Posts Tagged: charlotte christmas portraits
Christmas Portraits
Our studio this 2017 holiday season was a revolving door of friends, collaborators, families, children, pets and we loved it. And we took photos of them too <smirk, laugh>. Seeing the faces of some of our nearest and dearest family/friends, checking out how the children have grown and hearing about school, sports, jobs, holiday plans, what’s new for 2018 was wonderful. This time of year, a plus to photographing not only new faces, but long standing clients and pals is that we really get that time to give hugs, recalibrate, and share that sense of renewal and hope. Here are some of the faces we love!
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Love, Peace and Joy to all of 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 ©2017 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Christmas at Home | An Evening with a Young Family
Describing a family and what family symmetry is, as it turns out, much harder than capturing photos of the chaos that is actually very beautiful, symmetrical if you will. Does that make sense? I showed up at the Minick’s house to photograph a Day in the Life session – a holiday at home session – with this family I’ve been photographing for many years and through many seasons of life. And it was all there … all of that insanely beautiful chaos that makes family life so glorious.
We started photographing the Minicks’ Christmases in 2012, when daughter Amelia was brand new. Now, there are 4 in this family, as little Matthew was added just 6 months ago. When we discussed a Christmas at home session, mom Rachel said they weren’t organized and hadn’t decorated and weren’t sure how they would pull it off. My answer: don’t worry. It’s your life and your holiday too. It’ll look however it looks – most likely, it’ll look like love. 
I think people believe that holiday photos, any photo sessions for that matter, have to be buttoned up and the house has to be spotless and everything is ironed and there’s no nonsense or pets racing around, or dust or ……reality. I promise that I couldn’t care less as a photographer documenting a day in your lives. When I arrived at their house, husband and father Ryan was just pulling into the drive with Amelia and they did what families do: they all greeted each after being separated all day and dumped bags and removed shoes and picked up where they left off: doing life together.
Amelia (4 years) loves to be in the kitchen cooking with her mom and wanted to do breakfast for dinner. Who doesn’t want breakfast for dinner???!!! But I digress. They prepped the table and food, cutting strawberries and Amelia made the perfect little sous chef, although she took the time to taunt little brother Matthew who was in charge of banging bowls and being cute. 
After dinner and chatter came pajamas and, on this day, tree decorating. Like MANY busy couples who work and have young kids, they don’t get the tree up the day after thanksgiving nor do they try to have IT all pulled together. After reading stories and pulling out ornaments, they decorated and all of the day — all of the chaos that wasn’t really chaos melted into beloved family time. At one point, Rachel turned to me and said, “this is what our ‘real life’ looks like!” To me, it was gorgeous. The dishes, the kitchen noise, the constant chatter and love, the diapers and pullups, tree stand and step stool, glitter and magic, just all of it. It was beautiful. 
I want people to see the beauty in the every day. We say this all the time and then we go running right passed the park, if you know what I mean. Amelia in her pjs putting the star on top and Matthew lying in the floor like, “what is this crazy ritual I just walked into?” So much love and perfect symmetry. 
I hope families who feel that every photo shoot has to be crisp and perfect and clutter-free will call us. I can assure you that those gorgeous and sacred family moments happen all the time and our job is to capture them for you. There is symmetry in the chaos of family. Our job as documentarians is to help point it out so that you can celebrate and remember it.
I want to thank the Minicks and other families who’ve said “come over. This is our home.” We get it and appreciate it and couldn’t love you 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, 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.
Photo Christmas gifts from Pixels On Paper photography | Personally Perfect
We’re now booking our Christmas at Home portraits, but we are also creating gifts in our workshop for those of you who already have a photo or photos you love from Pixels and would like us to create a gift for you or someone you love this year.
Prints, cards, canvases, albums, jewelry, ornaments, etc. are available for order using any photo or photos that we’ve taken for you at any time. It doesn’t have to be holiday in theme, as long as Pixels took it and you love it. Check out a gallery of Holiday cards we created to give you ideas.
All orders in by December 10th can be created and ready for gifting in time for Christmas.
Contact us and let’s get started!
Home for the Holidays… as in your place
Eddie: You surprised to see us, Clark?
Clark: Oh, Eddie… If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn’t be more surprised than I am now.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
For Christmas 2016, we’re leaving the lights off in our studio and only decking the halls we use as a family. Surprise!!
