Posts Tagged: Charlotte studio photography

5 Years of the Pixels Studio | A Tale of 3 Places (and dozens of stories)

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC portrait studio wedding photographers outdoor garden photo

From the day we found the property in 2011 to the day we celebrated our closing and received the keys on June 11, 2012.

This is where it all began. Not our business certainly, but the journey of the Pixels studio and the place we lay our heads each night. This place has three stories, if you will. One of them is ours. This home is our shelter and houses our personal lives and our day-to-day, holds many memories, celebrations and even more sweet, albeit mundane moments. Ryan, our sweet Chelsea and I love living here. You’ll see her in several of these images, by the way.

The second story is that of a living library. It contains the stories and moments of every newborn, every first birthday portrait, lots of teens dressed for prom or graduation, children and their parents, pet and holiday portraits and a hundred other stories that happen in a photography studio and outdoor portrait garden. This space houses our clients and friends. It houses all of you – in part. You show up at our studio to have a moment in time captured forever and you leave a little bit our yourselves behind for us to remember. It’s pretty awesome when you think about it.

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC portrait studio wedding photographers outdoor garden photo

After landscaping

The third story this place tells is that of an active, creative working business. It’s our portrait studio inside and portrait garden space outside and we worked hard to make this place inspiring for our clients while you’re here and inspiring for us when we’re setting up and after when we’re editing. “Place-making” is something that architects talk about a lot and we believe in many of those concepts. It’s important to us as creatives seeking inspiration and critical for our clients because we want comfort and ease for you. There was a lot of work, but it has really paid off.

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC portrait studio wedding photographers outdoor garden photo

Entrance foyer before and after.

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC portrait studio wedding photographers outdoor garden photo

Portrait studio lobby before and after.

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC portrait studio wedding photographers outdoor garden photo

The lobby walls and throughout the studio display wall art collections, canvas wraps and our full selection of frames.

With a house that is over 100 years old, there were plenty of renovations and we had a vision for our home spaces and certainly for the Pixels spaces. Rooms were remodeled, re-envisioned and repurposed and our equipment was housed and our work – and the possibilities for clients – were showcased. Looking back, it was a lot of labor done with a lot of love. We created an elegant space for client consultations and photo previews, a dressing room & bathroom (wardrobe changes happen, people) with a baby-changing station, and we transformed a large room into our portrait studio itself.

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC portrait studio wedding photographers outdoor garden photo

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC portrait studio wedding photographers outdoor garden photo

Client bathroom, changing room, and baby changing area.

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC portrait studio wedding photographers outdoor garden photo

The indoor portrait studio and shooting space underwent a major transformation.

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC portrait studio wedding photographers outdoor garden photo

The indoor portrait photography studio contains 3-4 hand-crafted photo backdrops that rotate seasonally.

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC portrait studio wedding photographers outdoor garden photo

Before and after transformation of our client preview and consultation room.

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC portrait studio wedding photographers outdoor garden photo

Our clients can see their images projected during their PreView sessions along with useful size aids to help during their ordering process.

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC portrait studio wedding photographers outdoor garden photo

The Pixels On Paper office work stations before and after.

And that is just some of how we transformed the inside of Pixels. We also have amazing outdoor spaces and getting them synced up with our vision took some doing. Seriously. Cutting, pruning, planting, mowing, sewing seeds: you name it, it happened. The best part is that we have captured some of the most memorable moments of families, babies and kids in these spots. And we celebrated our 10 Year Anniversary out here too.

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC portrait studio wedding photographers outdoor garden photo

Landscape cleanup was a huge effort in order to create the outdoor portrait garden

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC portrait studio wedding photographers outdoor garden photo

Summer sunflower portrait garden from start to finish

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC portrait studio wedding photographers outdoor garden photo

Our colorful outdoor portrait wall changes with every season

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC portrait studio wedding photographers outdoor garden photo

Unique outdoor garden spaces are ever-changing and being created for new photography backdrops.

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC portrait studio wedding photographers outdoor garden photo

At the risk of bragging, Ryan and I have created an amazing business space separate from but housed within this glorious old manse. It’s like no other portrait studio we’ve ever seen. It’s where modern work and technology meets a century of memories lodged in every board and room… with some updates.

