For years, we have avoided shooting mini-sessions because the stress of setting them up in Honeybook was not worth it. We hated going through so many steps and feeling like nothing was streamlined. This year, as we discussed possibly offering minis, we decided to do some research. That’s when we found Session!
We knew something was different after just a few minutes on their platform. Katie even called Alec, freaking out about it because it was exactly what we’d been hoping for but never knew existed. Their system is literally made for photographers just for minis, and it shows. It is so dang easy to use, super straightforward, and you can set up multiple days of minis so quickly! We were genuinely shocked at how much we liked it.
You can easily set how many minis you want on a given day, add in breaks throughout the day, provide cushion time between sessions, and even have your clients fill out contracts and questionnaires. It’s seriously so easy to do and is laid out plainly, so you don’t have to stress out trying to figure things out like a lot of other platforms. Setting up our first day of minis was so simple and made us feel so much relief. Plus, you can see analytics after, like how many people have viewed the booking page, as well as keep track of the overall income for that specific set of minis.
Beyond setting them up, booking sessions through them was and is a pleasure with Session! From the cute little camera shutter notification sound to the easy-to-use booking interface for our clients, it was a win-win in every way. You can even reserve spots for special clients and charge a higher fee for premium spots during sunset! Tipping is also so easy for clients to do, and we have revived so many more than we expected, which is so nice! After 8 years of avoiding shooting minis, we can officially say we won’t be doing that ever again.
You can also sell gift cards through Session, which we have loved doing. It’s super easy to do, and the client can pick from custom amounts that you set. We only wish they were customizable with cute images and such to add a more personal touch.
Another thing we love about Session is how active the platform owners are online. Their Facebook group is so active, and they’re quick to take suggestions and make updates for people. We’ve been in a lot of platform FB groups over the years and have never seen more committed people when it comes to interacting with and listening to their users. As small business owners, it means a lot to feel supported and heard without waiting days to hear back from support or chatting with a bot.
While we have said many great things about Session, it has some limitations. First, as wedding photographers, we would never use it for weddings. It just isn’t set up for that and doesn’t provide the features we need. It also does lock people out if they try to book a session and leave the booking page before it is completed. It’s a short 15-minute lock on it to ensure multiple people don’t book it, which makes sense, but it can be annoying on the client end.
If you’re wondering if paying for Session is worth it for mini sessions, we’d say 100% yes! We have introduced several friends to it who love the platform as much as we do and tell us how wonderful it is. You can go to their website to learn more or get started here. Please feel free to drop any specific questions about it in the comments, and we’ll answer them for you!
Blessings,
Katie & Alec
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