Tiny Tuesday Archives - Charlotte Family Photographer

14 Jan

Charlotte, North Carolina Family & Child Photographer | Eyes

There’s a saying “the eyes are the window to the soul”. I am so mesmerized by these big, beautiful brown eyes. They are warm, inquisitive and happy – just like this little girl. Her eyes tell a story, it’s telling me that she has these wonderful parents who tend to all her needs and teach her the important things in life, like laughter, music and family. It also says there’s no place she rather be and is the luckiest little girl in the world.

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

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

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.

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!

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 . . .”

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.

29 May

Waxhaw, NC Children’s Photographer | Tiny Tuesday – Happy Memorial Day Weekend

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I took a little time this weekend to update photos of my own munchkin and pumpkin.

I just love kids dressed in red, white and blue and always try to have special outfits that my kids can wear for Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day weekends. Yes, it often is the same outfit for all 3, and that typically works (as long as they don’t get destroyed by ice cream or bbq sauce during the first two holiday weekends).

I just can’t believe how fast they grow and how much they change, even at this age. We really enjoyed our holiday weekend with the kids, and I’m looking forward to a fun summer!

So, this Tiny Tuesday, I chose my favorite images from this weekend of my own little ones. They won’t be tiny for long.

01 May

Marvin, NC Communion Portrait Photographer | Tiny Tuesday – A Moment of Reflection

This past weekend was my niece’s Communion Day and this was my absolute favorite image from the day. It was after the ceremony and we were in the lobby of the Church. I had brought her near the door to make some portraits using the window light when all of a sudden, I caught a glimpse of her bouquet in the marble wall. I took a few steps back, and there she was – the beautiful reflection of my sweet niece.

I had a photographer’s moment of glee as I made these images. I truly felt like a kid in a candy store. It was just pure happiness for me to capture a sweet moment like this.

Special thanks to my beautiful niece for all her cooperation and modeling for the day. Many more images to share, but for today, just sharing my favorite.

Enjoy.

17 Apr

Charlotte, NC Family Photographer | Published! {The Indie Tot}

Isn’t it just fitting that my first published family portrait session is with one of my absolutely wonderful clients that I have been working with for the last two years!

Today I have been published on The Indie Tot blog featuring an adorable Fall family portrait session in Historic Richmondtown. Everything about the session was just wonderful – the weather, the location, the family, and the giggly smile of their adorable little man.

Check out The B Family on the 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.

03 Jan

Charlotte, North Carolina Children’s Photographer | Tiny Tuesday – Surprise! It’s 2012!

Wow! Where did the last year? Do you find yourself saying that every January 1st? I know I do. Usually around June, it seems like time is moving at a normal pace, but then in a blink, it’s December. And now, January.

The past year was an amazing one for me, and I still have a ton of sessions to add to the blog. I’m so thankful and grateful to everyone that supported me this past year and helped me fulfill my dream of being a full-time photographer. I have so many wonderful people in my life, and this would not have been possible without them. Thank You.

And now, it’s Tiny Tuesday! I thought this image was a perfect start to Tiny Tuesday for 2012. I think it captures how I feel right now, but it is also one of my favorite images from this past year.

This image wasn’t planned. It wasn’t posed. It just happened. And honestly, it wasn’t until the image was captured in the camera that I saw any resemblance to a previous movie poster or childhood actor.

So, how did this happen? It was during a break in the session. The family was changing clothes and getting ready to head to another location, and this young man was taking a snack break in the kitchen. But he was sitting at the counter, and I saw some beautiful window light coming into the room. I originally asked if he could move to the table, so I could get a better shot. But, he was comfortable at the counter. OK. That’s fine.

I adjusted my camera settings for the location he was sitting and asked if I could take his picture. He shook his head, and covered his entire face with his hands. OK. That’s fine. Technically, it was his snack break.

But I didn’t want to give up. I loved the light. I loved his eyes. With kids, you have to be patient and let them lead the way, but still help guide them to the shot you want. So, I got the camera ready, focused and held still . . . waiting. He wasn’t moving those hands. He sat at the counter holding his hands over his face for a few minutes, and I waited, ready to capture a glimpse of his face. I’m not sure who was more stubborn at that moment. But I was having fun with this challenge.

“OK.”, I said. “I guess it’s time for me to give up. I’ll just have to put the camera away and get ready to head to the park.”

He was curious, and slowly took a peek by pulling his hands straight down. But my camera had not moved and I was focused and ready to make my image. I had a split second before he realized that I was still sitting there with camera in hand, and I got the shot before he was able to put his hands back over his eyes.

OK, so I was a little sneaky that day. {I’m still giggling about it}. But when I looked at the back of the camera, I just laughed to myself. It wasn’t planned, but it was a fun moment to capture.

Enjoy! And Happy New Year and wishing you a wonderful 2012!

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.

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.

08 Nov

Waxhaw, NC Children’s Photographer | Tiny Tuesday – Favorite Moments

Today’s Waxhaw, NC Children’s Photographer Tiny Tuesday post has two images. These were taken in July 2010 while my family was visiting a friend in Pennsylvania. Our friends had beautiful light in their backyard and thankfully I brought my camera.

Photographs don’t always need to show little ones looking at the camera smiling. In this case, you don’t even need to see faces. For me, the first image captures a moment. My little guy gives amazing hugs. And when he runs around, he’ll run right up to one of us, grab our legs, bury his head and squeeze real tight. Just looking at this image, I can feel his amazing squeeze. And I just love watching moments of my husband being a cute Dad. While this may be a moment that happens often during these toddler years, it’s a moment I love to see again and again, and I’m thrilled to have captured it in this sweet photograph. Someday, when our little guy is bigger, maybe even as tall as his 6’3″ Daddy, he’ll love this image, too!

The second image is just a sweet portrait of a smiling Daddy and his little man. I love the little one’s eyes and the beautiful light in this image. These are my favorite men.