Whenever I tell family photographers that I run events for personality portraits that are highly profitable, they immediately become skeptical. How can you capture true personalities in 5 minutes or less? Well, here is the proof. The images throughout this blog post are what I was able to capture in three minutes and forty-seven seconds.
In this post, I’m going to show you exactly what’s possible in a 5-minute personality portrait session. Alongside the images from a real session, I’ll break down the approach and flow that allows me to create a variety of expressive portraits—quickly, efficiently, and with zero stress. If you want a full step-by-step of all of my posing secrets for a 5-minute session, you can check out my 5-Minute Personality Portrait Playbook for free here.
The Power of the 5-Minute Session
Children, especially younger ones, have short attention spans. A long session can lead to frustration, forced smiles, and stiff poses. That’s why shorter, high-energy sessions are a game-changer. By engaging quickly, making it fun, and moving efficiently through a sequence of expressions, you can capture true personality in record time.
The Final Results of a Real 5-Minute Personality Portrait Session
Here’s a look at what I captured in just five minutes with these siblings:
1. The Warm-Up Shot
I always start with a relaxed, simple pose to ease the kids into the session. This helps them feel comfortable and lets me gauge their personalities.
This is also something I call the “Grandma and Grandpa” pose. This image is the one that most parents and grandparents are after. It’s the one that they want to hang on their walls and share on social media.
2. The Personality Poses
This is where the magic happens! I ask for expressive faces—mad, sad, surprised, and silly. These quick transitions keep kids engaged and result in a variety of fun, personality-filled images.
Do you want to see this happen in real time? Be sure to check out the video in the 5-Minute Personality Portrait Playbook to see exactly how I strategize these poses!
3. The Silly Finale
I always end with a silly pose because it keeps the session fun and leaves kids feeling happy. You always want to wrap the session on a high note as part of the $5K Saturday System.
Not to mention, parents love these shots just as much as the classic ones!
How Can Personality Portraits Change Your Business?
Finally, by implementing quick, structured sessions like this, you can:
- Increase efficiency and profitability
- Keep kids engaged, making sessions stress-free
- Deliver a variety of high-quality images in a short timeframe
- Scale your business by offering these as stand-alone sessions or incorporating them into a $5K Saturday
If you’ve ever thought short sessions weren’t enough to capture real personality—think again! The proof is in the images.
Want to learn how to master these sessions and scale them into a profitable business strategy? Check out my free guide on 5-Minute Personality Portraits, where I walk you through the exact process, step by step!
The $5K Saturday Strategy: Scaling Your Family Photography Business with Personality Portraits
Ready to scale your family photography business and earn $5K in just one day? The $5K Saturday Strategy is your step-by-step guide to hosting profitable Personality Portrait Events that families are obsessed with. Learn how to connect with local organizations, market your event, streamline your workflow, and efficiently shoot 50-60 sessions in a single day—all while delivering stunning images that families can’t resist. Plus, discover how to upsell, rebook, and turn one event into a repeatable income stream, year after year.
Whether you’re looking to stop working full wedding days, slow season-proof your business, or scale to six-figures, this course gives you the exact system to make it happen.Are you ready to transform your Saturdays into $5K paydays? Join the waitlist!
Meet Sharon
Hi, I’m Sharon, I’m a family portrait photographer and educator, and after running over 1,200 Personality Portrait sessions that have helped me scale my photography business with regular $5k Saturdays, I now help other photographers do the same!
You can learn more about me and my family photography business here:
