30 May

Charlotte, NC Child Photographer | First Communion

Charlotte, NC Child Photographer | First Communion

Cherry Blossoms and Communion Portraits just seem to go hand and hand.  For this sweet girl’s Communion Portraits, I met her, her older sister and their mother at Roosevelt Park in Edison and we found a few beautiful  cherry blossom trees to line our backdrops.  I love all of the expressions and personality of this giggly girl that you can see in these photographs.

Believe it or not, it was a rainy day, and was even drizzling as I drove to the park for the session, but the skies cleared briefly and a beautiful portrait session followed.  After formal photos of this sweet girl and her older sister who received the Sacrament of Confirmation this year as well, the girls changed for a fun and casual portrait session together.

Both girls loved being models for the afternoon.

Enjoy!

New Jersey Photographer Carolyn Ann Ryan photographs sweet girls for their Communion Day Blog Collage-1369888821747

28 May

North Carolina Child Photographer | Tiny Tuesday – Bubbles

North Carolina Child Photographer

I love the magic hour just before sunset when the sun is low and just sparkles on everything.  It can make something as simple as bubbles look like fireflies dancing in the sky.

This portrait of my daughter was taken just this weekend at a friend’s Memorial Day BBQ.  The sound of children filled with the air with laughter, giggles and yes, the occasional screech, scream, and squeal (often coming from my own children).  But it was a gorgeous day to be with friends, and the children just loved a great day to play outdoors while the parents enjoyed good food and good company.

Even my 7 year old couldn’t resist a chance to play with bubbles, and I just fell in love with this photograph of her. She looks mesmerized by the bubbles, or maybe she is enchanted by her own reflection in my lens.  Either way, the light was beautiful and this is my Tiny Tuesday favorite photograph.

Enjoy.

Marvin, North Carolina Child Photographer captures girl blowing bubbles at sunset

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 Charlotte, NC Family Photographer captures extended family portraits for Spring

14 May

Marvin, NC Child Photographer | Cuteness

Marvin, NC Child Photographer | Cuteness

I love watching my little clients grow.  I’ve been photographing this family since their older little man was just a tiny newborn baby. And last year, we welcomed their second little guy. It was so wonderful to meet my clients at Historic Richmondtown in Staten Island once again this Spring to photograph their oldest child’s 3rd birthday portraits along with Easter portraits of both little guys.

During our consultation, their Mom and I talked about how much we love Janie & Jack outfits and I just can’t resist a little boy in a hat, so Mom made sure to get some adorable little hats for these munchkins.  Their outfits were just perfect for the day, the season and location.

While we were wandering around Richmondtown in Staten Island, I noticed a few new buildings. These new additions are part of the set for Boardwalk Empire which occasionally films in this area.  We loved incorporating the buildings into our photographs.

I hope you enjoy the irresistible cuteness of these little brothers and I can’t wait for the little man’s 1st birthday session later this year!

Enjoy!

Marvin, NC Child Portraits Brothers Marvin, NC Child Portraits of Brothers by Carolyn Ann Ryan

19 Mar

Charlotte, North Carolina Child Photographer | Pure Happiness – Tiny Tuesday

Scotch Plains, New Jersey Child Photographer

It’s been way too long since I’ve shared a Tiny Tuesday post.  On Tuesdays, I like to share some of my favorite images from client portrait sessions or sometimes of my own children.

This image was taken on a day that just felt like the perfect day.  I absolutely LOVE the Fall season, and this session was around mid-October.  The sun was warm, the leaves were almost at their peak color and this particular park was full of beautiful yellow.   The sun was still high up in the sky, but just twinkling perfectly through the leaves in this particular area.   This adorable girl was just so sweet throughout the session and cooperating for every moment – we had giggles, laughs, hugs, runs, cartwheels and more!

I wanted an image that just highlighted and captured that smile and her abundance of happiness!  I wanted to capture the sweet innocence of childhood and the happiness that comes from spending a beautiful day outdoors with your family.  That perfect childhood laugh is found right in her adorable smile.  The best way to capture this was to come in close to that adorable giggle.   You don’t need to see her whole face to feel her happiness – you just needed to see her whole smile and that’s where all the emotion is contained in this image for me.

Enjoy!

 

Scotch Plains Child Photographer captures Pure Happiness with adorable giggles

22 Feb

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

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!

 

 

 

North Carolina Child and Family Photographer shares trendy ties web site

 

 

21 Feb

Charlotte, NC Family Photographer | Pretty in Pink

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 . . .

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 Marvin, NC Family Photographer  Best of 2012 Portraits

 

  • Second Place: Falling Leaves wins an 11×14 wood print
    Family Portrait Marvin, NC Fall Portrait Session

 

  • Third Place: Happy Family wins a DVD Music Slideshow
    Marvin, North Carolina Family Photography Portrait Session with boys

 

  • Fourth Place: Future Rockstar wins a wood gallery cube decor
    Marvin, NC Child and Family Photography

 

  • Fifth Place: All Smiles wins a 12 month calendarCharlotte Child Photographer Mother and Son Portraits

 

 

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!

