The #WallForWilderness · Special 10 in 10 Sessions to support Save the BWCA!

Last year Drawn Well and I teamed up to create the Wall of Love as a fundraiser for both the ACLU and Take Action MN. It was such a fulfilling and beautiful project full of inspiration and hope in a time when that was a little harder to come by, so we knew that we had to do it again this year. Immediately when we started talking about who we could support this year we both had our sights set on the amazing crew over at Save the Boundary Waters that are fighting to save the most precious, wild, magical + pristine portion of our state. 

Preserving the BWCA is a nonstop process, but right now more than ever the sulfide-ore copper mines that are proposed within the Boundary Waters Wilderness watershed poses a direct threat to the 1.1 million (MILLION) acres of pristine water + wetlands in the BWCA, which, along with the Superior National Forest, contains 20% of all the freshwater in the entire National Forest System. Jump over to the Save the BWCA website to learn more about the threat and all of the research that's been done to understand the potential effects of these mines. 

SO. How can we use our little talents to rally together to support Save the BWCA? Well, just like last year, Lisa is going to create an amazing illustrated wall in our studio, inspired by all of your stories from your generations of adventures in the Boundary Waters (jump over here to share your story!) and then on April 22nd (Earth Day!), I'll be holding 10-minute photo sessions in front of the wall with all of the session fees going straight to Save the BWCA.

If you're a seasoned 10 in 10 Session pro and already know how this all works, go ahead and lock in your preferred time by booking below! If you're brand new to this whole fun process, jump down to get the full scoop!

If you'd like to increase your donation to Save the BWCA, or if you don't need a session right now but would still love to be a part of this, feel free to jump over to their website to donate directly to them without booking a session!

Ok! On to the FAQs!

What exactly is a 10 in 10 Session?
10 in 10 Sessions are a 10 quick minutes, which is exactly enough time to get great photos without getting burnt out, or having your kiddo melt down, by having to smile for the camera for any longer. Check out the slideshow from last year's Wall of Love Sessions or check out the #10in10sessions tag on instagram to see just how many great photos we can get out of just 10 minutes. If you'd like more time, though, feel free to book two back-to-back sessions and you'll get 30 minutes instead of just 10.

Then what?!
2-3 weeks after your session I'll upload 10+ proofs into an online gallery for you, where you'll be able to pick out your very favorite one at no cost so you can save it forever or spread the love on social media (#wallforwilderness). You'll also be able to purchase any additional prints + products straight from your gallery if you'd like. All of that pricing can be found on my info page.

Is this just for kids?
Heck no! Anyone can be part of it and it's a perfect way to get a fun, new headshot while supporting a cause you love.

What should we wear?!
Inevitably this is the first question that anybody asks, and I always tell people to stick with their own personal style and wear whatever makes them feel amazing. If you don't feel comfortable in what you're wearing it will show in the photos and you won't be as happy with them afterwards. Feel free to coordinate color pallets if you would like, but definitely don't feel the need to match exactly (just say no to khakis and white shirts. ;) ). In general the only hard + fast rule is to avoid giant text or logos because they can be distracting. Colors + patterns look great in the studio, though, so feel free to ramp it up and have fun!

What if my kids are crazy?
Your kids will be crazy. Or quiet. Or loud. Or shy. Kids are kids and inevitably they will surprise you and be the exact opposite of how they normally are, or do something hilarious that you didn't expect. Regardless, I've been photographing kids for 15 years and I've seen them do everything in the book, so this photo shoot is your chance to let go of the stress of keeping them under control, let them go bonkers, and let me take over. If I need your help I'll let you know, but otherwise don't worry about it and try to just enjoy it. 10 times out of 10 the thing that ruins a photo isn't your kid's crazy face, but it's the parent's frustrated reaction to the kid's crazy face.

I'll also probably tell your kids to do something that seems really weird to you. You'll probably think that I am also weird or crazy and that there's no way what I'm asking could lead to a good photo, but I promise that the things that I ask are intentional and that the photos generally turn out best if you're able to breathe, have fun, and not worry about what they're doing/looking like. This is the time that you just get to play with your awesome kiddos and let me do the rest.

A lot of times I'll ask them to do something super over the top. There are a couple reasons for this: it expends some of their energy and it also lets them have a little more fun so they last longer and don't get bored with the photo shoot. It also generally makes them (and everyone else) have really natural smiles right after they do whatever I ask of them, which leads to beautiful natural-looking photos. Instead of trying to reign in their craziness and calm them down, it works really well if we all just let those moments play out naturally and have fun with it.

I also wrote a little blog post about this here.

What about bribes?
You know your kiddo best, so I would never tell you what to do in that regard. What I would suggest, though, is making the photo shoot PART of the bribe rather than framing it as the awful thing they have to trek through to make it to the donut shop afterwards. :) If you treat this like a super fun thing that everyone is going to do together I promise they'll have a totally different attitude and mindset walking into the studio. Bribes during a photo shoot also rarely work well because the kiddos are so focused on the M&Ms/skittles/goldfish/anything that it's hard to pull them out of it. 

If you're worried about any of this in any way, please shoot me an email at sara@hellobuffalo.co and we can talk through it. I want this whole experience to be as enjoyable as possible and if I can peel away the overwhelming aspects before our session I would love to help do that!