It’s been so long since I’ve blogged, I’ve almost forgotten how to do it. Thankfully I made it through the holiday rush, which went right up to a few days ago. Babies were born, families loved on each other and I was there to document every moment. This year, I was at the lemon groves, the beach, urban walls and more. How I love all my sweet sweet families! I’ll be taking the next few quiet days and hugging my own sweet family.
Okay friends…this is it! Here are my last mini-session dates for 2014. If you missed the October dates, I still have one or two openings left…so feel free to inquire about those.
Here’s how it works…The sessions are 20 minutes long and they are $100 (for the session fee). There’s an additional flat rate of $425 for all your digital images for your own printing and sharing. You’ll be set up for success with helpful tips for printing and resources.
How do you book a session? You can either email or call me.
Sunday November 2
2:30, 2:50, 3:10, 3:30pm
Everyone’s heard of Huntington Beach Central Park, but I have my own favorite secrets spots at this park!
Tuesday November 11 (this is Veteran’s Day, so you may have it off work/school)
3:30, 3:50, 4:10 and 4:30pm
I love this beach for it’s simple background and there’s also little bits of greenery to mix into your photos.
Saturday November 15
3:10, 3:30, 3:50 and 4:00pm
The lemon groves are just the right height for kids. Sometimes there’s lemons and sometimes they’re already picked, but the rows and rows of small trees are so pretty in pictures.
Sunday November 16
3:30, 3:50, 4:10 and 4:30pm
I’m going to include this location in November as well as October because it’s been such a hit. You can’t beat Laguna Beach!
Babies, donuts and my family. Those are my ‘most liked’ photos on my business social networks. Do you know what that tells me? You guys are a great bunch of people. You also have good taste. Whenever I post a baby photo, people gush over tiny hands dimples and toothless grins. I’m a fan too. And donuts, well, what else can we say. Sometimes one needs a donut to get through the day. It’s all good, just balance it out with some vegetables. And my family…awwww. My loves. They don’t appear too often on my feeds because it’s business, but it makes me smile to think that you love to see me as a wife and mom. It’s the same way I love to see my client families doing what they do.
Hey friends! I’ve got all my October dates and locations picked, so wanted to share them with you here!
The sessions are 20 minutes long (unless otherwise noted) and they are $100 for the session fee. There’s an additional flat rate of $400 for all your digital images for your own printing and sharing. You’ll be set up for success with helpful tips for printing and resources.
October 13: (This is Columbus Day, so you may have it off work.) The photo sessions will be at Irvine Regional Park from 3:30-5:00pm.
October 18: The photo sessions will be on Balboa Island. I’d like to do the sessions with families enjoying treats on Main Street. To see an example of what it would look like, click to this blog post. I may be able to add a few more sessions at the docks in Balboa too, so let me know if you’re more interested in that type of session. The sessions will take place 9:00-10:30am.
October 25: If you like a more urban look, these photo sessions will take place near the Artist District of Santa Ana. There are some really unique walls and architecture, all within walking distance. These photo sessions will be 9:30-11:00am
October 25: Sunset at Seal Beach photo sessions will be from 4:30-6:00pm at the south end of the beach.
October 26: This sweet little private beach in Laguna Beach will host the photo sessions from 4:00-5:30pm. The perfect sunset lighting!
Our memories are made of experiences. Every time we partake in an activity together as a family, all the happenings are locked into our minds. We re-live them through stories and of course, photos. This is why I love the idea of families ‘doing things’ together. Recently, I did a photo session where we brought ice cream, cones and a scoop to the beach. For this session, we just walked up and down Main Street in Balboa and simply had fun eating. Of course it’s not the perfectly posed family portrait, but it’s real life. A little messy and perfectly imperfect.
