November 2011 - Charlotte Family Photographer | Carolyn Ann Ryan Photography

22 Nov

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.

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.

08 Nov

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.

07 Nov

North Carolina Family Photographer | Fall is in the Air

After a brief appearance of Winter last weekend, it was wonderful to have such beautiful weather this weekend, and I was even more excited to make it a triple header portrait session weekend. Yes, I was lucky enough to have family portrait sessions scheduled on Friday, Saturday and Sunday that paired perfectly with the crisp air and gorgeous sunlight! One session was rescheduled from last weekend, and I’m sure they are thrilled that we waited for better weather!

It was also an honor to see two returning clients this weekend. I’m so excited to watch my little clients grow, that seeing them again and spending time with these families for their sessions feels like getting together with old friends! It warms my heart. Thank you to my wonderful clients!

Here are a few sneak peeks to share and I hope you had the chance to enjoy the beautiful weather, too! Do you think these kids were having any fun?

05 Nov

Vibrant Waxhaw, NC Family Portrait Session | Childhood Enclosed

Lately, I find myself constantly saying how much I love my job. When you get to see smiles like these on a regular basis, how could you not love what you do?

A few weeks back, I met this adorable family and we had a wonderful afternoon. The sun was warm and shining in early October, and the light was just perfect everywhere we went. We started at their home in the backyard, which gave the family dog an opportunity to jump in a few images, and then we headed to a park in Edison, NJ after a quick clothing change. I love watching a family just have fun together. You can see the happiness and smiles just shine through in these photos!