Carol Anne Hartman Photography

FREE Valentine Fun | Hickory Photographer

Last year I had this great idea. I wanted to host a few hours of free Valentine photos. Just because. It would be low key, quick, fun. Just something you could give your wife from the kids or send to the grandparents.

Well, life got in the way and that didn’t happen.

This year is different! I found this great idea on Pinterest and I thought, “Neat! I’m gonna do that for my boys this year.” Well… about 5 minutes after that thought, I thought a second thought, “No! I’m gonna do that for anyone that wants one!!!” And I am. At least the photo part of it.

Check out the video below to find out what the heck I’m talking about:

If you wanna sign up, there is no special way to do it. Just send me an email letting me know what time to expect you. Hickory Arts is located at 720 2nd Ave SW, Hickory, NC 28602.

You can see in the before and after shots that I can customize the words on the banners. I’ve got a total of 3, so we can work out whatever kind of message you want. When you leave on Saturday, I will send you on your way with a CD of your image(s) for you to print and build with lollipops of your choice and instructions on how to do it. Or if you bring your own flash drive, I can load them up on there as well.

So, let the Valentine merriment commence. Oh, and keep scrolling down to see some shots one of the twins snapped of ME.

No strings, nothing to pay for, just good ol’ photo fun! I hope to see you next week!

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What to Wear | Christmas Sessions

Confession: as much of a hippie and general comfy clothing person as I am, I like to dress up, too! Weddings, Easter, a night on the town with my man (as rare as that is these days). In my life full of boys, it’s fun to feel like a girl.

If you are ready to feel like a girl (or if you’re a dad and wanna look all spiffy) for your holiday mini session, but you don’t know where to start, have no fear. Below are my suggestions for your family so that you match, but you don’t MATCH.

I like to use my family holiday pictures in Christmas cards, so I personally don’t want a whole slew of bright and competing colors. I also want them to look like Christmas when presented that way (say, on a card) but also not look like Christmas all year long. That way you can hang your awesome family picture in your house all year long! That was my inspiration for these suggestions. If you see something you like you can find all of these at Old Navy, Gap and Piperlime.

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How to Save a Life

I have a friend who has a nineteen year old son. He wasn’t supposed to live past two or three. His whole life has been a series of miracles.

One of those miracles happened almost 5 years ago. He needed a bone marrow transplant — a risky procedure that not all recipients live through — but, never the less, it was his best chance. After months of searching for a donor that was a match and finding none, an alternate procedure was recommended. It wasn’t what he needed, but it was all they had.

In the eleventh hour, after one last check of the registry, a match was found! The alternate procedure was abandoned and he got the healthy bone marrow that he needed. He will celebrate his 5-year re-birthday in December (the day he started his bone marrow transplant).

Why do I tell you this story? Because it inspired me to join the Bone Marrow Registry. My DNA has been noted and saved in a computer somewhere just waiting for someone to need it. I may never be called into action, but if I match someone in need, I’m there.

I want to invite you to join as well. It’s a painless little swab of the inside of your cheek. That’s it.

There is all sorts of very useful info on their website about what would happen if you are a match, how they extract the bone marrow, etc. But I can promise you, the small bit of discomfort it will cause you is microscopic compared to the life you could save.

Check out the video below and follow the “Take the First Step” link to learn more:

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Fall/Christmas Mini-Sessions

Even though we haven’t even made it through the fantastic candy holiday yet, Christmas will surely sneak right up on us if we’re not careful. So, it’s time for holiday mini-sessions.

What’s a mini-session?

I’m glad you asked.

A typical photo session lasts 1 to 2 hours and includes multiple outfit changes and possibly multiple locations. A mini-session is held at one pre-determined spot and lasts 20 minutes. If you aren’t sure 20 minutes is enough time to really capture your kids or your family, look below for some shots that were taken at past mini-sessions.

Christmas Mini-Sessions are $35. You will get ten images in an online gallery for you to oogle over. I will also be offering special pricing on digital downloads if you are a do-it-yourself-er and want to make your own Christmas cards — buy two, get one free!

Christmas Photo Session

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April + Jeremiah | Destination Wedding Photography

I met April the summer before her senior year. I was working in the real world (read: employed by someone other than myself) and she came in to help us out for the summer. She had the unfortunate job to call and harass the companies that were going to be in our catalog — the ones who were missing deadlines to get us images. Not a fun job, but she kicked booty at it and had a great attitude too.

Fast forward [cough] years. She met her Prince Charming.

No. Her Prince Charming fought the dragons of the internet and found her.

