The Truth About Mini Sessions (From a Hong Kong Family Photographer)

I’ve officially retired my Hong Kong Mini Sessions

I have a much better solution for your HK family photos

Mini sessions are mostly an American invention that hasn’t quite hit Asia the way it has elsewhere. On paper, they sound perfect: you show up, and in 15 minutes, your annual family photos are done.

In reality, mini sessions are built around conveyor-belt shooting and aggressive upselling. I’m terrible at both.

Most mini-session photographers barely move. They plant themselves in one spot and run the exact same script for every family: “Everyone look at me. Mom, look at Dad. Dad, look at Mom. Bobby, look at Mom. Dad, pick up Tracey. Mom and Dad, look at each other.” “Done!” “Next!”

Five photos, $300. Want the whole gallery? Fine, $200 more. Or $100 per extra shot. It’s all about the upsell.

Some mini shooters report doing 300 of them in a single season. I’m genuinely in awe of that: the organization, the promotion, the assembly-line consistency, and the sheer efficiency. It’s a great business model, it’s just not mine.

Why?

• I’m 90% art, 10% business.

• Coordinating that many tightly scheduled families around Hong Kong weather is brain-breaking.

• I take too many photos. I need 60, and I take 250.

• Most importantly, I can’t get “my look” in 15 minutes.

That’s why my Weekday Family Session is a far better deal than the mini ever was.

For HKD 5,450, I’ll go anywhere in Hong Kong, from Mui Wo to Tai O to Shek O to the Chinese border. Distance isn’t an issue. To me, family photography is history, not a Christmas card. I have a BA in History and started out as a museum curator and genealogy centre administrator, and my own family has photo albums going back to 1880. That’s how I look at your family’s photos too.

So, a little math. For a bit more than double the price of a mini session, you get:

• Six times the time (90 full minutes)

• Four times the final photos

• Me coming directly to you (or meeting at your favorite spot)

• Room for wardrobe changes & exploration

• Time for shy kids to warm up and be themselves

• Real connections, personalities, and meaningful environments, whether that’s a beach, a quiet temple, or your local neighborhood.

That said, I did get some great mini sessions in over three years. Now I’m going back to what I know, love and do best.

If you’ve been thinking about a family session, the Weekday Session is the best value I offer. I think it’s the best deal anywhere in family photography, but of course I’d say that.

If I was going to offer Mini Sessions again, I would use a studio and cut Mother Nature 100% out of the equation.

Instead, let’s find 90 minutes that work for your family and do something meaningful.