After several months of contemplating this next big move AND after several clients have requested...we are rolling out with Mini Session Bundles! The next best thing to coffee and clean sheets. Kidding. Only slightly.

Mini Session bundles can save you a TON of moola if you book 2 or more minis in a 12 month time period. Think Spring and Fall or Summer and Fall. Listed below are our mini session bundle prices and how much you can save $$ with each.


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Pick 2 + Basic Digital Package x2: $300 
**Savings of $90!**

Pick 2 + Plus Digital Package x 2: $400
**Savings of $140!!**

Pick 3 + Basic Digital Package x3: $500
**Savings of $85!!**

Pick 3  + Plus Digital Package x3: $600
**Savings of $210!!**



How Does It Work
Once you purchase your bundle, you have 12 months to use it. It's super easy to book your bundle as well. You will head to our booking portal and find the bundle listed at the VERY bottom under "packages." Once you check out, you will receive a code that you can put in every time you are ready to book. It even keeps track of how many sessions you have left on your bundle! So sweet. You can also create an account and it will keep track of your code and your sessions automatically. Double sweet. 

I told ya, it really is the next best thing! Payment is due in full at the time of booking. You can choose ANY 2 or 3 sessions between Spring, Summer, Mommy and Me, Daddy and Me, Fall, and Christmas. 

I have the third best thing for ya--the first TWO CLIENTS who take advantage of our new Mini Session Bundles will receive a FREE (completely free!!) Leather Bound Family Photo Album! 

Now, get to bookin'. Did I mention the code NEW16 will get ya 15% off these bundles until 7/31.

 This will be our 3rd year of collecting Food and Toy donations as part of our Fall and Christmas portrait season. Last year, we collected over 120 food items and 30 toys. It was absolutely amazing to drop off those donations that went to Helping Hand Mission. I know many local children were fed and had a present to open last year all because of my amazing clients.

Changing It Up--

This year, we are changing it up a bit, and will be donating to the Urban Ministries of Wake County. They have slightly different needs, especially for the homeless and hungry, so we will be donating all of our collections to the ministry. You may have seen Urban Ministries and their food drives sponsored by Chick Fil A before. They usually have big cardboard boxes set up in local Chick Fil A restaurants where customers can drop off canned items and toys.  A few weeks ago, I visited a local Chick Fil A and happened upon one of the large cardboard collection boxes from Urban Ministries as well as a polite older woman telling customers about the mission as they waited in line. I took a peak in one of the boxes and it had maybe 3-4 small bags of canned items. The toy box had nothing...

I asked the woman how long these boxes had been set up for, and she said told me at least a few months. And there had only been a handful of donations? She replied that yes, sadly, their ministry is in need of a lot of things and donations are very slow for them. They pick up slightly around the holidays, but they only hope to do more. 

This got me thinking--I can help. I can help Urban Ministries of Wake County. Let's support our local community this year and help those who need food, basic supplies, and toys for the little ones.

A Little Info on Urban Ministries of Wake County

Our pantry provides a weeks’ worth of groceries for families in need and distributes more than 400,000 meals a year. Food insecurity is one of the biggest concerns for those facing poverty, especially during the summer months when children are home from school. Goals include:

• Provide 230 tons of food, including fresh produce, to 8,000 households – including 11,000 children – sufficient to feed each family for one week.
• Harvest 2,000 lbs. of fresh vegetables from our community gardens.
• Improve quality of donated food through by encouraging volunteers to read labels for low sodium, fat content, no sugar added to products, etc. In this way we hope to educate donors too, benefitting their families as well!
• Use our refrigerators and freezers to “shelve” fresh or frozen vegetables instead of canned.
• Coordinate the efforts of 1,500 volunteers, who learn in orientation the importance of donating nutritious food which, in turn, helps inform the food choices they make for themselves.

What Is Needed & How We can Help

The wish list provided for 2016 by Urban Ministries of Wake County is extensive, but I am going to narrow it down to a few specific items and how you can help donate. Listed beside each item is the quantity needed to get you a freebie from Maya Anna Photography. 

Batteries (AA, C and D): 1 package of 8 or more batteries = 1 digital image
Canned Food (no glass please): 10 Canned Food Items = 1 digital image
Cereal: 3 regular size boxes = 1 digital image
Whole Grain Pastas: 5 boxes = 1 digital image
Fresh Vegetables: 10 items = 1 digital image
2 New Small Toys = 1 digital Image 
1 New Larger Toy = 1 digital image
1 Baby Item (new items only) (blankets, bottles, socks, onesies, etc) = 1 digital image

*You can trade any digital image rewarded via donations for a $10 print credit.*

​Cash Donation (click here) = $ amount donated = $ amount in credit for Maya Anna       Photography (please provide receipt or screen shot of donation amount)

**LIMIT OF 5 DIGITAL IMAGES PER SESSION VIA DONATIONS, HOWEVER, YOU CAN DONATE IN UNLIMITED AMOUNTS**


We hope that this year brings even more donations than last. Please note that you can not receive digital images via donations unless you have pre-purchased a digital package. These digital images via donation are only "in addition to" the package you will previously purchase. You can score up to an additional 5 images by donating items listed above. You may also receive credits by donating cash via the website listed under cash donation above. That credit can be used to purchase digital images, prints, or a future session.

Thank you so much for joining us this Fall and Christmas season! If you haven't booked your fall or holiday session yet, please proceed by clicking here and get on the calendar!

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Our first location review post is on the beautiful Historic Oak View park located just west of Raleigh off of Poole Road. By booking early, you can request Historic Oak View for your fall session--and you won't be disappointed. Historic Oak View is a 19th century farmstead that features antique farm equipment, beautiful white barns, antique fencing along the property, historic houses, a working cotton field, and even goats. 

