Posts in Category: Families
Welcome to the World, Baby
This little acorn is proof that prayer, will and love can defeat hopelessness, doubt and even sometimes infertility. Emeliegh Faith Shumate was born to Andy and Amber Shumate on March 29. Fragile but perfect and just over 4 lbs, she was taken to Brenner’s Children’s Hospital where she reached 5 lbs after a couple of weeks, allowing her to go home. Sweet Emeliegh arrived 4 weeks before her due date, but not a minute too soon for her parents. We call that God’s timing. It’s always perfect.
Once released to go home, her mom and dad brought her to our studio just two days later for her newborn photo debut. From the start she has been told that she is “tiny but mighty” and I hope she hears that every day of her life until she believes that her purpose is important. She appears to be living up to that motto so far and her sweet smile says, “I’m happy to finally be here too!”
We photographed her parents engagement and wedding, when they blended their family and celebrated a new beginning filled with hope and a desire to build that family even further. Big Sister Ashlyn is smitten by this tiny bean and so happy for her Dad and her new step-mom Amber. “My heart felt full after she got here – like it was gonna explode in my chest!”
The future continues to be bright for this family and for this mighty new-comer to the world. So much love begets so much love and we’re grateful to have this family in our lives and as part of our extended “family.”
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.
Overby Family Orchard Portraits
Almost 3 years to the date after we photographed the Overby’s in the orchard their family was a part of planting and starting, Mom Jennifer, Father Josh, Natalie, Eli and their latest addition, Jaden Overby were photographed among the audacious blossoms of the peach trees. This season, the orchard exploded and we were thrilled to see this family for a very special and timely photo session.
Natalie and Eli have grown so much in three years; time will do that, you know, but their personalities have only developed more and they were so sweet with their new little brother, Jaden. Check out the side-by-side images of these two cuties. I especially love how Natalie has moved from “hair bow” to “statement necklace” in three short calendar flips. As the mother of a boy, I love noticing these little shifts.
Jennifer is a descendant of the family who planted the orchard and they also live next to it. Heritage is important to this family, as is legacy and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this session was scheduled around the time that Jennifer’s father became very ill. We offered to reschedule the session so that the family could spend time together, but her father’s wish was to see photos that included Jaden, the youngest of all of his grandchildren.
Only a few days after we showed the family the portraits, Jennifer’s father passed, but not without being able to see the family portraits with his new grandson, and in a place he knew and loved so well.
To end on a happier note, Jaden is a close to perfect baby. Not one tear, not one cry for the entire session. More often than not, this happy little man was grinning and giggling and we love that he is not only a part of this terrific family, but was able to be in the orchard that day and during that time. We send nothing but blessings for the future for this family.
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.
Kate & Otis celebrate 50 years together
So a couple of things stuck with me after this recent photo session (read: party). One, I love it when people understand the true value of a printed photo. It’s not because it’s my profession to take pictures, it’s because I feel like I’ve met a landsman… someone from “my homeland or country” who appreciates what I appreciate. I value printed images. I love seeing framed photos at people’s homes when I’m there. I love thinking of them deciding that that particular image was so wonderful, they printed it, framed it and put it on a mantel, office desk or bedside table. They thought, “I want to see this as often as possible and to be reminded.”
Two, it stuck with me that lovers of printed photos know that images are not only daily pieces of joy, they can last longer than a life.
When Ryan photographed the celebration of 50 years of marriage for Kate and Otis McNeil, Kate said “Not to be morbid, but truly a complement to your work: These are the photos we are proud to have displayed at our funeral whenever that day comes.” And she wasn’t morbid, or sad or even wistful. She meant it and that means the world to us.
Kate & Otis McNeil celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on December 8th of 2018 (their actual anniversary is December 22, 1968) with a massive party at The Event Center at Summit Square in Winston Salem, NC. So much thought, effort, preparation, coordination and love went into making this a special evening.
Family and friends came from all of the US to reunite and celebrate.
In speaking with Kate during the months leading up to the event to coordinate the photos it was obvious what a momentous occasion this was for her and Otis. We loved that it was not lost on them how important marriage is and what a triumph of love, commitment and fortitude 50 years is.
Kate wanted to make sure that we captured the party atmosphere, but she was especially keen that Ryan took plenty of posed and candid images of all their family that would be in attendance. So we coordinated family members photos prior to the event start time, much like a wedding.
After the event, Kate and Otis ordered images of their kids, grandkids and themselves and many members of their extended families have also ordered photos of themselves with their children’s families. It fills me up thinking of all those family members, spread out all over the country, seeing the same images from that day hanging somewhere in their homes.
If you take the time to celebrate a life, a marriage, a graduation, a birth – and you plan a gathering or party around it with guests and family, really make it an event – we encourage you to hire a photographer to capture those images that you’ll want to see on your desk and look at daily and those you’ll want people to remember you by later.
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.
Eldridge & Wood Family Portraits
We could also call this blog: In the land of men, because there are seven of them in this blended family of eight. Seven men, and one of them is now in the U.S. Navy. This particular photo session was special. We’ve known the Eldridge side for a lonnnnnng while. Stacy Eldridge – mom of FIVE – has been contacting us for portrait sessions since 2010. It seems like a lifetime ago since we photographed her boys leaning against a rusted out pickup truck in their matching white polos.
Now Stacy’s land of men has grown by two more. Her partner Michael Wood and his son Rusty have joined the family. Rusty was set to leave to begin his service in the U.S. Navy so we had to do everything it took to make this photo shoot happen. It was our pleasure of course. We love supporting our service members in any way possible and wanted to get to know him and his dad, Michael a bit better.
The Eldridges are already all over the place with five young men running in different directions and Stacy routinely has a house full of other kids, friends of her boys, neighbors, etc. I frankly don’t know how this full time nurse and mom manages it all. Having everyone in one spot, even for just part of a day, was a big deal.
For this shoot – we ordered up a sunny day – but were dealt a rainy and cold hand. Many thanks to Winding Creek Wedding Venue and Farm – a place we love – for allowing us to meet up for this session. Ultimately, it was the perfect spot for these rugged men, in various stages of growing up, finding themselves, discovering their styles and attitudes for group and individual shots. No two are alike, you know? And isn’t that what makes each family unique? The mix of everyone.
Eldridge Family Photo 2014 
Eldridge Family Photo 2010
See more of the Eldridge boys from 2010 and 2014, where you can not only see the growth and change, but see why parents hire us for milestones and every couple of years to mark the lives of their kids and family.
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 ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Andrews family in-home christmas
Documentary style, in-home portraits are a trend we’ve been working in and loving for a few years now and Christmas 2018 gave us the opportunity to be at it again. The Andrews are a crew we love and for 2018, they wanted their holiday portraits to be chill, and most especially, in their new home in Purlear, North Carolina.
We’ve had the pleasure of taking portraits for these guys several times before. The arrival of their second child, Jaxon, gave us the chance to spend time with them, get to know older brother Luke and capture several baby milestones with them – including his 6 month and first birthday.
Ryan told me that during this shoot, it felt like Christmas morning a bit. The boys were in their pjs, they baked cookies with mom, read new Christmas books with dad and dragged Ryan from room to room, showing them their new home. And of course, they talked dinosaurs – as one does on such occasions.
I find it impossible to believe that there were any cookies left when Santa made it to their address. We have some photos to prove that their were a couple of cute taste-testers.
We love these sessions for their intimacy, informality and our ability to capture the real moments of life, when posed shots just won’t do. If you’re interesting in a documentary style photo shoot (it doesn’t have to be Christmastime), contact us and we’ll work on a plan.
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 ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.