Posts Tagged: charlotte nc wedding photographer
renewal wedding photography ~ it’s about “again” and “more” and “us” ~ photographing the next chapter of a marriage
20 years ago, Kelly and Chris Shumate became a couple. They eventually created a new life as husband and wife: Kelly started a new business – Bridal Traditions – and they lived happily ever after.
And scene.
Actually, there’s more. 20 years more and they did live happily, but as their wedding anniversary approached, Kelly decided that she wanted the photos that they never had when they first tied the knot. She contacted us to take them, since she now wanted the more artistic style that wasn’t an option on their wedding day. We were happy to help them commemorate and really celebrate. And Kelly – who’s in the bridal business – had a very specific vision.
Part of what made this shoot fun for us, other than the fact that they were celebrating a momentous wedding anniversary, was the theme. Kelly loves gothic architecture, the antebellum era (think: Gone With the Wind), bare landscapes and an era gone by. We chose a cemetery near the River Arts District in Asheville, NC, during winter. The results were just what she wanted: sparse, real, gothic and graphic. And we loved the juxtaposition of new and old. A renewal of their marriage and an opportunity to capture them in themed clothes and as a couple who were invested in each other for better, worse and the whole nine yards.
Ok – so some notes. How do you like the dress? This is the gown that Kelly was married in originally. It still fits.
IT. STILL. FITS. In fact it was actually too big and had to be altered smaller. (no jealousy……… well maybe some)
Another fun fact: this gown is the first one she bought for her bridal shop, which is pretty auspicious.
Kelly was also specific about setting, which is why this cemetery worked so well for the shoot. In the bareness of winter in the cemetery, she and Chris stand out like a couple of players from a Civil War play or Ken Burns’ mini series. She – Scarlett O’Hara or Melanie Wilkes – and he Captain Rhett Butler or Ashley Wilkes.
They truly look their parts. He comes home from war (brother against brother, people!!! lest we forget) and there she is, after waiting, praying and keeping the farm afloat despite major setbacks. You can almost see the letters from Corinth, MS:
“My dearest Kelly Emeline,
The war does not go well. I can scarcely remember the curves of your lovely visage….”
Pardon the digression, but seriously – look at them and watch this slideshow of their portraits.
This photo shoot was literally a year in the making. It took a little time to plan, but it mostly took will and faith and perseverance. As all marriages do, the Shumate’s union was ebbing when Kelly contacted us. They were struggling as a couple, wondering about the future, trying to understand what to keep in their relationship and what to jettison and whether or not the “us” in them was still alive. Digging deeply, they moved forward, but 99.9% of the success in their marriage was their faith in God. They knew marriage was hard, but giving up was not something either of them was interested in. So this photo shoot was about WAY more than grabbing pictures of great clothes in a cool setting. It was an actual celebration of making it for 20 years and looking forward, with renewed hearts, to the next 20.
And the 20 after that.
Not only were we thrilled to be a part of capturing this day, Pixels created a wall of photos for Kelly’s shop office. Something she could point to that says, “we did it and we’re still here.”
remembering prom during wedding season ~ outdoor beauty is outdoor beauty
Gertrude Stein wrote, “A rose is a rose is a rose,” and academics have been breaking down the meaning of that turn of phrase for decades. For our purposes, rose means beauty – simple, natural, understated beauty.
This particular rose is Laura Souther, a junior at West Wilkes High School, who showed up in our outdoor portrait studio and gardens for her prom photos. She has beauty and light coming out of her eyes, smile and sweet self. Laura does not have a “Look at Me” personality, yet you cannot take your eyes off of her. She’s shy, humble and quiet, but so gorgeous you wonder 3 things: 1) REALLY? Is this fair? 2) Why are some of us luckier in the looks department than others? 3) But seriously, … REALLY?? Isn’t she supposed to be in London, married to a prince?
