Posts Tagged: baby portraits with themes in NC

Barrett Turns One

Some photo shoot themes have to be crafted and developed out of thin air. And others are a natural because of family hobbies, vocations, passions, whatever. For Barrett Spillman’s one year portraits and cake smash, the choice of baseball was a home run….. I know. I’m ducking as I type, but this stuff writes itself, you guys!

Mom Elisabeth told me her idea of “MVP of the Year” and to “run with it” and that’s exactly what I did. Both her father and her husband Isaac, play baseball, so this theme felt like a fitting tribute to them and a fun way to celebrate their one year old.

I love doing an outdoor cake smash but rarely get to because many parents prefer to photograph them indoors. Fortunately, these parents weren’t at all worried about their little rookie getting dirty. 

We adore Elisabeth and Isaac and have photographed their engagement, bridal, wedding, Barrett’s newborn portraits and At Home Christmas. So it’s nice to feel relaxed and ready to play with faces we know well. This family is one of those who’ve hired us from the beginning and appreciate the continuity we capture through photo sessions over the years.

Now for some baseball! Thanks to our Parks and Rec director here in Wilkesboro who met with me and gave me full access to newly refurbished baseball fields that were otherwise locked down for the season. It’s hard to have a baseball shoot without the right setting. And thanks to my dear friend Ashley Shumate, the busiest baseball Mom I know. She let me borrow all the baseball gear to bring my vision to life for the Spillmans. 

Pixels On Paper Photography Barrett Spillman One Year Portrait and Cake Smash Photo

Barrett loved being outside, in the dug out, and on home plate and played the role of MVP as if he were born to it! His first birthday cake was a reward, so he was game for just about anything we needed from him. He was a good sport! 

Those expressions during the first taste of icing are always priceless and rewarding. 

We also photographed some studio portraits where Barrett wore an outfit that was a family heirloom. It’s been passed down and worn by other babies in the family turning one before him. Hence the need for these shots to be indoors. I wanted to preserve and protect it for future generations. That and it was 100% wool! To hot for outside. 

Happy Birthday, Young Man!! We’ll see you soon, I hope – whether you’re a sports star or not, we’re fans of yours.

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 weddingsbrides, 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.

88x31 lucy & glens valle crucis wedding photography | pixels on paper boone wedding photographers

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.

Baby, Baby Series Part 3 – 1st BIRTHDAY & CAKE SMASH

“I just completed my first trip around the sun. Time to start my memoirs.”

If only we could record even the obtuse, undefined, blurry world of a one year old, what an interesting document that would be. What would we glean about ourselves, our sensory experiences and most especially our developing soul? I would love to be tasked with being the documentarian of the Life of the Mind – Year One Project. Here’s more of our son Finley (above) and his first birthday cake smash.

Instead, we at Pixels document the first year from the outside and it culminates with a first birthday cake smash and/or photo session. See more of Sawyer – above – on his first birthday.

Ivy Myers 12 months child and family portrait photography by Pixels On Paper Portrait Photography
Still Life with Ivy & Cake
pixels on paper photography, portrait photography, family portrait photography, photo studio, outdoor portrait photography, photo

Gavin’s birthday party took place at our favorite orchard. Here’s even more from that day!

Carson Mathis one year portrait photography photo
Carson’s Cake Smash

But it’s not all about the sweets and the mess that follows. We ask our client parents to bring other props or take advantage of ours and if possible, we love to take the session from our studio into our portrait garden and yard.

Amelia turns one. First Birthday. Child photography, children photo

See a little more of Ivy’s first birthday and lemonade stand.

What we cannot provide in an internal monologue for your one year olds, we can provide in photography. See some of our other favorites.

And this little man below is Barrett. You’ll see more of his first birthday cake smash any minute now!

Pixels On Paper Photography Barrett Spillman One Year Portrait and Cake Smash Photo

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 weddingsbrides, 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.

88x31 lucy & glens valle crucis wedding photography | pixels on paper boone wedding photographers

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.

Baby Baby Roundup – Part II

We’re on a roll – or getting there – with our round-up of favorite baby blogs. This one will showcase favorites 6-month baby portrait sessions. Ryan and I are hip-deep in parenthood and love it – even the trying times are quickly turning into memories for us to laugh about and eye roll over later.
[Casual aside: If you’re going to do this parenting thing: DO IT. I watch friends celebrating another year circling the sun and it goes by so fast. AND THAT, my dear readers, is why getting professional portraits taken is vital.]

Case in point, pardon the pun… we take professional images of our own child Finley Case at every milestone. Yes, we capture images on our smart phones too, but we make time to get out the pro gear and do it right. Here’s his 6-month photo shoot.

Other favorite 6-month portrait sessions that are memorable favorites.
Sarah Grace – below – was too big for planting in a flower pot, as she was in her 8th month and a girl on the go. Getting her to sit still took creativity of anther kind. Keep reading >>

Sarah Holey 6 month baby Photography by Pixels On Paper Portrait Photography photo

Harper, below, also loves pearls and ruffles and 6 months is the perfect time to get baby girls to sit up, dress up and light up. Read more >>

Pixels On Paper, photo studio, 6 month portrait photo

Sweet Ava went from a purple tutu in her newborn photos to being a little woodland fairy in her 6-month outdoor portrait session.

