Getting a ‘nice’ family photo can feel impossible. We get it!
Ever notice you’re the one behind the camera, swiping through your phone and realizing you’re missing from your own family’s story? That’s where Little Bird Photography’s Oahu mini sessions come in. Twice a year—spring and fall—I set aside a few days for short, joyful sessions designed to get you out from behind the lens and into the frame. Fifteen minutes, a happy island backdrop, and a handful of images that remind you just how good this season feels.
Oahu Mini Sessions
Booking open!
why book a Mini Session?
1. Quick & Easy
“I need a family photo, and I need it to be EASY.” As one client said: “We loved the mini session photos because they were quick and painless. We used it for a holiday card / birth announcement. Would definitely do it again! It might actually be my preferred photo shoot.”
In the next twelve months, you’re going to have a half-dozen reasons to reach for a recent family photo. Let’s get you one you love.
2. Instant Joy
When was the last time you felt genuine excitement and overwhelming thrill to click on an emailed link? I’ll let last year’s client take it from here: “We honestly just love seeing our photos. I am so excited when I get the email that they are ready for viewing and I cannot help but smile the whole time when watching the slideshow. You are so good at not only capturing beautiful images but a snippet of our personalities as well. It’s just a very heartwarming and feel-good experience to see our photos."
3. Be Part of Your Story
Plenty - not all, but plenty - of moms end up being the family documentarians, prioritizing having visual reminders of these growing years. But as they swipe through on their phone, they’re often absent from the visual story, because they were the one holding the camera.
A mini session is a bite-size, budget-friendly way to feel and see yourself as central to your family’s story - which you truly are. I’ve got you.
Mini sessions are for families who want to press pause without rearranging their whole week. They’re perfect if:
Who are oahu mini sessions for?
- You’ve got holiday cards on your to-do list but no extra Saturdays on your calendar.
- The frame on your wall still shows your toddler in diapers, and now they’re starting preschool.
- You’re curious about the Little Bird experience but not ready to dive into a full adventure session.
- You’re the parent who’s always behind the iPhone camera, and you’d love to see yourself in the story for once.
- You're looking for the perfect gift to send to loved ones who live far away.
That training translates beautifully into family photography. I know how to read kids, anticipate emotions, and adjust quickly as the weather, light, or energy shifts. After more than a decade exploring Hawaiʻi with my camera, I’ve learned exactly how to shape a session so your family feels comfortable, connected, and genuinely yourselves.
Aloha, I’m Heather, wrangler of children and lover of joyful chaos.
MEET Your OAHU Photographer
When my son was three, we curled up on the couch to look through our first family album. I’d spent weeks making it and felt that proud, satisfied glow as he turned each page. “I remember that place!” he squeaked. “Look, there’s Papa! Silly Papa!”
Page after page, he delighted in every image—until we reached the end.
“Where were you, Mama?”
My heart dropped. I had stayed behind the camera for years, waiting to “feel ready,” waiting to look a certain way. The result? I wasn’t in a single photo with him.
The very next day, I booked our first professional family session so he would always know I was there too.
Be in Your Family's Story
Because You matter
Beautiful Keepsakes Made for Sharing
Mini sessions come with the option to purchase fine art prints, framed pieces, holiday cards, or gift prints for loved ones. Every product is crafted with archival-quality materials so your images stay vibrant for years. Simple, meaningful, and easy to order from your online gallery.
Mini sessions happen twice a year — spring and fall. Spring sessions are in the Kailua studio and fall sessions include both studio and outdoors - typically a green, lush park. Subscribe to the Little Bird insider list to be the first to know when new dates are released (and get a special discount).
Your mini session includes a short and joyful burst of connection — either at a lush park or in my light-filled Kailua studio. Afterward, you’ll get a gallery of 7–12 beautifully edited images to choose from, and your choice of five web-sized favorites ready for sharing with grandparents, faraway friends, or your own lock screen.
If a handful isn’t enough (it happens often), you can choose from a selection of high-resolution images and print collections, starting at $95 plus tax, and pick the pieces that make your heart feel full.
Yes — you can absolutely include grandparents or extended family, but because mini sessions move quickly, each individual family must book back-to-back mini session slots. This gives every family their own time in front of the camera, and we’ll use the small buffer between sessions to capture a few group photos with grandparents and the whole crew.
If you’re hoping for more variety, extra groupings, or a more relaxed pace, a full family session is always the better fit. But if all you need is a handful of beautiful group images while everyone’s together, back-to-back minis work perfectly.
For outdoor minis in Oʻahu’s green parks, start with Mom’s outfit and coordinate everyone else around her. Soft tones, subtle patterns, and comfortable fabrics photograph beautifully against all that lush foliage. Choose pieces you can move, snuggle, and sit in — minis are short, but we still play.
For studio minis, I’ll send a color mood board ahead of time so you can easily coordinate. Simple is best here: clean lines, soft colors, and minimal logos or busy prints. And if you’re unsure, feel free to send me a few outfit options — I’m always happy to help you choose.
Don’t worry — kids don’t need perfect behavior for great photos. Mini sessions are short, playful, and designed to roll with real life. I’ve worked with shy kids, high-energy kids, and little ones who’ve had rough photo sessions in the past.
If your child needs a little extra time to warm up or settle in, a full session might be a better fit. With more time and less pressure, kids can relax and be themselves. Either way, I’ll guide things gently and keep it fun.
mini session FAQ
Limited, Loved, and Always Gone Fast
Mini sessions only happen twice a year — in spring and fall — and each date comes with just a handful of spots. They tend to sell out quickly every season, especially leading into the holidays. If you’ve been wanting updated photos or a sweet gift for faraway family, don’t wait. These always go fast.
Grab your Oahu Photo Mini Session
In the next 12 months, you’re going to have a half-dozen reasons to reach for a recent family photo. Let’s get you one you love.
Put me on the List
booking open!
A full family session gives us space to capture your rhythms, your chaos, and the places you love most.
Nothing delights me more than a local family pulling kids to the beach in a wagon piled high with salty gear. Maybe your years here won’t last forever, but you want to remember your family rhythms and delightful chaos. Show me what your Hawaii looks like. How your family loves and lives in your favorite spaces.
Your morning adventure might start at home making pancakes, and proceed to your favorite patch of shore or forest. It’s true that living here tends to push us out of doors - quarters can be tight, and some people may hesitate to invite me into their indoor lives. But home is also where little moments unroll. You won’t even realize until later how important they were. Consider beginning the morning there, and then we’ll venture outside to revel in the light and lushness of Hawaii. You get all the sun-soaked images you want, plus a few more to make you weep ten years from now. Trust me.
When You Want More Than a Mini Session
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