North Carolina child photographers Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Charlotte Family Photographer

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!

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.

10 Sep

North Carolina Family Photographer | Ocean Daydreams

Earlier this Summer, I traveled down the Garden State Parkway to meet old friends for an extended family portrait. I was contacted in December by a friend from elementary school that was looking to purchase a gift certificate as a Christmas present for her mother. She knew right away that the ideal time for family portraits would be during the family’s annual vacation in Long Beach Island in the Summer.

It was a special treat to be reunited with a childhood friend, her mother and sister, and also to meet their entire family – husbands and children. The weather was perfect and we began shooting right outside their vacation home before we journeyed down to the beach for extended family portraits as well as sweet moments with all the cousins having fun in the sand. Some of my absolute favorite images are the ones that capture the giggles behind silly moments with a family.

Here is a little opportunity for you to remember those lazy days of Summer . . .

Enjoy!

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!

16 May

North Carolina Childhood Photographer | Published! {The Indie Tot}

I’m so thrilled to once again be published on The Indie Tot blog!! This one is so very close to my heart, because it features my own munchkin and pumpkin along with our dear friends. This past St. Patrick’s Day, our close friends came to spend the day at our home and I couldn’t resistant grabbing some photos of the kids running around the yard. Who would have expected it would be nearly 80 degrees in March!

My little man said it best when he told my friend, “we’re just family.” They are like family to us and I just love these days.

Check out The McK and Ryan Families 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.

03 May

North Carolina Family Photographer | Published! {The Indie Tot}

Earlier this year, on one of those rare snowy mornings, I was heading a little further south in New Jersey for an adorable baby and family portrait session. It was a chilly morning, but these little munchkins brought all the sunshine we needed. And I’m so excited to have this session published on The Indie Tot!!!

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.

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.

09 Apr

Waxhaw, NC Child and Family Photographer | Family Life is . . . .

If you visit and read my web site, you’ll find that I describe family life as “sweetness, love, craziness and chaos all rolled into one.” Well, that statement comes directly from my experience with my own family – my kids, my nieces, cousins, and more. Sometimes you have to embrace the craziness and chaos and just have fun with it.

I love taking Easter Portraits of my kids and my nieces, and I typically hunt for the perfect Easter outfits for my kids. But taking portraits of my own children can be quite entertaining. But I absolutely love the images we made yesterday. The craziness, chaos, sweetness and love are all here. It was completely nutty, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

Enjoy!

PS Special thanks to my cousin, Billy, for his willingness to participate in the chaos.

Outfits:

Shannon – Dress: Gap Kids. Headband: Kids Kuts in Westfield
Jack – Shirt, Pants and Hat: Janie & Jack

07 Mar

Charlotte, NC | Guest Blog: What My Family Portraits Mean To Me One Year Later – A Mom’s Review

Last night, I received the most amazing email from a client (and good friend) about the portrait session we did for her family last year when her youngest son was born. She wrote a detailed note describing what the portraits from her session have meant to her over this past year. I was in tears at the end of her note. My goal as a photographer isn’t just to make you smile during your session, but to make you smile nearly everyday after just by glancing at the photos that hang in your home. I know this feeling for myself, and I always aim to provide images to my clients that will make them feel the same way.

There is nothing better than knowing that your wishes and goals for what you hope to provide to your clients have come true. Here is a note from Jen:

“I walked past my sons’ playroom and I smiled today. A year ago, my dear friend, Carolyn, came over to take pictures of our family with our newest addition. A few of the most meaningful images now hang in my playroom in a canvas cluster.

What strikes me now is not how much those pictures remind me of the past, but the reminder of all the moments that have taken place between then and now. So much has changed, but those pictures also reveal pieces of my kids’ personality that are still true now.

This beautiful boy has always had a “thing” with his pointer fingers. He points at things before he clutches them in his little hands. At 13 months, he points at every piece of cereal before he eats it. This picture reminds me that characteristic was a part of him even when his age was only measured in days.

My older son lost his first tooth 2 months before this picture was taken (on Thanksgiving). I love that I’m reminded of that milestone when I look at this picture.

He lost his first top tooth a year after this picture was taken, and I have to say I’m grateful to have some great shots of him before his smile was changed forever.

But even more than the precious milestones and memories, there are new moments created by these photos. My older son glanced up at the photo below and said, “Mommy is that your hand holding Owen’s?” And I said, “No, honey. That’s your hand holding your brother’s.”

I explained to him that they would always have each other. It was probably the first time they held hands, but metaphorically it’s just the beginning. To a stranger, it’s just two hands, but to me it’s the early moments of a lifetime bond.

This art is more meaningful to me than anything an artist could paint. These photos make me smile everyday, and no matter how busy things get they remind me of what’s really important.

Thank you, Carolyn, for lending me your talent and your vision! Your work means so much to so many people!”

I absolutely loved reading Jen’s note, and it completely warmed my heart. As she notes, life is busy. I simply hope to provide images that will make you stop for a moment and remember. I’m so thrilled that I could give that to Jen.

Thanks for reading!

31 Jan

Charlotte, North Carolina Children’s Photographer | Tiny Tuesday – Expect the Unexpected

What happens when you ask two adorable little girls to gather a pile of leaves and throw them in the air? Sometimes, even the subjects in your photograph don’t know what to expect next.

I loved everything about this session with these two beautiful little girls. The older sister has such a gorgeous smile, beautiful eyes, and she just seems to light up in front of the camera. The younger sister is full of spirit, energy, and a complete bundle of fun!

I also loved the colors here – their mom did a fantastic job with these adorable outfits. While the outfits are completely different, the colors pair nicely together and just pop against our late Fall backdrop.