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC Photographers Senter family and baby outdoor portrait photo

Gavin donned his autumn gear for his 6-month outdoor shoot. So it’s not just pearls and studio portraits at this age. We encourage families to join in, to dress up or down, to go outside and have props. Whatever makes you happy! More on Gavin’s 6-month shoot >>

And we close out with sweet Conner T in a summer outdoor shoot at the family orchard. Read his 6 month blog >>

Conner Tevepaugh Six Month Photography by Pixels On Paper Portrait Photography

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 weddingsbrides, 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.

88x31 lucy & glens valle crucis wedding photography | pixels on paper boone wedding photographers

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.

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Baby, Baby, Baby Favorites

The only type of blog we love more than a round-up of our favorite blogs ALL IN ONE PEOPLE! …. is a blog that is a round-up of baby photos that we’ve taken over the years. As a mom and a professional photographer, baby photography is a passion of mine.

Hatfield Newborn Photography, Family portrait photography by Wilkesboro NC Photographers Pixels On Paper

For those of you new to “the round-up” – it’s basically a way to compile a bunch of flashbacks to our baby blogs. If you are expecting a baby, it’s a chance for you to see the kinds of studio, and occasionally outdoor, sessions we do at Pixels. This is going to be a 3-part series. Let’s start with newborns!

pixels on paper newborn baby family portrait photographers wilkesboro nc

Above is baby Marion, who was born on her exact due date: December 3, 2018. As a lover of old-fashioned names, I’m a fan of hers already. I love how it evokes another time, the tradition of family names and makes me think of timeless beauty. This little rosebud is named after one of her grandmothers. Read more >>

Meet Barrett Spillman. We loved shooting images of this little man in our studio. Since his parents love to be outside and love nature, we decided to keep the attire and props to earthy neutral colors, with simple softs furs and adorable little bib overalls for his portraits.> (opens in a new tab)”> Read more about Barrett >>

This little nugget below is Hannah Harrison. Before Hannah’s arrival we planned for the shoot. Parents Jamie & Daniel sent me photos of her nursery and various areas in their home where they wanted to hang photos. I found out her nursery colors and also that Jamie’s favorite color is purple. I then used those details and photos to plan the backdrop, gather props, wraps and headbands that Hannah would wear. With this preparation I was able to compose photos and design wall art that will coordinate with the family’s home and proportionally fill some of the bare walls. We love providing this service and our families/clients do too.> (opens in a new tab)”> > (opens in a new tab)”>Keep reading >>

A few more: Luka (below), Tinleigh (next) in the ruffles, and finally Miss Ava in purple.

Luka Becerra newborn pixels on paper wilkesboro nc family portrait photographers photo
York family Wilkesboro NC newborn photographers portrait photo
pixels on paper photographers newborn studio portrait photography photo

Themes are popular and we oblige with props when we can, but moms and dads tend to have an idea and bring their own. Below are just a few favorites in the theme realm!

Sawyer Pierce on is little surfboard. > (opens in a new tab)”>Read more >>

newborn baby boy Rylie wilkesboro nc portrait studio pixels on paper photographers photo

Little Rylie with some of his Disney pals.> (opens in a new tab)”>Read more >>

The ball with Wyatt’s name was ready long before is birth. Capturing his pic with it was the payoff. His Dad is a huge baseball fan. > (opens in a new tab)”>Read more >>

Holden Pierce (brother to Sawyer mentioned earlier) wore gear that was a nod to his father’s occupation: pilot. What to Expect from a newborn photo shoot.

Stay tuned for two more round-ups about baby portraits: 6 month portraits and 1st birthdays!


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 weddingsbrides, 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.

88x31 lucy & glens valle crucis wedding photography | pixels on paper boone wedding photographers

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.

Tinleigh York newborn

Baby Tinleigh York was born a mere few weeks after we shot Mom Lindsey’s maternity session. In fact, they hadn’t even seen the images when Tinleigh made her debut. She was early, but she arrived just in time, as far as father Mitch is concerned. If you read our blog about her maternity shoot, you’ll learn that this is family largely comprised of boys. There are practically no daughters on either side of the family, so there was an almost disbelief that this child was actually going to be a little girl.

York family Wilkesboro NC newborn photographers portrait photo

The Yorks came back to our studio and we took their first official portrait as a family of five in our portrait garden and then moved inside to capture Tate and Turner with their new girl in pink.

Couple of fun items to mention: Dad Mitch shared that he honestly didn’t think that the baby was a girl until he saw her. That’s how accustomed this family is to giving birth to and raising boys! When you think your doctor might be wrong! Now, we love watching him with Tinleigh. He adores his boys, but he is a goner when it comes to his baby girl.

And Disney played a role in this shoot. According to Lindsey and Mitch (and the calendar), Miss Tinleigh was conceived during a trip to Disney World. Thanks, Uncle Walt, for the pixie dust! So of course, we incorporated Mickey and Minnie Mouse into the photos.

Lindsey is thrilled to be able to branch out with her color palette after focusing so much on Turner and Tate who are, by anyone’s measuring stick, ALL BOY. Pink, rose and cream are a part of her room, so I made sure to choose complimentary props from Lindsey’s new stash and our own Pixels store room.

Sweet girl: you were wished for, wanted and are now loved beyond words. We’re going to love celebrating you every step of the way. Here’s to many more sessions with you and your adoring family and to a childhood filled with laughter, love and all things girlie!


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 weddingsbrides, 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.

88x31 lucy & glens valle crucis wedding photography | pixels on paper boone wedding photographers

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.