Families Archives - Page 4 of 7 - Charlotte Family Photographer

03 Oct

The Carolinas Family Photographer | Christmas & Holiday Cards and Your Clothing Selections

The Carolinas Family Photographer | Christmas & Holiday Cards and Your Clothing Selections

Yes, the Christmas music is already playing in my car. About two weeks ago, as we drove home from a doctor visit, my 4 year old little man wasn’t feeling well, and I needed to cheer him up. So I asked Siri to play “The Chipmunks”. Now every morning on the way to school, I get to listen to The Chipmunks versions of “O Christmas Tree”, “All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth” and “Jingle Bell Rock” along with a few other classics sung by the high-pitched little animals.

But Christmas and the holiday season have been on my mind for many months already. As a portrait photographer, one of my favorite products to deliver to my clients is beautiful Christmas and Holiday cards. I’ll start designing card ideas for clients in April and May, because the photographs from their portrait session can always make a beautiful card to share with their friends and families.

Recently, a client was curious about her outfit selection, and wondered if their holiday outfits would work nicely with the Fall Foliage in the parks during this time of year. So, I thought it would be a great idea to share a few examples of holiday card designs from previous sessions as inspiration for future portrait session clients.

While some clients specifically choose to dress in holiday outfits for their portraits, I have found that almost any selection of coordinated outfits will pair nicely with the variety of Christmas and Holiday Card templates I have acquired over the years. My clients have even used images from their Spring and Summer portrait sessions for their cards, and most of the colors in my templates can be adjusted to match the color palette of my clients’ outfits. And honestly, I personally love traditional holiday outfits photographed outdoors with the beautiful Fall Foliage. The colors work well together and complement each other nicely, especially when you included the beautiful, golden Fall sunshine.

After completing one session last year, one of my clients clapped her hands with excitement and said, “Yay! I can’t wait to have my very own Carolyn Ann Ryan Photography Christmas cards this year!” It seriously makes me smile every time I think about that moment and realized my cards were “a thing”.

The Carolinas Family Photographer shares samples of Holiday Card Designs

The Carolinas Family Photographer, Carolyn Ann Ryan, shares samples of Holiday Card Designs for clients

And I just love cards that include images on the front cover, inside and even the back of the card. While I will include my logo on the back of all of my cards, I still love including a sweet and storytelling image on the back of my clients’ cards (and my own too). Sometimes, the back of the card is my favorite. Here are a few of my favorite Back Covers from last year’s holiday cards.

The Carolinas Family Photographer shares samples of the backs of Holiday Card Designs for clients

Hope these cards help to inspire your next portrait session and I continue to look forward to creating more cards for my incredible clients!!!

Vendors: Christmas and Holiday Card Templates from Design Aglow

02 Oct

Charlotte Metro Family Photographer | A cutie pie!

OMG!! This one year old boy is such a cutie pie! I don’t know what I love the most – the red shoes, the images of his hair blowing in the breeze, the cute vest or the checkered bow tie! He is clearly a budding model already demonstrating he can handle multiple locations, wardrobe changes and props! This family is as sweet in person as they look in these photos – I’m smiling right along with them. Oh and let’s not forget this all takes place in my favorite city, New York City.

Wait til you see these images, you’ll be saying … “OMG!”

Enjoy!

Vendors:
Bowtie and Tie: William & Sally on Etsy

30 Sep

Charlotte, NC Family Photography | Brother and Sister

Charlotte, NC Family Photography | Brother & Sister

Things that go perfectly together – warm sunlight, green grass and leaves that are starting to fall and a family portrait session to bring everything together – sounds like a perfect day to me.

I love the closeness and playfulness of this adorable brother and sister. You can tell that they adore each other and are truly best friends.

While I love images of giggly little ones (and we had a bunch of these), sometimes I am absolutely drawn to the simplicity of a quiet image like that the close-up of their sweet little girl. The combination of her beautiful eyelashes and gorgeous little curls sparkling in the afternoon sunshine is mesmerizing. Makes you want to linger in a peaceful, quiet moment.

Enjoy!

26 Sep

Classic Marvin, NC Family Portraits| Extended Family Celebrations

Classic Marvin, NC Family Portraits | Extended Family Celebrations

Could you imagine a better gift for a 40th wedding anniversary? Three thoughtful sisters wanted to provide their parents with beautiful images of the entire family together – parents, children and grandchildren all together. I love these sessions, because this is what family is all about. It is so important to have these images. While Grandma and her girls will treasure these images today, they will also create beautiful treasured gifts for the three little ones in front in another 40 years.

