Childhood Archives - Page 7 of 8 - Charlotte Family Photographer

30 Dec

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!

20 Dec

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!

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

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.

15 Dec

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!

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.

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!

25 Oct

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.

11 Oct

Metuchen, NJ Family Photographer | Sunshine and Smiles

We had an absolutely beautiful weekend in the Northeast and I was thrilled to spend time with a few wonderful families capturing these adorable smiles. As you can see from the sneak peeks below, it was a weekend full of adorable boys with only one little, giggly 6 year old girl (and she was such a cutie!).

There was plenty of sunshine and lots of smiles to go around. Enjoy these sneak peeks and I’m looking forward to sharing more in the upcoming weeks. Lots more sessions on the calendar!

06 Oct

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.

27 Sep

Waxhaw, NC Child Portraits | All Smiles

Have you ever seen a photo of your children that you just kept going back to look at it over and over because you loved it so much? A photo that just makes you smile really big everytime you see it? You know, the photo that makes you stop and say to yourself – “Wow, these guys are mine and I love them so much! They may drive me nuts sometimes, but just look at them, they are awesome.”

Sometimes, all it takes is just one image to give you that feeling, and I was so happy to capture that one image for myself this weekend.

These guys love to run. They squeal and giggle as they are running, and I think this image just shows my munchkin and pumpkin at their best – happy together.

This is why I do what I do. Because, sometimes, you get a picture that will just make you smile everytime you see it. I love when it happens for me, but I also really do love when it happens for my clients, too. There will be more to share from this session, but for now, here was favorite.

21 Sep

Lovable Marvin, NC Family Photography | Nieces

I am blessed to have four beautiful, little nieces living not too far away. They are my daughter’s best friends, and we just love spending time with them.

I think my sister loves having a photographer in the family, but I don’t mind. It is a pleasure to spend a few hours with these girls and capture their beautiful smiles and watch them grow.
This year, some of my favorites are of my youngest niece, because she made me work for some of those smiles as you can see below, but capturing all of her personality (including the “fake” pouts) was just so much fun. Sometimes, those are the images that make me giggle most when I’m post-processing the session on my computer.

Here are some highlights from our End of Summer session last week. {Thanks girls for being so wonderful and fun!}

31 Aug

Marvin, NC Children’s Photographer | Summer Days

It’s nearly the end of summer, and a perfect time to highlight this fun Summer Session. We began our session at their home, and immediately started to see the personalities of the little ones. I love watching brothers and sisters playing together, especially when the little ones are entertaining the older ones.

After a clothing change and snack, we took a short drive to a nearby park. It was a beautiful August morning, and these little guys loved spending time with their Mom and Dad.

Marvin, NC Family Photographer captures family fun in Summer Days

29 Aug

Fanwood, NJ | Thank You to The Goddard School

Deciding to send your child to daycare can be a very difficult and emotional decision for a new parent. We want our children to grow up in an environment that is nurturing and loving, and also educational. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I didn’t know how I felt about daycare, and I was extremely worried about the whole process. But when my daughter was 10 months old, she entered a full-time daycare program.

Now, my daughter is six years old and about to begin first grade in just a few weeks. Today is her last full day at The Goddard School in Fanwood where she has been a student for the past 3 years. I have tears in my eyes just thinking about this, because everyone there has become part of our extended family. The teachers at this school are wonderful. Not only are they smart, kind and have a ton of patience, but you can tell that they truly enjoy their jobs. They have provided an educational, fun and happy environment for my daughter, and it’s been amazing to watch her learn and grow over the last few years.

For a little girl that was once very shy and timid, she now acts like the mayor of the school saying hello and good-bye to every child and knows almost every child in the school by name. Over the years she not only learned to read, but also learned sign language, Spanish, and so much more.

She has built incredible and adorable friendships, and paved the way for me to make amazing new friends with the other moms at the school. I often feel that family life is filled with craziness and chaos, and it’s wonderful to have friends that share similar experiences and can help you laugh and smile through it all.

Today’s post is a thank you to the amazing staff at The Goddard School, the adorable girls and boys that have been my daughter’s classmates, and the wonderful mothers and fathers of those adorable children. Thank you for everything you have done to bring numerous smiles, giggles, and happiness to our lives and for being a part of our daughter’s childhood.

Looking back on the last few years, I know that sending our daughter to daycare was a good decision. It was heartbreaking when she was a few months old, but it’s just as heartbreaking now to see her say good-bye to the amazing people that have been a part of her life.