A fine art Santa session is a private holiday photo shoot in a built set, finished by hand as painterly artwork instead of a folder of downloads. We shoot them at our Northeast Minneapolis studio, one family at a time.
No line. No ninety second slot. Your child meets Santa, talks to him, hands over a letter if they want, and the camera works around that. Kids who need ten minutes to warm up get them, which is why we cap how many run each season.
Inna finishes every image by hand, so the result reads closer to a painting than a snapshot. A holiday photo shoot you never print disappears into a phone. Families here order:
Measure your wall before you order. We ask every family for that number, because a print that looks enormous on a proof screen often lands small above a fireplace.
Inna works from a fine art background, and her direction on set stays quiet rather than performative. Children stay curious instead of startled. Nothing gets rushed.
Sessions run in our private studio in Northeast Minneapolis, the same room behind our family photography sessions and children’s photography the rest of the year. One practical note: give yourself extra time for downtown parking on a December weekend.
Everyone books family photos in the same three weeks, which is why December weekends vanish first across Minnesota. Pick the date you want cards in mailboxes, then count backward through four steps.
These holiday sittings only run on select weekends in November and early December. The first ones go to families locking in dates around Thanksgiving travel.
A holiday mini session is a short shared time slot, usually fifteen or twenty minutes, sold in blocks on one or two dates. Photographers around the Twin Cities run them at a Christmas tree farm, a decorated storefront, or a rented loft. They cost less, and sometimes they are the right call.
| Compare | Holiday mini sessions | Fine art studio sitting |
|---|---|---|
| Time on set | 15 to 20 minutes | Unhurried, one family at a time |
| Setting | Shared setup or outdoor site | Built indoor set, warm and private |
| Weather | Tree farm dates get rescheduled | Not a factor, we shoot indoors |
| What you get | A small file set | Wall art, albums, storybooks |
Want quick, cozy holiday photos for a card and nothing else? Book the mini. Want one image your child inherits? The longer sitting is what pays off.
Availability is limited by design. These run on select weekends in November and early December, and we take a small number so nobody gets hurried out the door.
Magical Fine Art Santa Storytelling by nationally and internationally recognized portrait artist, Inna Sumra.
Call (612) 200-8612 or request a booking to check this season’s open dates. Ask two things on that call: which weekends are still free, and what the current finishing turnaround is. Christmas portraits Minneapolis parents actually hang on the wall start with getting on the calendar before the good weekends are gone.
Yes. Every Santa experience and photo session at our Minneapolis MN photography studio is reserved ahead. That keeps each visit private, relaxed, and free of a waiting line.
Count backward from your mailing date and leave room for image selection, finishing, and printing. If cards go out in the first half of December, a November sitting is the safe side of that math. Ask for the current turnaround when you call.
Yes, and most families do exactly that. Brothers and sisters get photographed together in one private session, and their shared reactions are usually the moments parents most want captured.
Solid colors and simple textures work best against a decorated set, since busy patterns fight the backdrop. Bring a favorite holiday storybook, matching pajamas, or a small gift if you want the images to feel like your own family.
Your private online gallery opens after the session, and you can add images from it later. Ask for this season’s turnaround date when you call, because early December is the busiest stretch of the year.