Posts in Category: Kids
Driver Family Outdoor Portrait Photos
Back to our favorite orchards we went on April 6th to photograph Mom Meghan and her daughter Paisley (nicknamed “P”). “P” got dressed UP for the occasion in purple tulle and a big floral bow and sash. The dress’s skirt alone would turn any girl green with envy. It was full and she wore it, not the other way around. The dress was a gift from friend and mother of 5 (FIVE) boys, Stacy Eldridge. Stacy is a long time client and friend of ours and made the referral to Meghan. I have to say, it is SO fun watching her with Paisley after being surrounded by and raising boys for so long. Stacey is Paisley’s biggest fan.
Meghan is a single Mom, who works two full time jobs and manages to hold down the fort and make ends meet and while filling the roles of both Mom & Dad.
I think I’m probably the biggest fan of single parents, because at the end of the day, what they are doing is what we’re all trying to do – create a healthy happy family. And this mother-daughter duo is only about a year old, but there’s no mistaking that they are a family.
Single moms blow my mind. I can only imagine their level of stress and exhaustion as they navigate everything parents navigate, but as a solo act. I really wanted this photo shoot to be about spoiling them both, so we made sure that Meghan felt beautiful, loved and supported while the divine Miss P got to run around like a princess in her own kingdom of peach blossoms. The ultimate goal though was to capture images that Meghan would treasure for the rest of her life. The results are glorious, vibrant and beautiful.
The afternoon and evening of shooting were a complete blast. Stacy and her partner Michael were on the scene to help wrangle the almost one-year-old, so there was a lot of laughter between shots. The weather was gorgeous and there was so much love in the air. This goes in my book as a favorite session and I hope to have Paisley in front of my lens often as we watch her grow into the beautiful strong woman I know she’s going to 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, 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.
2 Year Old Gavin’s Day of Photos
We have been photographing this little shaver since the beginning and now he’s two. TWO! And he’s all boy. Gavin Mendieta loves playing outside, tramping around in the woods, getting his hands dirty in nature and getting massive love-ups from his puppy. For photo session number three with this kid, Ryan shot images in – naturally – the great outdoors.
That dog smooch made me laugh out loud when going through the files Ryan brought home. I feel like their heads are exactly the same size. Gavin is NOT afraid of kisses from the right friend.
We love providing clients with a mixture of portraits that are more staged and posed with real Day in the Life sessions, and with this family we were able to do both. These images were taken in Gavin’s very own backyard and nature habitat in Gastonia, NC and I love seeing children captured perfectly in an environment they know, showing their personalities and tendencies. It’s the third time we’ve photographed him in the great outdoors.
Check out our first session with Gavin at 6-months and his first birthday cake smash.
Gavin: When you no longer need assistance climbing trees and fording streams, we hope we’re there. For now, enjoy your third trip around the sun knowing how loved you are!
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.
Our Boy – 18 month portraits
He’s dapper.
He’s thoughtful.
He’s got a lot on his mind.
He’s also our kid. And all that I can say, you guys, is that it’s getting much much harder for us to photograph our own sweet boy. He is getting faster, bored more quickly, and after hearing Mama or Daddy say the same thing over and over he completely tunes us out. [should I stop here, so you can laugh and nod?…… ok great.]
I am a photog AND a Mama. I am a Ninja at Merlefest capturing musicians and atmosphere. And I can coax cuteness out of sleepy kids like Holden. I want to believe that like Walt Whitman said, I “contain multitudes.”
But when it was time for this shoot – with the blooms about as perfect as our Finley, I felt what every Mama feels: “what on earth am I supposed to wear?” “How do I get it all together?”
I stressed about everyone else’s outfits, lacked time to get myself ready, lathered myself up about things going according to plan and then afterwards, worried over whether we got even one good shot.
I’ve said it before but it’s worth saying again, I now have a totally different perspective and appreciation as a photographer who is also a Mom. I feel your pain.
Now that I’ve shared that … I have to say that I love these images. Ryan and I are better people because of that little ginger. We focus in a new way (no pun intended); we prioritize differently; we laugh more; listen more closely and we absolutely love more deeply. Personally, he was our game-changer. Professionally, the same is true. Perspective is everything.
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.
family outdoor portraits – at play & rest
The Minicks are family. Literally. We’ve been shooting photos of them since before Pixels was Pixels. This latest shoot was extremely fun, because the family grew by one when Matthew – Matt Matt – arrived and we all met up at a park to celebrate older sister Amelia’s first day of school. She has been the cutest little bug since birth and is now getting some competition from her little brother.
“Siblings: Children of the same parents, each of whom is perfectly normal until they get together.” – Sam Levenson
Even though we shot after a first day of school – and sweet Matt Matt is trying to overcome his desire to ride on the school bus with his big sissy, he was not forgotten. The Minicks brought along a quilt featuring characters from children’s author Eric Carle and Matthew’s current favorite book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? The family took a break to rest in the shade and read it together.
I love seeing the long legs on these kids, the complete passion for playtime and a family that hangs together. We adore 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 License
All photos are ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
The York Family Outdoor Portraits
I feel like I say this about every family that we photograph more than two times. Maybe I do. And then it occurred to me that perhaps Ryan and I are just blessed in this way beyond the other blessings that we already see daily. Maybe our superpower is attracting great people into our lives who just happen to be our clients. We find commonalities, share values, a world view or life experience, crack each other up, can relate about the ups and downs of life and become bonded for keeps. The Yorks are just such a couple and just such a family.
We photographed the Lindsey, Mitch, Tate and Turner a few years ago with Lindsey’s family and again last year with outdoor portraits of Mitch’s family. This most recent occasion was about birthday celebrations for their boys, Turner and Tate. The two year old loves trains so we all met up at the Depot in North Wilkesboro. His theme? CHOO CHOO ~ I’M 2! Cute huh? He is obsessed with trains, train tracks, the cars, all of it. And the four year old is ALLLLLL about fishing, so there were plenty of props for each little man. If only we could all hang onto passion the way we do when we’re so young…. “she said wistfully.”
Lindsey has envisioned a stairwell wall collection as well as one above her bed and we’re in the process of getting the canvases created and up on the walls for this crew. We’re also already planning next year’s session. We had so much fun at this one, that we cannot wait. Ideas are brewing!
As we watch this family grow, and I look at these images, that blessed feeling returns. We are happy to be doing life with these guys. Lindsey, Mitch, Turner and Tate: We love you!
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.