30 Dec

Marvin, NC Family Photographer | Fun in the Fall

Marvin, NC Family Photographer | Fun in the Fall

It’s time to post another session from earlier this Fall.   I love clients that keep coming back and giving me a chance to see how much everyone has grown.  This is the third year that I had the pleasure of working with this family and capturing adorable moments with them.  This year, we chose to meet at Memorial Park in Millburn, NJ, and I was very happy with the different backdrops available at this location.

I love working with families that know how to have a great time together.  While the older children were a little more quiet and reserved (and truthfully, just really mature for their age), the little guy definitely showed his true colors and brought out the giggles from everyone else.  He just loved playing it up for the camera, too!   Can you tell?  And everyone had fun when they were asked to play and jump in the leaves!

Enjoy!

Marvin, NC photographer Carolyn Ann Ryan captures Fall Family portraits

 

20 Dec

Charlotte, NC Children’s Photographer | Tiny Tuesday – May Your Holiday Wishes Come True

Charlotte, NC Children’s Photographer | Tiny Tuesday – May Your Holiday Wishes Come True

Today’s Tiny Tuesday is perfect for this week.  I just love when children do something slightly unexpected.  When I was taking my niece’s photograph, there were a bunch of distractions from her siblings happening around her.  I wanted her to focus and be with me, so I asked her to close her eyes and relax for a minute.  Then I wanted to get her thinking about something that would make her smile, so I asked her to think about what she wanted for Christmas.  She immediately clasped her hands together, started dreaming of her Christmas wishes and you can almost hear her saying “I really, really, really hope I get . . . . . ”

The result was this sweet image of a child hoping that all her Christmas wishes come true.  And I love the lights in the background setting the mood. When I look at this image, I feel like I can see Christmas Eve and Christmas morning through this young lady’s eyes, and it looks like it’s going to be a wonderful day!

Charlotte, NC Children's Photographer holiday Christmas portraits

For all my clients, family, friends, and readers of my blog, I do hope all your holiday wishes come true.  And here is an early wish for a wonderful New Year in 2012 for you and your family.

19 Dec

Weddington, NC Children’s Photographer | Days to Warm Your Heart

Weddington, NC Children’s Photographer | Days to Warm Your Heart

It was mid-October and around 80 degrees, and I had a portrait session scheduled with an adorable family of FIVE boys.  Yes, five absolutely wonderful little men.  I know their Mom was nervous about the session, not just because she wanted adorable pictures, but she had purchased long sleeves and corduroy pants for them to wear for their holiday portraits, and now it was 80 degrees and the perfect weather for shorts.  But, her guys proved she had nothing to worry about.

It wasn’t the sun that warmed my heart that day, but it was the sweet smiles and unbelievable cuteness from these little men.  The older boys were so polite as they asked questions about my camera equipment, and helped me carry items as we moved from location to location in Historic Richmondtown.  And the little guys just completely stole my heart with the twinkle in their eyes.   I know everyone that knows this family would agree that their parents are doing an incredible job raising this family.

Here is a sampling of the images we made that warm October day.

Weddington, NC Children's Portrait Photographer

15 Dec

Marvin, North Carolina Family Photographer | Time for some cuteness!

Marvin, North Carolina Family Photographer | Time for some cuteness!

I posted on Facebook yesterday that I have 17 sessions that need to be added to the blog all the way from October through now!  17!  It was an incredible and amazing season and I just loved all the time I spent with my clients capturing the cuteness. Even the chaos was fun.  I really loved every minute of it.

I just received a comment on my Facebook page from a wonderful person that was excited to see all the cuteness.  So, here is the perfect start for sharing cuteness!  This gorgeous little lady has been a client since she was just a few days old, and now she is almost two.  And she gets more adorable each time I see her.

Enjoy!

Marvin, North Carolina Family Photographer

22 Nov

Priceless Charlotte, NC Children’s Photography | Tiny Tuesday – Mother’s Love

Priceless Charlotte, NC Children’s Photography | Tiny Tuesday – Mother’s Love

Today’s Tiny Tuesday post is from one of this year’s Fall portrait sessions.  I LOVE this moment and so does this little man’s Mommy, and it might be our favorite image from the entire session.

When we started the session, this little guy was being shy and just wanted to stay very close to his Mom and also his stuffed animal, George.   But even though he was being shy, there were still moments to be captured.

I love this image because you can feel the tenderness.  You don’t need a smile, a giggle or laughter to show the love that exists between a parent and child.   For me, this image shows sweetness, comfort, security, love and curiosity all rolled into one.  And I’m just completely mesmerized by those adorable eyes.

