26 Feb

Charlotte Child Photographer | National Tell A Fairy Tale Day

Charlotte Child Photographer | National Tell A Fairy Tale Day

Today, February 26th, is National Tell A Fairy Tale Day!  So, to help inspire you to tell your children a fairy tale this evening, I dug through my photographs to find a few that just might have a story behind them – but I challenge you to decide what that story might be and share it with your loved ones this evening!  Have fun and enjoy!  And feel free to come back and comment here with your fairy tale ideas and let us know which image inspired you!  We would love to hear them!

Charlotte Child Photographer Fairy Tales Charlotte NC Child Photographer fairy tale 2

 

18 Aug

Marvin, NC Photographer | Back to School Portraits

Marvin, NC Photographer | Back to School Portraits

Tomorrow will be the first day of school for my oldest child.  As we relocated from New Jersey to Charlotte, North Carolina earlier this Summer, tomorrow’s Back to School brings excitement and a little nervousness.  We are entering a whole new world tomorrow, including the world of school uniforms.   We were so excited that we couldn’t wait for the official first day (tomorrow), and took advantage of last night’s beautiful light to capture these Back to School Portraits.

Wishing this girl a wonderful day tomorrow and can’t wait to hear about all her new friendships and the adventures that await her this year.

Mom Photographer Tip: Some of the best smiles and giggles from our brief session came when a fly buzzed my ear and I jumped around in a circle trying to get away from it.  I’m sure it was an amusing and entertaining sight and I’m happy it wasn’t caught on video.  My daughter thought it was hysterical! But that is definitely something that can be faked while photographing your own kids that is bound to bring a few giggles.

Marvin NC Family Portrait Photographer photographs Back to School Portraits

Charlotte NC Family Photographer takes Back to School portraits for first day of school

 

31 Jul

Dreamy North Carolina Childhood Photography | Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Dreamy North Carolina Childhood Photography | Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

It’s Christmas in July!!!  Or maybe it’s just me trying to catch up on sharing some of last year’s portrait sessions.  I do love twinkling lights in the backdrop of a portrait session.  I also love capturing the bond between sisters – one that is truly irreplaceable. My sister and I have a bond that no other could replace, and the same is true with these two special ladies.  I’ve had the privilege to watch these little girls grow over the last 4 years through my lens and photographs.  This was our 5th session together (and I’m looking forward to their sixth session already booked for this Fall!).    These girls came prepared, as they always do, to show me their stuff- their sassy sister poses, their giggles, their hugs, and especially their fabulous dresses and accessories (thanks to mom!!).

Dreamy North Carolina Childhood Photography Charlotte Uptown Session Dreamy North Carolina Childhood Photography Park Session by Carolyn Ann Ryan Dreamy North Carolina Childhood Photography Urban Session by Carolyn Ann Ryan

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.

 

Charlotte, NC Child Photographer Tiny Tuesday

18 Jul

Enchanting Waxhaw, NC Child Portrait Session | Somewhere in a historic village . . .

Enchanting Waxhaw, NC Child Portrait Session | Somewhere in a historic village . . .

My little girl will soon be one year older, and we are starting to plan her 6th birthday party, which will take place just a few days before she begins first grade.  Earlier this year in her Kindergarten class, her teacher read the book “The Wizard of Oz” to the class, and my little munchkin (which has been my nickname for her for years) absolutely loved the story. Although she is still too timid to watch the movie, she loves the story of Dorothy.

So, she picked “The Wizard of Oz” as the theme for her birthday party.  For the last few years we have included her birthday portraits on her invitations, because I love being able to look back each year to see how much she has grown.  This year we decided to include the theme of her party as part of a very special portrait session for her.

Believe me, being a photographer does not make it easier to take my own children’s portraits.  It’s sometimes harder, because I’m not a new or interesting person to them and they already know all my secret, special tricks for making children giggle and smile.

But this year, I made her birthday portraits a full day event complete with costume, hair appointment, red sparkly shoes and a stuffed animal puppy in a basket. We talked about this special session for two full weeks, and I blocked off my calendar to create a special day for just the two of us.
My little girl was completely swept up in the magic of this day from the moment she woke up that morning, and came rushing into my room with eager anticipation. We started early at Anthony Michael Hair Salon in Westfield, where the wonderful Pam Sestito created the braids that would start my little girl’s transformation. We then journeyed about 45 minutes away to Historic Richmondtown in Staten Island to give our session a complete period look with historic homes, barns, fences, and gardens.

Of course, twenty minutes into the actual portrait session, the heat of the day and the itchiness of her costume was causing her to pout, so that’s when I used my bribery plan and explained that if she cooperated for the remainder of the session, then we would get ice cream afterwards. I’ll let you guess which image below shows her reaction to that announcement.

Sometimes portrait sessions might seem stressful and frustrating, because we are trying to get our children to cooperate and do something for us.  But, I’ve learned that by turning a portrait session into a fun day that is all about the children, and becomes something they WANT to do, then it becomes much easier to get their cooperation during the session.  And if you choose to use bribery, don’t tell them about the rewards until you really need to use it.  The pictures are worth it!

My daughter and I had a wonderful day complete with ice cream for lunch (something I would never do on a regular day), and we have these beautiful images of our little girl growing up. I love my job and I love being a Mom to this wonderful child. Thanks to my little munchkin for all her cooperation, and her beautiful smile.

(Now I have to brainstorm a special day with my little boy!)

Enchanting Waxhaw, NC Child Portrait Session

Costume: Chasing Fireflies

Hair: Anthony Michael Salon (Westfield)