My Santa Mini sessions have become one of my favorite traditions over the years. Sunday at Sarah Benson Park was absolutely gorgeous—though I have to admit, nothing will ever quite top the time it snowed during my Santa Minis back in 2020. That was pure magic.
It’s hard to believe I’ve been photographing Santa pictures in some form since 2015. It started when I volunteered to shoot photos at the elementary school Santa Breakfast that I helped organize through the PTO. My own girls were little then—now one is in college and the other starts next year. Time really does fly. As my kids moved on to middle school, my friend Michelle and I shifted gears and started doing Santa photos for the middle school band’s holiday marketplace fundraiser.
But 2020 changed everything. That year, I started these outdoor mini sessions with Nashville Santa. I wanted families to have a safe way to visit with Santa during the pandemic, so we took everything outside. What began as a solution to an uncertain time has turned into something I look forward to every single year.
The best part? So many of the same families come back year after year. I get to watch these kids grow up, see the little ones who were shy and unsure become confident and chatty. It’s become woven into their Christmas traditions, and honestly, it’s become part of mine too. These sessions are how I officially kick off my own holiday season—surrounded by families who trust me to capture this fleeting moment in their lives, with a Santa who truly embodies the spirit of the season.
A Peek Behind the Magic
Here’s a little secret about Santa photos with the youngest ones: sometimes they want absolutely nothing to do with sitting on Santa’s lap. And you know what? That’s completely okay. I’ve gotten pretty good at a little Photoshop magic to make it all come together. We’ll get sweet shots of the kids on their own, capture Santa being his wonderful self, and then blend them together so families still get that classic Santa photo they’re hoping for. It’s all part of making sure every family walks away with images they’ll treasure, even when the littlest ones aren’t quite ready to embrace the jolly man in red.
There’s something about seeing familiar faces come back, about being a small part of how they mark the passage of time and celebrate together. It reminds me why I love what I do.