So, these adorable girls gathered their leaves as requested, and stood really close together ready to toss them into the air. The older one threw her pile up in the air immediately after the first image was shot and honestly before I was completely ready.

But the little one waited just a few seconds more and tossed her pile a little lower (therefore partially in her big sister’s face) – catching her sister completely off guard. And then, this little munchkin was so excited with the leaves raining on their heads that she just starting giggling and running circles around her big sister.

The bottom picture captures a moment of sheer happiness and also one of surprise. What I love most about the images though is how much they made their Mom giggle when we sat down to review them together. Even to this day, everytime she sees that second image, she chuckles remembering the moment. We didn’t expect what happened, but it makes us both smile (and laugh) to remember that feeling of happiness.

30 Jan

Marvin, North Carolina Children’s Photographer | Smiles to Keep You Warm

I love twinkling little eyes, especially from little boys that are just looking for a hint of trouble. This little guy is just 3 years old, and is honestly such a sweet little man, but can you just see that glimmer in his eyes that he is looking for a little adventure?

I love the images of him, but also loved capturing this wonderful relationship between a big sister and her little brother. Even with about 14 years between them, you can tell they are still best friends. I loved watching them walk together down the road, and my heart just aches to think that she will be heading to college next year. Time goes by so quickly, and she has grown into a wonderful young lady.

I hope these images will bring a little warmth, smiles and sunshine to your day.

Enjoy!

26 Jan

Charlotte, NC Photographer | You Can’t Win, If You Don’t Try

Last year, while I was attending WPPI in Las Vegas, Animoto was sponsoring the “Animoto Pro Success Story Contest”. All you had to do was swing by the booth and answer a few questions on video about how you use and why you love Animoto, and one person would be chosen to be featured in an Animoto ad. I had been using Animoto to create slideshows for my clients for about one year, and they always did such an outstanding job helping to convey the emotions and story behind every session. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon for a Mom to tell me that it brought her to tears (or her parents, her husband, her neighbors, or her friends).

The contest itself sounded very cool, and although I figured a bunch of awesome and amazing photographers would be lining up for this opportunity, I decided to take a chance. Who knows, right? You definitely can’t win if you don’t at least try, and the opportunity sounded so exciting.

A few months later, I received a phone call from Animoto that I had been chosen to be featured in an ad that would run in Rangefinder and Professional Photograph magazines! Are you kidding me? Their ads so far have featured Kevin Kubota, Vicki Taufer, Scott Bourne, Jeff & Allison Rodgers and so many other wonderful people in the photography industry. And now I could count myself among them? Really?

It took time for me to believe it was really true. We spent some time discussing the plan for the shoot and Animoto’s own Justin Camerer (photographer & software developer) agreed to do the session right in Animoto’s offices. The tech geek in me (that spent 11 years doing software design) was really excited to visit Animoto’s offices and get to know their amazing team. In all honesty, if I still worked in Technology, I would want to work with these guys.

One of the things I love about Animoto isn’t just their awesome slideshows, but I love working with vendors that support photographers and provide education for our industry. And everyone I’ve met from Animoto has been incredible. Their slideshows have amazed my clients, and I still get so excited each time I click the button to produce a new slideshow.

I’m so excited to share a few images from the photo shoot and announce that the ad was published in Rangefinder and Professional Photographer magazine this January. I’m so grateful to Animoto for this opportunity and can’t believe my name is listed in the drop-down on their site along with a ton of top photographers that I admire. Thank you!

Special thanks to Justin Camerer for the portraits and Lindsey Jones for hair/make-up. I loved working with both of you!

21 Jan

Fanwood, NJ Children’s Photographer | First Snow Day 2012

After last winter, it’s nice to be excited for snow once again. This time is was just the perfect amount. It was easy enough to clean up, but fun enough to let the kids play.

Believe it or not, this was our little guy’s first real time playing in the snow. He’s 2 1/2 years old now, and last year he was either sick for most of the snowstorms, or the snow was too deep to really allow him to go out and enjoy it. That’s why I’m so excited to share these images, because he just loved playing with his Dad and big sister this morning. He started out slow, but the smiles quickly turned to giggles as he played and tackled Daddy.

Our daughter had a brief timeout on the front steps for throwing a snowball down her brother’s neck. As a parent, I hate these moments when we spoil the fun, but the photographer in me just had to capture it. Honestly, I love the image, and she laughed later when she saw it. Don’t worry, it was a super short timeout and she quickly got back into the fun. I turned to catch her sneakily tasting the snow and I loved the series of smiles and giggles. Do you remember being 6 years old and eating handfuls of snow?

After a few more snowballs and smiles, it was time for me to put the camera away inside and really join in the fun – and yes we had a mini-snowball fight.

If you had snow this weekend, I hope you were able to enjoy it as much as we did. Stay safe and enjoy this cozy weekend.

12 Jan

Marvin, NC Family and Children’s Photographer | From shy to smiles . . .

Not everyone starts out their session ready to go and have a great time. And that’s completely ok. When we started this session, this little man was shy and just wanted to be close to his Mom. So, that’s what we captured. We had plenty of time to get adorable and happy images, and we knew that our patience would win and help us get there. I have seen him many times running around and having fun, so I knew it was only a matter of time.

But honestly, one of our favorite images from the session (both for his Mom and me), is from those shy moments. I featured the images a few weeks back for Tiny Tuesday, and it’s included here again in black and white. There is so much emotion in that one photograph.

And now I’m happy to share a few other images from the session to show the transformation from shy to smiles to outright giggles and laughter. This sweet little boy kept me running the rest of the afternoon.

Enjoy!

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!