Arriving at the Studio

Parking is in front of Tout Suite bakery on Commerce street or behind the building. Enter the Tout Suite bakery through the stairs or ramp on Commerce Street. Once inside, you will look towards the back left of the bakery. You will see the entrance to The Studio HTX. Inside the door, you will go up two flights of stairs and enter through the door straight ahead. The studio is towards the left, at the end of the hallway.

Dark hallway with black walls showing exit signs and directional text.

Three Tips for Great Santa Photos


When my kids were younger, taking pictures with Santa was a pretty easy process. As a baby, Santa held them and we got a couple of easy pictures. As they got older, their curious minds began to question why a guy dressed in red wanted to visit with them. We had to take a couple of years off because it just was not going to happen. As they have aged, their curiosity about Santa has turned from a creepy guy in red with a fluffy white beard into excitement to share what they want for Christmas. After experiencing my own children's experience with Santa, I decided to take a different approach to the meeting Santa experience.

A sequence of black and white photos showing people crafting and doing activities at a table.

Capturing an Authentic Interaction


Every family will have a different experience with Santa. After experiencing my children's interactions with Santa through the years, I have come to the conclusion that we get what we get in terms of expressions. My goal is to capture the authentic expressions throughout the process instead of using time to try to get everyone focused on the camera. I find that some of my favorite images from a shoot are filled with expressions that capture the moment as it happened instead of trying to create a prefabricated image.

A series of photos showing people working on holiday crafts and activities at a white table.

The Art of Distraction


In order to capture the best possible images, I like to use the art of distraction to help ease into the initial meeting with Santa. In the first scene, families will get an opportunity to decorate cookies. Giving children the opportunity to focus on a task is a great way to distract them from the possible nerves that might come with meeting Santa.


Once they start decorating a cookie, Santa will emerge from around the corner. This gives me an opportunity to get the "first glance" pictures and, in my experience, this provides a smoother transition into the second scene, which is a more traditional setup. Don't worry!


In the second scene, Santa will read "The Night Before Christmas" and share stories with the kids about being Santa. Once the kids have warmed up to Santa, they are much more interested in hearing the stories Santa has to share. This provides a great transition into the "what do you want for Christmas" conversation.

A collection of holiday family portraits with festive decorations and a Christmas tree in the background.

Things to Bring


Here are a few suggestions of things to bring with you for the photo shoot.

  • Dress as you wish for the photos: formal, casual, matching outfits, pajamas - they are your photos
  • Write a letter or write a wish list for Santa
  • Favorite toy/stuffed animal
  • Diaper wipes for icing cleanup (I will have some on site)
  • Change of clothes for after pictures (restroom downstairs in Toot Suite bakery)
A series of black and white photos showing story time with holiday-themed books and plaid clothing.

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