But it’s not because a relative is coming in an RV with a chemical toilet that needs dumping. And thanks for asking.
We’re taking photos this year at YOUR home, because that is where the holiday magic happens. The magic of cousins and siblings cracking each other up, relatives comparing diets, cars, & travel stories, people quibbling over football games and superior technology; the sharing, bargaining, eating, celebrating, reminiscing, and all the other things that make up The Abject Comedy of A FAMILY CHRISTMAS.
A Christmas Story (1983)
Ryan and I have fond memories of our Christmases at home as children and now it’s your turn. If you’re wondering about this, here’s a little movie inspiration to help you along. We know Christmas is rarely Currier & Ives…. and so do you. So, let’s have some fun!
The Family Stone (2005)
Meredith: I’m just as good as any of you!
Amy: Maybe better.
Meredith: What’s so great about you guys?
Sybil: Oh, nothing! It’s just that we’re all we’ve got.
Holly Hunter & Robert Downey, Jr. in Home for the Holidays (1995)
Joanne: You’re calling me a freak?
Tommy: No, I’m calling you a product of baboon lovin’. There’s a distinction.
Iris and Miles in The Holiday (2006)
Miles: Iris, if you were a melody…… I used only the good notes.
Elf (2003)
Buddy: I’m sorry I ruined your lives and crammed 11 cookies into your VCR.
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Harry: Hi, it’s me. It’s is the holiday season and I thought I’d just remind you that this is the season for charity and forgiveness. And although it’s not widely known, it is also the season of grovelling. So if you felt like calling me back, I’d be more than happy to do the traditional Christmas grovel.
Die Hard (1988)
John McClane: Come out to the coast, we’ll get together, have a few laughs…
So, here’s the proposal: Get your house decorated (if you want), tree and stockings up, kids dressed, antlers for the dog, etc. and then let us come to your home to photograph your family, friends, neighbors, pets, coworkers and anyone else in your tribe. Be elegant, be campy, be casual, be silly, be seriously festive, it’s up to you and yours. Just make a date and when you call us we’ll help you brainstorm and plan.
The fee of $125 is due when you make your reservation. We will provide 5 digital images for families with up to 3 children. This includes the printing rights along with the option to purchase prints, cards, and gifts. Pets and additional children or family members are welcome for an additional $25. Call 336-990-0080 to reserve or email inquiries to mail@pixelsonpaper.net.
Love Actually (2003)
Prime Minister: Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there – fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge – they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love actually is all around.
One last thought… Christmas is truly a time to capture a memory and moment in time. Photos at your home are often the most memorable and regardless of whatever else is happening in your life – love is what manifests this season.
Christmas Portraits from Home
I’m currently reading Roots & Sky by Christie Purifoy and before I was an eighth of the way in, I read this and knew I’d chosen well.
“As humans we roam the entire world. We even venture beyond it into space. The whole planet is ours, but the whole planet is not our home. Instead, home is the ground we measure with our own two feet. And home is the place that measures us. Home is the place that names us and the place we, in turn, name. It feeds us, body and soul, and if we are living well, we feed it too. Home is the place we cultivate with our love.”
Ryan – 1983
A couple of weeks ago, we shared some home-grown holiday portraits of Ryan and me with a new idea for 2016 Christmas. The idea is simple: rather than come to the Pixels studio for your family Christmas photos, we’ll come to you. We’ll take them in your den, living room, on your festooned front porch, on your hearth, around your tree with those you love including your pets. The best memories at Christmas are at home, right? So let’s go to yours this year to capture those memories for 2016.
Misty 1981
Misty 1978
Ryan – 1971 & 1981
Misty – 1988
The fee of $125 is due when you make your reservation and we will provide 5 digital images for families with up to 3 children. This includes the printing rights along with the option to purchase prints, cards, and gifts. Pets and additional children or family members are welcome for an additional $25. Call 336-990-0080 to reserve or email inquiries to mail@pixelsonpaper.net.
“Home is the place that measures us. Home is the place that names us and the place we, in turn, name. Home is the place we cultivate with our love.” We look forward to seeing you in your own home, in pjs, with extended family, your pets and friends, all celebrating the season, the end of a year and looking ahead to a new one. We’re here to help you coordinate, so contact us so that we can help you make arrangements and get your cards, canvases and photos ordered in time to give.
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.