Posts Tagged: documentary portraits

Family Time

As I continue to ponder the priorities that Ryan and I have for 2020 and beyond, family keeps coming up.

photo of Misty, Ryan and Finley by Joy Davis Photography
Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC Photographers York In Home Family Christmas 2019 Photo

As a family, we are focusing more on time together and making memories, especially with our extended family who all want time with Finley.

Why a Family Documentary Session?

Because you won’t regret it.
When we have a milestone, we hire our peers to photograph us with Finley, family and friends and we are also encouraging our client families to do the same. Let us capture your casual down time together. These are not stressful photo shoots. NONE of our photo shoots with families are unless there are last minute changes and even then, we know how to laugh and hug and say, “you’ll be telling this story decades from now.”

One Year Old Child and family Portrait Photography by Pixels On Paper Jefferson NC Photographers Photo

Some families plan a day in a special place like an orchard, a greenway, a park, beach or mountain retreat. For these, we get posed images for the archives, frames and scrapbooks, of course, but we also get the more casual shots of them just hugging, chatting and being together.

Reid family Pixels On Paper Boomer NC outdoor portrait photographers photo

I know I sound like I’m giving a sermon, but family is important and some of the best pictures we take, those that the family members love the most, are caught off guard or of people just relaxing.

Things to Consider When Planning a Day in the Life or Family Photo Shoot:

+ How often do you ALL get together? Identify the time and start contacting your relatives and friends;
+ Is there a special place that your tribe loves? Can you visit, book it or plan to meet up there?
+ Do you all like to do something together? Do you ride bicycles or hike or ski or go bowling? Do you have a workshop where 3 generations can build something together? Do you love to cook or paint? You do not have to have an activity, but if your family is drawn to the water or to the garden, to your alma mater or family business, let’s include that.

Chapel Hill Family Portraits
Pixels On Paper Photographers Wilkesboro NC Anderson Family Outdoor Fall Portrait Photography Photo
Family Portraits at local Waterfalls
Guerrant Outdoor Family Session

If your priority this year is a photo session that is easy and casual and personal, think about a Day in the Life session. We can help with the details and planning and we’re ready! Contact us to discuss further.


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

Merry Christmas, thanks & love from us

Christmas for us came when I learned I was pregnant. You take a breath, you say a prayer of thanks, you look at your body now as a vessel versus just your operating system. As a couple, you think, “Jesus, take the wheel.” We did all of those things. Being pregnant was exhausting at times, exhilarating when my energy returned, hilarious when I was photographing clients crawling on the ground with a belly and ultimately, it was the most profound transition in the world when Finley James arrived not long before Thanksgiving.

Photo ©Joy Davis Photography

As we said in other blogs and social media posts – and elsewhere – nothing turns your life upside down like adding another human to your day to day. We’re in love with him. He makes us guffaw in wonder, laugh out loud, say prayers of joy, thanks and prayers for help, and little Finley has reminded us how deeply important it is to say “Thank You” and “I’m Sorry” and “I appreciate you” and “Here’s what you mean to me.” Humbling is a word that comes to mind a lot lately, as does transformed.For you – our sweet clients, collaborators, peers, family and friends – there aren’t enough words of love to convey the ways you’ve touched our lives, not just in 2017, but since we started this venture.

So as not to appear lazy and ungrateful – two things we are decidedly NOT, here is an attempt at naming a few:

Thank you for loving us unconditionally.
Thank you helping us through my pregnancy, for giving advice and for jumping in when he arrived.
Thanks for keeping us grounded when small to medium thoughts, issues and stressors ran the risk of becoming bigger worries than they really were.
Thanks for seeing us across deep waters when there WERE large issues.

Thanks for allowing us to indulge in the joy of YOUR families, milestones, and lives.
Thanks for letting us turn our lens on you to see the beauty of other journeys in our midst.
Thanks for doing life with us. We love your presence in the world and it magnifies our sense of scope at what really constitutes a full life.
Thanks for taking this journey with us. We learn from watching you, laughing with you, wringing our hands around you, breathing the same air as you and from the ways our lives overlap. Truly, these intersections are a God Thing and we absolutely thank Him too.

Merry Christmas to each of you!
With love,
Misty & Ryan

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 ©2017 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.

