Siesta Key Beach · fixed times
Mini sessions on Siesta Key
Fifteen or thirty minutes, scheduled in the morning and evening windows when the Siesta Key light is at its best. $200 for 15 minutes, $270 for 30.
Both formats run at the same place on Siesta Key Beach. More people than the base group? Add them right in the booking below, fifty dollars each, up to seven for the fifteen-minute and ten for the thirty.
I run mini sessions every morning and Monday through Thursday evening. The thirty-minute format also runs at sunset Friday to Sunday, for $370 instead of $270, because that is the light everyone wants. On Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day only the thirty-minute format runs, also at $370. On the evening of Saturday, December 26 the thirty-minute mini is $470.
Short is not a smaller version of the hour, it is a different thing: the same hand-edited finish, the same two to five day turnaround, fewer frames, and you are back at dinner before anyone complains.
Pick your time at Siesta Key
Minis are on Siesta Key only. On Anna Maria, Longboat or Lido I shoot the one-hour session: see Sessions. Everything about the island itself, from parking to crowds, is on my Siesta Key family photographer page.
No Mini time works? - it is a separate live calendar, worth a look even when Mini is full.
Still hoping for a Mini? and I will write the moment something opens.
Which one should you choose?
Fifteen minutes is the fast version: one setup, one stretch of beach, enough time for a couple or a family of four. Thirty minutes gives us room to walk, change groupings, and let children settle in. The editing and finish are the same - the difference is how much variety we can make.
The one thing I ask
Please come five or ten minutes early. I photograph another family right before yours and another right after, so I meet you at the water, not at the parking lot, and I cannot hold the slot.
If the parking lot is full or the app sends you to the wrong beach access, that time comes out of your session, and on a fifteen-minute slot there is not much to give. I send you the exact access number and a pin to the meeting point as soon as you book and pay the deposit. When nobody is booked after you, I stay and keep shooting, and I never charge for that.
How it works
- One
You pick a time and pay 30 percent to hold it.
- Two
I send the meeting point, parking, and what tends to photograph well.
- Three
We shoot. The rest is paid after the session.
- Four
Your gallery arrives in two to five days, no watermarks.
Questions I get every week
Can I bring a big family?
Yes, right here on Siesta Key. The base price covers four on the fifteen-minute and five on the thirty, and you can add more people in the same booking for fifty dollars each, up to seven and ten.
What happens if it rains?
We move you to the next open slot at no cost. Florida rain usually passes in twenty minutes, so sometimes we wait it out and shoot in better light than we would have had.
What if we are late?
There is a gap built into every slot, so a few minutes is fine. Beyond that I have to keep to time because another family is waiting, and the light does not wait either.
Where exactly do we meet?
Siesta Key Beach: park at Beach Access 8, then meet me at the water by the sailboats. I send the exact pin as soon as you book, same for any group size.
Why are there no midday times?
Because from spring to October the Florida sun ruins them. From about nine in the morning until about an hour and forty-five minutes before sunset the light is high, everyone squints, and it is hot enough that faces shine. In winter the sun stays lower and the evening window opens earlier. The morning and evening windows are when a beach photo here looks the way you imagine it. If you really cannot make either window, text me and we will find shade or a pool instead.
Is there an evening mini session?
Yes. Both formats run every morning and Monday through Thursday evening. The thirty-minute format also runs at sunset Friday to Sunday, $370 for up to five of you instead of $270. On Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day only the thirty-minute format runs, at $370, and on the evening of Saturday, December 26 it is $470. Pick Friday to Sunday evening or holiday above the calendar to see those times. The open times are in the calendar above.
Can we change the time after booking?
Yes. Any slot you see open in the calendar is yours. Reply to your confirmation email or text me with the new time, and I move you at no cost.
What should we wear?
Skip all-white outfits, they blend right into the sand in photos. Beyond that, soft colors, nothing with big logos, and whatever your children will not fight you about. Palettes that work here are in my guide to what to wear.
Can we bring our dog?
Not on a mini session. Minis run on Siesta Beach, and Sarasota County allows only service animals there. Dogs are welcome on a family session of an hour or longer, on a beach where dogs are allowed. Family photos with dogs
