Posts Tagged: Charlotte newborn baby photographers

Newborn Baby Tibbett Photos

Walker Tibbett deserves The Oscar for his performance as Exceptionally Cute and Perfect Newborn this year. That – or he really is a perfect child when having his photo taken. This little creature smiled when he was asleep and smiled when he was awake. He loved being snuggled and wrapped and could not be easier to fold, handle and photograph.

His parents, Brooke and Joey, have been clients of ours before and bought the one year baby package after we captured their engagement, wedding and mom Brooke’s maternity session. Brooke loves earth tones, and prefers them to “baby” images or cartoons for Walker’s room. Her palette is specific and really pretty and photographing Walker swaddled in blues and greys, creams and camels was as easy as it’s ever been. I loved every.single.second!!

Mom and Dad wanted to let Walker be the star of the show. If you know me at all, though, you know that I encourage parents to be a part of at least one of the shoots we do. Brooke and Joey are such a great couple and new parents deserve some attention too. We’ll see how I do getting them to pose in Walker’s 6 month portraits…


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 newborns and families, 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 ©2021 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.

Newborn Liam

The coronavirus pandemic has changed all of us, and certainly it has shifted how we are living and working. As a photographer, I have experienced scheduling delays and a few setbacks, but all out of an abundance of caution. For us, it’s more important that we all get through this as safely as possible. So when a long-time planned newborn session presented itself, I wanted to oblige, but with those rules in place. And with some careful planning, I pulled off a very special collaboration.

Meet Liam Tevepaugh – a member of my family and a brand new baby.

Pixels On Paper Photographers Newborn Portrait Photography Photo

Because parents Cody and Courtney are family, I didn’t want them to miss having newborn portraits taken of Liam, especially when his grandparents and other relatives haven’t been able to hold him in the hospital or when he was brought home. None of us however were comfortable with me handling him in our portrait studio or even gathering in the same space. So we concocted a unique plan wherein I cleaned and packed up one of my cameras and the lens I knew would be best and left it on their doorstep. I shared tutorials, specific camera settings and images that I had taken of other newborns to give them ideas and direction.

With some props, ideas and trial and error, they did a great job. After my camera was wiped down and returned, MY part of the collaboration was to download the images, retouch them, handle color corrections, and make all the editing adjustments.

They took my notes and suggestions about lighting, creating a cushion, where to shoot and how to pose little Liam and ran with it and I’m so happy that we could make this work. I cannot stress enough that this was an extremely unique set of circumstances and for a family that was planning to use one of our gift certificates for the baby’s first year package they were gifted.

While I have NO plans to do this again, with North Carolina slowly reopening, I do hope to begin shooting newborn sessions again soon, but outdoors. I’ve done this many times before and with the weather warming up for summer, it is entirely possible to be safe, clean, socially distanced and successful. If you’re interested in discussing an outdoor newborn, family or child photography session in the months to come, please contact us.


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 newborns and families, 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 LicenseAll photos are ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.

Newborn Atticus shines in his Grandfather’s Shadow

Atticus Ford belongs to Micala & Tyler and mom Micala shared with us that this session was particularly special because it was their “first official moment as a family of three.”

Pixels On Paper Photography Atticus Newborn Family Portrait Photo

A great deal of thought and planning went into the theme and backdrop of his session prior to his birth. Micala had a vision and Pinterest board, but her true inspiration was her grandfather, someone she’s incredibly close to. She wanted to dress Atticus in the clothes and surround him with items that would convey the man that she hopes he’ll be some day. His hat was chosen because it’s so like one that his grandfather wears. She found his outfit on Etsy and I had all the props to create the scene. Thank goodness for my love of antiquing, reading and thrifting. Between us, we pulled it all together.

Is Atticus going to be an attorney who shines the light on injustice, even when it’s not easy for him and his family? His name would certainly suggest that. Will he join the ministry and spread the gospel? Or is he a writer of fiction who illuminates the lives of the common man? These pictures make you wonder, but there is no mystery surrounding his parents’ love for him.

For additional images for their home and for giving to others, I stuck with classic neutral / earthy tones and textures to highlight his beautiful dark red hair and coordinate with his nursery. His mom thoughtfully shared their home interior and colors through photos. On the day they came to the studio, we were more than ready.