06 Sep

Charlotte, NC Pet Photographer | Family Moments

Charlotte, NC Pet Photographer | Family Moments

You have to love a family that loves their pets. Meet Whiskey and Moonshine. They came from a rescue home in Tennessee. They may be fully grown, but they are still just puppies at one year old. They are beautiful and sweet dogs and are treasured members of their family. When asked if we could include them in the session, I absolutely agreed.

We had a gorgeous afternoon at their home and in Watchung Reservation. Hope these adorable puppies bring a smile to your day.

Enjoy!

Charlotte, NC Pet Photographer, Carolyn Ann Ryan, photographers a portrait session Carolyn Ann Ryan photographs and family with their two golden retrievers for a family portrait session in Charlotte, NC

04 Sep

Weddington, North Carolina Child Photographer | Growing

A few weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph one of my 2012 newborn clients for his first birthday! I just love watching my little clients grow and photographing them with their families. This one year old man was just adorable and astounded us with all his words and we loved watching him walk, giggle, and play with his parents. And seriously, how adorable is his tuxedo shirt?

Enjoy!

Weddington, North Carolina Child Photographer Carolyn Ann Ryan photographs an adorable little man

14 Aug

NC Family Photographer | WPPI ACCOLADE OF EXCELLENCE {2013 First Half Image Competition Award Winning Images}

I’m so thrilled and so very grateful to announce that I have earned two prestigious Accolade of Excellence awards in the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International 2013 First Half Image Competition. This is an incredible honor to have my images receive these awards and be included among some of the best in the photography industry.

I’m so thankful everyday that I get to do something I absolutely love, and I’m so very grateful for my amazing and wonderful clients!

NC Family Photographer, Carolyn Ann Ryan, receives Accolade of Excellence from WPPI North Carolina Child Photographer, Carolyn Ann Ryan, receives Accolade of Excellence from WPPI

07 Aug

Marvin, NC Summer Family Portraits | Everybody

I just love Summer Family Portrait sessions. We photographed this adorable family locally right in a local park and had a great afternoon with the kids exploring the area. At this time of the Summer, there were still a few cicadas around, and the two littlest ones had no fear and loved looking at them and even picking them up to get a closer look. They tried to give me a few to bring home as presents, but I explained that the cicadas would be happiest at the park. 🙂

Check out these images of a sweet local family.

Marvin, NC Summer Family Portraits by Carolyn Ann Ryan
Summer Portraits in Marvin, NC with North Carolina Family and Child Photographer Carolyn Ann Ryan.

North Carolina Child and Family Photographer photographs a Summer portrait session in Marvin, NC

29 Jul

Marvin, North Carolina Family Photographer | Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

Holmdel, New Jersey Family Photographer | Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

The forecast was partly cloudy and perfect temperature, and in reality it was chilly with a misty rain. I met my clients in Holmdel, New Jersey for a family portrait session, and we ignored the rain and made our own sunshine. You would never guess the weather based on the smiles of this sweet trio and their parents. And I just love the hats that Mom selected for their session!

Enjoy!

Child and Family Photographer, Carolyn Ann Ryan, photographs clients at Holmdel Park in NJ New Jersey Family and Child Portraits in Holmdel

26 Jul

Charlotte, NC Family Photographer | Family Moments

Charlotte, NC Family Photographer | Family Moments

It was a gorgeous afternoon for a family portrait session photographing an adorable toddler just days before her second birthday party. Her Grandma and Grandpa came up from Florida for a surprise visit, so it was perfect timing to include them in the portraits with their adorable granddaughter.

We searched for deer in the parks and this sweet pea just had a wonderful day with her family getting lots of hugs and kisses from her parents and grandparents alike.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Charlotte, NC Family Photographer, Carolyn Ann Ryan, highlights a portrait session with special family moments

Charlotte, North Carolina Family Photographer photographs toddler with her grandparents

24 Jul

Waxhaw, North Carolina Family Photographer | Summer Days

Earlier this Summer, I met an adorable family to capture family portraits with their sweet 2 year old little girl. We started at their home and ventured to a nearby park on the water. The cool breeze from the water was a welcome treat on a Summer Day. Their little munchkin was a sweetheart and I just loved her little side ponytail!

Hope these make you smile! Enjoy!

Waxhaw, North Carolina Family Photographer, Carolyn Ann Ryan, photographs a family

15 Jul

North Carolina Family Photographer | Unveiling the New Logo

In January 2011, I worked with the very talented Leslie Vega of Leslie Vega Design to help design the look of my brand starting with my logo. She knew my style instantly, and when we were finished, we had a logo that I have loved for the past couple of years.

Childhood Photography Logo

But as I sat back this year, I felt it was time for a change. In the last two years, my focus has been family portraits and encouraging Moms and Dads to jump into the photos, and that hasn’t been reflected in my logo and branding. And so I reached out to Leslie and asked for her assistance again. I wanted the overall look and feel to remain consistent, but felt the logo need to grow up a little bit. Leslie knew exactly what I needed and I’m so thrilled to unveil my brand new logo for Carolyn Ann Ryan Photography . . .