19 Dec

Charlotte, North Carolina Maternity Photographer | PUBLISHED! {THE POPPY CAT}

Charlotte, North Carolina Maternity Photographer | PUBLISHED! {THE POPPY CAT}

In just one week, I was published twice on the The PoppyCat blog – once again for Twins Week!  This feature shows images from the gorgeous late Summer maternity session with Abby & Scott in Stamford and Old Greenwich, CT.   And once again, special thanks to Pamela Harayda for assisting with this session. We had a phenomenal time with Abby & Scott, and as you can see from the photos – there was lots of laughter during the session.

Check out Twin Week – Day Six on The Poppy Cat here and please don’t forget to show them some love and comment on the post!!

About The Poppy Cat:  The Poppy Cat features beautiful photography with infants, children and families.  “We hope the readers of our publication will see the beauty in the everyday life of being a mother”.

13 Dec

Fanwood, NJ Newborn Photographer | PUBLISHED! {THE POPPY CAT}

I’m so excited to be included in The PoppyCat blog’s Twin Week!  I had such an amazing time with this adorable little brother and sister, as well as their Mommy and Daddy.  And stay tuned for later this week, when their Mommy’s maternity session will be featured too!!!  Special thanks to Pamela Harayda for assisting with this session.

Check out Twin Week – Day Four on The Poppy Cat here and please don’t forget to show them some love and comment on the post!!

About The Poppy Cat:  The Poppy Cat features beautiful photography with infants, children and families.  “We hope the readers of our publication will see the beauty in the everyday life of being a mother”.

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!

Family Photographer, Carolyn Ann Ryan captures portraits in Basking Ridge

Family Portrait Session in Basking Ridge, NJ

23 Oct

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

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.

Waxhaw, NC Child Photographer - Fall Portraits

03 Oct

Charlotte, NC Maternity Photographer | Getting ready for baby

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!

 

Charlotte, NC Maternity Photographer Getting ready for baby

Charlotte, NC Maternity Photographer

Charlotte, NC Maternity Photographer Carolyn Ann Ryan

 

 

18 Sep

Fanwood, NJ Child Photographer | Tiny Tuesday – Inspiration from Art to Childhood

Today’s Tiny Tuesday image is a photograph that was inspired by an artist whose work I saw many years ago.

In 2001, just a few weeks after September 11, my company’s offices were relocated to a building on the corner of Hudson and Spring Street. Thankfully, we had a mild Fall and early Winter, and I spent many mornings simply taking the 6 train straight down to Spring Street from 96th St, and I would walk across town to the West Side.  I often chose this version of my commute instead of the alternative – a three subway (two transfer) version.

On those mornings, I would leisurely stroll with my Sony discman listening to my favorite mix CD. On the way, I would pass Gallery Revel, an art gallery on Spring Street, and in the window for many months was the work of an artist – Tony Magner.

Tony had a nostalgic style with paintings of couples reminiscent of the 1940s and I noticed that in the background of most of the images was The Empire State Building. Maybe it was the timing of the events occurring that year, but something about these images moved me. The images reminded me of old movies, perfect love stories, good romantic novels and everything I loved about living in Manhattan.  And I found I had a new affection and place in my heart for the Empire State Building, looming tall above our city.  I wanted one of those paintings, although it was definitely out of my budget.

About six months later, my boyfriend (now husband) and I signed a lease for our first apartment together located on the corner of 23rd Street and 6th Avenue.  While looking at apartments in that building for rent, we were shown one that had a perfect view of the Empire State Building from the living room. It was gorgeous. But, as is often the story in NYC apartments, this particular apartment did not have a single closet and had less than 450 square feet of space.  It was a very difficult decision, but we chose to be practical, and selected a slightly larger layout in the same building that included three closets for the same rent, but did not have a view of the Empire State Building.

While I was unable to see The Empire State Building from my apartment window, it still became a large part of my life that year.  Every evening, when I would exit the subway station at 23rd Street and 5th Avenue, I would walk up the stairs and turn to see the beautiful lights on The Empire State Building.  Her place in my heart grew larger. Now that I am living in New Jersey, and no longer commuting to Manhattan, I miss seeing that beautiful view on a regular basis.

And then one day, this image happened.  We had spent a rainy morning visiting the Liberty Science Center with our children.  But when we left that afternoon, the skies had mostly cleared and the sun was shining.  We took a short drive to visit the historic Central Railroad of NJ station located in Liberty State Park.  And there she was, the view of the NYC skyline and my favorite building.  And I was thrilled to have my camera with me to not just capture the view, but capture my children enjoying the view.  As I sat on my computer later that evening processing images, I had a moment of inspiration.  I remembered Tony Magner’s artwork from Gallery Revel, and now I had an image of my daughter with the NYC skyline and the Empire State Building looming in the background. I spent a little more time processing this image to capture that nostalgic feeling that I saw in Tony’s paintings.  I absolutely love this image of my daughter enjoying the view of the skyline. And seeing The Empire State Building standing tall in the background just warms my heart.

While you can find some images of Tony Magner’s more recent work online at MDH Fine Arts, the only image I could find of his works that I saw that year was from this link.

I hope you enjoyed this story of inspiration.

11 Sep

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

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.