Oct
21
2011
This post will have to be short on words because I’m a one-woman show this week and lots of photo sessions to run around to! Here’s my week in pictures:
Sometimes when I show up to a photo session, it will take a baby or toddler a little bit to warm up to me. They might be wondering who is this lady with a black box in front of her face? Those first few inquisitive moments can definitely yield some of the best photos. It’s those inquisitive eyes looking straight into the camera. But, sometimes, their eyebrows give them away.
Do you remember that part in Toy Story where Mrs. Potato Head tells Mr. Potato Head to bring his angry eyebrows?
I used to just skip past these pictures during the culling process. I thought the eyebrows ruined the photo, but then I started to think. Those are just shadows. I love everything else about the photo. Why can’t I just get rid of the shadows. ENTER CLONE TOOL. Now I should stop for a second and say, I don’t think he looks angry…just a furrowed brow. 🙂
Okay, back to the clone tool. I took a screen shot so you can see which tool I’m talking about.
Since I’m all about being fast, the shortcut for this tool is S. Hold down alt and click what you want to cover up the area you are working on. So, in this case, I clicked on the area of his forehead above the shadows. Then click on the shadowed area (without holding alt down) to cover up the area. I like to use about a 30% opacity, so it looks natural. Then just keep going over the area, until all the shadows are gone. (oh and you’ll notice I used the same process to get rid of the scratch on his nose.)
Here’s the finished result. No furrowed brow, only inquisitive eyes. Photo saved!
Believe it or not, this blondie has an Asian background on his dad’s side! We took a few of him in a cultural outfit, that are just so cute.
Oct
14
2011
The events that unfolded this week in Seal Beach have left us all a little shaky. Knowing that the future is uncertain. Wanting to hug our spouses and kids just that much tighter.
My heart aches for all the families affected. It makes me look at all these family photos from this week in a whole new light…
This has been quite a week! Thank you for all the well-wishes for the inquiry to use my images from Martha Stewart Living magazine. Sounds like it’s for a January issue, so I’ll keep you all updated! Other than that, I’ve been shooting like a mad woman.
I started the week with a cute little girl in the park on a perfectly sunny day.
Then I had a few sessions in downtown Long Beach. That was quite an adventure….I showed up to the location and the city had put up a giant fence around the perimeter of the building I was going to shoot in front of. Sooo, after sweating it out, I decided to approach the security guard and he was nice enough to let us all in AND a few props. Big shout out to Amer, the security guard!
Then it was off to the beach for a slew of sessions on what could have possibly been the sunniest morning I’ve seen in Long Beach! We started at 8am to get that early morning fog and the sun was out bright and early instead. It was a make-it-work moment and I am loving the vibrancy from these sunny photos!
That’s a jet tour of what I’ve been up to. Cheers to a great weekend!
Summer 2011
Baby Hayley and her big sister…
Big sister Kirsten had her newborn session at the studio 2 years before. Now she was the big helper for Hayley’s photo session. How time flies!!
I think Fridays might be the hardest day to blog…and this is why it’s always been hard for me to blog. I can’t narrow things down. It’s hard for me to choose just one or two images to share from a whole session. I feel like we need to sit down, have a latte and let me give you a play by play of all the cute things that happened and all the gorgeous images I shot this week. Instead you get sentence fragments…
The excitement of discovering a dandelion for the first time..
The lovely fields in Long Beach…
and 2 new babies this week…a 5 day old little doll…
and a 5 week old adorable premie…
I recently read a quote that said, “I don’t want to survive– I want to thrive.” To be honest with you, this week was not a week of thriving. It was survival. It was photo sessions every day, sometimes two…lots of designing albums and planning for future shoots. I’ve said it before, but this week drug me by my hair! I am taking a little time this weekend to take a breather and start off this next week a little better than the last!
So, here’s what I was up to…
Another fun weekend at Rascals to Rebels!
Attention photographers: I’m selling this backdrop for $100…email me (info@kristineldridge.com) if you’re interested!
Oh and then there were the one year olds! I think I lost a pound this week running after one year olds!!
And some ADORRRABLE family sessions!
Cheers to a great weekend and an even better week ahead!
Kristin
I’m packing up again for Rascals to Rebels this weekend…this time the Huntington Beach store. Last weekend was amazing. So many cute kids, so many cute outfits. I mean these parents BRING IT.
I also got to photograph several adorable little boys who braved the heat with me!
I also photographed a big extended family and all their kids…here are some of the sweet girls from that photo session…
And finally one of the cutest pregnant girls I’ve ever met. Seriously, so cute.
Sep
12
2011
Fall of 2010…they took off all pressure and expectations. “Just whatever you want to do…you’re the expert. We don’t mind of they’re not looking at the camera smiling…just capture them playing.” Those are the best kinds of sessions. Life unfolds and it’s always beautiful.
This week was full of…
gorgeous sunset lighting. happy one year olds. kisses from mommy.
sweet smelling newborn hair. cuddles. more mommy kisses.
a trip to Balboa island for the first time. sister hugs. all kinds of colorful dingies.
another brand new baby girl. more love from a big sister. cuddled up like a bug.
AND a first day of school!