Family Photographer based in NJ

Leslie and I will be working on a couple of additional projects to update the look and feel of my blog and web site, and I look forward to sharing those with you, along with more adorable images from recent family portrait sessions.

Hope you have a great start to your week!

16 Jun

Marvin, NC Family Photographer | Happy Father’s Day

Just wanted to wish all of my wonderful clients and friends a very Happy Father’s Day! I’m so blessed to have met so many wonderful Dads and Grandfathers while photographing families, and I can’t thank each of you enough for jumping into the photos with your family and children. Here is just a sample of the amazing images I have been able to create thanks to all these great Dads and Grandpas that just love to have fun with their children and families!

Marvin, NC Family Photographer Father's Day Images

And this wouldn’t be complete without sharing images of my absolute favorite Dads and the most important Dads in my life. Special thanks to George Buhl from Black Thumb Studio for photographing my husband’s entire family at a wedding last Christmas, and to Jessica Wernes from Dewdrop Photography for photographing my entire family this past Mother’s Day. I love family portraits and so grateful to the wonderful photographers that photographed my family so I can be in the portraits with them!

And thanks to my husband, my Dad, my father-in-law and my two brothers-in-law for being the best Dads that I know. You are all very loved and we are lucky to have you in our lives. These little munchkins are blessed to have amazing fathers and grandfathers!

Marvin, NC Family Photographer Happy Father's Day

10 Jun

Weddington, North Carolina Family Photographer | Ivy League

Earlier this Spring, I had the incredible opportunity to photograph an adorable family portrait session right on the campus of Princeton University. The campus was just gorgeous and the day and the light was beautiful, so add in a super sweet little boy and his wonderful parents and I might have been in photographer heaven for a few hours. I have so many favorites from this session, and I loved just stepping back a few times and letting this family have fun together. And I loved incorporating the beautiful buildings from the campus into this family’s portraits, as Mom is currently an art history professor at the university and therefore it has a special place in all of their hearts.

Hope these make you smile! Enjoy!

North Carolina Family Portraits Weddington

Springtime Family Portrait session with Weddington NC Family Photographer Carolyn Ann Ryan
Weddington, North Carolina Family Photographer

07 Jun

North Carolina Family Photographer | Walking in the Rain {The Promise Walk for Preeclampsia – Cranford, NJ}

About a month or so ago, I received a Facebook message from a friend letting me know that The Promise Walk for Preeclampsia was looking for a photographer to photograph their event. Now, I specialize in family portrait sessions, and not event photography, so I initially wasn’t inclined to reach out. Plus, I already had a session booked that weekend, and so this would mean more time away from my family. My promise to my children is that while I do work most weekends, I will only book one session per weekend, so the other day is for them.

But then I remembered the reason my friend was involved with the Preeclampsia Foundation. Sadly, she had Preeclampsia during her first pregnancy years ago, and she nearly lost her own life, and she did lose her little baby girl. Remembering her email that explained what happened to her that horrible day when she was about 8 months along in an uncomplicated pregnancy, broke my heart all over again. And while she now has 3 adorable boys, her heart will never forget her baby girl. And so I reached out to the Foundation, and I agreed to be their photographer for the day, because it was just something I had to do.

It turned out to be an incredibly inspiring day, and I met a ton of wonderful people, who smiled despite the torrential rain, and who cried together as we listened to the stories from the speakers. I learned more about the symptoms of Preeclampsia, which every pregnant woman should know, and I learned about the life of Lauren Bloomstein, a sweet woman who lost her life to Preeclampsia after delivering her beautiful baby girl. I now want to be more involved with this organization, and I hope to be available and invited back for future walks. And I continue to pray for the families that have been impacted by Preeclampsia, and I hope to help spread awareness to help save lives.

I created this slideshow with my favorite images from the day and shared it with the race organizers. I invite you to take a couple of minutes to watch, and also ask that you learn more about Preeclampsia and its symptoms from the Preeclampsia Foundation.

The Promise Walk for Preeclampsia – Cranford has raised nearly $50,000 for this cause and I know they were hoping to raised another $500 to reach that $50,000 goal. If this slideshow and the stories inspire you, and you would like to donate, you can do so by clicking here. Thank you for your time.

PS – One of my favorite parts of the day was meeting a mother who told her little girl that they weren’t just walking in the rain that day – they were going “puddle jumping” instead. She turned the rain into rainbows for her daughter and everyone else that got to chuckle while watching that sweet girl have a blast jumping in every puddle she found. And yes, you can find the adorable “puddle jumper” in the slideshow.

Hope she brings a smile to you on this rainy day.