Posts in Category: Families
Family Time
As I continue to ponder the priorities that Ryan and I have for 2020 and beyond, family keeps coming up.
As a family, we are focusing more on time together and making memories, especially with our extended family who all want time with Finley.
Why a Family Documentary Session?
Because you won’t regret it.
When we have a milestone, we hire our peers to photograph us with Finley, family and friends and we are also encouraging our client families to do the same. Let us capture your casual down time together. These are not stressful photo shoots. NONE of our photo shoots with families are unless there are last minute changes and even then, we know how to laugh and hug and say, “you’ll be telling this story decades from now.”
Some families plan a day in a special place like an orchard, a greenway, a park, beach or mountain retreat. For these, we get posed images for the archives, frames and scrapbooks, of course, but we also get the more casual shots of them just hugging, chatting and being together.
I know I sound like I’m giving a sermon, but family is important and some of the best pictures we take, those that the family members love the most, are caught off guard or of people just relaxing.
Things to Consider When Planning a Day in the Life or Family Photo Shoot:
+ How often do you ALL get together? Identify the time and start contacting your relatives and friends;
+ Is there a special place that your tribe loves? Can you visit, book it or plan to meet up there?
+ Do you all like to do something together? Do you ride bicycles or hike or ski or go bowling? Do you have a workshop where 3 generations can build something together? Do you love to cook or paint? You do not have to have an activity, but if your family is drawn to the water or to the garden, to your alma mater or family business, let’s include that.
If your priority this year is a photo session that is easy and casual and personal, think about a Day in the Life session. We can help with the details and planning and we’re ready! Contact us to discuss further.
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden. Pixels on Paper photographs, engagements and weddings, brides, and special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
Valentine’s Day Expressions
This is love.
So is this.
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I thought I would just celebrate what love looks like on people’s faces, in their body English, and in their overall gestures because of their connection to each other. It’s not always easy to spot love, especially when you’re trying to capture a variety of images during a scheduled photo session, but I’ve been training my eye for a while now, and sometimes, it’s right in your face.
Couples who are no longer newlyweds really make me smile. You made a commitment and it held, through good and bad. The familiarity has not, as the saying goes, bred contempt. We married couples know each other well and that love has deepened.
Parents with their babies = undeniable love. It spills out and they cannot help it, even with a photographer circling them, lighting them, and getting multiple shots. And the same is true with siblings who snuggle.
There are those quiet, less obvious moments too. Resting in love is soul-restoring.
And there’s friendship. God gave us so many types of love, but one of the greatest is our love for our neighbors, our weird friends, the people who aren’t bound by blood, but who show up to “do life” with us.
We need love for each other now more than ever. Whatever it takes or looks like, I plan to take a moment this week, whether it’s with the Valentines I share a name with, or just someone who makes my life better, and show them a little love. I hope you will too.
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden. Pixels on Paper photographs, engagements and weddings, brides, and special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
Anderson Outdoor Fall Family Portraits
When it was time to schedule their daughter Ashleigh’s senior portraits, father Scott said, “why not take pictures of the entire family?” I’ve learned that you never say no to an opportunity to get everyone together – especially when you have teenagers. AND ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S DAD’S IDEA. Show of hands: how many times has your husband or boyfriend said, let’s get our portraits taken?
We photographed the Anderson family in Stone Mountain just a few weeks ago and, as mentioned, ended up with two photo shoots instead of one. Jenny was my very best friend all through elementary and high school and since returning to Wilkesboro almost a decade ago, we’ve been photographing her family. I love her and, naturally we love this clan.
Not too long ago (a couple of years maybe), we had an outdoor family portraits session with the Andersons and Jenny’s sister’s family, the Scotts. Like this one, it was in the fall. I love seeing how the kids have grown even since then. Faces may change slightly, and size, but their personalities really begin to sparkle. There’s something about seeing a kid you knew as a child just along for the ride, suddenly as a young adult willing to take up some space. It’s pretty special.
