I’m still keeping my 50+ holiday sessions under wraps, but once cards go out, it’s going to be share-time like crazy over here! This was a session I did last year in Ladera Ranch. I had so many of those perfect moments. I love it when families come together and their love for each other is immediately recognizable!
Have you done your family photo session yet this year? If not, you need to take a look at my FAVORITE accessories! Accessories are like the icing on the cake for a photo. You don’t have to add every single one to your outfit, but 2 or 3 will perfect your overall ensemble. I talk about my favorites and where to find them over on Tiny Oranges!
Side note: I’m always behind on blogging family photos this time of year. Partially because I’m so busy with photo shoots and partially because some families want the ‘big reveal’ to happen when they send out their card! So, I’m going to reach into the archives and share some perfectly accessorized families from 2012!
favorites…shoes, ties, leggings, hair accessories, flower pin
favorites…statement necklace, belt, coordinating prints, colored jeans
favorites…statement necklace, hair accessories, colored jeans
favorites…love the neutral look on both of these with careful thought to detail, tulle skirts, scarves, fun shoes and shoe laces!, hair accessories
There’s something about dressing up that makes people happy. It’s the idea of being someone else and sometimes that involves glitter make-up and fun props. Ending the night with a sack of candy doesn’t hurt the mood either!
This year we went retro. All 3 kids (two of which are in middle school) got into the fun and we couldn’t NOT dress up our dog as first year dog owners! Jillian had her outfit planned months ago. A quick trip to the downtown LA fabric district had me brushing the dust off my sewing machine. The boys’ costumes were thrown together a little last minute. With the help of my brother, my friend Laura and a trip to American Apparel for authentic striped tube socks, we were in business.
Oh and Pippa the dog? She’s Jane Fonda circa 1984. We wanted to play off her ‘permed hair.’ I made her lycra leotard, complete with tail hole. And if you’re in the mood for a laugh, check out last year’s Halloween costumes.
Oh and my afternoon at Rascals to Rebels was just about as much fun as Christmas! Here’s just a FEW favorite costumes that walked through the doors…
I’m playing off the gold trend this year! It’s a simple white backdrop with a white fur rug on the ground and tons of gold dots behind. This will be so cute for Christmas cards! Yet, neutral enough to enjoy in a frame all year long. Head over to Rascals to Rebels’ new location in Rossmoor to book your session! I’ll be at the store Nov 9 from 2-4pm and Nov 10 from 12-2pm.
Purchase $50 at the store to receive your complimentary photo session. All prints and digital images can be purchased separately.
This week, I photographed the loveliest family from Canada. We had gorgeous lighting and everyone was in a great mood! You just can’t beat that! In other news, I forgot to blog that I did add 5 new November dates and gave the heads up to my mailing list first. Guess what, they snatched them all up! So…I can add one more date, but would love to hear from you all if you are interested or if everyone that’s game has already booked. If you are up for doing a mini-session, email me at info@kristineldridge.com and I’ll see what I can pull together. Of course, if you want to book a full session, that’s always available. The mini-sessions are limited and I’ve learned they go QUICK!
Don’t forget to go to the new location of Rascals to Rebels (10680 Los Alamitos Blvd) for Halloween photos this year! It’ll be Saturday Oct 26 and it’s a drop by event. So, just bring your kids in their costumes between 3 and 5pm. It’s just $20 for 3 digital photos (emailed 2 days after the event). Looking forward to it!
This is a blog post about a gorgeous mama and a cute little boy and all the sweetness that happens between them. I love being able break from the family photos and get babies or kids with each parent. I feel like these are the special ones that they’ll have in a frame away at college. This is me and my mama.
Love.
Hey you. I see how you’re working on enjoying the last bits of this weekend. Do yourself a solid and make this pie tonight. You might even have all the ingredients. I’m not kidding, this is my favorite dessert ever. Please enjoy it. If not tonight, then sometime soon before an ice cream based pie is out of season. Oh, wait. It’ll never be out of season
Here’s your list…
1/2 cup karo syrup
2T. brown sugar
3T. butter
Melt these 3 items either over the stove top in a small pan or in the microwave.
Add 2 1/2 cups rice krispies. Spread this mixture in a buttered pie tin and freeze it for 10-15 minutes.
