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.
Babies can sense our energy. Have you noticed that calm people tend to have calm kids, in the same way high-energy people tend to have high-energy kids? When I’m doing a newborn session, I try to make sure that I create a soothing environment. Sometimes, babies are still settling in to this world. Most are under 14 days old when they see me in the studio. Isn’t that amazing! They’ve only been in this world, breathing the air, listening to the sounds and feeling the texture for a handful of days.
1. My studio is heated. The studio is a small guest house with central air/heating, so I’ll turn on the heat a moderate amount to create a comfortably warm space. If it’s a summer afternoon, I won’t need to turn on the heat, it’ll naturally be warm enough. If it’s a chilly day, I’ll use a space heater to direct more heat toward the baby. Why does it need to be so warm? Babies have been living in the womb for the last 9 months where the temperature was a cozy 98.7 degrees.
2. I use a white noise machine. This $20 device from Target is a life-saver. Sometimes older siblings with loud voices will be in the studio with the baby. Other times newborns are so sensitive that the sound of my shutter will startle them. The white noise machine is set on a soft heart beat sounds and it muffles all the noises to create an environment like they were used to in the womb.
3. The decor of my studio is very soft in color and pattern. I want parents to walk in and immediately feel comfortable. While I love color and pattern in my other photo sessions, a newborn session should be soft and sweet. Colors and patterns will compete with the sweet newborn baby instead of complimenting their skin tones and soft features.
4. Before the session, I make sure that I’m not running around trying to get things done. I like to come in with a calm demeanor. I’ll light a candle with a very soft scent. I like Voluspa candles in the studio. Just make sure to select a scent that’s not too over-powering. I want to make sure that I am personally in a space where I won’t get frazzled if a baby is fussy or a toddler sibling doesn’t want to cooperate. If I come from a calm place, I’ll be able to think clearly and problem solve to make sure to get the most out of every newborn photo session.
The following photos were taken by newborn photographer (long beach, ca), Kristin Eldridge.
Collaborating with this family from Arizona was so phenomenal. They challenged me and I pushed my creative limits. Baby Zax slept like a champ and was really up for anything! We started out at the beach, where the weather was perfect. After a quick feeding for Zax, we headed over to my studio and finished out the session with a few more props for the little adventure lover.
// Newborn Beach Photography by Kristin Eldridge
Life doesn’t stay the same for long, does it? I’m sitting here on the eve of the last day of school. Tomorrow will conclude the 2013-2014 school year. In the fall, we’ll enter Jake’s laaaast year of middle school. I don’t even need to tell you what comes after that. After talking with a friend who is feeling a bit weepy about her daughter leaving middle school, I starting thinking about all the new stages of life. Whether you’re in the business of adding a new little baby to your family or saying good-bye to pre-school, elementary or middle school, EMBRACE the change. Love the opportunities that each stage brings.
And most of all, love summer. Because summer starts tomorrow y’all! We’ll be picnic-ing, beach-ing and in general, party-ing!
// At home photo session by newborn photographer orange county, Kristin Eldridge.
Sometimes less is more. Baby Beatrix’s mama loves white. Lots and lots of white. She had been walking around art galleries while she was pregnant and the stark contrast of negative space inspired her. We ran with it and used 99% white for Beatrix’s newborn session. The few bits of soft neutrals that popped up still went with the overall theme. I’m so happy with the results. It makes me want to use white more often. It’s so fresh and clean!
// Newborn photo session by Los Angeles Baby Photographer, Kristin Eldridge.
Being an orange county newborn photographer, you get to photograph twins every once in awhile. I always anticipate these sessions…bringing double of everything AND an assistant! It’s so helpful have an extra set of hands to soothe babies, tuck in blankets, hold the pacifiers, etc. But, all the effort is so worth it!
Seeing newborn twins cuddle and hug shows you what a connect they already have. It’s the sweetest thing ever!
// newborn photography session in Orange County
Photographing newborns is such an intimate session. I love having a slow two hours to spend with each family. I’m not running around like I do at outdoor sessions with families. The pace is slow and patience is key. Especially when it comes to involving older siblings. I’ve written about how to photograph newborns with their siblings here and more newborn tricks of the trade here. But, sometimes, they just make it totally easy on me and do everything I nicely ask. 🙂 Either way, getting photographs of a new family is so rewarding and one of my favorite parts of my job.
This sweet little one was born in December and I went to her bright and airy home in Newport Beach to do her photo session. There’s something about lots of white (so fresh!) and skin that’s only 7 days old (even fresher!).