Daughter Ashleigh is a senior in high school and was part of our recent blog about prom portraits. Son Owen has grown a foot since we last saw him; Ashleigh is headed off to college soon and we loved spending time with this family cracking up, swapping stories and silly verbal jabs and watching them show off their lively family dynamic.
Jenny and Scott’s personalities really shined through in these images. When Jenny came to view the proofs, she brought Ashleigh and they both agreed that the images captured who they are every day, not just in front of a camera. I remember Jenny and Scott when they fell in love in high school… nothing has changed and, I must say, that gives me hope! Love can last, ya’ll and gets better in time.
If you love outdoor family portraits, give us a call. It’s getting colder out, but it’s never too soon to plan for the spring. To the Andersons, we love you! Talk soon!
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden. Pixels on Paper photographs, engagements and weddings, brides, and special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
All photos are ©2019 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Ava Turns One
Sweet little Ava enjoyed this one year birthday portrait session almost as much as we did. She toddled with her Mom and Dad all over an Ashe County NC pumpkin patch, with more wardrobe changes than a pop icon on tour. Great facial expressions – check. Cuteness on cue – yup. She loved sharing Zinnias from the fields, laughed at squatting on pumpkins, eagerly tugged on her dad’s beard while giving him Eskimo kisses, and jabbered away in her special language with her Mama. This year has been filled with so much joy in her presence. I’m excited to watch and photograph her in all the years ahead. We LOVE you, Miss Ava.
It’s hard for me to believe that it has been a year since we took her first photos, even though I’ve quite literally watched this child grow. Her parents are close friends of ours. We photographed mom Judy’s maternity portraits, Ava’s newborn portraits, an outdoor orchard session in blooms and a 6-month portrait session where this little nugget looks like a fairy in every image.
During the last 12 months, I’ve given Ava some of my very own clothes, some hand made and others hand-me-downs from when I was a child. My son, Finley, has shown no interest in girlie fashions, and to be honest, I’ve found it hard to resist shopping for frills for her while I’m thrift store shopping. So many options sing out to be hers, even though often I find that she’s going to outgrow them 10 minutes after I drop them off! I’m not even her mom, but the pull is strong ya’ll. I just adore this kid.
I also love her doting, attentive and thoughtful parents. I’m so looking forward to her next year ahead and all the fun, silliness and growth we can expect to see for her.
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden. Pixels on Paper photographs, engagements and weddings, brides, and special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States LicenseAll photos are ©2019 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Newborn Baby Portraits | Sweet Nora
Eleanor (Nora) is new to the planet, so let’s all keep our voices down until she’s ready for the noise and fun of life. Her siblings will help with that, I’m sure. We had the honor of photographing her parents, including this couple’s engagement and wedding portraits as well as Mom Ashleigh’s bridal portraits. They are an amazing couple, both public servants and both community and family-oriented.
These two wed in 2012 and we’ve seen them around our small town plenty of times since then. After some health complications, Ashleigh planned to have a hysterectomy – it was ON her calendar – and then found out that she was pregnant just a few months prior. God has His plan and timeline, and He answered prayers in a way that He has been doing throughout their marriage. Now, they are a family of five, not counting fur babies.
Little Nora is every bit the baby girl a parent would fall instantly and completely in love with. She’s teeny, she’s bright eyed and she is a near perfect little human. We’re are hungry for more of her and for more time with this family.
I cannot say enough how much I love this family and all that this couple does in their professional roles in public service. But even more, I admire their HUGE hearts and capacity for loving children more than you can possibly imagine.
We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the mountains or high country, or on our property in our outdoor portrait garden. Pixels on Paper photographs, engagements and weddings, brides, and special events and portraits of all kinds in our Wilkesboro, NC studio. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your family and be a part of taking special portraits that will become, we hope, family heirlooms.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
All photos are ©2019 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.