Mar
27
I can tell brand new parents by the way they handle a newborn. And it makes sense! Brand new babies have no neck strength. So, holding them or handing them off to someone else can feel like handling a piece of fragile glass.
Part of my job as a newborn photographer is ensuring a baby stays asleep during their photo session. Babies are best photographed sleeping because they don’t have the startle reflex that often happens while babies are awake.
Newborn Photographer Irvine, Kristin Eldridge
The first thing I noticed about Baby J was his lips. I mean, this cute guy had the fullest, sweetest lips ever. Then I saw big brother’s curls…these boys are heartbreakers!
I absolutely loved spending the morning with these three girls and their parents. We basically had a pink explosion in the studio. All the soft baby pink was perfect for brand new Baby AJ. Her sisters told me all about their favorite princesses. It won’t be long before AJ will have her favorite princess too!
What a beautiful family!
One Year Photo Session Ideas
I see lots of one year photo session ideas…but the most recent one I photographed was just too cute. I had to share it with you! Instead of doing a cake smash, this mom put together a variety of edible finger paints. I love that moms are more conscious when it comes to what they are giving their children to eat. Not that I’m against a cake smash. If there’s a time to give your baby sugar, I think that’s the time!
This one year old’s favorite food is Fage yogurt. So, her mom used the yogurt to create finger paints. She put them in cute containers and dyed them with natural dye. We used a white piece backdrop paper for the floor. Hello, easy clean up! I got set to go and mom put her down. It was non-stop fun for a good 10 minutes! And I love the way the photos turned out.
As much as I love photographing babies in my Long Beach studio, going to a client’s home is also wonderful. People are generally more comfortable in their own home and they get to put in little touches of their style into the photos. Not to mention the totally cozy feel the photos have. So, if you’re on the fence about where to do your photo session, consider doing it at your home. These photos show just how beautiful an at-home session can be.
Orange County Newborn Photography
A good beach photo is easy to love. But, when is a good time to do a beach photo? And by time, I mean the age of your child. The first bit of advice I have is that in order to take a good photo, you have to love the beach. I know it sounds redundant, but if you don’t love spending time at the beach, you won’t love hanging out there for pictures. Your hair will get wind-blown and you might walk away with the soggy jeans.
If you do love the beach, YAY! I do too. A successful beach shoot involves a walking child. Yes, it’s possibly to take a baby to the beach and get good photos. But, if we’re talking best case scenario, it’s a child that can walk. Why? Because sitting and crawling babies are so tiny that even if you set them on a blanket, I have to zoom so far out to capture the landscape that the baby is super tiny in the photo. If I zoom in to crop appropriately, you lose the essence of where you are.
And there’s the sand. Sand that gets everywhere. Sand that’s shoveled by the handful into the mouths of babes. Crawling babies are just curious. They want to crawl right off that blanket and into the sand to taste it.
So, of course you can always book a beach session with a baby of any age, but my best advice is to wait just a little until they are walking to get the most out of your session!
Feb
03
If this doesn’t make you smile, I don’t know what will!
One year portraits by Baby Photographer, Kristin Eldridge.
Photographing older toddler siblings and their new baby sister or brother can be a little tricky. I always try to get them close on the bed or sofa. If that doesn’t work, I use this stump (or any chair/bench) to get the baby all nice and comfy (and still!). Then I add in the toddler. We play games and point out the baby’s feature. Sometimes a kiss will happen. But, it allows the toddler to move around and not be required to hold or even touch the baby. It still creates a feeling of intimacy even though there may be no physical touch.
Of course adding parents in always helps, but if you’re trying to get those adorable sibling shots, this is a little trick I use!
Photos by Orange County Newborn Photographer, Kristin Eldridge.
“When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.”
― Shauna Niequist, Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way
Such a poignant reminder that when life is less than ideal, not only do we need to cope, but we need to grow. After a particularly rough week, I was happy to have a weekend with good photo sessions. People that love each other and let me in to capture it all.
**If you are interested in a couch photo session, I have a few spots left on March 30. Email or call to sign up. (Contact buttons on the left.)
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