I was honored to recently photograph this lovely extended family. They came together this summer to travel to the beach – Grandparents, their daughters and their daughters’ families. Since one daughter lives a plane ride away, being together is a rare and beautiful occasion. We were holding our breaths that afternoon, because a deluge of a rainstorm started up two hours before our appointed time. But right at 6 pm the skies opened up and the sunshine broke through to give us a breathtakingly beautiful light. As soon as the session was over, it started to rain again! I really enjoyed capturing the “togetherness” of this family ~ I hope you enjoy some of my favorite images from the session ~ 
Archive: ‘Families’
Sweet Grandchildren ~ An Extended Family Photo Session
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011Beautiful Family in a Summer Garden
Tuesday, July 26th, 2011What a fun time I had photographing this beautiful family! We planned their family portrait session in the garden. The blooms were at their peak glory and provided a relaxed setting for their session. I like to photograph in the late afternoon when the light is soft and flattering and the temperatures slightly cooler and more comfy. It’s been such a hot summer, hasn’t it? I just put their album together for them and can’t wait to present it to them! Here are some of my favorite portraits from their garden session ~
Sweet Family Portraits ~ Gorgeous Holiday Cards
Tuesday, July 5th, 2011I’m busy designing my 2011 Holiday cards, taking advantage of the summer weeks to get a jump on the holiday season. I love coming up with unique ways to help you express your holiday greetings. Last fall I had the privilege of photographing this lovely family. From our photo session, my client was able to decorate their home with beautiful family portraits and produce a keepsake card they were proud to send to friends and family members. Here are some images from our photo session and their holiday card. I’ve included a sampler of other holiday cards I produced last season to inspire you! Please contact me at nanine@naninephoto.com to book your fall family photo session so you can decorate your home and be able to send out a unique holiday greeting.
Family Memories ~ B&W or Color?
Tuesday, June 28th, 2011I had a wonderful time photographing this sweet family recently. Mom and Dad wanted to fill a wall with framed b&w portraits, so I helped them make their selections for a wall grouping, and we selected one lovely portrait of their son for a larger fine art framed canvas for display in color in their entrance. The resulting display is gorgeous and shows both the power of color and black and white to tell your family’s story. Later this summer, I will show you display ideas, but today I’ll discuss black & white vs. color. I get asked this question so many times: Should we order portraits in b&w or color? I tell my clients there is no right answer. I personally love b&w. It is classic and timeless. I process my b&w portraits to produce a warm-toned print, very pleasing to the eye. But I also love color when it is warranted. So I advise my clients to select prints in color if the color is special, unique or memorable — not just ordinary. For example, with a portrait taken against the backdrop of fall leaves, the bright orange hues would be important to that portrait. Or in this case, the bright aqua blue t-shirt of this couple’s son really makes him stand out. But we also liked the b&w portraits, so we selected one in color and several others in b&w for their wall grouping. I’ve posted photos in both b&w and color so you can see how the same image can look different and evoke a different feeling.
Three Sweet Siblings ~ A Fun Afternoon
Tuesday, March 15th, 2011A little while ago, I spent a fun afternoon with these three sweet siblings ~ brother, sister and baby boy. Mom wanted to surprise their father with portraits for Christmas so we had to keep it hushed. The children get major points for keeping this a secret from Dad so he could have a nice surprise on Christmas morning. We had a lot of fun photographing each child and baby brother too! Cute outfits and sweet smiles ~ to treasure for many years to come! And here are some of my favorites from this family photo session:
Workshop 2011 ~ Personal Family Photography
Tuesday, March 8th, 2011
I am excited to offer Personal Family Photography ~ A Workshop with Nanine.
Spring is just around the corner and I’m sure you are looking forward to using your great digital cameras to capture your family’s moments, both special and ordinary.
I’ll share inspirations and tips on improving your every day family photos, vacation & youth sports photos.
Please join me on Saturday April 30, from 9 am till noon in Charlotte for a fun-filled morning. This workshop is geared towards parents that are interested in understanding their cameras better and improving their family photos.
I will discuss:
* basics of photography ~ including lighting, composition & camera equipment
* developing your own photographic vision and finding inspiration
* editing, archiving and displaying your images
* personal photo critique and live portrait demonstration
* A gift bag with workshop handout, Photographing Your Family – A National Geographic Field Guide book, and other photo gifts
* coffee, tea and snacks will be served *
* South Charlotte location TBA *
$150
Please email Nanine at nanine@naninephoto.com to register for this workshop
Nanine Hartzenbusch has been a staff photographer at newspapers and wire services for over 20 years. She’s covered many parades, protests, county fairs and human interest stories. She worked for New York Newsday, The Associated Press, Reuters News Pictures, and most recently spent 11 years as a staff photographer at the Baltimore Sun. While at Newsday, she was part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news coverage of the 1991 Union Square subway crash. In 2007 she started a business in Charlotte, NC, specializing in documentary family portraiture and editorial assignments. Nanine has taught workshops at Vision Workshops, Julia Dean Photographic Workshops and also teaches photojournalism classes at the Art Institute of Charlotte.
Summertime Garden Session
Friday, September 3rd, 2010I had such a great time photographing these beautiful sisters and their parents in their lush garden. We chose the late afternoon for the soft flattering warm light that is so nice for family portraits. We had a lot of fun together ~ here a few of my favorite images from their family photo session ~
Summer Memories
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010Happy September!
Amid the hubub of back-to-school and a scheduled life, my mind wanders back to the beautiful summer we had. Let’s see … we traveled by planes, trains and automobiles to islands, beaches, pools, museums, parks and saw family, friends and neighbors. We curled on the sofa and read a ton of good books – we visited a gold mine – ate fresh figs on the veranda and we watched Spain win the World Cup! Lots and lots of fun. As we stumble back into our routine, we need to remember to infuse a little summer into our fall, winter and spring and keep that sense of wonder and adventure alive through all the seasons. I am excited to share with you some sweet summer memories ~ I shed all my heavy camera equipment and traveled with the Olympus Pen EP-2 a downsized camera with interchangeable lenses. A modern rangefinder style camera, if you will. It was freeing to travel so lightly and fun to try a new camera with all its bells and whistles. Enjoy the view!
{Tomorrow I will resume the blog with news from Nanine Hartzenbusch Photography. But just for today we’ll dream about summer…}
A Beautiful Family in a Springtime Garden
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010I had so much fun photographing this lovely extended family. Grandparents were visiting for the weekend and Mom & Dad have been wanting to photograph the whole family together for quite a while. They wore spring flower colors – the hues of hydrangeas – and together it all looked so brilliant against the backdrop of the garden. We photographed in the late afternoon – my favorite time – because the sun is muted, soft and flattering for portraits. And here are some sneak peeks from our wonderful afternoon photo session ~
Delightful Family Photo Session
Friday, May 14th, 2010I thoroughly enjoyed working with this beautiful family ~ And what better day to photograph than on Mother’s Day! I had a blast ~ the weather was picture perfect, the girls were sweet and their baby brother was adorable. We photographed in their garden in the late afternoon, so the children could play and be comfortable and the light is optimal late in the day. Everyone had a great Mother’s Day ~ and here are some sneak peeks from our photo session ~
