I had so much fun photographing three siblings in the garden. We chose the early morning hour for the best light and optimum time (right after breakfast)! The colors were gorgeous, the light so soft and their smiles so sweet. I photographed this lovely family when their little brother was a baby and I hope to return again and again! I love watching my client families grow up so nicely. And these are my favorite images from their garden portrait session ~
Archive: ‘Portraits_Family’
An Early Morning Stroll in the Garden
Tuesday, September 10th, 2013
Welcome to the World ~ Sweet Little Newborn
Tuesday, August 6th, 2013I was delighted to photograph sweet baby M last week and her parents and older brother! We had a great time photographing indoors, outdoors, in color, and my favorite – b&w- to capture her preciousness on day seven of her life. What a privilege it was to spend time with this beautiful family. I was so honored to photograph these moments. And without further ado, here are my favorite images from our afternoon portrait session ~
Happy Mother’s Day
Sunday, May 12th, 2013Happy Mother’s Day everyone! Today we’ll take time to smell the roses and stroll the paths at the McGill Rose Garden in Charlotte, a Mother’s Day family tradition. If you have not been, please consider visiting today or any other day. It’s a lovely city block filled with roses and lots of other flowers, trees, bushes, grasses, sculptures and even a rail car. An oasis in the city, an unexpected surprise, a place of peace and contemplation. Last month I spent an afternoon photographing ten mini-portrait sessions to benefit The Lunch Project, a Charlotte based philanthropy that helps feed school children in Tanzania a hot lunch. I am thrilled to write a check today that will support ten lunch days at the Lemanyata School or 9,000 lunches. It costs $85 to feed 900 children a lunch. Please visit The Lunch Project on Facebook or their website to learn more about this wonderful organization. Our portrait mini-sessions included children, families, moms, dads, dogs, giant cookies and lots of laughs. It was a fun day and everyone received a matted gift print ready for gift giving or for keeping. Here are some portraits from our special day in the garden ~
A Midwinter Family Portrait Session
Tuesday, March 5th, 2013I enjoyed photographing this beautiful family ~ in the outdoors of midwinter. Mom and Dad wanted nice portraits of their oldest son, who is graduating from high school this year – for his senior portraits and to mark this important milestone, and they also wanted keepsake portraits of their whole family, the siblings and each child. I strive to bring out the best in each of the families I photograph, and we had a lot of fun that afternoon! People often ask me when the best time is to photograph their children and I say the time is NOW ~ children are precious at any age, in every season, and commissioning a portrait is the best gift you’ll ever give your family. Spring is just around the corner and a great time for family portraits, so take a look at your calendar and send me a message {nanine@naninephoto.com} so we can book a special time for you! As for this sweet family, their portraits have been ordered and are getting framed as I write this! Can’t wait to deliver them! But in the meantime, here are some of my favorites from our afternoon in the great outdoors ~
Family Ties
Tuesday, February 26th, 2013I love sharing my craft and skill with all sorts of families ~ Big families, small families, siblings, newborns ~ and my own family. When my cousin Adele called me a while back to commission a portrait of her mother, I was thrilled! I love to spend time with Adele and her mother Patsy and of course Adele’s dog, Sophie! Not only is Adele my cousin (actually officially she is my first cousin once removed – my grandmother and her mother are cousins) but I am proud to call her a close friend and confidante. Even though she lives a few hours away, she has always been there for us. Adele wanted a few framed portraits of her mother to cherish for years to come, and holiday cards for her mother and for herself. Patsy is sweet, fun, smart and a joy to be with. I wanted to capture her sense of fun, loveliness and her sweet smile, so here are my favorite images from our portrait session ~ 
Honoring Mom with a Portrait Session
Tuesday, February 19th, 2013Take time to smell the roses ~ at the McGill Rose Garden this April 14. We had so much fun last year, we are returning to the garden this April! I’ll be offering mini-portrait sessions to benefit a wonderful area philanthropy – The Lunch Project.
The Lunch Project has a simple goal - To provide long-term financial support to enable Tanzanian mothers to cook and serve a nutritional meal to schoolchildren in Tanzanian primary schools so children will be better equipped to learn. The Lunch Project also works to foster a sense of philanthropy and global awareness by educating and engaging families and school children in the United States and Tanzania. Currently, The Lunch Project supports the Lemanyata Primary School near Arusha Town in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania with regular hot lunches. It costs $85 to feed 900+ children a hot lunch.
And this is where you come in. In honor of Mother’s Day, I will be offering 20 minute mini-portrait sessions to families and children at the McGill Rose Garden on Sunday April 14, from 3:30 pm till twilight. The sessions are $100 and $85 from each session will be directly donated to The Lunch Project in your name (to cover the cost of feeding a hot lunch to the entire school!) Each participant will receive a gift print, suitable for framing or giving as a gift, just in time for Mother’s Day (May 12).
Please mark your calendars for Sunday afternoon April 14 ~ and email me with your preferred time ~ nanine@naninephoto.com. I look forward to working with you and your families to benefit Tanzanian school children!
Welcome to 2013
Thursday, January 24th, 2013I look forward to each January as an opportunity to reflect on the past year and anticipate the gifts this new year will bring. Best lesson of 2012 – There is no substitution for “being there.” Spending time with good friends whom you cherish … Being with family near and far … Truly living and breathing in the moment … Helping a friend in need. As for 2013, I am excited for all the things to come. I’ve started teaching Photojournalism at the Knight School of Communication at Queens University of Charlotte ~ It’s such a privilege to share the craft of visual storytelling with my students. I’ll be updating my website at Nanine Hartzenbusch Photography with new images ~ and I’m very excited to share the best of the best with you. I look forward to working with clients, new and returning to bring lasting keepsakes to be treasured. Look for a spiffed up newsletter, special Limited Edition Photo Sessions, and stunning, elegant ways of displaying your family portraits. As I was going through my recent images, I came across this one, symbolizing the road ahead, open and inviting. Just as my son was anticipating beach fun, I look forward to a year full of hope, opportunity and dreams fulfilled. Happy 2013 to all of you, I wish you all the best this year.
Fun Family Portraits ~ A Stroll Through Freedom Park
Thursday, November 1st, 2012I really enjoyed working with this lovely family. We chose to stroll through Charlotte’s Freedom Park because of its beauty and varying vistas. Mom and Dad had been wanting to have family portraits for their home and for gifts to give. We had a wonderful time capturing some nice moments in the later afternoon light at the park. I photographed them in color but we chose b&w for the simple beauty of the images. We chose unique shapes for a few of their wall portraits, wide horizontals and square shapes, to create visual variety for their portrait walls at home. Here are some of our favorites from our family portrait session ~
Barefoot Boys in Blue
Wednesday, August 1st, 2012I am really excited to share these latest portraits with you ~ photographed near Indianapolis this summer during our travels. I was so happy to be able to visit my friend and her sons ~ they are our family friends ~ and photograph them outdoors as the sun was setting. I last photographed these brothers five years ago – (they may look familiar to those who have seen my website ). I enjoyed my time with them, bringing out the best in each brother and photographing them together also, in different outdoor settings. Mom had a chance to update family photos and also share them with relatives. Here are some of my favorites from our portrait session in the garden:
A Nature Preserve Family Portrait
Tuesday, July 17th, 2012I enjoyed photographing this sweet family at the McDowell Nature Preserve. We walked along the pathways, finding new angles to photograph including the lake, the trees and the paths. The late afternoon sun provided a beautiful backdrop and lovely light for this family’s portrait session. Baby just turned one, so he is growing up! Here are some of our favorites from this fun family photo session!
