Posts Tagged: creative outdoor photography nc
Madi and Preston’s West Jefferson NC Engagement Photos ~ engaged, excited and eager to tie the knot
“We’re pretty much obsessed with each other,” they told us and I personally consider that a good sign if you’re going to marry someone.
These two lovebirds are a couple we adore. We’ve known them for a while due to the fact that we photographed groom-to-be Preston Roberts’ sister Meghann for her bridal portraits and stunning wedding. The family adopted us and WE LET THEM! We love, love, love this family and feel like we belong. So when Madison Ball and Preston became engaged, Madi booked us before she even knew the date of their wedding. 
Both teachers, Madi and Preston are recent college grads – she from UNC-Charlotte and he from Appalachian – and they fell in love beginning with a funny Instagram message that led to a series of texted videos of Preston playing the guitar and singing for her. That was 2 years ago. Since then, they’ve been living 2 hours apart, so when they’re together, they love to float on the river, duck hunt in Arkansas, go to App football games or to the beach and just crack each other up. These two are fun and funny, so we don’t have any trouble believing they enjoy time together and are going to have a successful marriage filled with lots of laughter.
Photographing Madi and Preston in various beauty spots around West Jefferson NC in the mountains of the High Country was a breeze because it was so completely relaxed and gave us a chance between set-ups to catch up on life and family. The couple will be married in July on the family farm, the same place we photographed Preston’s sister’s bridal portraits. They have no plans for establishing any new traditions at their ceremony they say, but they are excited about first seeing each other when Madi walks down the proverbial aisle at their intimate wedding.
We look forward to their mid-summer wedding and to seeing the family again and watching these two call it legal. Let the countdown begin and congrats on the journey ahead, you guys!
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.
Allison – Class of 2017 Outdoor Senior Portraits
Allison Elliott is at the very end of the road…. the road of high school. She’s done.
Remember that feeling? Oh sweet joy! Oh freedom! Oh life!
And OH YOUTH! Her pal, Paiton Roberts, referred Allison to us for her senior portraits and like Paiton, she’s filled with that glow that comes naturally when you’re under the age of 20. Sweet, buoyant, beautiful and very artistic, Allison is ready to step onto the road to whatever is next. On Friday, May 26th she’ll be graduating from Millers Creek Christian School. She’s already taking classes in graphic design at the community college and she’s an avid photographer. Her friends count on her to get the fun candids for memories and posts. She is eager to learn and go places.
She may look comfy sitting in these outdoor settings, but this country-raised girl is less outdoorsy, preferring instead the idea of big city life, and all things fashion, beauty, sparkle and glitter. You’ll see when we get to shots of her in her prom dress.
One wonders if the big city can contain this girl. LOOK AT HER! We loved all the costume changes and designing her graduation announcement as well. Her prom gown, from the BeYoutiful Prom Boutique at Bridal Traditions, was edgy and cool and she looked lovely in it.
The 1954 Chevy belongs to her dad and he’s had it since his high school days. Watching his face while she sat in it for her portraits was priceless.
Good luck Allison! And to all the graduates out there, go get ’em!
And pace yourselves……………
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.
Merlefest 2017 | 30 Years of Exhilarating Music | music festival photos by Pixels On Paper
Another Merlefest is in the books, you guys and it was epic. Hot as one of the circles of Dante’s Inferno, if you’ll permit me to put too fine a point on it <smiling>. It was epic. So much to see and so much to share. This was the 30th anniversary and our 3rd year as official photographers. We covered 26 bands, plus the 12 who performed in the annual Chris Austin Songwriter’s Competition and we each walked 15 miles over the 4 days we were there. Frankly, we loved every second of it.
As previously mentioned, the temperatures were not springy. It was always a minimum of 80+ with two of the four days posting at just below 90 degrees, because Mother Nature has an audacious sense of humor. We usually layer clothing and then put items back on in the evenings. Nope. This year, a couple of morning showers added to the humidity and we wore just what we needed. The weather wasn’t going to stop us and it did not stop 80,000 other visitors from coming to enjoy the festival atmosphere we were all basking in. God Bless water and sunscreen. 
The crowd size for this celebration of 3 decades of music and merriment was comprised of every age from infants to 80 years olds and the age range of the performers was expansive too. The youngest performer was 8 and of course there were veterans of Merlefest who’ve played every year since 1987, like Sam Bush and Peter Rowan. 
