Posts Tagged: barn wedding
Vendors We Love – Part 2
Part Two of our vendor love-ups – what we call a round-up of favorites and links back to blogs that really showcase their talents starts with another pretty epic location.
On the Windfall is a place close to our hearts, because we’ve been the official photographers there for the weddings of many couples we adore. Plus – we’re crazy about the Windfall’s amazing team.
Another favorite vendor we adore is Edenhouse Floral & Events. The work is gorgeous and their creations elevate the look of brides and weddings. Trust me. They are amazing.
Finally, Winding Creek Barn is another fantastic venue for weddings, events, photos shoots and we’ve done all three.
Check out their site for ideas and, as always, if you’d like our thoughts on vendors for weddings, we’d love to put in our 2 cents.
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.
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Exposed Photography Retreat | Part 2
Last time, I blogged I wrote about a photography workshop and retreat I attended in late March and the pay-off was not only that I learned about natural light and how to manipulate it for photography shoots, but about how – through exercises, conversation and the community and sharing of other photographers – I had some light shined on aspects of myself that needed my attention. Elly’s Photography – and specifically Elly – hosted this retreat, aptly called “Exposed” and in 4 days I learned so much. It was the shot in the arm I needed.
The photos in this blog showcase artificial lighting techniques, including the use of off-camera flashes, gels, and fairly unrealistic kelvin settings.
In case you missed part 1 of this blog post, catch up on it here.
I mentioned in that last blog that I love using artificial light at photo sessions and that Ryan teases me. You know, if two lights are good then 12 will “really get me what I want.” LOL. For these shots, I practiced with different angles of light and exposure settings, as well as perspective. Some of these techniques I had knowledge of, but suddenly I was able to manipulate them in a way that I never had before. Others were completely new and opened an exciting new world of possibilities for my photos and our clients. My mind was focused, but part of it was note-taking for sessions to come.
The setting and the subjects were perfect and while it was a working and experimental time, it felt fun and relaxed. I would wager that I learned as much if not more personally about me and my craft than I did about photography itself. I realized that I needed to be out of my comfort zone to experience all that was in store. I learned that allowing myself to be exposed and vulnerable gives me a different perspective in life and through my camera lens.
I learned that I can only go so far alone. And I learned that I was ridiculously supported during this adventure.
april anniversaries | celebrate love & spring
Caroline & Andy – 4 years April 6th
“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.” – Rainer Maria Rilke
And amen to that. Spring is for poetry and love and poems about love. Musicals with singing birds and otherwise sane people bursting into song, etc, etc. The key is not to waste it. Sometimes winter feels like months of interminable chill and spring more like a single afternoon.
These couples are celebrating April anniversaries and we had the pleasure of being the documenters of their favorite spring day.
Jill & Brent – 9 years April 11th
Kristen & Dustin – 6 years April 16th
Michelle & Bradley – 7 years April 17th
Anna & Brad – 8 years April 18th
Ashley & Phillip – 4 years April 20th
Rachel & Brandon – 10 years April 21
Lisa & Charlie – 8 years April 25
Sabrina & Brian – 9 years April 26th
Bailey & Phillip – 5 years April 28th
Ernest Hemingway – not known for his poetry, or his gravitas for that matter – wrote: “When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people…” LOL!! These sweethearts didn’t have that problem, clearly.
CHEERS to you all! Ryan and I raise our glasses on your behalf and to decades more springs together.
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.
What Makes a Wedding ….. A WOW
If you take an informal poll about which weddings people remember and what made them amazing, you’ll get a few surprising answers, but several themes come quickly into relief. The same goes for reading blogs and checking out WeddingWire. There are exceptions, but mostly the same categories bob to the surface.
The dancing. “Everyone was dancing. When it got late, the shoes came off, but most everyone just stayed on the dance floor.”
The details. “They spent so much time thinking about each element – from the seating, to the little gifts for the wedding party, to their vows.” The food and drink. “My dad kept saying, ‘it’s all about the food and booze and he was right. Our reception was the highlight. Everyone kept telling us how tasty everything was and how much fun they were having.”
As you can see, there’s usually a little bit of everything in the course of a wedding season, especially since the wedding season has become nearly three quarters of the year.
The venue. “We LOVED the views and everyone could roam or go inside to relax and then back outside to eat and dance.”
Ryan and I have shot weddings at some amazing places.
This and the shot above taken at On the Windfall.
Above and the preceding photo taken at Leatherwood Resort.
Those last two were taken in West Jefferson at Twickenham House. The food and music and views matter, but then there is the couple. Often, this is expressed as “how much love everyone felt.” We all need love and many of us cry at weddings, because they are such a fresh, new, pure and unapologetic celebration of it. Marriage is, we all hope, for a lifetime; watching two people say “I do” is a pretty overwhelming.
The final answer if you’re planning your wedding is YOU. You make it special by bringing people you love together to watch you take an enormous step into your future. Plan well, do your homework, work with the best you can find and afford, but remember that surrounding yourself with people who love you and bringing your heart to the party will make it a WOW. We hope to be there to capture every last detail.
Pixels is booking weddings, engagement and bridal portraits now for 2017 and 2018. Contact us! We’d love to work with 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.
the party of a lifetime ~ your wedding
When was the last time you threw a party?
How many people were there? What was the occasion?
Unless you are a rock star party thrower or professional event planner (and we know plenty of both), the biggest party of your life is probably going to be your wedding.
When in your life do so many people who love you gather to celebrate you? Seriously. Think about it. And they don’t all know each other. YOU ARE THE REASON they’re there: relatives, coworkers, college buddies, favorite teachers, high school teammates, childhood besties, neighbors, your parents’ friends and new friends you’re inheriting because you’re getting married all show up to celebrate you ………… and party.
We notice unexpected meetings and connections at every single wedding we photograph. It never fails. Two or more people are seated together at the ceremony or the reception and the only context they have to connect them is you. And then stories are swapped, jokes are told and there are moments of “oh, so you are THAT Jennifer!” or “you’re the gramma who sent the box of banana bread during exams.” Your childhood babysitter sits next to your college roommate and sparks fly! Just kidding. Well,…. maybe… But the point is, this is not a rally with a cast of thousands and it’s not your retirement party 40 years from now. It’s a blow-out love fest for you and your beloved.
We’re not going to throw shade at amateurs. Your friends and family are going to take their own photos anyway. But we’ve heard the stories of regret from those who’ve let their friends “take pictures” and there’s no do-over. For the party of your life you need photographers who are experienced; who know what to look for when people cluster and when they separate; photographers who can tell which moment is going to be epic; who understand lighting regardless of location or setting; who’ve done this long enough to anticipate every single photo that you’re going to share on social media, frame and return to 25 years later.
Couples who hire us have spent time with us and we’ve focused on them, understand the vibe and theme of the wedding, know what to capture and are ready. We are getting the photos you want from your wedding, but we’re also eagle-eyed during the reception because we know what to look for and what will matter to you when you view the photos later.
There are all sorts of parties, but those with a purpose have a unique magic. Your wedding celebrates the beginning of your lives together and those who love you want to be there. Get ready, start your list and give us a call. We’d love to capture the party of a lifetime.
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.