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CHRISTMAS SESSIONS
PREPERATION GUIDE

I'm so excited that you are coming to Elizabeth Jenkins Photography to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year-Christmas! Christmas sessions are such JOYFUL and FUN photoshoots!

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To help you get the best experience possible, I has created a preparation guide to ensure we have a successful shoot.

 

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HOW TO PREPARE

 

  • Location – The sessions will be held at the Ross Park, located on the corner of Stromness st & Runbrake St in Palmerston. Please enter up the path from Runbrake Street.
    Palmerston is located in East Otago, located a short 40 minute drive from both Oamaru and Dunedin.
     

  • Your assistance with arriving on time is so important for a successful day. When you arrive I ask that you wait out of view whilst other families are being photographed, purely as other clients get distracted.
     

  • If you are running late, please TEXT Lizzy on 0211897902 as I will not be able to answer any phone calls during a session but will check for any text messages between sessions. These sessions are booked back to back so arriving late will eat into your session time (e.g. 10 minutes late means your session will only be for 10 minutes, not 20 minutes).
     

  • Prep the children – A few days before your session, start bringing me up in conversation. You can refer to me as Lizzy Jenkins, Lizzy, or even just the photographer lady. Tell your kids about the magical photos that we will be able to send to Santa to show them how well behaved they have been this year. I am totally not above bribery. A fun ice cream date after our session is always a big hit (and there is a great ice cream parlor located in the main street of Palmerston!). Just make sure you let the kids know we're going to have fun! If they get worried about behaving perfectly then it will show in the images. I love being able to connect with your kids to get those fun images of them.
     

  • Plan your children’s sleep / awake time for that day if your session is during there sleep time. 
     

  • Feed your children before the session to ensure their full and happy. Arrive a little earlier and do this in the car if needed. 
     

  • As these sessions are booked back-to-back it doesn't allow for much wiggle room for our more sensitive little people to warm up. If your little one can be a bit shy in new places or with new people it may be easier for you to arrive with them already dressed and ready for the happiest results.

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DURING THE SESSION​

 

  • Your session will run for twenty minutes and it is important I don't go over this time as sessions are booked back-to-back.
     

  • The most natural images come when I am able to build a great connection with your children.  Please allow me to interact with your little one while I’m shooting before you get involved, unless your child is upset. This way they’re not overwhelmed and I capture their innocence.
     

  • Should I require assistance for the individual/siblings photos, I will call you to come and join me to help get those gorgeous smiles and giggles.  If and when I do this, please do not stand behind me as your child will always be looking up in the photographs I take. You need to SIT right behind me (next to my camera).
     

  • Please don't bring any extra people with you to the session as it can be overwhelming having too many people watching and cause your little people to get distracted. It can also restricted my movement if too many people are behind me and not allow me to move about and capture the best angles. 
     

  • Please no mobiles phone/personal camera use –  During the session you are not permitted to take any pictures with your mobile phone or personal camera.  This can distract children and make them look away, but do not stress as I will be providing you with professional images.  At the end of the session if we have time, you’re more than welcome to do a behind the scenes video for social media.
     

  • This year's set is a minimal outdoor festive set that brings about the magic between families at Christmas. It is inviting to children but please remind your children that is it is a set and not a 'play area' and it is critical you supervise your children to ensure they don’t damage any props on the day.  Please note, I will be running numerous sessions and there are a lot of families who would be left disappointed if the set gets broken.

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WHAT TO WEAR

 

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It is always good to pick three coordinating colours that go well together. You don’t need to be all matching in identical outfits.  Mix it up a little with textures too but stick to your colour palette.

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Traditional Christmas colours work well, such as reds, greens, gold and white, but equally soft pinks and blues work stunningly on this years set up.

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What to avoid:

  • giant logos: shirts that have giant logos on them can distract from your beautiful faces. 

  • neon colors: just say no to hot pink and lime green.

  • matchy-matchy: matching outfits are super cute, I know, but they can also seem very redundant and very 1ate 90s. Having different colors, patterns, textures, etc is super important to create interest and diversity in your images.

 

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Remember, if your children are comfortable in their clothes, then they will be relaxed and calm during the session.
 

You can find lots of items at Kmart, Jamie Kay, Karibou Kids, Next

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TIPS & TRICKS

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  • Arrive early! This way you are not stressed and all relaxed.
     

  • Plan your children’s sleep / awake time for that day if your session is during their regular nap time. 
     

  • Feed your children before the session to ensure their full and happy. Arrive a little earlier and do this in the car if needed. 
     

  • Bring any supplies for your children to have after the session (snacks, treats, drinks, etc)
     

  • Clean little hands & faces. I have wipes available for you to use to to clean your little one's faces if needed.

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