Jacksonville Santa Mini Sessions with the Real Santa
Every year when I announce my Jacksonville Santa Mini Sessions, I get excited about the venue, the Christmas outfits, and the kids who arrive with carefully written lists.
But the most important part of a Santa session isn’t any of that.
It’s Santa.
And after photographing families with Santa Claus Ron over the years, I can tell you—he’s the real deal.
Not just because of the real beard. Or the fantastic suit. Or because he looks exactly like the person your kids have been imagining all year.
It’s because he’s really, really good with kids.
A Santa Who Actually Connects With Kids
I’ve photographed Santa Ron with babies, toddlers, big kids, siblings and entire families. I’ve watched kids run straight to him—and I’ve watched others stop several feet away and think, Absolutely not.
He’s wonderful with both.
Santa Ron doesn’t need every child to immediately climb onto his lap and smile at the camera. He talks to them. He listens. He reads their lists. He gets down on their level. He jokes with the big kids and gives the cautious little ones some room.
Sometimes the best photographs happen before anyone ever sits beside him.
And that’s one of my favorite things about photographing these sessions.
We’re not trying to force every child into the exact same Santa picture.
We’re seeing what happens.
What If My Child Isn’t Sure About Santa?
Good.
Seriously.
Some of my favorite Santa photographs over the years have come from kids who weren’t quite sure what to make of the large bearded man in the red suit.
There might be some staring.
There might be some hiding behind Mom.
There might be negotiations.
And yes, sometimes there are tears.
You do not need to spend the drive to your session coaching your child to sit on Santa’s lap and smile.
Let them be curious. Let them take their time. Let them react exactly the way they react.
Santa Ron is incredibly good at reading kids and meeting them where they are—and I’m much more interested in photographing what actually happens than forcing a picture that doesn’t feel like your child anyway.
Want one of these with your kids?
These Aren’t Just Sit-on-Santa’s-Lap Photos
Of course we’ll make sure you get the classic Santa portrait.
But those usually aren’t the only photographs I love.
I love the serious conversations.
The whispered Christmas wishes.
The suspicious side-eye.
The kids who have apparently prepared a three-page presentation regarding the merits of the item at the top of their Christmas list.
And Santa Ron plays along with all of it.
It’s those interactions that turn a Santa session into something more than a picture for the Christmas card.
Years from now, I want you to remember who your kids were with Santa.
The one who couldn’t stop talking.
The one who brought a detailed list.
The one who marched confidently across the room.
The one who needed Santa to keep a respectful six-foot distance.
And the one who stared at him like they’d just encountered an extremely suspicious stranger in a red velvet suit.
All of it belongs in the pictures.
Sometimes the Best Santa Pictures Aren’t Looking at the Camera
If you’ve spent any time looking through my work, you probably already know I’m never going to complain when everyone happens to look at me and smile.
I’ll take that picture.
But I’m also watching everything happening around it.
A child looking up at Santa while he talks. Siblings waiting together. Santa reading a story. A kid leaning in to tell him something that is apparently classified information.
Those are often the photographs that become my favorites.
Santa Ron Is Pretty Convincing
Now, let’s discuss the obvious.
He looks like Santa.
Like…Santa Santa.
Santa Ron is a real-bearded Santa, but what makes the illusion work isn’t just the beard and suit. It’s the way he interacts with kids.
He stays in it.
He listens to their stories. He knows how to keep a conversation going. He can be silly without turning Santa into a cartoon character, and he’s warm without overwhelming kids who need a little space.
That’s why I’ve continued working with him over the years.
The Magic Changes as They Grow
One of my favorite things about offering Santa sessions year after year is seeing how the experience changes.
A baby might spend the entire first session staring at Santa.
A toddler may approach cautiously.
A few years later, they’re running in with a list and very important business to discuss.
Eventually they’re old enough to understand a little more about Christmas magic—and somehow those photographs become pretty special too.
You don’t need your children to be the “perfect age” for Santa pictures.
Whatever age they’re at is the age worth remembering.
And bring yourself into a few photographs, too.
You don’t have to turn your Santa mini session into a formal family portrait session, but if there’s an opportunity for everyone to jump into a frame, take it.
Someday your kids may care just as much about seeing you there with them as they do about seeing Santa.
And Then There Was the Year Santa Made Cookies…
This deserves its own section because it’s one of my favorite examples of why I love working with Santa Ron.
Give this man some kids, cookie dough and a kitchen and Santa stops being someone who happens to be sitting in the background of their Christmas pictures.
He’s part of what’s happening.
They baked. They talked. There were cookies and milk. There were stories.
And I got to photograph all the little things happening in between.
This is exactly what I mean when I say I don’t need kids to perform for my camera.
Give them something—or someone—worth interacting with, and let me watch.
And apparently Santa has a side hustle.
2026 Jacksonville Santa Mini Sessions
And now he’s back.
This year’s Jacksonville Santa Mini Sessions with Santa Claus Ron will take place at Seaside Studio Co. in Jacksonville Beach.
Seaside is a beautiful natural-light studio just steps from the beach, with a bright, clean space that’s going to photograph beautifully.
This year’s location will be new, but the part that makes these sessions so much fun isn’t changing:
A really great Santa.
Your actual kids.
And photographs of what happens when the two meet.
Ready to See Santa?
Whether your child runs straight into Santa’s arms, needs a few minutes to warm up, arrives with a very long Christmas list or decides from across the room that this whole Santa situation seems highly questionable…
Bring them exactly as they are.
I’lltake it from there.