Jeremiah is in the Army and just before he was set to deploy to Afghanistan he noticed a pretty girl that was friends with his cousins on Facebook. Even though April was very leery of him at first, his Prince Charming-ness (yes, I totally just made up a new verb — I know you are jealous of my mad skills) shone through and she fell for him.

Last Friday he swept her off her feet at the beautiful Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina in full fairy-tale-style.

Love the shot on the right below. The bride’s father: they asked him to just turn around while she got dressed instead of making him leave the room.

April wanted everyone to “feel the sand between their toes”, so everyone was encouraged to leave their shoes behind. When they returned to the patio from the ceremony, there were towels and rosemary water waiting so they could rinse the sand off before donning their shoes again.

The look when he finally sees her:

April’s father gave a beautiful prayer for her and his future son-in-law.

The sunset was stunning, but it was dull compared to April!

April surprised Jeremiah with a Packers garter.

One fun perk to shooting in the same location that the bride and groom will retire to: I get to be in on the little surprises. April’s sister and friend spiffed up their room for them.

Huge thanks to my second photographer and my love: Jeff Hartman.

If that wasn’t enough wedding goodness for you, check out April and Jeremiah’s slideshow:

April and Jeremiah, I thank you for allowing me to document your day and inspiring me with your faith and love. I offer to you one of my favorite Irish prayers:

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

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Ballerinas and Peppermint

Read this in a very Jerry McGuire-esque voice: I LOVE BALLERINAS!!!

I do.

I love to shoot them.

With my camera. Geez. I saw that look on your face Mr. Smarty Pants.

If you have seen any of my work at all, you will notice that I shoot a lot of dancers. That is thanks, in part, to my wonderful friend Melissa. She is a retired professional ballerina herself and now teaches at the NewArt School. A few years ago we started working together — she would give them posing ideas that are dance-y and I would snap away!

I think I love photographing dancers so much because they create a wonderful, yet temporary, visual art with their bodies. I create a permanent visual art, but usually I am in it alone, helping families, seniors and brides pose in cahoots with my vision. There is nothing wrong with that, but sometimes I like the challenge of the two artists working together to create a whole new something.

I should stop here and go on a tangent, I think. I misspelled “permanent” in that last paragraph and spell check tried to make it “peppermint”. That would have been a whole different sentence altogether! Aaaaand now I want a candy cane. — tangent over

Why all this talk of ballerinas? Well, a few weeks ago Melissa asked me to come and shoot some promo images for her production of The Nutcracker. Can I just say — it’s gonna be awesome. If you live near Newton, North Carolina, you should totally come. In December, of course.

So, of course I said yes and loaded up all of my studio gear. Here are some of the shots that came out of that afternoon:

If you are close enough to attend, sign up for email updates from the Newton-Conover Auditorium and watch your inbox! The NewArt Ballet School‘s Nutcracker will be December 2nd & 3rd!

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Guest Post | Darbey

In the past I have blogged about a couple of the people that love to come out and help me — just for the love of it. Today’s post is written by one of those very people. Please leave her some comment love as she generously agreed to guest post today!

Hey there. My name is Darbey. I’m 15 years old, and I’m totally head over hills in love with photography. And this is kinda how it happened…

It was a year ago in May of 2010 when my family and I went to New York City for our first visit. Everybody was getting ice cream and trying to find out where our bus had gone off to when I saw this old man sitting on a bench reading a news paper. I thought to myself, “This is the old guy just needs his picture taken..and I kinda just want a picture of him!” As I’m thinking this, I run over to my mom who always has her camera and demand that she hand it over before this guy sees what I’m trying to do and runs away. After I get my mom’s cannon rebel, I walk over near where the man is sitting and start clicking! This guy had to have known I was taken his picture because I was about five feet away from him and he just sat there and kept drinking his coffee and reading his paper. I took about two or three pictures before I started to feel a little creeperish. That’s when my little sister came running up at me yelling “Take my picture!!” I put the camera up to my eye, and push the button ready for the click sound that I love so much now and nothing! I try again…nothing!
I walk over to my mom dreading the thought of telling her that I had somehow just broken her $1,000 dollar camera. As you can imagine, she was none too happy that the remainder of our New York City trip would have to be photographed using my older sisters very cheap (many times dropped) little pink camera!

By Christmas time of the same year my love for photography had grown. When I opened my gift it was the camera that had broken in NYC. Of course, it was newly fixed up, and I immediately started taking pictures left and right! The next day I took my whole family outside in the snow and took over 300 pictures in about two hours. I was in love with my camera from that moment.

