Posts in Category: Kids

The Arnold Family

Timing. It’s in the stars, I think sometimes. Once again, we made plans for a photo shoot with LONG TIME clients and pals Meghan and Jeremy Arnold and ended up changing them due to access and Covid-19. But who can complain when the results are so beautiful? We found ourselves perfectly happy on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne.

Big baseball fan and player Jeremy grew up in Hickory and has great memories of playing games on their campus. What a gorgeous day we had and with their two children, and our Finley in tow, it could not have been a better spot.

We’ve photographed this family since the very beginning before Meghan and Jeremy were married. From their engagement, wedding, the birth of daughter Berklee and then son Wyatt, we’ve watched them all grow as a family.

At nearly every shoot, we grab an image of Jeremy tossing daughter Berklee in the air, and I’m so pleased that this tradition has held.

Ryan took these images, while I assisted with lens, styling, finding the next spot and wrangling the little ones.

I love both the dynamic images and the posed as well. With families who have young ones, it is less important to pose than it is to get a sense of their connection as a family and their individual personalities.

When I think back to the engagement portraits for Jeremy and Meghan, I cannot believe the passage of time. But I see them all together, looking every bit like they waltzed out of a J. Crew catalog, and think: they are exactly where and who they should be.


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 newborns and families, 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 ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.

Pixels On Paper’s 2020 Outdoor Christmas Mini Sessions

Pixels On Paper will be photographing outdoor Christmas Mini Portrait sessions this year. Who’s in?

It’s the MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR, even if 2020 has been, well……. and we’re all a bit disoriented. Find some normalcy by getting in the spirit for Christmas with a portrait session.

WHEN: Saturday, December 12th.
WHERE: We’ve created a Christmas themed backdrop in our outdoor portrait garden.
HOW: We will of course be following all CDC and local protocols with regard to safe distancing during the entirety of the session. We will wear masks, and shoot all images outside. If you have special requests in terms of safety, please let us know.
WHAT: Contact Pixels On Paper to reserve your session and see pricing at the end of the blog.

We have a large backdrop, fully loaded with seasonal decor, plenty of props that will be wiped down between sessions, and even a small (and cute, if I may say so) station for images of your little elves.

Our son Finley got a kick out of it and he lives here, so our hope is that you will make a plan to schedule your session with us as soon as possible. It’s one day only, December 12th!


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 newborns and families, 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 ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.

Tevepaugh Boys in the Apple Orchard

Finally, we got to gather in the family orchard to see little Liam Tevepaugh. This was his 6 month portrait session and the day was outstanding. This baby boy was born during Covid to first time parents Cody and Courtney.

Due to the pandemic, I was unable to photograph his newborn session, but I did send my camera and instructions about the lenses and lighting to Courtney so that she could capture his newborn photos herself. We try to provide service, folks! Six months later, off to the family orchards we went.

This was the peak season for getting everyone together. Dad Cody is a twin and his brother Casey’s little boy, Connor came along to make sure that his new first cousin had a playmate and some help learning the landscape. I even captured a few shots of Connor with his father Casey, who tends to run from the camera and is more interested in helping us with crates, ladders and set ups.

My own boy Finley had a blast running around on this day as well. Liam’s mom along with Courtney’s mom and sister also came and there were plenty of adults to help jump up and down trying to get kids to laugh, take turns holding the little ones and generally enjoying being together. These are members of my family, so it was the best being able to see them all on such a gorgeous day outdoors to celebrate the newest Tevepaugh.


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 newborns and families, 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 ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.

Fall portraits of Finley

I’ve said this before and there is a reason for that: the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. The Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote that in a poem, and as a descendent of Scots (McGuire), believe me – I get it, Robbie B!! I hear you, brother!

We’ve been capturing Finley in his Carhartt overalls as a kind of theme, for a while now. Whether I am behind the camera, or we’ve hired a pro, I love these images. With apple picking season upon us we set a course for Apple Hill Orchard in Morganton. As parents do, we hyped it up, packed the cute clothes, got our little guy ready and arrived to find they were closed. There was so much traffic over the weekend that our Monday plan was not to be. No apple picking. The good news is that we had a blast on a nearby trail and the day was glorious.

As memories go, what I will tell Finley when he’s older is that he spent 90% of his time that day, storing acorns in every pocket he had. If they had been pants, they would have fallen down. Like a little squirrel prepping for winter, he put handful and handful in those overalls. The snacks I had, including Cheerios and cashews just mixed right in. Hilarious!

Yes, I will probably try to get some apple picking portraits again before it’s too late, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t pleased with how these images turned out: happy boy, fun day and when we reached the farm shop to buy some apples, his acorns spilled out all over the place to the delight of other customers. It was a good day. Don’t give up Moms. Joy is out there, even if it isn’t what you envisioned.

My advice is that you do the best with what you’re given.


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 newborns and families, 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 ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.

Siblings in Photography

Pixels On Paper Photographers Wilkesboro NC Anderson Family Outdoor Fall Portrait Photography Photo

It’s been said that a sibling is the only enemy you cannot live without. I’d like to think that I would use the case-by-case method instead of thinking that this is true across the board.

While musing recently about a possible influx of babies due to being quarantined in 2020, I reviewed so many images of children, of kids being kids, of the demure, the knuckleheads tamping down their laughter while I was shooting images, and of little cherubs (sorta) …. brothers and sisters, friends, conspirators, frenemies, … siblings.

Marion one year old portrait photography photo

A favorite line about siblings someone recently shared with me: They are children of the same parents, each of whom is perfectly normal until they get together. I love this and it prompted me to find other summaries and observations about siblings.

Pixels On Paper Photographers Bynum Family Christmas 2019 Photo

”The advantage of growing up with siblings is that you become very good at fractions.” – Robert Brault

“Half the time when brothers wrestle, it’s just an excuse to hug each other.” – James Patterson

“They say that no matter how old you become, when you are with your siblings, you revert back to childhood.” – Karen White

“A sibling is the lens through which you see your childhood.” – Ann Hood

“To the outside world, we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were, we know each other’s hearts, we share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys.” – Clara Ortega

I would like to add (as an only child) that cousins deserve to be included in this mix too. Those relationships that build and shape us are just the best.
Take the opportunity to have those relationships photographed.


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 newborns and families, 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 ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.