Families Archives - Page 5 of 7 - Charlotte Family Photographer

03 Jun

Charlotte, North Carolina Communion and Family Portraits | Formal and Casual

Charlotte, North Carolina Communion and Family Portraits| Formal and Casual

When parents contact me for Communion Portraits, I always suggest booking a day separate from your actual Communion Day and turning the portrait session for your child into an opportunity to also capture family portraits too. On Communion Day, families are often hectic and can feel rushed. There is usually a tight schedule, and not as much time as they wish they had for photographs. When we book a separate day, we have all the time we want and need. We have a chance to photograph the child that received their Communion, as well as their siblings and the entire family in their formal attire, but then as special treat, everyone can change into casual clothes, and that’s when the fun really begins!

And so I loved my Communion sessions this year, especially this one. We started out with our formal portraits, and then the family changed outfits and drove to one of my favorite spots in Watchung Reservation. I love the outfits Mom selected, and the pop of color against the early Spring backdrop of the park. I know Mom can’t wait to see their adorable images on her walls, and they’ll be arriving at her home very soon.

Enjoy!

Child Photographer, Carolyn Ann Ryan, photographs Communion Portraits in Charlotte, NC

NC Child and Family Photographer, Carolyn Ann Ryan, captures beautiful family portraits in Charlotte, NC

15 May

Charlotte, NC Family Photographer | Extended Family

Charlotte, NC Family Photographer | Extended Family

I believe in family portraits and I love, love, love getting parents into the photographs with their children – regardless of the age of the children. Therefore extended family portraits have an absolutely special place in my heart!

I was so excited when my client booked this portrait session with her sister as a gift for their Mom. We now have all of Mom’s loved ones in one photograph, along with many others to complement and surround her full family portrait.

The family did an amazing job with color coordinating their outfits for the session after our consultation. When I arrived, I was so excited to pair their style with the beautiful morning light and the leaves that were just starting to appear on the trees in the park.

But would you be believe it was just 40 degrees that April morning! It was quite the chilly start to our day! We rotated family members in and out of the portraits so they could each put their jackets on for a few minutes and keep warm! But you would never know looking at the smiles on their faces how cold it was that day! I think they were just so happy to spend a weekend together.

The entire family was just wonderful. Everyone needs a beautiful full family portrait with grandparents, parents and children all together!

Enjoy!

Extended Family Portrait Session by Charlotte, NC Family Photographer Carolyn Ann Ryan

22 Feb

North Carolina Child and Family Photographer | Favorite Fridays – Trendy Ties

As a North Carolina child and family photographer, I often find adorable, little online stores for clothing for children, as well as cute props and accessories! My latest find is this adorable online store, Trendy Ties!

As you might imagine, they make adorable ties and bowties for our favorite little men! But now they also make cute little skirts for our favorite little ladies, as well as matching hair ties! I just received my order today of a sweet tie for my son in the Spring Blue Gingham with a matching skirt and hair tie for my daughter for Easter. I cannot wait to photograph my children in their coordinating set, and will definitely share photos when I do!

These sets will also be adorable for your children for your Spring Family Portrait Sessions, so I recommend checking out their site and placing your order soon, as these are custom made.

For today’s Favorite Friday, I wanted to introduce my clients, fans and friends to Trendy Ties, as well as let you know that I have a special coupon code that I can share with clients. So, if you are a current or past Carolyn Ann Ryan Photography client, and would like to place an order with Trendy Ties, then please email me at carolyn@carolynannryan.com for your special coupon code.

Enjoy your weekend!

21 Feb

Charlotte, NC Family Photographer | Pretty in Pink

I absolutely loved this family portrait session and could not have asked for a better day with more beautiful light. It was mid-October, and the foliage was just a little early this year. The beautiful yellow leaves in Watchung Reservation were the perfect backdrop for this family session. And I loved how the Mom pulled all the colors together for the session and gave a beautiful color pop with the pink dress her daughter was wearing.

But nothing was better than the beautiful giggles and smiles of this sweet little girl!

Enjoy!

Charlotte, NC Family Photographer capturing Fall Family Portrait Sessions

Charlotte Family Photographer, Carolyn Ann Ryan, capturing adorable giggles

Charlotte Photographer, Carolyn Ann Ryan, captures sweet family moments

28 Jan

Marvin, NC Family Photographer | Best of 2012 Portraits: And the Winners Are . . .

The Best of 2012 Portraits Contest has come to a close and I’m so excited to announce our client and voter winners!

