I recently had a client reach out asking how to prepare for her Fall mini session. She has a three and four year old and wants to know what to expect. I’m so glad she asked because I’m sure there are many people out there who have never had a mini session and don’t know what they are in for. I had to think back to my first mini session with our first daughter back in 2018. I didn’t know what to expect but I knew we weren’t going to have a lot of time. Here is what I wish I had known.

I’m not sure how I held on to these photos all winter and spring without sharing but as I’m working on my fall calendar to release dates I thought it was about time! This is not only one of my favorite families in the Treasure Valley it’s also my favorite location. This mama rocked the outfits so well and their color palette was perfect for these lovely fall portraits.

When families reach out to me to photograph their families for the third time I am so honored. Really, I am! It feels so special to watch a family grow. I’ve been taking Olivia’s photos for a few years now and to watch her growth has been such a pleasure. This sweet family of three usually brings along the paternal grandmother but this session they also brought along the maternal grandmother which was so incredibly special!

Spring in Boise, Idaho is a fantastic time for a photoshoot. After the cold dark winter there is nothing better than coming out of hibernation to the warm but still cool days with sun shining on your skin. You warm up a little and can peel back some layers. The grasses are turning green and the trees leaves are budding. The light is so bright and renewing. Everything is coming alive and you get to witness the beauty happening week by week.

Dry Creek Historical Society is one of my favorite locations in the late spring and summer. The trees are beautiful and the flowers are in bloom. It has a ton of diverse areas to use as locations from right by the old farm house and garden to the barn to ever green trees and so much more!

During spring I get a lot of questions from clients on what to wear for their family photoshoots. Trees are blooming, grasses are bright green and sometimes overgrown. There may also be lovely light purple wild flowers in June! Everything is coming alive and we don’t want our outfits competing with mother nature.

I always feel honored when I get an inquiry for a newborn session. I was so excited to get to photograph this sweet baby girl but what I didn’t know beforehand was that this mama used the same homebirth midwife AND doula as me.

Senior portraits might be my favorite session to photograph. I always have a hard time choosing between newborn sessions and senior portraits. It’s so fun being able to work one on one with a graduating senior. I absolutely love creating specialized tailored sessions(https://kelliholtzinger.com/2025/05/01/eagle-high-school-football-players-senior-portrait-session-in-eagle-idaho/) for seniors but I have to admit, those premium sessions tend to get booked by girl seniors more often.

Tyne contacted me last spring for a senior portrait sessions. She’s another example of one of my favorite senior clients because she took the initative to contact me on her own. She had an idea of what she wanted her portraits to look like. We booked a during the week session and we lucked out with amazinggggg weather! My favorite go to orcharc is Gem Orchards located in Emmett, Idaho. They have plenty of different fruit trees that bloom at different times during spring from peaches, cherries, and apples. You get different colors for different fruit! It’s truly gorgeous in there.

Last fall I had the privlage of photographing an Eagle High School(https://www.westada.org/o/ehs) football players senior portraits. His mom was really wanting the traditional senior portraits but also to incorportate his love for football into the photos.