If you love the old wood, historic feel, and white picket fences, then you will fall in love with Historic Oak View. And a bonus...shortly after Thanksgiving, Historic Oak View becomes decorated with beautiful antique Christmas decorations and the most beautiful green wreaths you will ever see hanging from every window and barn door. It's a must do on my list, especially if this is your first session. The relaxing atmosphere makes your session one of the best you will ever have. 

Check out some of my recent sessions at Historic Oak View below. 

Do you love this location as much as I do? Book now and request Historic Oak View as your location preference. Hurry, because the first client who books the date is the location decider for the day! Visit www.mayaannaphotography.com and find our schedule now link. 

Everyone and their brother wants to know..."What do we wear to our session?" I get this question ALL the time, and I am very happy to answer or offer my best suggestions.

Some of you may know, some of you may not, our pinterest page has TONS of ideas for families, girls, boys, new moms, dads, and everyone in between. I update it frequently with the season's newest fashion and color themes.

I am here today to make it easier for you to pick out your Fall family attire--and please, go the extra mile here, because it really will make your photographs stand out even more. 

TIP #1: Pick 1 color and spread it throughout.
I basically mean to pick a color, and make sure everyone in your family is wearing that color (or a shade of it) somewhere in their outfit, otherwise, they should wear neutral. Whether it be a scarf, ear rings, pants, shirts, or belt.  Take the example below, graciously posted by Caralee Case Photography. The color in question is the salmon/pink/coral. Mom has it in her skirt, brother has it in the shirt, and sister has it in the shoes and shirt. Since the color is more feminine, the stylist has left out Dad. And that's ok--he is wearing something neutral that won't clash with the main color theme. Everyone matches, it's not too matchy, and everyone will stand out in the photo.

TIP #2: Go neutral. 
Don't have a main color that you are in love with? That's fine. Go neutral. Neutral will go eith everything, and will work WONDERFULLY with the beautiful fall backdrop. Neutral will NOT fail you. Just make sure you stay within one color of neutral and spread it around. 

TIP #3: Plan ahead. Way ahead if you can. 
Do NOT wait until the night before, or worse, the day of your session before you run around to every closet in a panic wondering what you will wear. You invested in this session, so invest in the wardrobe if you have too. You don't have to shop at J. Crew...Target has tons of wonderful clothes that will work if you do it right. Also, if you are wearing something that you quickly picked out, it may turn out to be super uncomfortable which will definitely show in your smile.

TIP #4: Dress for yourself.
If you don't wear something that LOOKS and FEELS like you, then YOU won't show up in your photographs. You will look like you're uncomfortable and it probably won't feel like a good time. Portrait sessions are FUN and FRIENDLY; it's time to laugh, share stories, run around, play, and be YOU. This goes for your partner and kids too--make sure they dress to fit their best self. 

TIP #5: Avoid all white, all black, all jeans, all the same color, and patterns.
Patterns are great, but if everyone has a different pattern in their outfit then the focus drastically falls off your beautiful family and in to all those patterns. One or two family members can wear a similar pattern, and everyone else should be solid. Patterns can also be textures. Use them wisely! Never wear the same color. It looks posed, and fake. Avoid all white or your focus will get lost, same for black. 

TIP #6: Research, Explore, Learn.
Again, don't wait until the last minute. Research your options, explore the season's fashion trends, and learn what works for your family. Plan ahead and everything will be perfect!

For more tips, please visit our Pinterest Page or search "family photograph wardrobe" on Pinterest. 

When the hot dog days of summer dwindle down around mid-August to early September, to a more crisp, cooler day, I like to call this my Christmas card season. It's when everyone starts to get the holidays on their minds and in their hearts, and OH no...Christmas Cards!! Everyone loves them, most expect them, and few send them out on time. Christmas cards are one of the main reasons my clients book a session between September 1st and December 1st. It's a must do in my house, and we love being on the receiving end here too. It's just so fun to see your friends and family on a card and getting to display it for oooing and ahhing all season long. Houses are NOT fully decorated unless Christmas cards are being displayed, am I right? So, let me help you get this 2016 Holiday season off to the right start. 

The first step you should make is scheduling your portrait session. Anytime after August and before December 5th is prime time! Second, dress appropriately and comfortably, Next, your session will be completed and we can work on designing your cards. After a few days (or hours), you pick out your custom design from a handful of choices and they arrive on your doorstep in less than 2 days. WHAT. Yes, I am telling you there is no scrambling to find pictures to upload to Shutterfly and then having to start over three times because the website fails and is overloaded by other families doing the same thing, and then waiting 2-3 weeks for your cards that MAY or MAY NOT get to your house in time to address and send out. 

I am telling you that you get 25 (or more) CUSTOM designed Christmas cards with your beautiful family displayed for everyone to oooh and ahhh over in less than a few days after your session with me.

but wait...there's more.

For a small fee, I can even have your cards ADDRESSED (return too!) for you and mailed promptly after delivery. 

Yes, i am telling you that you can have your entire Christmas card fiasco designed, customized, ordered, and mailed off without lifting a finger. 

ACT NOW! Because this offer won't last all season. Once the year starts to pick up, and I am running around like a crazy chicken, I will be limited customization and full addressing orders to only a handful.

Book your session here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=11885016

Scroll down and select Fall or Christmas Mini Session. Be sure to add your Christmas Card to your package!!

but wait...there's more.

Use promo code NEW16 for a sweet little discount now through July 15th.

Now, GOOOO! Do it now! Let me help you.