The holiday season weaves its spell, doesn’t it? It has this uncanny ability to evoke a feeling through smells and sounds. For me, I always am brought back to my childhood, immediately. And, as convoluted as my childhood can be (and I’m sure I’m not the only one…), I find that Christmas has the ability to bring up some of the happier memories. One of those is opening our mailbox and seeing a friend’s holiday cards.

As the season’s colors change and the air grows crisp, (well, as crisp as it gets in the Texas heat), families feel the pull of creating lasting memories with fall portraits. However, standing at this crossroads, you face a decision as important as choosing between barbecue sauce or salsa at a Tex-Mex feast—one that will determine the flavor of your family portraits this fall. Specifically, in the world of family photography, this decision presents itself as this: mini sessions and full sessions.