What would you tell the high-school version of yourself?
I would tell myself that the things you care about right now will all fall away. In fact you won’t even remember them!
There are a few things I wish I knew when I was starting out as a photographer.  This year marks 14 years getting paid to take photos. I’ve made many mistakes and learned along the way. The number one thing I wish I knew from day one was…
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Here a few things I love about this session…in no particular order. 🙂
The girls always come ready to have fun. They are giggling and being silly from the second we start. It always makes for great photos!
Aug
06
A couple years ago, I was looking for a location for a client and stumbled on to Castaways Park.
We had a magical little overcast photo shoot at Little Corona Del Mar. I love how the fog sort of turns everything into a watercolor painting. It also tends to help the crowds die down.
The secret to photographing toddlers isn’t in a fast shutter speed. It’s not about your ISO or what type of lens you have. The secret to getting the best photos of a wiggly and FAST toddler is to work with them instead of against them.
I learned a long time ago that you cannot make a baby, toddler or child do something they don’t want to do during a photo session. I learned that you must make your idea their idea and run with it. Sometimes this shows up in the form of manipulating the situation. If I see a little one that enjoys pushing the limits, I might tell them…you better not smile at me. Or I’m going to come get you!
And if a toddler just want to move, we MOVE. I will have parents swing them until I count down to a pause so I can take the photo. I will have one parent chase them into the arms of another parent.
Whatever your method, just remember to make all the energy work to your advantage. Making a wiggly toddler sit still is a fool’s errand. Use all that energy to play hide and seek, so you get the biggest most authentic smile when you find them.
And for more fast and furious toddlers, check out this guy’s session at the beach.
One of my favorite spots to explore with kids is in Laguna Beach. With tide pools and a castle, there’s so much to see! It takes a little bit of effort to get there (walking over coral), but so worth it. I’m starting off with February 21 in the afternoon while the tide is low.
The sessions are $100 for a 30 minute session (an extra 10 minutes from the normal 20). Then, you purchase a package to receive all your digital images.
Laguna Beach // February 21 // 3:30, 4:00, 4:30 and 5:00
Click on the contact buttons on the left to book your spot!
**If these spots are gone immediately (which sometimes happens) I will try to open up another date.
Laguna Beach Photographer, Kristin Eldridge does beach mini-sessions.
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.
They’re back! I’m opening up another round of mini-sessions at a secluded little spot in Laguna. Last year was so much fun! There’s so much exploring to do in the beautiful place.
The mini-sessions will be February 17 (President’s Day, so you may have it off work). I’ll start with morning sessions and if they fill up, I will open up some afternoon sessions as well. So, email me if you can’t do morning and I will try to do afternoon too.
Cost:Â $100 for a 30 minute session (I’m making it longer than my normal 20 minutes because there’s so much to see!)Â There will be special rates for digital image packages for the first four clients that book, so you can email about that as well.
Date/Time: February 17th 9:00, 9:30, 10:00 and 10:30am (but if these fill up, I’ll do an afternoon session too) And this is plenty of time for just the kids or the whole family.
