I’ve had an influx of summer babies and it’s been so much fun!  I think photographing newborns has kept me from having 17 kids!!  I love this stage of life and it’s a pleasure to be able work with couples that are just starting their family, or in this case…adding to it!

I met Jill at Rascals to Rebels when she was pregnant and we were able to reconnect and schedule a newborn photo shoot when Patrick was just 6 days old.  This is such a perfect time to photograph a baby because they are oblivious to the world and able to curl up in poses like this…

Patrick was even kind enough to give me a big smile…before he conked out again.

I love the “awake” pictures I took of him too…

I also love this picture I took of Patrick being held by his big brother, who is not so sure how he feels about the whole situation. 🙂  But, he’s only 6 days in and a month from now, he won’t even remember life without Patrick!

It was such a pleasure to spend the hottest afternoon in Long Beach with this sweet family!  Thanks for bearing the heat with me!!

-Kristin

I have just a few more pictures from the old red truck…

This amazing little spot happens to be my parents’ front yard.  And if I could I would fly out to Montana every weekend to hold photo shoots.

Sighhh, I love the way these images turned out.  I love the place, love the kids…lots of great memories!

-Kristin

I took a few more pictures in front of the new back drop today.  The coloring works really well with a wide range of colors…personally I love the texture of layering clothing in photos!

The inspiration for the back drop was my floors.  You can click on this link to see my wide plank distressed wood flooring.

Cooper’s in a no-smiling-for-the-camera phase, but I kinda like his little smirk.

Jillian just couldn’t miss out on a photo opportunity, so she ran out (while trying on school clothes) and jumped in a few pictures.  I think her outfit goes perfectly with Cooper’s, even though it wasn’t planned.

These two should be twins…

Looking at these pictures makes me so ready for school to start back up!  We are in official countdown…two weeks!!

-Kristin

I’m finally getting around to working on these pictures from the old red truck.  I’m simply in love with so many of them…it’s really hard to narrow it down for the blog!

For now, here’s one that made me smile!

I was in a movie theatre today and saw that Where the Wild Things Are is coming out on October 16.  So fun!  It also reminded me that I never blogged the Where the Wild Things are first birthday party that I photographed.  It was right around the time that Cooper was out of the hospital, so I have a feeling a lot of things got lost in the shuffle. 🙂

The details at this party were amazing.  Starting with the edibles…

Every one-year-old needs their own cake to destroy!

I love his “throne” with all his family and friends watching…especially how much his Grandma and Grandpa enjoyed the whole process of cake mutilation!

To go along with the theme of the party, Laura (of Ascot Friday) created themed goodie bags and crowns for all his guests.

One of the other details was a forest inspired photo booth for all the party guests…

I had so much fun photographing Hudson’s first birthday party!  If your child has a birthday coming up, consider hiring a photographer.  It takes the pressure off capturing all the right moments and lets you enjoy the party.  I have special pricing through the month of September for parties, so email me for more details.  info@kristineldridge.com

-Kristin

I just finished painting my new backdrop and I am in love with the way it turned out!  The first thing I did was start planning the perfect outfit for Jillian to wear.  I like to do sample pictures, so my clients can get inspired and see how textures and colors work for you in an image.

Oh, and I finally got around to making a feather headband…I even wrapped it in navy silk.  I may even have to borrow it!

And this chair…this chair.  Okay, let me back up by saying I’ve been wanting to go to the flea market in Long Beach since I’ve lived here.  Laura invited me last week and we both majorly scored.  I came home with the chair I envisioned for this backdrop and Laura came home with a tan cowhide rug that is amazing.

I wanted to show how the colors in the background also lend themselves to black and white.  I can’t wait to share more details about how I’ll be using it!

I have a few more ideas I want to show for this background…so stay tuned!

-Kristin

What a great day today at Seal Beach!  I’m more and more in love with the wooden pier and the beautiful light that comes with it.

Reagen was a little shy at first, but all it took was her big brother to show up and she was all smiles!

Aiden is pretty cute himself!  And those eyes, oh my goodness, those eyes…

We made our way down to play with the sand and water.  Once Aiden showed her how to do it, Reagen was all about the bucket.  Such a serious little worker. 🙂

I have to include this last picture because Melissa and I joked about how pretty the grassy area was that we found at the end of the photo shoot.  Here we are at the beach, taking pictures in the grass.  But isn’t this the cutest!?

I have so many more cute pictures from this little grassy area, but I have to save something for your online gallery! 🙂

-Kristin

Attention Bay Area Clients:  I will be in the area for a wedding and have Sunday morning (August 23) available for a photo session.  Since there is just one time slot available, there will be a $500 minimum print order.  Please email me if you’re interested. (info@kristineldridge.com)

As we start into August, I’m forced to start shopping for school clothes and think about summer being close to gone.  I know we still have a few weeks left, but it goes by fast!!

We’ve had some fun adventures, including our week in Montana where we did everything from camping, to canoeing to fishing and everything in between!

I love the look on Jillian’s face and the boys holding on for dear life as they push off the bank of the river.

Uncle Travis taught Jake to start a fire (just what I need!) while we were camping.

The guys went fishing…

We also did a little target shooting.  Cooper was a natural…

I happened to also shoot six out of six on target…betcha didn’t know that about me. 🙂

And Jillian learned how to ride a bike on our trip…wide open spaces are good for that!

We had such a wonderful week…and I still have more to share in another post.  I did a special photo shoot with my dad’s old truck, but I’m saving them for when I have a big chunk of time to sit down and edit.

-Kristin

Words just can’t express how happy I am for Jeff and Sam!

Doesn’t Carlee look so happy to be part of the family!  She is SUCH a sweet little girl and an absolute pleasure to photograph this afternoon.

It’s an added bonus when newborns decide they want to be awake for some open-eyed pictures, then sleep for all the poses and baskets and such.  Carlee was considerate enough to give us a little of both. 🙂

I wasn’t so sure this last picture was going to happen….Carlee is already 3 weeks and her “big girl” chair required her to be all curled up and sleepy.  But, with Sam’s help we made it happen!

Can I just say again how lucky I am to be able to do this for a job!!

-Kristin