Highlights for Ryan were seeing James Taylor (who drew one of the biggest crowds) and the Avett Brothers (who also attracted the hoards) and he relished the Bass Workshop with Bob Crawford, since he’s fascinated by all things bass. (Their combined set with the Avett Brothers blew the place up.) Finally, the crowd noise as they announced that Linda Jean Stokley was the winner of the Chris Austin songwriter’s competition was a thrill. Linda Jean – of The Local Honeys – played her winning song for grateful fans. “Cigarette Trees“ is about the destruction of coal mining and is positively beautiful.
For me, the top moments were watching and listening to Sam Bush, who’s not only an incredible musician, but loves to surprise the audience with guests he brings on stage. And Sarah Jarosz is another performer that I looked forward to seeing for months. I’d listened to her streaming online, so I was jazzed to see her perform and she did not disappoint!
We both always enjoy seeing Chatham County Line, the Avett Brothers, Mandolin Orange and Scythian. This year we discovered Sierra Hull, Mountain Heart, Mipso, and The Steel Wheels. We hope to see them again next year.
Every year, we try to store up our energy and prepare to throw ourselves into Merlefest. We are fans. We were fans before becoming official photographers in 2015 and have enjoyed the experience more than we can say. It’s hot, it’s busy (we’re working from when the first eye opens until we crash late at night), it’s exhausting and it’s a blast. We come home spent but grateful and with songs, notes, riffs and phrasing in our heads to remind us. It’s one of the coolest gigs we work all year. Till 2018, Merlefest fans!
Family Vacation | destination photos
There’s a reason why the baseball team in Asheville, NC is called the Tourists. North Carolina, from pretty much west to east, is a gorgeous part of the world. So every year, families from all over head to the mountains, piedmont and beaches to explore and relax. Ryan and I love destination photo shoots, especially of families who’ve come from all over the state and country to our Blue Ridge Mountains and parkway, Blowing Rock, rolling Wilkes county, the high country, the Biltmore House and elsewhere. Some are on vacation, some are at family reunions, others are couples getting engaged, but they all want portraits in this lush landscape that’s our backyard. Of course, we’re happy to oblige!
Hobens at the family vacation camp
Hoben family reunion on family property in Roaring Gap NC.
Charleston SC engagement portraits
The Picard family descended upon the NC Mountains to celebrate Easter together.
The Ellis Family visits from Charlotte for portraits together.
McCoy Outdoor Family Portrait Photography near the Blue Ridge Parkway
The entire Poland family together during a rare occasion in Boone NC.
The Allen family on vacation at Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock NC.
Rogers Outdoor Family Portrait Photography in Charlotte NC
The Perry family together for portraits at their vacation home in Grandfather Mountain Country Club.
Some families, like the Hobens who all met up in Roaring Gap last summer, have property they own and want portraits celebrating them in that place. Others are just traveling through for the summer fun in our area and choose a site or ask for our help (we’ve got tons of ideas) while they’re together, relaxed and enjoying the views. We also have families who live close by and summer break is the first opportunity they have to coordinate a portrait session. They come to our outdoor portrait garden or we meet them on the parkway or in a special location and go from there. One thing we hear – sadly too often – is that people regret not having more photos of the entire family together. So if you’ve been thinking about it, contact us. We’ll help get you started and you’ll have a summer 2017 memory or two to frame!
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Class of 2017 senior portraits | Sunny Paiton
Every time we photograph a newborn session or baby’s first birthday and cake smash photo shoot, we imagine the years unspooling and how wonderful it will be watching that little creature grow up. But the weirdest part is that they DO. We blink and they’re driving, going to prom and graduating from high school. We did not take Paiton Roberts’ baby photos, but we have been photographing the Roberts family for years, so there was already a connection with this wonderful young woman. We’ve watched her move from kid to adult over the past decade. The years in between aren’t many, but the transition is amazing. From 11 to 18, she transformed!
Paiton at 11, 14 and 18 years old.
We also created Paiton’s graduation announcement cards and she shines in those as well. We look forward to watching this young woman continue to become whoever she wants to be. We love her!
Paiton’s Graduation Announcement designed and printed by Pixels On Paper
