Posts Tagged: Blowing Rock Engagement photographers
now scheduling: fall outdoor mountain portraits of families, children, engagement & bridal
Driving around yesterday, I rolled down the windows for a few minutes and experienced that first smell of fall. Leaves are falling and changing and the smell was that welcome first sense of the next season. Where did summer go? ALL of our seasons in NC feel like transitions to the next and I love it. We never have 10 months of summer or 9 months of winter like other parts of the country – thank the Lord. Autumn is coming. Start layering your clothes and adding a sweater to the back seat when you head out.
This means that it’s also time for fall portraits and we’ve planned a limited number of outdoor sessions for family, child and engagement portraits. We want to capture these while it’s gorgeous, but in specific areas, because this pregnant first time mom-to-be has her eyes on the prize when it’s not pressed against a lens. Book now! Details below.
We’ll be photographing fall portrait sessions from September 30th until the second week of October (or until Little Man Case arrives) in Boone, Blowing Rock, Jefferson or Wilkesboro. Based on the lack of rain, history and the handy-dandy Farmer’s Almanac, we anticipate the color change in the NC mountains to be earlier this year. We encourage anyone who wants photos to reserve their session as soon as possible. Session fees start at $150 and are due at the time of reservation. Call 336-990-0080 or email mail@pixelsonpaper.net for more info or to reserve your session. 
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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weddings: it’s time to bake, er…. book YOURS!
I love to cook. If you know me, know about our house and garden, or if you read the blog from summer 2016, you’re aware that I enjoy growing things, cooking the produce and herbs I’ve grown, trying new recipes, canning veggies, etc. Ryan and I are foodies. And we love craft beer as well.
Before you head down the rabbit holes those hyperlinks can lead you down, let me say: I was thinking while reading through a cookbook recently, how very much cooking and especially baking is like planning a wedding. You need the right ingredients, the right environmental elements, good timing and all sorts of other factors in place in order to end up with something you want to devour and share and photograph. The rub is that you get one shot at a wedding vs. a cookbook author or home cook who can test and test recipes until triumph is inevitable.
Amy Adams as Julie from “Julie & Julia” – Sony Pictures
Really good recipes begin with a story. The “why” of what’s being prepared. So do relationships. How’d you meet? Who said I love you first? What made you decide that being apart was not an option? Most stories behind recipes have to do with how amazing the combination of ingredients is and why so many generations of cooks or family members have made this or that item.
Eggs are eggs. Flour is flour. But combine them and STAND BACK!!!
When we book engagements, one of the first things we do is learn your story. Yes, we ask about locations for the shoot, but we also want to know you and I am confident that we get the photos we get of our clients and we become friends with so many of them because we take learning about you seriously – and discovering the elements and ingredients that make you special as a couple.
Bride, groom, landscape, sky …. all of the elements are there.
Bride and bride, Spanish moss, water, Charleston: DONE.
Our couple at Asheville’s Biltmore Estate in autumn.
No sooner do you mix up the ingredients for an engagement session than it’s time to plan the wedding. As photographers, ours is only one part – albeit an important one.
Who asked for sprinkles??
There is weather to consider when cooking up your wedding day plan; the guest list, the gown purchase and alterations, the suits or tuxes to rent, the choices of chocolate or strawberry, sit down or buffet, band or DJ, mountains or coast, outdoors or church and on it goes. A vanilla cake is a blank canvas and once you’ve chosen your actual wedding date and location – it feels sort of limitless. To my mind, it should be fun. “Please let it be fun – and meaningful” – we pray for our clients. We so hope that it is. Even the elements that don’t come together are rarely noticed by guests. They see the environment, listen to the vows, hear the music, enjoy the experience. Guests don’t worry about the eggs when they’re enjoying the cake, you know?
Sunlight, outdoors, surrounded by family.
Throwback Renaissance gown, bride and perfect weather.
A farm and an intimate hug.
The outcome is most often lovely and delicious and our job is to capture it. What has been fun these 11+ years is seeing the same elements combined with a variety of results. Church weddings, outdoor weddings, small gatherings, casts of thousands, at the end of the day it’s still a cake, or for my purposes it’s still 2 people who enter that day single and leave it as someone’s spouse.
It’s the end of January and we aren’t the pressuring type, but if you’re planning your wedding for 2017 and haven’t booked your photographer, we hope you will do so and choose us. We are proud to be recognized for our wedding photography by friends and fans and by WeddingWire, among others.
Next week! ONION RINGS….kidding. Contact us with questions. For those of you who know us…. we love you!
getting married, the rush of it all
There is a rush to this whole getting married thing.