NOTHING happens overnight and we were never on our own during this transformation journey. I could never name everyone in and outside of our families who’s worked tirelessly with us these last 5 years. There’s just no way. The boards inside and the dirt surrounding our home have been touched and trod on by so many. We’ve been blessed beyond expression and we love that we get to live in this place and that we are able to share it with all of you – even for a few hours during a session. It’s a magic spot where love and creativity lives, where laughter is encouraged, and where everyone is welcome.

 

 

 

 

 

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traditional studio bridal portraits ~ a mom’s wish come true

For generations, a formal, in-studio bridal portrait was the only game in town and there is a reason for that: they were classic and beautiful and often placed in gilded frames and given a place of prominence in the formal living rooms of people’s homes. In this post-modern age of outdoor portraits, studio bridals are a dying breed. Couples now have a specific vision that begins with quirky (often funny) and inventive ways to announce their engagement, then create their save the date cards, launch a website and finally produce a narrative that is singular to them. The genie is out of the bottle, folks and at Pixels, we embrace this and love the opportunity to create unique portraits that tell a story in an unexpected backdrop. I have to say though that I still love and appreciate tradition and the experience that it takes to create a formal portrait with studio lighting. We had this opportunity with Elisabeth, the beauty you see below.
Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro Photographers studio formal bridal portrait photoPixels On Paper Wilkesboro Photographers studio formal bridal portrait photo

Elisabeth is an only child and her Mom always envisioned having a traditional, formal, studio bridal portrait of her daughter to hang in their home. Of course we were eager not only to honor this request, but to exceed expectations. I spoke to her mom and got a sense of what she had in mind. This mother-of-the-bride wanted a hand-painted muslin backdrop for some photos and mentioned that she loved images of brides on staircases. Fortunately our studio has both!Elisabeth Bolick studio formal bridal portrait photoWhile the studio bridal portraits feel more like they’re from a by-gone era, they are a perfect foil for the outdoor engagement portraits we took of Elisabeth Isaac…
Elisabeth Bolick and Isaac Spillman blowing rock nc engagement after session photos… and their glorious wedding photos. If you haven’t read their story of doing pretty much everything in reverse, launch the links. It’s worth the read. These two are an inspiration.
Elisabeth Bolick and Isaac Spillman tanglewood wedding photoPixels on Paper is now booking sessions (both traditional and crazy creative) for proposals, bridal, engagements, and weddings for 2016 and 2017 and we’d love to help create memories and heirlooms of your journey from “yes” to “I do.” Call 336.990.0080 and let’s discuss this adventure you’ve begun.

polka dots + bows + 12 Monkeys jumping on a bed = the release of spring

OH, Winter. We do love you. We love it when you land on us and grace every limb, hill and valley. We also love saying BUH-BYE. We’ve enjoyed our time with you and now need fresh green things and a new day.” 

Seriously, aren’t we glad that we’re close to the end of this season with its spring sucker punches of warmth and then more frigid temps?

That said, part of what makes the winter thaw special for us at Pixels is that it releases little sprites from their dormant stage and jettisons them into spring. Amelia (even her name is fairy-like) broke loose from a chrysalis and landed in our studio, glorious in pink and purple with blooms on her shoes, polka dots on her coat, big blue eyes and that grin.

For these Easter portraits, we placed her in a garden of blooms of our making – a backdrop where we could play kiddie tunes and make her come out of her shell. The song “12 Monkeys Jumping on a Bed” turned out to be a fan fave and Ryan jumped around, pretending to bump his head, and crack her up. It worked.

She is the smiliest (is that a word?) child and we’ve had her in our lenses since she was a newborn (see the last couple of photos).

With Easter on the horizon, and winter season packing up for a while, schedule your session with us. Whether you have 1 tot or 10 kiddos, we’d love to photograph them before they are lost to playing in the woods, building forts, finding fireflies and trying to escape capture. The studio backdrop is still available for Easter, spring and special occasions when you just need to be surrounded by flowers.

Amelia Minick Easter Studio Portrait Photographer Photo

Amelia Minick Easter Studio Portrait Photographer Photo

Pixels on Paper Photography Baby Photography Kid photographers in NC Family Photography Charlotte NC Kid Studio Photos

Baby Amelia's family christmas portrait photo

Amelia at almost two months old

Amelia's outdoor spring portrait photography photo

Amelia at six months old.