While it’s freezing, make the fudge sauce:
1/2 lb. butter
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
Melt these 2 things in a double broiler so the chocolate doesn’t burn. Add 1/2 c. cocoa and 3 cups sugar. Thoroughly stir together.
Cook for 10 minutes. Add 1 pint heavy whipping cream and cook on low until smooth. Take off the heat and add 1T. vanilla.
This is going to make a LOT of fudge sauce. You’ll only need about 1/2 cup for the pie, so you can eat the rest for breakfast tomorrow. (if you know what’s good for you)
Back to the pie…
Mix 1/4 cup fudge sauce with 1/4 cup natural peanut butter. Spread this mixture over the rice krispy pie crust. Freeze for 10-15 minutes.
Pack in 1 quart of high-quality vanilla ice cream. Drizzle with fudge sauce.
**Here’s a little bit of history on this recipe. My in-laws used to own the Naples Rib Joint in the Long Beach. My mother-in-law created this recipe in the 80’s it was called Girdle Buster Pie. Those were the days! (When a name like that wouldn’t deter every female customer from ordering it!) They wanted a dessert that would melt and quickly turn tables. Now, it’s just a birthday favorite among the family.
I’m sorry it’s been a while since I’ve posted. And I don’t want the blog to simply be a place for me to promote mini-sessions! But, time flies by and the next thing I know it’s been a week since I’ve been here. I was telling a friend last night about a smoothie she should try. She asked, “is the recipe on your blog?” Um, no. I have too much to share…so many good recipes, fall projects and of course hundreds of photo sessions. Now I just need to time to stop for an hour or two so I can blog it all! In the meantime, I wanted to share a newborn session that I did back in January. They wanted to keep the photos on the DL until they sent out their announcements, so I filed these away and kind of forgot about them. This is one of my favorite newborn sessions. I love the soft colors and just how sweet these big brothers are.
Which leads me to my next train of thought…older siblings. How do you prepare for a newborn session when you have older children?
First off, don’t stress. Your photographer should have ideas, plans and back-up ideas and plans! I assume that older children want to be involved. So, I’ll tell them I have an important job and play up the big muscles or how sweet they are with the baby. It really IS a big job. Newborns are squishy, but really heavy when you’re 2, 3 or 4 years old!
If an older sibling just isn’t into holding the baby, that’s OKAY. They’re going through a lot of big changes and sometimes holding a baby isn’t at the top of their to-do list that day. I try to put the baby into a static position, like in a basket on a bench or sleeping on a chair. Then I put all my attention on the older child. I’ll manipulate the situation so the older child is has is hand near the chair or standing next to it. Still a cute photo, but no one has to hold the baby. 🙂 Check out this example of a baby sleeping on a suitcase with her older siblings sitting next to it.
Lastly, don’t rule out bribes. Sometimes, it just takes a photographer 30 seconds to get a few amazing shots and if a child knows there’s a fun toy at the end, they’re game!
September mini-sessions have been fabulous! Want proof? Check out my Facebook page full of sneak peeks! I’ve added FIVE more dates for October…check out the details below.
Here’s how it all works…the mini-sessions are 20 minutes long. They are back to back at the specified location. Sign-ups are done via email or over the phone. Payment of the $100 session fee saves your spot.
This month, I will be running an October Special. It gives you the option to purchase a the flash drive of all your re-touched high resolution images, which is about 25 for $400 (normal price $650). If you sign up right now, you don’t have to commit to this special...you can just pay the $100 session fee and order a la carte (pricing on the left). But, it’s a great deal and only available for those that sign up for these October dates.
Once you sign up for a photo session, you’ll be emailed the directions and specifics. Also, I might be able to squeeze in one or two dates and locations in November once these are filled.
October 5th at a rustic park location in Lakewood (super close to Long Beach) 9:00am, 9:20, 9:40, 10:00
October 6th sunset at trails in a Huntington Beach park 4:20, 4:40, 5:00, 5:20
October 15th at Seal Beach Pier 4:20, 4:40, 5:00, 5:20
October 17th sunset at rustic trails in Irvine 4:20, 4:40, 5:00, 5:20
October 27th at a huge nature reserve in San Juan Capistrano 3:40, 4:00, 4:20, 4:40