Orange County · Four Weekend Dates

The Weekend Matinee

Fifteen minutes, one good location, and a gallery of your people looking like themselves. Four weekend afternoons this fall, four families on each, and then it's gone until next year. No planning, no wardrobe spiral, no whole-day commitment — just show up and be in it.

Four dates · Sept 19 through Nov 8, 2026 · Four spots each · Booking is open

Book a Matinee
or join the list

The Session

Short session. Real pictures.

$295

Fifteen minutes · your pick of 15 images · four dates, four spots each

$100 holds your spot, non-refundable · balance due a week before

  • Fifteen minutes in the best light of a weekend afternoon
  • A location I've already scouted for how the light falls that week
  • Up to six people — and the dog doesn't count
  • Candid direction and gentle prompts, the way I always shoot
  • A private gallery of about 30 edited frames, 15 of them yours
  • A styling and prep guide sent ahead, so you show up ready

Can't narrow it down to fifteen? Most people can't. Keep all thirty for +$150.

Done a mini session with me before? All thirty are yours, on me.

Book a Matinee

The 2026 Dates

Pick your afternoon.

Four favorites around Orange County, one weekend afternoon at each. Every date runs late afternoon into the golden part of the day, four families across it, so nobody's standing around waiting their turn. Showtimes are on the booking page — grab whichever suits your day.

Oak & eucalyptus

Serrano Creek Park

Old oaks and tall eucalyptus along a shaded creek trail. The latest light of the four.

2026

Saturday, Sept 19

Redwood grove

Carbon Canyon Redwoods

A rare grove of towering redwoods, tall and hushed. Nothing else nearby looks like it.

2026

Saturday, Oct 3

Garden greenway

Jeffrey Open Space Trail

A landscaped greenway with easy paths and shade trees just starting to turn.

2026

Sunday, Oct 18

Lake & bridges

Yorba Regional Park

Willows, footbridges, and open water, in the week the trees are at their best.

2026

Sunday, Nov 8

Sixteen spots, and that's the whole thing. Four afternoons, four families each. If they go and there's still demand, I'll add a date — and the list hears about it before anyone else does.

See showtimes & book

The List

If these four fill up.

Sixteen spots is the whole season, and if they go I'd rather add an afternoon than turn people away. The list finds out first when I do — along with openings when someone reschedules, and next year's dates before they show up anywhere else.

Start to Finish

How a Matinee works.

01

Claim your spot

Pick your date and take whichever showtime suits you — they're all on the booking page. $100 and a quick agreement hold it, that part's non-refundable, and your styling guide comes your way with the exact meeting spot and where to park.

02

Show up and be in it

Fifteen minutes in the good light. I'll guide you with prompts and easy direction, and the real moments happen on their own. Show up a few minutes early and we'll use every one of them.

03

Your final cut

A private gallery lands in your inbox with about thirty edited frames. Pick your fifteen and they're yours to download, print, and share. Or keep the whole roll for +$150.

Good to know.

Is this a mini session?
Yes. That's exactly what it is, and I'd rather say so than dress it up. Fifteen minutes, one spot, one family at a time, four of you across an afternoon. What it isn't is a conveyor belt — you get a location I've scouted, real direction, and the same way of shooting I bring to a full session. Just less of it.
How is it different from a full session?
Time and range. A Picture Book or a Side Quest gives us longer, room to move, a change of scene, and a much bigger gallery. The Matinee is one location, fifteen minutes, fifteen frames. It's a first chapter. If you love how it feels, the full session is where we tell the whole story.
What time are the sessions?
Late afternoon, running into the best light of the day. The exact showtimes are on the booking page — four on each date, with a short break in the middle of the afternoon. They're different for every date because each one is built backwards from that day's sunset so we finish while the light is still good, which means September starts later in the day and November, after the clocks change, starts earlier. Pick whichever slot fits around naps, practice, or whatever else your weekend is doing.
How many people can come, and can we bring the dog?
Up to six people, and the dog doesn't count toward it — bring them wherever the location allows, and I'll confirm that for your date when you book. The six is a real limit rather than a soft one: these run one family after another, so there's no way to go long without taking it out of the family behind you. It covers most households, whether that's two parents and four kids or a couple with grandparents in the mix. Bigger group than that and a full session is the right call — I'd love to talk about it.
What holds my spot?
A $100 retainer and a quick agreement. It's non-refundable — there are only four spots on an afternoon, so holding one means turning someone else away and I need it to mean something. The remaining $195 is due a week before your date and runs through the same booking page, so there's nothing to chase or remember. Spots go in the order people book them.
What should we wear?
Once you're booked, you'll get a styling guide with everything you need. The short version: coordinate, don't match; lean into texture and warm tones; skip the loud logos. One note if you're booking September 19 — it can still be genuinely warm at five o'clock that time of year, and Serrano Creek is inland, so dress for a summer evening rather than a fall one and bring water for the little ones.
What if the weather turns?
A little soft overcast can be beautiful, so most days we shoot. If we're facing an actual storm, I'll move you to another open showtime at no cost. There are only sixteen spots across the whole season, though, so if nothing's open I'll sort you out another way — you won't lose your session to weather.
How does the gallery work?
Within a week of your session a private gallery lands in your inbox with about thirty edited frames — everything worth keeping from your fifteen minutes. Go through at your own pace and mark your fifteen favorites; those download in full resolution, yours to keep, print, and share however you like. You have two weeks to choose, and if life gets busy you can hand it back to me and I'll make the call. If you truly can't narrow it down, you're in good company: keep all thirty for +$150. And if you've done a mini with me before, all thirty are yours at no charge — no code needed, I know who you are.