Back to School Minis Are Here — And This Year, They're Extra Special ✏️🍎

This year’s Back to School Mini Sessions hit a little differently for me — because I had the absolute joy (and yes, some bittersweet mom tears) of using my own daughter, Juniper, as the model. She’s officially headed to preschool this year, and suddenly these photos feel a lot more personal. Watching her sit at that little desk, practicing her best “serious student” face before bursting into giggles... let’s just say I was a puddle behind the camera.

Speaking of the desk — let me tell you about this beauty. I found this vintage school desk nearly eight months ago and have been counting down the days until I could use it. There’s just something magical about the nostalgia it brings, and paired with a sweet little outfit and some personality-packed poses? It’s back-to-school photo gold.

For these sessions, my vision is simple but meaningful: let your child shine. These aren’t your standard “sit still and say cheese” school portraits. We’ll laugh, we’ll twirl, we might even read a favorite book or two. In fact, I encourage parents to bring along a stack of books that hold special meaning to their child — whether it’s a well-loved bedtime story or the one they always pick at the library. We can absolutely incorporate them into the shoot as props. But don’t worry if you’d rather travel light — I’ve got everything needed to style the session beautifully.

And location? We’ve got options! These minis can take place in a natural, green space like Greenfield Park, as you’ll see in my example series, or — if we want to lean into how amazing it is to grow up and go to school in our sweet beach town of Wilmington, NC — I can bring the desk to the beach. Because yes, learning your ABCs with your toes in the sand is very on-brand here.

Each session is 30 minutes long, includes 10 edited photos, and you’ll have the option to purchase more afterward if your little one totally steals the show (spoiler: they usually do).

So whether it's your child’s first year of school (hi, fellow emotional parents 👋) or you just want something a little more you than the standard school picture day, these minis are all about capturing this milestone in a fun, heartfelt, and timeless way.

Let’s make some memories — and maybe bring tissues.