Favorite Fridays Archives - Charlotte Family Photographer

16 Oct

Charlotte, NC Family Photographer | Beauty Multiplied

Charlotte, NC Family Photographer | Beauty Multiplied

I really have a special place in my heart for families that have four girls. While I also love families with 1, 2, 3, 5 or more girls, there is just something about the magic number 4. Maybe, it’s because my only sister has four beautiful daughters and my nieces are some of the most awesome kids I know. There is something so amazing about their sisterhood and friendships – words can’t even describe it. It is so evident in the way they support each other in everything they do. And well, my sister is the equivalent of a superhero in my eyes. I absolutely have no idea how she does all that she does, and in the midst of what could be chaos for some, has created an incredibly loving and crazily fun home and family.

And so, I have a crazy amount of respect and love for parents with four daughters, and I have so much spending time with their families and seeing the family dynamics. This family was no exception, and I saw the same crazily awesome feeling of sisterhood existing in this four beautiful girls, and it was such a pleasure to spend an afternoon with them. But I think all in the family would agree, that the littlest munchkin absolutely STOLE.THE.SHOW! We just couldn’t stop giggling at the amazing and sometimes hilarious expressions she provided. It became evident that she just didn’t love sitting in the grass, especially as she would hold her legs up in the air while Dad was trying to sit her down. And then, she just kept us smiling throughout the day. These images not only gave us beautiful photographs for wall portraits and holiday cards, but we were also able to create the most perfect Thank You card for the littlest first birthday party!

I hope these make you smile today!

13 Dec

Charlotte Photographer shares The BEST Christmas gift idea ever for your wife!

Dads & Husbands of all generations,

When it comes to Christmas shopping for your wife:

Are you still trying to think of that amazing gift for your wife for Christmas?
Do you want to give her a gift that will surprise and delight her?
Do you want a gift that will show her what an amazing woman and mother she is for your family?
Do you want something that will make her smile nearly everyday for the entire year and many years to follow?

Then look no further, I have the answer for you.
What does a mother love more than anything – more than jewelry, vacations, food or even more than coffee? The answer – her family! So give her the gift of family by giving her a gift certificate for a family portrait session so that together we can create absolutely beautiful images of your family spending time together.

Still not convinced?
I know what you might be thinking. Are you envisioning a torturous family session where you are desperately trying to get your kids to smile? Why would you sign up for that? But that’s where I come in and make that part of the process as painless as possible. With years of experience, I have the secrets to successful and painless family portrait sessions, and we’ll discuss everything to help you and your wife prepare for the day during our pre-session consultation call. When you arrive at the session, the goal is simply to have fun while spending time with the ones you love the most.

What comes with your gift certificate?

a beautifully wrapped gift certificate all ready to present on Christmas morning
a $100 print credit to use towards your print order (special offer valid now through December 23rd)
on the day after Christmas, your wife will receive an email with our online booking calendar to select her session date
your session fee will be booked with the 2013 session rate (session fees will be going up in 2014)

How do I get one and finish my Christmas shopping TODAY?
Call me at 908-889-5416 and you enjoy the rest of season stress free!

Charlotte Photographers shares the BEST Christmas Gift Idea ever from Carolyn Ann Ryan Photography

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.

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!

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!

18 May

Scotch Plains, NJ | Favorite Fridays – Irish Dancing {Marie Moore School of Irish Dance}

When my oldest daughter turned 4, we enrolled her in her first dance class. Like many other four year old girls, she began learning ballet and tap. Every Saturday morning, we would rush to get out of the house early, and she would spend 45 minutes in her dance class. But I never saw her “practice” her new dance moves at home or rehearse the routines for her recital between classes. And by the second year, she was seeming less interested in attending dance. I sometimes felt disappointed and wondered if we should continue to enroll her in dance.

Until my sister suggested switching my daughter to Irish Dance. My two oldest nieces had already been attending classes at the Marie Moore School of Irish Dance in Scotch Plains, and loved their classes. They were always eager to show us their latest jig or reel, even if we were in public restaurants, shopping malls, or local playgrounds. They would dance just about anywhere. My sister later admitted that she would see them practicing their dances while playing in the outfield in the middle of their softball games.

So, last year, I started my daughter in Marie Moore’s Summer Dance Camp program. The one full week of morning classes was a fantastic introduction to dance, and a wonderful opportunity for me to see if she was going to enjoy the classes without paying for an entire year. After just one week, my daughter couldn’t keep her feet still. She was dancing around our home, our backyard, at daycare, in the supermarket – almost everywhere we went. She had a smile on her face and she loved to dance. And I love seeing her happy with her new accomplishments and showing us what she has learned.

I was convinced. We happily signed up for a full year in September. She learned a couple of different dances, and in March we entered her into her very first Feis (Irish Dance Competition). It was incredible. She had the opportunity to see her cousins dance along with all the experienced dancers, but she also had a chance to compete in her own group. And she won first place!!! It was so exciting for all of us. When they called her number for her medal, my entire family was cheering for her – her little brother, my husband, mom, sister, brother-in-law and nieces were all there to see it!!! We were so proud of her and she was so proud of herself.

She’s my little Irish Dancer.

It’s so wonderful to be part of the family at the Marie Moore School of Irish Dance. My daughter loves the classes, and I love knowing that she is enjoying herself and that the money for the classes is well spent.

So this week’s Favorite Friday’s blog post is for The Marie Moore School of Irish Dance.

Additionally, they have so graciously offered to provide a free trial dance class for any child that might be considering enrolling. If you want your child to learn the art of “Riverdance”, then definitely consider the traditional Irish dance classes offered by Marie Moore School of Irish Dance in Scotch Plains and Pennington, NJ. You can visit their web site or call (908) 322-9099.

www.mariemoore-irishdance.com

03 Feb

Charlotte, North Carolina Family Photographer | Favorite Fridays – Displaying Photographs in Your Home

Today’s Favorite Friday blog share is about one of my favorite things to do – helping my clients decide how to display their new family photographs in their home. While I love photographing families and capturing wonderful moments and memories for my clients, I also absolutely love when my clients choose to display the images from those sessions in their home.

Did you know that displaying family photographs in your home can help improve a child’s self-confidence by giving them a sense of belonging? Being a mother, that is almost reason enough for me. But I also believe that adding family photographs to your walls adds a natural warmth to your home, and also just makes you smile more from glancing at the sweetness of the moments we captured that day. Who couldn’t use a few extra smiles each day?

But I often find that my clients are not sure how to display these images in their home, and have difficulty deciding what to order on their own. That is why I meet with all of my clients just a few weeks after their session for an ordering consultation, and I bring customized ideas for the best ways to display the images from their sessions on their walls.

Here are just a few examples of the beautiful gallery-wrapped canvas cluster ideas I have prepared for my clients. There are many more options and layouts, and I would love a chance to work with your family to add happiness and warmth to your walls and home.