How Long Does a Family Photo Shoot Take?

Ashley Newman Photography

The shorter answer is- it depends. I know, that’s lame. But hear me out.
The first factor is what type of session you book. All of my sessions have a time associated with them, but if you have ever worked with me, then you know I do not set a timer and call the session when the alarm sounds. But every session still follows a general flow.
I always start with getting to know you a little, chatting or playing with your kids, or doing some simple shots before really getting heavy into the pictures.
As we move through the session, I get a feel for you, what your kids will tolerate, and how much of a story I am telling.

Mini Session- 15-20 Minutes
These will always be less time. They are “mini” for a reason. Generally these are milestone sessions, so we are working on the timeline of a small child. They may not be able to tolerate more than 20 minutes of me chasing the around with a camera. It is also possible there is a session scheduled before or after your time slot. In that case, I always pad our time a little so no one feel rushed, but we work hard to stick with our allotted timeframe.

Full Session– 30-45 Minutes
Most of my families average at about this amount of time. It’s enough for everyone to get comfortable. We get amazing lighting during the golden hour sunset, and a story has started to unfold. If we all feel like we were able to capture a story sooner than this, that’s fine too. Every family has their own flow, and I try to tune into that while making sure we get the images we need.

Family Film– 60-90 Minutes
Man oh man do I love family film day! This is that deep dive into storytelling. I try hard to put a limit on time, but eventually the sun sets and we have to go home 😉 Seriously though, I generally let the story unfold and wait for magic to happen, which means it’s hard to say exactly how long it will take for those moments to present themselves. I always send a guide for how to prepare for our time together, and give suggestions on activities to do while we are together, but plan to spend some time with me. Whether I come to your house or we are shooting on location somewhere. Storytelling just takes time and I want to spend that unhurried day with you making sure we are able to do it justice. Most sessions won’t last longer than 90 minutes, but if they do, we will take breaks, eat, drink and do life together.

No matter what session you ultimately decide to book, please know that I always take my time getting to know you. I work hard to listen for cues, follow your lead and bring out the best in your family regardless of how much time we spend together.