Thanks so much to everyone that participated and voted during the contest!

Here are the adorable client winners:

First Place: Sweet Dreams wins a 20×30 canvas print

Second Place: Falling Leaves wins an 11×14 wood print

Third Place: Happy Family wins a DVD Music Slideshow

Fourth Place: Future Rockstar wins a wood gallery cube decor

Fifth Place: All Smiles wins a 12 month calendar

And a special congratulations to our voter prize winners: Christina McCormack, Cecilia T. DeGennaro, and Frank Pernice! They will each receive a gift certificate for a family portrait session!

Thanks again to everyone that participated!

10 Dec

Waxhaw, North Carolina Family Photographer | Childhood Enclosed

Waxhaw, North Carolina Family Photographer

Wow, it’s been over two months since I have had an opportunity to blog my family portrait sessions and I have a long list of sessions to add to the blog! It’s been a busy holiday season, and I’m so grateful for all of my wonderful and amazing clients!

So, now we are jumping all the way back to August to begin a marathon of family portrait session blog posts!

This sweet family requested a downtown session right in the beautiful town of Basking Ridge. I absolutely loved having an opportunity to just wander up and down the main street and find different backdrops and settings for creating family images. After walking up and down the main road, we ventured off to a side road and down to an open park area to complete the session. This sweet little girl loved being photographed and might just be a model someday! She has sweet eyes and a beautiful smile, and I just loved her dress, side-ponytail, and the beautiful blue ribbon with her curls. OK, so maybe I just loved everything about this session. And I hope do you as well.

This is the perfect way to kick-off the upcoming marathon of blogs and family photos! Enjoy!

23 Oct

Waxhaw, NC Child Photographer | Tiny Tuesday – Munchkin and Pumpkin

This is a special day in the history of my family, and so it just seems fitting to share photos of my own munchkin and pumpkin on the blog for Tiny Tuesday.

I love these photographs simply because these guys are mine. They are mine, they are sweet, they might drive me nuts at times, but when they are at their best – they bring an incredible amount of joy, laughter and happiness to my life. I wish I could just mentally record all those silly and adorable moments, so I can play them back in my head over and over again twenty or thirty years from now. I hope my memory will hold all those treasured moments.

In the meantime, here are my favorites from their mini-holiday portrait session this year. And special thanks to my husband for being a great Dad to these two stinkin’ cute little kids.

03 Oct

Charlotte, NC Maternity Photographer | Getting ready for baby

A couple of months ago, I received a phone call from a former co-worker. As soon as I heard her voice on the phone, I knew exactly why she was calling and I was thrilled – she was pregnant! But even better, she is expecting twins!!! I was so excited that she wanted to do a newborn portrait session, and she also requested that I travel out to see her in Connecticut for a maternity session. What could be better than an opportunity to show everyone how beautiful she looks while awaiting the arrival of her little munchkins?

Absolutely! So I traveled out to Connecticut and we visited a couple of locations in both Stamford and Greenwich. It was such a beautiful day with gorgeous light and an incredible sunset that I almost wanted to move there by the end of the session so I could shoot in those locations all time time!

It was extremely difficult for me to narrow down her session to just a few favorites! And I can’t wait to photograph her little ones when they arrive.

Enjoy!

02 Oct

Marvin, NC Child Photographer | Tiny Tuesday – Life’s Most Beautiful Season

“Childhood is life’s most beautiful season.” – Author Unknown

When I first read this quote, I fell in love with it. It inspires me. When I photograph children, I want to capture those amazing moments of childhood. The awe and wonder that can be found in something as simple as leaves falling from the trees on a crisp, Autumn day. Today’s Tiny Tuesday photograph was created last November and is one of my favorites still, because I just LOVE the expressions and happiness on the faces of these children. I can feel their giggles and the warmth of the sun.

They each grabbed a pile of leaves and stood together. And then the leaves went up into the air and the fun began. It was that easy, and yet it feels that magical.

Do you remember the fun of jumping and rolling in the leaves? Last week, when I picked my daughter up from school, we each counted how many leaves we could “crunch” as we walked back to the car. It was easy and simple, but she giggled with delight with each leaf that really crunched and crackled under her shoes.

Don’t forget to take a few moments this season and enjoy the simple moments that Fall can provide and bring warmth and smiles to the faces of our little ones!

What do you think of when you see this photograph? I’d love to hear your thoughts and memories of your favorite things about Fall.

Happy Tiny Tuesday!

11 Sep

Charlotte, NC Child Photographer | Tiny Tuesday – “Someday we’ll tell you what this all means . . .”

