to be fairly flexible regarding session booking in case of bad weather. In the Spring the weather in the UK can be fairly changeable with light showers in the morning and sunshine into late evening. I will check the forecast regularly leading up to the Mini Session weekend and if it looks like the weathers not going to work I contact clients to rearrange for another date at no additional cost.

Treating the Bluebells with Care

Bluebells are actually a protected species and it is against the law to pick or destroy them. That’s why when shooting amongst the bluebells I position families in the sparser areas or on pathways to avoid trampling them. I then shoot from lower down and at a longer focal distance to disguise gaps and to give that carpeted illusion.

Book your Mini Session Now

If you would like to book one of my Spring Mini Sessions this year click hear to head to the booking page and save your spot. Spaces are limited to just 8 this year so don’t miss out!