When you book a Minneapolis photo session, there’s lots of things to pick!

It doesn’t matter what kind of photo session you’re booking, there are a LOT of things to pick. And I don’t just mean picking between photographers who work in your area, I mean everything from what you’re going to wear, to how many photos will be in the final package from your session! Sometimes, that part might even influence who you want to work with for your photo session, because every photographer approaches photo packages differently. Some include all of the images from your day, and some don’t include any at all in your initial fees, and the photos you get after your session will be in a separate package altogether! So with all of the options out there… how do you know what’s best for your needs? 

How do you choose how many photos to include in your session package?

Choosing how many images you want included in your photo session package is just like choosing everything else about your session – there’s no cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all answer. I mean don’t get me wrong, I’d love to tell you that you should always buy every single photo from your day. But… it wouldn’t be honest of me. There are a ton of factors that change how many photos you should include in your final session package! So you can treat this list of questions as a bit of a process-of-elimination to get to an answer that makes the most sense for you and your specific situation.

What kind of session is it?

The first thing to think about, is what kind of photo session you’re booking in the first place! And honestly? This might answer the whole question for you, and you can skip the rest. For example, if you’re having a headshot photo session done because you need a new profile image for your LinkedIn profile, you’re just going to need one perfect picture. So… you don’t really need more than that. Your package can have a single photo, and still be EVERYTHING you needed it to be and more!

But if you’re booking an extended family session, or a maternity session, just knowing the type of session isn’t going to weed down the options for you quite as much. So, consider the type of session you’re booking. Does it help you get the answer, or do you need to look further?

What does your photographer include in their packages?

Now, I know I already mentioned that every photographer approaches including (or not including!) photos with your session fee in a different way. Some have super-sized packages with more photos than you would ever be able to do anything with other than let them sit on a hard drive. Others are super selective with the pictures included in packages. But a lot of the time, we fall somewhere in the middle! For example, my baseline packages include 5 digital images that you choose from a gallery with all of the photos from your session. But I also have packages for specific types of session, like headshot sessions, or branding sessions, or event photography, that include all different numbers of photos, based on your needs!

Almost every photographer you could work with will be willing to work with you to create a package that fits exactly with what you need in terms of the number of final images included. But if you’re feeling super uncertain, you can start with the baseline packages your chosen photographer offers to kind of get a starting point for your needs! It might be that one of the packages they offer out of the box has the exact right number of pictures included for you, whether they’re included as prints, or as digitals.

What will you use your pictures for?

If you’re still having trouble figuring out how many images to include in your package after thinking about the type of session, and looking at the baseline packages the photographer you want to work with offers, you’re not out of options!! The next thing you can think about that might help simplify things, is what you’re planning to use the photos for. Just like I mentioned you really only need one photo if you’re just updating your LinkedIn profile pic, the same can be applied kind of backwards to other uses.

For example, if you’re updating the product images on your business’ website, then you’re going to need more than one. Maybe more than five – if you’ve for 50 products… then that’s going to be 50 images, and/or additional ones for other angles or detail shots! If you want an album printed of pictures of your kids to give to your family members for Christmas this year, then you’ll need enough to fill an album – whatever that looks like for you. So, think about how many images you need to meet the goals for your session. It might help answer the question for you!

When was your last photo session?

When you’re having a session to update the photos you have of your family, it might be worth thinking about when your last session was. Is this one just intended to tide you over between now and your next full session? Are you booking a mini because you want to have some images of your toddler with Santa this Christmas? If your last photo session was recent, or you know you’re going to have another one soon, you might be able to get away with fewer images included in your package simply because these are just a little update.

Is budget a factor?

Finally, this wouldn’t be a full list if I didn’t talk a little bit about budget. Just like every photographer includes a different number of images, every photographer has packages at different price points, and charges differently for adding images to your gallery selections. So if budget is something you’re considering when it comes to your upcoming Minneapolis photo session, look into what your final total will be with different numbers of photos included/added!

When you work with Jessica Strobel Photography, you get to CHOOSE!