On a rainy day in August, and we traveled to Jersey City and spent the morning at the Liberty Science Center. But upon leaving, we found the sky had cleared, and I wanted to visit the Central Railroad of New Jersey historic train station located inside Liberty State Park. It was a short drive from the museum and I knew the kids would enjoy seeing a view of the NYC skyline up close.

But when we got out of the car, my husband and I quickly glanced over and saw the Empty Sky Memorial. Of course, we immediately remembered that day 11 years ago, and our hearts grew a little heavier.

We first ventured into the train station and looked around, and then returned outside to see the skyline again. I have a bunch of images that I love from that afternoon (I’ll post more tomorrow), but as we turned to head back towards the car, we decided to walk through the beautiful Memorial standing tall between us and the parking lot. It was so elegant and peaceful. It deserved a quiet respect. As my husband took my smiling three year old son’s hand and began to slowly walk through the Memorial, I heard him whisper, “Someday we’ll tell you what this all means . . . “.

I paused for a moment with my daughter. In front of me I saw a man with a heavy heart, clutching the sweetness and innocence of childhood right at his side. When I saw their reflection in the side wall, I had to capture the moment. And yes, someday we’ll tell our children what it all means, but not just yet.

Today’s Tiny Tuesday post is in honor of all of those who lost their lives, especially the heroes who gave their lives to help save others.

06 Sep

Weddington, North Carolina Family Photographer | PUBLISHED! {THE INDIE TOT}

I’m so excited to be featured again on The Indie Tot blog! Last October, I photographed this adorable family in Metuchen and Edison, NJ. I love Autumn days and looking forward to this year’s sessions.

Check out The G Family on The Indie Tot here and please don’t forget to show them some love and comment on the post!!

About The Indie Tot: The Indie Tot features the best of the best for kids! We love the people who excel at creating great products for children – whether they’re handmade, eco-friendly or simply of awesome quality.

09 Aug

Charlotte Family Photographer | Family and Fashion

Charlotte, NC Family Photographer | Family and Fashion

Earlier this year I was contacted by a Mom for a family portrait session. She described her vision of what she wanted for a family portrait that included her own mother, her brother, her daughter and her. They didn’t have a good family photo, and they were so excited about the opportunity to do this with me. She helped find the ideal spot for her session which was the Waterfront Park in Laurence Harbor, NJ, and she even brought her very own couch to include as a prop. When your clients want to bring their own couch to the session, you know you are going to have some fun. And the ladies all had their make-up done in advance by the very talented Angelica DiGuglielmo.

My client had a vision in her head of the ideal family portrait, and I really wanted to help make that vision a reality.

And I just absolutely loved their style. Based on her response to seeing her gallery, I believe I delivered the vision she was hoping to achieve. There were so many images that I loved from this session, and here are just a few of my favorites.

Make-up: Angelica DiGuglielmo

06 Jul

North Carolina Family Portrait Photographer | Summer Sneak Peeks

Summer is all about getting outdoors and spending time with family! Which also makes it a great time for a family portrait session. Whether you are staying home or heading to the shore, think about booking your family portrait session during your break. Since you are already relaxed and focused on having fun with your family, then a family session is an easy addition to capture those moments.

Here are a few sneak peeks from recent family sessions. I just love that late afternoon Summer sun!

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

15 Jun

Charlotte, NC Family Photographer | Happy Father’s Day!

“A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.” ~Author Unknown

For all of you amazing Dads out there, I hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with lots of hugs and sweet moments with your children! Enjoy your day!

13 Jun

Marvin, NC Child and Family Photographer | Down by the river . . .

One of the benefits and joys of my career is getting to watch little ones grow and capture some of their wonderful milestones, which is why I adore my repeat clients. I first photographed this little pumpkin when she was about 7 days old, and now she is just a little over one year.

I traveled about an hour south of my home to meet my clients at their home by the river. Their beautiful backyard includes a long dock that extends all the way through the reeds down to the water, providing a beautiful backdrop for our images. It’s hard to choose a favorite image from this session! I love her giggles, her smiles, and her serious faces. And then add in the sweet hugs and cuddles and moments with Mom and Dad.

But I honestly couldn’t stop laughing when Dad decided to play hide and seek with his little girl! The look on her face as he peeked out from behind the couch pillow, the giggles and squeals, and watching her run away, but quickly turn and come back to find him again was just so much fun! I love being a part of these precious family moments and I look forward to continuing to watch this sweet little angel grow!