Fatherhood ~ portraits and musings

A few weeks ago, I wrote a bit about adjusting to all the new things that have been a part of becoming a new mom. There are many. Finley has brought us more of a sense of unconditional love, more reminders about life’s greatest joys, reminders of our core values, more exhaustion and a greater community in his tiny frame than all the movies and books and experiences ever could have. Now, my beloved partner in business, parenting, adventure and life, Ryan is weighing in with his responses and of course we want to share them with you!
Ryan: “The biggest surprises for me are that diapers don’t stink that much YET (LOL!), but there are lots of them. Changing them is no big deal and, like Misty, I’m finding it pretty amazing that I can do so much on so little rest. He’s so wonderful though to look at. His cheeks are chubby and hiding dimples at the moment and don’t get me started on baby farts… HILARIOUS!”
“When he is awake, every source of light is something to stare at in wonder: windows, ceiling fans and chandeliers are all AMAZING to stare at. He is just starting to show signs of smiling, but its few and far between at the moment. I’m loving the awake times with him; they are always best when you can see him soaking it all in, just looking all around. But the times where he’s zonked out and I can manage to get a couple hours of solid work done are equally good.”
“Beyond the need for sleep, my frustrations come from not knowing what makes him cry. He can be clean and fed and still fussy, and it’s hard as a guy to not be able to fix it. Patience is still top of the list for what we need for both parenting and photographing OUR newborn. You’ve got to be ready at any moment for that one thing to be amazing and on your toes when its time to capture it, whether with a camera or with your memory which will last just as long or longer. Having cameras to capture is great, but sometimes just being in the moment is way better.”
 Thanksgiving was a thing for us! Our first real holiday as a family with the new guy. Ryan helped in the kitchen (like me, he loves it and is great at it, if I may say so), we all gathered in Asheville with the Case family who spent time holding little bug. I loved dressing and passing him around in his turkey jimmy-jams!
Those of you who follow us on the regular know that Chelsea was our first child. She is still an important part of the mix and we know that she knows it. Ryan: “She just loves her #tinyhuman Finley. Every coo and cry results in some sort of alert for her, barking or even running to kiss him on the head vigorously. She does love him. We’re not surprised.”
It’s hard – even when sleeping in ridiculously small increments – we’re drowning in grace and gratitude and constant epiphany. This parenting thing surpasses every other thing we’re doing. To Daddies out there – we love 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 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 ©2017 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.

Christmas at Home with the Hollands

Bakers know that the right ingredients will deliver nothing short of heaven when combined according to directions, in the right proportion, using the right tools and cooking for the right amount of time at the right temp. Occasionally altitude is a problem with cakes, but that is not what this blog is about. This blog is about how Christmas – a sacred time for believers and a joyous time for everyone – can accommodate many combinations of elements and still manage to create heaven. day in the life family documentary lifestyle photographers wilkesboro nc pixels on paper christmas photoday in the life family documentary lifestyle photographers wilkesboro nc pixels on paper christmas photoday in the life family documentary lifestyle photographers wilkesboro nc pixels on paper christmas photoWelcome to the timber-frame warmth of The Hollands. This family is new to us, but we are already so incredibly grateful for this burgeoning relationship and for the opportunity to get to know this wonderful family that really “gets it.” Both parents, Kevin and Tram are in the military and they moved to Wilkes from Fayetteville, NC with their blended family which includes 3 children still at home: Colton, Ava, & Sophia. When I visited them on December 4th to document their holiday at home, it was cold, dark and rainy. When the door opened, it was like getting a hug. There was so much light, heat and warmth. day in the life family documentary lifestyle photographers wilkesboro nc pixels on paper christmas photo

The family used to drive from their home to Ashe county to cut down their tree and this year, they all went together locally do the same. Next year, I hope to go with some of the client families to take photos of the journey, the tree choice, the car with it tied on top or tossed in the truck bed and the little faces looking out the window.

day in the life family documentary lifestyle photographers wilkesboro nc pixels on paper christmas photoday in the life family documentary lifestyle photographers wilkesboro nc pixels on paper christmas photoThe ingredients that made this “day in the life” session so wonderful were varied and fun, specific and universal. I loved it! To wit: there was an impromptu paper airplane making and flying contest, stories around special decorations, origami ornaments from Tram’s aunt, beloved glass ornaments that were the girls favorites, running around in sock feet, games of checkers on the rug, decorating, coffee and hot chocolate preparations, stolen kisses between the parents. It was family. I was reminded of the other families I’ve done Christmas at Home portraits with and how normal becomes extraordinary when you pay attention. day in the life family documentary lifestyle photographers wilkesboro nc pixels on paper christmas photoday in the life family documentary lifestyle photographers wilkesboro nc pixels on paper christmas photoday in the life family documentary lifestyle photographers wilkesboro nc pixels on paper christmas photoday in the life family documentary lifestyle photographers wilkesboro nc pixels on paper christmas photoday in the life family documentary lifestyle photographers wilkesboro nc pixels on paper christmas photoThere were the posed photos that families want and I enjoy – when everyone is smiling and practicing good posture, but I have to say I love it when we pass that point of formality and people just act like I’m not even there. The Hollands are wonderful and Tram took the time to share that they had a photographer back in Fayetteville who’d been their photographer for years – someone who’d documented big and small occasions in their lives. She understood the importance of building a relationship, where trust and familiarity are combined over the years and that shared knowledge and care make for wonderful photos and memories. We look forward to many, many years of getting to know the Hollands, watching the kids grow and helping them celebrate all aspects of their lives.

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.

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