This is it!! We’re here!! We are officially LESS than a week away from Christmas Minis, so I wanted to give some details for the Cabin at Mallard’s Croft!!! 

First off, DATE!!!

NOVEMBER 3rd, 2019.

Secondly, location!!

Cabin at Mallard’s Croft

2867 MS-309 North, Byhalia, MS  38611

 

Your phone GPS should take you there, no problems. Just type in Mallard’s Croft, and it should pop up. BUT, I made a map for you just in case….

Directions to heading east on Poplar (blue arrows):

1. take a right on S BYHALIA RD.

2. You’ll want to take this street for 6.5ish miles. And Mallard’s Croft will be on your right. 

If you are coming from 385, (red arrows):

1. Heading EAST on 385. 

2. Take S. BYHALIA road exit (after Houston Levee).

3. Head South on S. BYHALIA rd (Turn right off 385).

4. Stay on S. Byhalia for 6.5ish miles. Mallard’s Croft will be on your right. You’ll see the sign for the venue. Follow the long road and the cabin is on the left! Look for the little white cabin and red door.

In the event of rain, these sessions, unfortunately, will be cancelled. All payment will be refunded, minus credit card processing fees (if you used a credit card). That being said, the weather is looking AMAZING for this weekend, so I hopeeeeee the crazy Memphis weather doesn’t decide to be ridiculous over the weekend. 

 

There is still time to sign up, but there’s only a few left for this session.  If you are interested in having awesome Christmas family photos, here’s the link to signup times! Offering times 11AM-5!

 

Just a side note. If you are late, it will cut into your session time, so please keep that in mind when you are prepping!

What to expect:

Ok, I have a vague picture in my head of how I am wanting these to look on the inside and out. On the outside, I’m thinking cute porch shots with Christmas décor around the columns and door/window. It’s like a tiny house, so I thought we could play with that a bit. On the inside, it’s a shabby chic style with cabin-esque furniture. For the inside, I’m thinking more sweet candid moments while doing Christmas activities.

Sure, we can do these in PJs. You can also do these in normal clothes too. The cabin, I’m not going to lie, does not have great photos of it online. And, because I am not living in Memphis anymore, it’s hard for me to show you all of its potential by using their photos. Sooooooo, you’re just going to have to trust me. I will show you a photo of the outside so you can get an idea, but I want you to be surprised when you see the cabin on the inside. 🙂

Photos provided by Mallard’s Croft.

Ok, so what can we accomplish in 15 minutes at the house? Obviously this is all up to you guys, but here’s what I’m thinking…

1. I want to get some nice posed family photos on the porch. 

2. Then, we move inside and we have a couple different scenes. 

a. We can do cute snuggly photos on the couch, bed, or by the tree. 

b. We can make Christmas cookies. Probably most likely icing the cookies….

c. We can hang ornaments. All that jazz.

We definitely have options here. If you want to bring your own props, consider something like: Presents for your kiddos to unwrap, Christmas mugs, santa hats, mistletoe, stockings………….I’m trying to think of more, but I think you can get the gist. Just know that you don’t need to bring anything at all. I gotcha covered. And it’s only 15 minutes, so no need to go crazy! 

What to bring: 

1. For your babies, bring ANYTHING that makes your life easier for these 15/30 minutes. Whether that’s backup outfits in case they get dirty, jackets (it will most likely be in the 50s), PJs if you want a more snuggly look inside the cabin, a stroller to hold everything, toys, treats for bribing, or snacks in general. 

2. Your fur babies! So, I talked to the owners about the pet policy. They weren’t super stoked about pets, mainly because there are other dogs on the property that are very protective of the other animals, but they weren’t completely against it. That all being said, they will allow dogs AS LONG AS everyone has a leash for their pets and doesn’t do anything crazy (and cleans up after them and all that jazz). I think y’all can get the gist, just be responsible pet parents and make me look good so we can come back next year if we decide we like this setup.

Unfortunately, they cannot come in the cabin, so we will need to let them chill outside while we are shooting, but they will be good to go on the porch and around the house. 

Long story short, yes!! If you want furbabies in your family photos, I WANT to photograph them in your family photos! If you do bring your pets, bring a leash and doggy bags to clean up after them. I also recommend bringing treats for good behavior. 😀 Like I said earlier, I’m a big fan of bribing.

3. Parents/Grandparents. If you decide to bring extra people, we will most likely do our group shot out front by pretty trees. And then split up into family units from there. I will photograph AS MUCH AS I CAN in the 15 or 30 minutes we have booked. I know grandparents love having pics with their grandbabies. I’m totally fine with you bringing as many family members as you want. I will shoot whatever I can in the time slot allotted. You just need to tell me priority. I’m here for YOU! 😀

4. Props. There will be a few here, but we can use as much or as little as we want. I will have red and black blanket, a Christmas tree inside the cabin, a wreath on the outside, some lights we could play with, ornaments, some cookie mix for holiday activitiessss! Obviously, if you have something else in mind, NO PROBLEM. I am here for you, just let me know! We don’t have to use my setup/props at all. The cabin is situated on a gorgeous piece of land and a really picturesque place in general, so we can do part posed photos, part Christmas lifestyle; all Christmas lifestyle; or all posed photos. If you have a cute sign, ornaments, holly, or any Christmas/holiday things you want featured – feel free to bring them!

What to wear:

Look, I feel you here. Picking out the perfect outfits that are your personalities, flattering on you, cohesive yet not matchy-matchy…it’s HARD. Here’s what I recommend. 

Because this is fall/Christmas themed, I would pick: dark greens, reds, browns, maroons, oranges, navy blues, and purples. Christmas colors would be nice too, especially with all of the Christmas décor: Maroons, reds, dark greens, cream, gold, browns.

When choosing clothes, you just want to make sure you all look like you belong together without looking like you all bought the same shirt. (Because we don’t want to wear the same shirt as our husband, our mother, and our kids #amiright…?) So, it helps if you choose a color palette. If you are unsure of some good color palettes, just go to Pinterest and type in “fall color palettes.” Pick one, two, or three main colors (either cool or warm) and then add in neutral colors (cream, grey, navy, brown, black) to fill any gaps. Cool colors would be considered blues, purples, teals, greens. Warm colors are reds, yellows, oranges. Green and purple are transition colors and depend on how warm or cool the tone is.

If you choose one color, I would do different tones of the same color so it’s not too matchy-matchy. I also recommend adding in a bolder color pop somewhere to break it up a bit! Scarves, sweaters, vests, and hats make for great pops of color, and you can always take those off if you want to change it up.

Don’t forget your pup! Bowties, scarves, and leashes can also bring in some color!

Ok!! Hope this helps y’all. I cannot wait for this session! I think 2019 will be the best year yet!!

Let me know if you have questions. And make sure to book your spot today!!

 

xoxo

madison