Atticus was good throughout the entire session. No crying, awake when he needed to be with great eye contact, and asleep when it was picture perfect. I kept taking pictures long after I’d gotten more than we needed.

As wedding clients, the Rash’s took advantage of our packages and received their newborn session free. We also shot their wonderful engagement session when Tyler surprised Micala with a song before proposing. This couple is really about making memories with a purpose and being present during the entire photo process. We encourage others to adopt this attitude and let a pro handle your milestone portraits … hint hint!

Atticus: we love you little man! Cannot wait to see you soon!


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.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License

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.

newborn portraits | what really happens?

Earlier this week, I wrote about how setting realistic expectations for your newborn portrait session is important. And it is, but don’t let that deter you from scheduling and having a portrait session when they are so young. Some of the most beautiful portraits we take are not always of brides, but of the newest creatures to join us on this spinning planet. More importantly: we’re ready! We know what we’re doing and we’re ready to go. Don’t worry!
So, what really happens during newborn photo sessions?
Well, for starters, the sessions don’t flow from pose to pose and set to set, as I’m sure you’ve already imagined. We’re dealing with fresh little beings who have been breathing on their own for only about 10 days. They don’t know about lighting, where to look or to remain still, because they are little tubes. Breast milk or formula goes in and poop comes out. In the middle they stare, cry and sleep.

A newborn session can take up to four hours. During that span, our camera is not up with the shutter clicking away, because, as mentioned, newborns babies are entirely unpredictable. We never know when or how often they will cry, sleep, eat or need a diaper change and all those things tend to take the most amount of time during our session. A fraction of the 4 hours is spent capturing images, but don’t worry, we tend to get the magic because we know what to look for and when to seize a moment.
Flynn Lundy Newborn Photography by Pixels On Paper Portrait Photography photo

To get those cute cuddly curled up newborn photos, our portrait session needs to take place within the first 10 days after birth. An exception to this would be premies and Moms who are recovering from a c-section. While there are breaks for diaper changes, feedings and tears, newborns at this early, early stage, do tend to be more receptive to cuddled and curled poses and will drift off to sleep while we orbit around them.

Inspiration & Props
At our Pixels studio, we have lots of props, wraps, hats, bows and head bands. New parents have enough to think about without having to bring a lot of extra stuff with them. You don’t need to bring any special outfits or props unless there is something specific you want incorporated. We ask that parents send us photos of the nursery or any other part of the house where they will be hanging the portraits so that we can coordinate props to match. All of our studio props and wardrobe items are cleaned after each session. 
Conner Tevepaugh Newborn Photography by Pixels On Paper Portrait Photography photoAaron Schlinsog Newborn Photography by Pixels On Paper Portrait Photography photo

Studio Space
Our studio is also clean, cozy and extra warm for newborns. We have a convenient changing table and if you’re a nursing Mom, we’re prepared for that as well with a clean boppy and a private comfy chair for you. Ryan and I have been doing this for a long while and have been prepared since the beginning. Now that we have our son Finley, I’m proud of the accommodations we provide for newborn portrait sessions.

We fully expect and are prepared for your baby to cry, pee, poop or spit up on us or any of the items we use in photos. Please don’t feel bad! We’re use to it, it’s natural and happens with each one.
Pixels On Paper newborn photographers. Wilkesboro NC portrait studio baby and harrison family portrait photoHere are a few tips and suggestions that I email our clients prior to the session:
  • Give your baby a bath and lather him or her in lotion and bring the lotion with you. This will help condition any peeling skin.
  • Keep your baby awake before the session if possible. We know this can often be tricky during the car ride, but do your best.
  • We want you to bring us a hungry baby! When you arrive he/she will be ready for food and a nap. Those sleeping angels make the best portraits. Try not to feed for a few hours before arrival. Feeding when you arrive at the studio will ensure that he/she will drift off to sleep and be most cooperative to being posed and photographed.
  • If you are nursing, there is a list of foods that we recommend you avoid for 48 hours before your session that will help keep your baby from being gassy or fussy during the session.

The most important thing to us is that you get photos of your sweet child that you will cherish. That only happens when we make you feel comfortable, free to move around depending on what the baby needs and completely supported. Believe me, you are!


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

All photos are ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.