Photographing Laura was so much fun and a bit surreal, since Pixels’ Misty has known Laura’s mom since elementary school. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN? How are we kiddos one minute and the next photographing a friend’s teenager?? TEENAGER!!!!!!
Therapy aside, taking her photos at this wonderful time – the beginning of her adult life, sorta – reminded us of photographing brides as well. They are at the beginning of a new chapter – bright, beautiful, happy and hopeful roses. We LOVE capturing these moments, whether it’s a bride, an engagement, new babies or new families.
the blend ~ engagement photos made up of sand, family, Christ, dreams, Facebook and gratitude
“One word, that’s all you said
Something in your voice called me, turned my head
Your smile, just captured me
You were in my future as far as I could see
And I dont know how it happens, but it happens still…” – Kenny Chesney
The Sand Ceremony. Heard of it? At weddings, it is very much like the lighting of a unity candle. Some of her. Some of him. But for Kendall Shepherd and Nathan Williams, this ceremony includes Christ. They believe that He should be a part of their ceremony and lives in every way. Kendall told us, “We will be using a picture shadow box to hold the sand instead of a vase. Also, instead of using two colors representing one another, we will be using three. An ivory color will be placed at the base of the shadow box representing Christ as the foundation of our relationship and home. Then we will have a color representing each of us to be poured in to symbolize that we are becoming one. We hope to pass this tradition down to our children one day.”
But back to Facebook. (You didn’t think you’d get away from it, did you?) That’s how these 2 connected in the first place. They started chatting after Nathan spotted a picture of Kendall at their local gym where her family works out. They “friended” and decided to go on a date. This led to a second date. And, the rest is …….. we’re not even going to say it, because you know already. History. Ok, we went ahead and said it.
2 dates quickly became love and commitment – and the first commitment was Nathan staying with Kendall when she had emergency surgery. How’s that for showing “for better or worse?” He gave up his hospital blanket for her to stay extra warm and once home waiting on her every need, nursing her back to health. We’re pretty sure that sealed it. Even Kendall said, “the love, care and commitment we showed one another is what formed us into An US!”
Their wedding in August of this year will be largely traditional, elegant and classic, and they have devised a way to include a very special member of Nathan’s family – his late grandmother, Mary, “who will be watching from Heaven.” A pearl pendant of Mary’s will be placed on Kendall’s bouquet for the ceremony. The pendant was a gift from Mary’s husband Ernest to Kendall and is a treasured possession. Since Kendall never met Mary, this gesture is a way for the couple to honor her.
We feel pretty confident that these two are an “US” that will last. They told us that they laugh together, love to listen to tunes together (Kenny Chesney’s “You Had Me From Hello” is a personal fave that reminds them of each other – see the quote at the top!), love to be outside together and are clearly inseparable. Their plans for the future are to start a family, but first with a Labrador puppy.
Learn more about Pixels on Paper’s portraits.
for Pixels, one family = engagement + wedding + newborn + 6 month old baby photos + whatever is next….
The brilliant Nat King Cole sang, “When I fall in love …. it will be forever.” For Meghan and Jeremy Arnold, this is absolutely true and demonstrated daily. It began when they fell in love (we photographed their engagement portraits and their amazing wedding in Charlotte in 2012) and that love continues in their unreasonably cute daughter, Berklee. 
Since their wedding, they’ve driven from Virginia to have us shoot Miss Berklee’s newborn session and later, back in Charlotte, asked us to capture her 6 month portraits. This is a couple with deep family traditions and a strong sense of the way they want to create their own family. They think of loving details for every event in their lives (a bag-piper played as part of their wedding recessional for instance, and we saw more than one pair of argyle socks as a nod to their Irish heritage) and we love complimenting those details with our own suggestions. In keeping with this, Meghan brought her wedding veil and Celtic inspired headpiece which we included in our newborn shots of Berklee.
