Sarasota's Premier Senior & Headshot Photographer

Holiday Mini Sessions | An Exercise in Kindness | Phillippi Estate Park

Holiday Mini Sessions | An Exercise in Kindness | Phillippi Estate Park

“I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you’ll dream dangerously and outrageously,
that you’ll make something that didn’t exist before you made it,
that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return.
And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now),
that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind.”
Mini-sessions ― Neil Gaiman

On Sunday October 30, 14 families descended on Phillippi Estate Park in Sarasota for Holiday Mini Sessions. Before getting decked out for Trick-or-treating, these families got decked out in their Holiday best to capture this moment in their family history. And capture it we did. With smiles on our faces, the end goal was duplicitous. Get beautiful photos while giving back. For each holiday mini session done on Sunday, a duffel bag filled with care items and love will be donated to the Sarasota YMCA Youth Shelter by local organization Bag Up the Love.

I think these smiles say it all. My heart is full…and I couldn’t be more grateful.

sarasota-family-photography-holiday-mini-sessions-by-ristaino-photography

“If you have anything at all, you have something to give.”

~ Marguerite Andrich, 14
Founder, Bag Up the Love

xoxo,

Ready to book your Photo Session? I am wrapping up my 2016 bookings, and now accepting sessions for 2017.

Contact me here for more information or to secure a date.

I am a fine art photographer in Sarasota Florida specializing in Sarasota Family Photos and Professional Headshots. It makes my heart happy, and I am standing by to capture your joy!

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You pulled out your phone to grab a quick photo and suddenly you`re the worst person in the room. You`re not doing anything wrong. You just want to remember this. And yeah, that`s a little inconvenient for her right now.

Swipe through for the one shift that actually helps, no camera settings, no tricks, no bribing.

And if you want more of this, the free 5-day email series is at the link in my bio. Five short emails about how to take better photos of your teen without turning every moment into a whole thing.

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Open post by michaelaristainophotography with ID 18069420140304764

You pulled out your phone to grab a quick photo and suddenly you're the worst person in the room. You're not doing anything wrong. You just want to remember this. And yeah, that's a little inconvenient for her right now.

Swipe through for the one shift that actually helps, no camera settings, no tricks, no bribing.

And if you want more of this, the free 5-day email series is at the link in my bio. Five short emails about how to take better photos of your teen without turning every moment into a whole thing.

I hear it every single time. “I’m not really a photo person.”

And then golden hour hits and she can’t stop laughing and I catch the shot and she is absolutely a photo person. Always was.

That part never changes, no matter how many sessions I do.

If you have a class of 2026 or 2027 senior, let’s start dreaming up her perfect session. Link in bio.

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Open post by michaelaristainophotography with ID 18089400478967990

I hear it every single time. “I’m not really a photo person.”

And then golden hour hits and she can’t stop laughing and I catch the shot and she is absolutely a photo person. Always was.

That part never changes, no matter how many sessions I do.

If you have a class of 2026 or 2027 senior, let’s start dreaming up her perfect session. Link in bio.

Your teen isn`t being difficult. They`re being a teenager.

There`s a reason they shut down the second you pull out your phone. And once you understand it, getting photos of them actually gets easier.

Swipe through to see what`s really going on, then grab the free 5-day email series at the link in my bio.

Five short emails. Real shifts. No camera gear required.

10 1

Open post by michaelaristainophotography with ID 17944164987154637

Your teen isn't being difficult. They're being a teenager.

There's a reason they shut down the second you pull out your phone. And once you understand it, getting photos of them actually gets easier.

Swipe through to see what's really going on, then grab the free 5-day email series at the link in my bio.

Five short emails. Real shifts. No camera gear required.

Swipe through. If any of this sounds familiar, you`re exactly who I made this for.
Free 5-day email series for moms of teens who want better photos without the pressure. Linktree: Snapshots to Stories

10 1

Open post by michaelaristainophotography with ID 18062495213487334

Swipe through. If any of this sounds familiar, you're exactly who I made this for.
Free 5-day email series for moms of teens who want better photos without the pressure. Linktree: Snapshots to Stories

She showed up knowing exactly who she was. That energy, that confidence, that specific kind of ‘I’m not trying to be anyone else’ - it made my job easy.

This is what I love most about senior sessions. When a senior walks in feeling like herself, the photos just follow. We moved around, laughed a little, and by the end we had a whole gallery that actually looked like her.

Not a generic senior portrait. Her.

If your senior has a session coming up - or you’re just starting to think about it - I’d love to hear about her. What is she into? What does she want her photos to feel like? Let’s start there.

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Open post by michaelaristainophotography with ID 18075455198184605

She showed up knowing exactly who she was. That energy, that confidence, that specific kind of ‘I’m not trying to be anyone else’ - it made my job easy.

This is what I love most about senior sessions. When a senior walks in feeling like herself, the photos just follow. We moved around, laughed a little, and by the end we had a whole gallery that actually looked like her.

Not a generic senior portrait. Her.

If your senior has a session coming up - or you’re just starting to think about it - I’d love to hear about her. What is she into? What does she want her photos to feel like? Let’s start there.

Here`s what I hear most after a session wraps up: "I didn`t expect to feel like that."

And honestly, that`s my favorite part.

Not the gallery reveal, not the final edits. The moment a mom sees a photo and says, "That`s her. That`s really her."

Senior portraits aren`t just a box to check before graduation. They`re a record of who your daughter is right now, in this specific, fleeting, irreplaceable season of her life.

The way she carries herself. The style that`s completely her own. The look she gives the camera when she forgets to feel awkward and just exists.

That`s what I`m always chasing.

If your senior is class of 2026 or 2027, my calendar is filling up and fall books faster than most families expect. Where are you at in the planning process?
Drop a comment or send me a message. I`m happy to chat, no commitment needed. 🤍

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Open post by michaelaristainophotography with ID 18119401981724823

Here's what I hear most after a session wraps up: "I didn't expect to feel like that."

And honestly, that's my favorite part.

Not the gallery reveal, not the final edits. The moment a mom sees a photo and says, "That's her. That's really her."

Senior portraits aren't just a box to check before graduation. They're a record of who your daughter is right now, in this specific, fleeting, irreplaceable season of her life.

The way she carries herself. The style that's completely her own. The look she gives the camera when she forgets to feel awkward and just exists.

That's what I'm always chasing.

If your senior is class of 2026 or 2027, my calendar is filling up and fall books faster than most families expect. Where are you at in the planning process?
Drop a comment or send me a message. I'm happy to chat, no commitment needed. 🤍

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Michaela Ristaino Photography
michaela@ristainophotography.com | 941-957-8088 | Sarasota FL