Preparing for your Magical Christmas Mini Shoot

Helen Jones, 2nd October 2025

Your Session

You will have received an email with the date and time of your slot. Please make sure you are on time. I have multiple shoots running consecutively and if you miss your slot, you miss your photoshoot! You have 30 minutes for your shoot.

The Set-Up

This year's set-up will be light and airy, as shown in the photos on this page.

I will take some classic portraits as well as the magical image. There will be 2 set ups for your shoot -

1. Some classic family portraits set against a cream backdrop, including some with a glittery Christmas finish
2. The Christmas living room scene, created after the shoot in Photoshop!

What to Wear

You are welcome to bring a change of outfit for your children or stay in the same outfit for both set ups. Go smart or casual, but avoid bold patterns and large logos to keep your images timeless and to keep the focus on faces rather than clothes.

For the magical image, you can choose Christmas pyjamas. I recommend Next or Asda for Christmas PJs, both of which have a click and collect facility in Andover. I love Zara for kids clothes, which may be worth a looksie!

What to Bring

You have 30 minutes for your mini session. Since children don’t usually want to hang around posing, I have to work fast! If you are happy to, bring some sweets or whatever works in case we need to bribe your children, but I’m confident that we’ll get some lovely smiles.

Where

My studio is in our garden, so it’s a house you’ll be looking for. The address is Blacksmith’s Cottage, 8 Waterloo Terrace, Foundry Road, Anna Valley, SP11 7LY. We are diagonally opposite Greenfield Farm Shop and you can park on the road, but please don’t block the driveway. Please come through the side gate when you arrive and go straight on up to the studio, a lovely cosy log cabin, where I will be waiting to welcome you.

Receiving your Photos

I will edit your photos and create a private online gallery for you to view them and choose your package. You can then purchase your chosen package online, for immediate digital downloads. Your deposit will be deducted from the package price.

Your gallery will be ready for you within 1 week of the shoot and I will email you as soon as it is ready. You will also be able to order Christmas Cards, snow globes, Christmas tree baubles and more, all from your online gallery.

Questions?

I hope this answers many of your questions. If you would like to discuss your session, please get in touch via my Contact Page.

Helen x