Enjoy and I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Priceless Charlotte, NC Children's Photography  shares precious and heartfelt photograph

 

15 Nov

Charlotte, NC Child Photographer | Tiny Tuesday – Thanksgiving Inspirations

Charlotte, NC Child Photographer | Tiny Tuesday

This week’s Charlotte, NC Child Photographer Tiny Tuesday post is about more than just a photograph of a cute little girl.  This story is about how this sweet little one inspired her parents and many others to do good in their community around the holidays. With Thanksgiving approaching next week, I felt this was a really sweet story to share and I’m including my favorite image from her portrait session last October.

Olivia’s parents wanted to teach their daughter the true meaning of Thanksgiving and what it means to appreciate and give back.  In November 2010, they set a goal to help feed four families a full Thanksgiving meal with all the extra trimmings. But after chatting with Olivia, she increased their goal from four to ten families.  Olivia’s philosophy was simple and sincere: “If we are going to help people, we should try to help more people.”

So, Olivia’s father launched an effort through friends and family and in just two weeks, they were able to raise enough funds and collected enough food to feed 34 families a full Thanksgiving meal last year!  They had funds come from New Jersey, New York, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico and England. This year, Olivia’s father increased their goals, is working with more families, and had even offered to chat with others to help them get a similar effort going in their own community.   Based upon his personal experiences, he notes “you will certainly receive so much more than you give.”

I’m thrilled to say that my family contributed to their effort last year and again this year, and we are hoping to join them this weekend as they gather and sort all the food into boxes for distribution on Monday and Tuesday.  And it’s all because of this adorable little smile below.  This little sweetheart has inspired a whole community to give thanks in a wonderful way and help other families that couldn’t afford to enjoy Thanksgiving, celebrate with a wonderful feast.

So, now I’m curious, who else will this little girl inspire?  If you can, please consider donating to your local food banks or other charities this coming week and help others enjoy this holiday.  It doesn’t take much.  It just takes a start.

 

Charlotte, NC Child Photographer Tiny Tuesday

08 Nov

Waxhaw, NC Children’s Photographer | Tiny Tuesday – Favorite Moments

Waxhaw, NC Children’s Photographer | Tiny Tuesday – Favorite Moments

Today’s Waxhaw, NC Children’s Photographer Tiny Tuesday post has two images.  These were taken in July 2010 while my family was visiting a friend in Pennsylvania.  Our friends had beautiful light in their backyard and thankfully I brought my camera.

Photographs don’t always need to show little ones looking at the camera smiling.  In this case, you don’t even need to see faces.  For me, the first image captures a moment.  My little guy gives amazing hugs.  And when he runs around, he’ll run right up to one of us, grab our legs, bury his head and squeeze real tight.  Just looking at this image, I can feel his amazing squeeze.  And I just love watching moments of my husband being a cute Dad.  While this may be a moment that happens often during these toddler years, it’s a moment I love to see again and again, and I’m thrilled to have captured it in this sweet photograph.  Someday, when our little guy is bigger, maybe even as tall as his 6’3″ Daddy, he’ll love this image, too!

The second image is just a sweet portrait of a smiling Daddy and his little man. I love the little one’s eyes and the beautiful light in this image. These are my favorite men.

Waxhaw, NC Children's Photographer shares Tiny Tuesday - Favorite Moments

25 Oct

Professional Matthews NC Child Photographer | Tiny Dancer

Professional Matthews NC Child Photographer | Tiny Dancer

Starting this week, I’m introducing two weekly blog posts. Every Tuesday will be Tiny Tuesday where I post favorite images from sessions over the last few years and talk about why I love the photograph. Later this week, I’m going to start Favorite Fridays where I will share a favorite toy, children’s store, educational item or service related to children. I do expect that many of these will be local to my area and my clients, but some may be national or online items.

I do hope you enjoy these posts and I welcome feedback and comments.

This week’s Tiny Tuesday share is an adorable little girl caught spinning in the grass. As we started our session last Summer, she was a little shy and I needed to get her to warm up to the camera. I noticed her dress was perfect for spinning, so I backed up to give her some space and also a feeling that I wasn’t right on top of her and asked her to just twirl. What little girl doesn’t love to twirl and watch her own dress spin in the breeze? The result was this adorable image, and the remainder of the session was just wonderful. I love the timeless feel of this image.  For me, it captures an innocence and sweetness that is a part of being a little girl – just a moment lost in their own world spinning in their dress.

Matthews NC Family Portrait Photographer Carolyn Ann Ryan photographs little girl spinning in grass

06 Oct

Marvin, NC Photographer | Childhood Enclosed

Marvin, NC Photographer | Childhood Enclosed

Just another day when I love my job.  Full session with my own munchkin and pumpkin.  All I can say is – – I love these kids.

Marvin, NC Photographer