I know, “newsflash,” but I’m going somewhere with this, so stick with me:
Naturally, there is the race to get everything planned, booked, selected, purchased and pulled together. Even if you’re not on a strict timetable, there is still a sense of urgency about making the right choices and not missing any detail that might make your wedding more memorable. That’s not the rush I’m talking about though. I’m thinking of the rush of actually realizing that you’ve done it.
Do you see it? See what I’m talking about? Some of it is the group celebration, but it’s also that first look and exhaled “phew!” between husband and wife that we love to capture. Those are often some of our favorite shots (and our clients’ faves as well) …. seeing the anticipation and then afterwards, when the officiant announces that two are now one. There is still so much energy in the space, but it’s new energy. It’s an absolute rush.
You cannot get to that moment though if you haven’t booked your wedding photographers and we would love to be a part of your team that day. Most of our wedding package includes a free engagement portrait session, allowing us to get to know you and help you to get comfortable in front of the camera if you aren’t already. We’re now booking weddings for 2017, 2018 and beyond. Contact us and let’s start planning.
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.
YOU’RE Engaged!! time to book your portraits
You can look at a couple and sort of see when they’re at the beginning of a relationship, of their journey together, or the beginning of something big. I love this scene from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. He’s been daydreaming in hyper-drive about her, obsessing about what “they” might be and FINALLY – at the end (it’s a movie, folks, you know how it works), they begin what might be an actual love affair.
So, now you’re engaged! Tell us how it happened. Flash mob dancing to or singing your favorite song? A video journal with all the memories leading up to falling in love? Scavenger hunt? Did you order a pizza and just decide “let’s do this!?” Regardless: congratulations! You’re at the beginning and this is where we come in as seasoned husband and wife and experienced engagement and wedding photographers. Whether they are indoor portraits or outdoor shots at your favorite spot, we know how to capture the beginning of your life together, tell your story and make it fun.
AND! Engagement portrait sessions are complimentary in most of our wedding photography packages.
At a vineyard……. they love wine!
At a mill with family history …. with their sweet pup.
On the water …. remembering how they met.
With a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains …. you don’t need a reason for choosing this spot.
In Charleston, looking at the water and the future…
We take engagement portraits pretty much anywhere and everywhere our clients ask us to and so far we haven’t had any request too audacious. We always ask couples to think about a place that means something to them and we’ll make it work. There’s something about your first official portraits together as a To Be Married pair, so we want you to be relaxed, excited (you can do both!) and let us handle the results. Engagement portraits are a way for us to get to know our wedding clients better. We get to learn about you, see how comfortable you are in front of the camera and help you increase your comfort level before the wedding day. It’s great practice in posing, and figuring out if you can be candid in front of the camera without our guidance or if you need a little coaching. We’re on YOUR team, so we love the engagement session because it’s an opportunity to create a level of familiarity and comfort.
Engagement session at The Biltmore House in Asheville. These two brought their dog as well. Family is welcome, by the way.
Biltmore Estate, Asheville
In Blowing Rock, … these two ASU grads love this area.
As you plan your big day, don’t forget the engagement portraits can be dressy or casual and given as gifts, put on your wedding website or save the date cards or just sent out to friends via social media. Whatever you decide though, these shots are important and you’ll never regret having them made.
Autumn engagement in Blowing Rock – still a favorite.
A country barn setting for a pretty chic couple.
We were also the wedding photographers for each of these couples above and hundreds of others. If you’re looking for photographers for your engagement portraits and wedding day in 2017, it’s not too soon to start planning and booking. I know…. it’s the second week of January, but you’ll be glad you did. Contact us and let’s get started.
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.
Love among the vines ~ Piccione Vineyards Engagement
Kendra and Nathan love The Avett Brothers, wine, wineries and each other. The end.
Ok, there’s more to them than just that. We met Kendra at a bridal show this past March and loved chatting with her and hearing about her engagement to Nathan. They met in high school and began dating when he left for college at ASU. Before long, he was coming home A LOT and they became inseparable and still are. These two love to go to NC wineries when they have down time and they knew that a vineyard would be perfect spot to photograph their engagement session. On November 4th, we all met at Piccione Vineyards, armed with a blanket, our equipment, and sunshine and proceeded to wander among the vines. 
The Piccione Vineyard boasts amazing views of the rolling landscape of the Yadkin Valley and NC mountains in the distance and they didn’t disappoint us that day. Watching these two crack up was especially fun. Kendra mentioned that Nathan ribs her mercilessly and said that she “usually deserves it.” The couple will be getting married at The Barn at Blueberry Hill on May 20th of 2017 and we’re looking forward to the day, the ceremony and watching them make it official. 
We really like this couple and seeing them with the expanse of vineyards behind them is metaphor enough for us. Here’s to lifting a glass and toasting years and acres of laughter, teasing, harmony, prosperity and many good vintages.
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.