Now days I work with several Photographers (one is Carol Anne) that I admire and respect when they are willing to let me tag along to assist them and learn from them. I take my camera just about anywhere I go…friend’s houses, parties, family outings, etc. You never know when the perfect photo opportunity will come along! I’m working on a Project 52 where I have a photo assignment every week of the year. I’ve taken pictures for a few friends, and I love it when they ask. I have a master plan, too. I’m going to work hard on my photography skills through high school then I’m going to college to study photography and business. One day, I want to own my own business and call it Darbey’s Hot Shots. It’s a work in progress, but I’m on my way…. at least I hope I am!

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Casey + Tyler | Morganton Wedding Photographer

If rain on your wedding day is good luck, these two should have no problems — ever.

Casey and Tyler shared their “I dos” at the Morganton Community House in… wait for it… Morganton. It’s a beautiful old place, appropriately wedding-day-white!

While the sun was short-lived, it didn’t matter. The bride was brilliant enough just by herself. Glowing, happy, anxious, gracious — beautiful. And the groom and his groomsmen — well, they were rowdy, rambunctious, excited and fun!

Casey’s aunt is a stylist and owns her own salon. For the ladies, that’s where the day started. The salon was closed to outside business and the girls spent the morning being pampered with massages, pedicures, manicures and beautiful ‘dos.

Morganton, NC Wedding Photographer

Only one slight downfall to the community house… the ladies have to get ready in a coat closet:

Morganton, NC Wedding Photographer

The guys had to do the Ricky Bobby “what do I do with my hands?”

Morganton, NC Wedding Photographer

Casey chose to do a bridal boudoir session. Part of that session is a “little black book” to give to your man on your wedding. Here, Tyler receives his “little black book” in private, just before the ceremony:

Morganton, NC Wedding Photographer

Apparently every Bannerman, whether by blood or by marriage, has to learn to clog. Casey was a good sport and learned a few steps before the wedding. The entire Bannerman clan donned their cloggin’ shoes and helped Casey break hers in:

Morganton, NC Wedding Photographer

Everything about this day was just perfect. Yes, even the rain and crazy thunderstorm. The love that surrounds Casey and Tyler from their friends and families was beautiful to witness. Thank you both for allowing me the privileged of capturing your day!

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My Happy Helpers

I like to be able to control the light. Fo’ sho’. I am not one of those all-natural-light-only-no-exceptions photographers. I loves me some natural light, but sometimes mother nature needs to be helped out a bit.

So I have some awesome girls — my happy helpers — that come out with me from time to time and help out. I recently heard photographer Ben Sant refer to such happy helpers as “voice activated light stands”. Which is, essentially, what they are. But mine are way-awesome, too.

Many times during a photo session, the client needs to change clothing. Sometimes there is no good place to make that happen. Good thing I drive a van with tinted windows! (that sounds a little too creepy, I think)

At a session a few months ago, my happy helpers were worried that the client (a male high school senior) might think they were trying to look at him while he changed in my van, so they hid behind the reflector. Silly girls.

And sometimes (although not too often) I hand off my sweet baby (otherwise known as my camera) and jump in a shot…

Thanks to all of my Happy Helpers (there are more that just these two)! If you have a love of photography and want to volunteer to be a Happy Helper, send me an email. I’ll definitely call ya when the need arises!

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Flower Child

I am pleased to finally introduce you to the second winner of last year’s contest! Meet Miss Courtney:

Courtney invited her friends to “like” my facebook page last year and when we hit 500 “likes”, I gave a session to the 500th and to the person that referred them. The 500th “like” was Miss Anna and Courtney is the one that invited her to my page!

Courtney is a brilliant singer and actress, an all around really great friend, a sweet person, she even writes her own songs, AAAAAND she was a senior in high school. So for her session we not only did senior portraits, but we also snagged a few new headshots.

Courtney wanted to wait and do her session when the daffodils were in bloom. They are her fave, so we had to incorporate them!

Courtney, I am always thankful for and amazed by your commitment to quality. You are so beautiful, both inside and out! I am blessed to know you and wish you nothing but success and happiness. Go Mountaineers!

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It’s All About Me

OK, so it's not really. It's really all about YOU! But I want you to know about me to see if I fit with you. Let's face it, when you look for a photographer, you aren't just looking for a person who can provide you with photos. You are looking for a personality that fits yours! You don't want to try to "relax and look natural" in front of some creepy person that you don't gel with. (Oh, and by the way, I will NEVER tell you to relax and look natural) :)

So here is me. I am not just using this space to belch out all of the wonderful things that I am doing. I am using it to just be me - share my family quips, my fears, my fun times, and more.

So if you think you would like me to document part of your story, have a look around. Take a few minutes to see me. And maybe if you like who you see, I'll be seeing you!
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