We received this trio to our outdoor studios in Wilkesboro last month for Berklee’s 6 month session. Once again, we collaborated and Meghan brought a yellow dress that she wore during her own 6 month portraits back in the day. The results melted all of our hearts. We had so much fun setting up with them outside and watching the many faces of Baby Berklee. Apparently, Jeremy was accused of making funny noises to elicit expressions from his little girl. It worked.
The pictures just above – especially the one on the right – are funny, darling, delicious … and we all cracked up upon review. Meghan said, “She really worked the cam!” If we could caption her in repose, it would be something like, “Mmmmm. Feels good to put my dogs up, relax, lean back and I may need a beverage. Anyone interested in finding a bottle with my name on it?”
Meghan thanked us for our patience, but we love this work or we wouldn’t do it. Also, thank you!
“I’m Queen … of, um …. THE WORLD!!”
We are an organized, but laid back and relaxed studio and want that vibe for our clients and guests during shoots. We ask questions and chat and laugh. Planning is such a big part of what makes us successful, but we’re nimble and love to improvise. Learn more about us and be in touch.
When Whitney Met Preston
There’s a great moment in the movie “When Harry Met Sally” – no not THAT ONE – when Harry introduces Sally to his friend hoping Sally will like him and Sally introduces Harry to her friend in the hopes that she and Harry will hit it off. They do NOT. Their friends, however, fall in love with each other instead and pretty quickly know that they are perfect for each other. This leaves Harry with Sally,… as it was meant to be and let’s all raise a glass to the late, great Nora Ephron for being a genius of insight, humor and writing.
But I digress. Our story is about Whitney and Preston, who met through friends in a similar situation and found out that in fact they were the ones who were supposed to be together. They too fell in love, dated for 5 years and will be married in just under 3 months. These engagement portraits were the first real photos they have of themselves as a couple outside of cell phone photos.
Their love for each other is evident in their body language, laughter and ability to listen to and really see one another. Always a good sign and so fun to watch. The lyrics from one of “their songs” – My Best Friend by Tim McGraw – describe them perfectly.
“Oh we just get closer – I fall in love all over – Every time I look at you…
And I don’t know where I’d be – Without you here with me – Life with you makes perfect sense – You’re my best friend.”
These two are serious about the foundation of their relationship – a combination of friendship, lots of laughter, commitment and a very strong faith in God. They’ve made plans to incorporate traditional vows into their late summer ceremony and have also added braiding the God’s Knot into the day. For the uninitiated, the God’s Knot is made up of 3 strands of cord: one for God, one for the bride, and one for the groom. During the ceremony, holding the cords as a couple, Whitney and Preston we will braid them and as they are being braided the pastor will read a piece of scripture that describes each strand. They told us that, “God is the biggest factor in both of our lives and we know that as long as we have our faith in God, He will make our marriage and lives together as success and full of love as He sees fit.”
As we prepare to capture their wedding, we asked them for some thoughts about anticipating both the day and their future. “Our wedding day will be the one day in our lives that all the people we love, both family and friends, will be there to help us celebrate such a special time. We are also very excited about all the photos that will be taken! Pictures serve as memories and this is one moment we never want to forget!”
[A quick interjection/aside here]: People talk about the importance of making memories through photos all the time. It really does take an occasion – like a wedding – to show you how fleeting those moments and those days are and how grateful you are that someone documented your joy, your youth, your hope and your character in that particular moment in time.]
Pixels: What do you want to tell your families?
Whitney and Preston: “We want our families to know that without them our relationship wouldn’t be as strong and successful as it is. Both sets of our parents have shown us what lasting relationships need and how they should be.”
We have every confidence that these two will work to make their relationship last, surrounded by the support of family and friends (it matters, folks!! you need your tribe around you) and grounded in a strong relationship with God. They are looking forward to the next chapter in their adventure and to starting a family in the next few years.
We LOVE you guys, Whitney and Preston and wish you only more fun, more cracking each other up, more quiet time at home listening to tunes and watching favorite movies and only the best as you build a full – a TRULY full – life together.