If it weren't for last minute, a lot of things would never have happened.

I've done several sessions with and for Sara over the years. She was kind of hemming and hawing about having pictures taken and sending out cards this year. 

Then she said, "If I don't, I'll regret it. Can you come over this week?"

So, there I was at 7pm on a Wednesday night. What was supposed to be a 15-minute mini session ended up being about an hour and a half of kid wrangling, dog and cat wrangling, pillow fluffing, and convincing Abi that their Elf in the tree said we can take pictures of her JUST THIS ONCE. 

I don't know all the details in Elves on the Shelves. But it worked.

Whenever there is a rush turn around, extended session length, or something else that comes up, it is all doable. There may be rush fees or other additions as needed. 

Sorry about that, Jabba.

Wesson and Taco were much more patient than Jabba and Leia were. But they were interested in the mini marshmallows and the cats were not. 

Always be you. Always. 

I always tell my customers to bring props. I don't mean pillars or a big CLASS OF 2023 sign. I mean things that make you YOU. 

And then I wait to see what that means. 

For Anton that meant a couple of great fedoras, some Magic the Gathering items, anime books, a fun blanket, and the best TARDIS suit coat I've seen so far!

As a fellow nerd I truly appreciated that Anton brought the things that mean a lot to him. Headphones and his gaming controller added a nice touch to show people what he's interested in. 

I have heard a lot of people in the past say, "But I don't play sports!" and I'm here to tell you that we don't need jerseys and footballs!  I love when people bring their drumsticks, guitars, horns, too!

I know that I express this often, however, I think it is worth repeating. You don't have to dress like your classmates. You don't have to choose the same location everyone else is using. You don't have to go get new clothes. 

Be yourself. 

Nick and Jamie have homes in Minnesota and Texas as they go back and forth for work. Jamie wanted to have all of her children and grandchildren together for family portraits. There's a tree farm in Parkers Prairie, Minnesota that Jamie just adores. She reserved a ride for all of us in the horse drawn carriage. I planned all my bits. The kids planned all their pieces. But....

NO one can plan in advance for deeply frigid weather. I had some Hot Hands warmers in my camera bag from Hot Air Affair and I shared them around the group. We tried to do some pictures by the beautiful Clydesdales, but it was too much. 

So, we improvised.  We rearranged things. The shop employee was amazing. There was no one in there except us until the very end. 

We found little vignettes around the store that worked for each couple or grouping. 

These two have a whole inside joke about gnomes so this was super fun for them. 

I had a completely different set of poses and ideas in my mind for the day. And Mother Nature said, "Hold up, Cat. I have something better", and I think I worked with it alright. 

Lots of things happen that can switch up our photoshoot plans. I will always try to think on my feet, listen to your suggestions, and see how we can work together. If it really comes down to it and we need to reschedule, so be it. We'll figure it out. 

At the end of the day, we're all happy, we all thawed out, and we were all excited to get back in our preheated cars.