How to Host a Portrait Party

Today, I hosted my first Portrait Party. It went great, even if my guest list was a little light. But, I think that was partly due to it being so soon after Christmas (everyone just had photos done for the Holidays) and also because nobody really knows what a Portrait Party is all about.

Basically, a Portrait Party is just like a Thirty-one or Paint your own Canvas party. You invite a bunch of friends over. Chat and eat. Enjoy getting out of the house and spending an few hours with friends/family. But, instead of shopping or crafting, you are getting beautiful pictures of either yourself or your children.

Every Portrait Party has a theme. My chosen theme was a Valentine's Day session with cookies and milk. You don't need to have a holiday to host a party, mine just happened to coincide with one.

When I first introduced the concept of Portrait Parties on my Facebook page last month, a few people said they'd love to host one but didn't think their home was big enough or nice enough. But, that's the great thing about these parties. You just need a little corner by a big window. Or a backyard, if the weather is nice.

Here is where I did my photos. It's literally just a corner of my dining room.

I pushed the table out of the way and used it as a little barrier between the social area and the working area. It worked out beautifully.

Each guest had a pre-assigned 15 min time slot. But, you need to be flexible, especially when working with young children. Its sometimes best to give them a chance to warm up before diving into the session. And, you may want to let the more outgoing, happier kid go first to show the others how much fun it is.

I will be doing another blog post on the photos themselves, featuring one particular cutie. Here is a little sneak peek until then.