Posts in Category: Portraits

Best of Father’s Day – Part 1

Let’s celebrate the guys we love. June means heat, summer vacations, family outings but also being stuck indoors or trying to get out responsibly after quarantine. I could not be more grateful for my own father and for my hubs, Ryan. We’ve taken so many wonderful images of dads over the years that it felt like time to do a two part blog showcasing some of our favorites.

Pixels On Paper Photography Atticus Newborn Family Portrait Photo

“My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, “You’re tearing up the grass.”
“We’re not raising grass,” Dad would reply.
“We’re raising boys.” – Harmon Killebrew

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC Photographers York In Home Family Christmas 2019 Photo
One Year Old Child and family Portrait Photography by Pixels On Paper Jefferson NC Photographers Photo

“A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms even when his hand’s are empty.” – Unknown

“By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong.” – Charles Wadsworth

“When you teach your son, you teach your son’s son.” – The Talmud

Luka Becerra newborn pixels on paper wilkesboro nc family portrait photographers photo

“He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived and let me watch him do it.” – Clarence Budington Kelland

Happy Father’s Day, Dads! Part 2 is to come. We love celebrating 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 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.

Congrats to Laura – A new Appalachian State University Grad

Like so many others during this Pandemic, Laura Souther did something note-worthy: she graduated from college. The fanfare of years past wasn’t there and while we know these newly minted grads are adults, we wish for more pomp and circumstance, pardon the pun. They deserve our heartfelt, if virtual, high fives. We had the honor of capturing Laura at her now alma mater – Appalachian State University – in mid-May on a truly gorgeous day.

She sparkled next to the sign with her sash, and her big smile was memorable, and indicative of the young woman she is.

It’s hard to believe but we photographed this girl 4 years ago for her senior prom. She looked amazing, but man! Father Time, could you just go take a break? Some of us want you to speed up and propel us forward, but as a mom of a two year old, I’d like to see you pump the breaks. I know Laura is raring to go though. She has been accepted to and will start graduate school in speech pathology next and is excited about the next phase of her life.

Laura: you are going places, sweetheart! We appreciate your resilience, your hope in the future and the work that you are going to put into making the world better. From the bottom of our hearts, congratulations!


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.

Ashleigh High School Grad Photos

Covid-19, and the time in our lives it has brought, has not been kind to milestones and those who want to celebrate them, but this high school senior is not typical. She’s funny, smart, resilient and ready for the future. I’m so proud to know her and to have been able to photograph her high school graduation portraits – OUTSIDE of course.

High School Senior Graduation outdoor portrait photography by Pixels On Paper Photography photo

Her mom was my best friend growing up and is a dear friend to this day, and her daughter is the coolest kid. We took photos for her senior year with her family in the wood and in front of waterfalls. The Andersons are solid friends and we love them.

Ashleigh has the best sense of humor and a fantastic personality. I love this kid. After her school year came to a grinding halt because of Covid, she was distraught. No big round ups. No graduation. No special occasions – just “all in to protect ourselves.” But she found her resolve and then decided to work a couple of jobs and start applying to college. She boot strapped it and got over it, like the cool kid she is.

“I did it!”
Congratulations to this remarkable young woman. I look forward to photographing you, Ashleigh through all the coming milestones in your life.


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.

Roman Turns One. Airplanes and Cake Smash

We cannot stop it. Time is going to do what it’s going to do….. keep passing. Suddenly Roman, below, is a year old.

Pierce One Year Portraits cake smash airplane by Pixels On Paper Portrait Photographers

The third child of Andy and Traci Pierce just celebrated his first birthday and this family does not “phone it in.” They come to PLAY with themes and props and outfits and the big dessert – cake.

Father Andy is a commercial pilot and we have used themes before in photo shoots with his two older brothers. Holden was Pierce baby number one and the aviation them was chosen for him. Then Sawyer came along as a little surfer and pharmacist like his Mom. He even had (and still has) the curls of a man who lives by the sea and in hammocks during his downtime. Roman is the last and third child for Andy and Traci, so they decided to go for it one more time. Traci got the idea from Pinterest of shooting on location, and tasked Andy with finding a plane.

He did. From WWII. Decked out in flack jackets and aviator shades, we all met up in Concord on a gorgeous mid-March dad, with perfect blue skies and lots of wind.

The weather always plays a role, if only to bless you or challenge you. Thank goodness that it was merely a challenge instead of a curse. Traci is detail-oriented, admittedly type A – something she and I share, so she wants all of our time and effort to be worth it. With the wind blowing us all around, Roman was freezing, but Holden and Sawyer were loving it! They fit the roles of pilot and copilot already. We had a couple of “is this going to work?” moments, but we couldn’t be happier with the results.

I feel confident that the family will be having caption contests with the image above for many years to come. Holden with his tongue sort of sticking out conspiring the plan, Sawyer with his curls and “about to pounce lets get do it” posture and little Roman looking like “LETS TAKE A MINUTE TO THINK ABOUT THIS BOYS.”

We ended up back inside, playing around the hangar and avoiding the wind and Roman’s mood shifted from “I’m freezing” to “this ROCKS!” Everything turned out beautifully and I loved capturing the colors of the plane, the natural light and the boys. We adored the plane’s owner who was so accommodating and cool too. He helped make the day a success.

The cake smash went off well too. First birthdays have to have cake and like his older brothers, Roman was able to get the anticipated – and much deserved – sugar rush. Cake theme: why yes, planes!

Roman: we’ve said this about your older brothers, but we are serious when we say it to you: we cannot wait to watch you grow up in front of our lenses and in our midst. Congratulations on your first year on earth. Here’s to so very many more.


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.

Class of 2020 Senior Portrait Photos

Yes, we’re in the middle of a pandemic. No, that does not at all diminish what you’ve accomplished. Graduation dates are approaching and we’ve got seniors on the brain.

While we know that high school and college seniors are basically either on pins and needles about their graduation ceremonies or they are now gearing up for something a little different than perhaps they wanted, we’re here to help.

These milestones are still big deals in your life and we want you to be able to get dressed up and have portraits taken that will memorialize your accomplishments.

Leann McAbee UNC Greensboro College Senior Grad Portrait Photo

While Pixels is strictly following all protocols laid out by the CDC and other government agencies, we do have an open air outdoor portrait garden that is glorious and ready for senior portrait sessions.

As the weeks and months unfold, we hope that we will be able to schedule individual shoots with no physical contact. Please get in touch with us if you are interested in discussing a plan to capture your senior milestone portraits. We’re here.


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.