Before you were married, did you ever think about how many kids you wanted? I came from a family of four, so I’ve always felt right at home with big families. All the chaos, laughter and fun! My own 3 kids are really close together. The first two are 19 months apart and the second two are 21 months apart. I remember having Jake and thinking, this is SO easy. All he does is look at us and smile. Let’s have another! So, we did. And our middle guy Cooper was slightly more active, but also pretty mellow. Before we knew it, we had three kids. Three years and younger. When Brent had to go back to work after Jillian was born, I kinda wanted to beg him to stay. This three to one ratio was kinda scary! But, I somehow survived and now the boys share a lot of the same best friends and Jillian is keeping up doing exactly everything the boys are doing. I love my big family. And I love being around other people’s families. I’m comfortable around the dynamics and can steer around sibling situations as they come up. Who knew all those days being overwhelmed at home with babies and toddlers would be on-the-job training!?
(PS-mine are now 13, 12 and 10)
// photographs by Orange County family photographer, Kristin Eldridge.
When I was pregnant with our oldest, Jake, I planned his nursery, his outfits and every little baby accessory. All that planning and anticipation is what it feels like as I approach the holiday season being a family photographer! Months ahead of time, I’m scouting and planning. Looking up sunrise and sunset times. Trying to guess what you all will like the best. I bring back favorites from years’ past and come up with new and exciting stuff too. I want you to look forward to sending out your family’s cards this year!
I’m starting with the month of September. Around the middle of the month, I’ll put out the dates/locations for October and in mid-October I’ll announce the dates/locations for November. As December approaches, it gets crazy busy. So, as an incentive to book early, the price is the cheapest in September (just like last year). Woo hoo!
The session fee of $100 holds your slot. Check out the pricing on the left under the Details + Pricing button.
Here’s what I’ve got!
September 13th 9:30, 9:50, 10:10 and 10:30am
I love this graffiti wall in Santa Monica. A favorite client introduced me to this hidden gem and I love the poppy colors. There’s a variety of walls, so don’t worry…you won’t all have the exact same background.
September 14th 5:20, 5:40, 6:00 and 6:20pm
This location is tucked away at a park in Long Beach. It’s a beautiful rural area that has big trees and gorgeous sunset lighting. If you want to incorporate your dog, this would be the perfect spot.
September 30th 4:50, 5:10, 5:30 and 5:50pm
A new favorite spot in Laguna Beach has me thinking about Hawaii! It’s so lush and green with big succulent plants.
Here’s a little something to perk up your Tuesday morning! This family brought the fun to their photo session. I love collaborating with clients, but this mom had it nailed on her own. Starting with a big bunch of red balloons, she styled pops of red into their wardrobe. I love how it’s pulled together while looking effortless.
We met up at Old Towne Irvine. The structure was an old grain and bean store house in the 1800’s. Over the years it was a blacksmith’s shop, a hotel and a general store. Each generation preserved the original building. Now businesses operate here and it’s a fun place to explore!
photos taken by Irvine Photographer, Kristin Eldridge
These will be the last mini-sessions of the summer. And the last time to take advantage of the summer pricing for mini-sessions before prices go up September 1. Let’s enjoy sunset lighting at a beautiful park in Long Beach.
Here’s the details: August 16th and 17th 6:00, 6:30, 7:00
*Yes, it’s later in the day, but trust me, the lighting is worth it. Hopefully later summer bedtimes will work for us here!
**This type of session is for babies, kids or families.
$100 for a 30 minute session, special summer pricing for your digital images. Click on the details + pricing link on the left to see pricing.
To book a session call 562-980-6480 or email info@kristineldridge.com.
In Southern CA we sort of skipped ‘June Gloom’ this year and it went straight to July Gloom. June was bright and sunny and wonderful. July is full of overcast days. Who knew!? To be honest, I don’t really mind overcast at the beach. It makes the photos take on a water color feel. I do love bright beach photos as well.
The mini-sessions I had near Laguna Beach this year were one of those overcast days. It was beautiful, but chilly to say the least. I had brought a few blankets for sitting on and they ended up taking on a life of their own as super hero capes and blankets for snuggling. I love the way they add to this photo session in a way I would never have anticipated.
This is a perfect example of letting the situations guide the photo sessions. Ultimately as the photographer, I’m in control, but sometimes what I plan doesn’t work out how I was thinking it would. Not being ‘stuck’ to my ideas lets me take advantage of a chilly day and some extra blankets.
