Posts Tagged: family heirloom photography
Finley turned two
And just like that, ….. he was headed for college.
Good Lord, can you imagine? Me sitting here typing through tears!! Wash that image away. Finley is two and THAT went by in a flash of sorts. More hair – red and curly and wild like the little scamp who sports it. More activities and racing around and more kiddie power tools. This boy is full on living his best life. Happy Birthday, Sweet Finley.
We’ve had a ritual these last couple of years that we loved continuing: we bring treats to the staff at North Wilkesboro Wake Forest Medical Center where Finley was born. They were indispensable to say the least in bringing him into this world, and we love hugging their necks and letting them see how big our boy has grown.
Finley has received an assortment of tools and he is keen to use them every chance he gets. For his birthday, he made use of his chainsaw in between helping with the baking. We spent the days around his birthday making memories, spending time with him and our families and letting him celebrate as only a two year old can.
And of course, Ryan’s parents and mine joined us for group portraits in our studio. Parents of young kids: we don’t just preach it, we live it. Get professional portraits of your clan every year. Not only is it a way to make and capture memories, but you can celebrate those relationships in more casual settings. Our Day in the Life style sessions are popular for this reason and will be a big focus for us in 2020. I promise you will not regret making annual photo sessions a tradition.
2019 
2018 
2017
Finley with Nanny & Pop 
Finley with KeKe and KawKaw
I cannot thank Joy Davis enough for capturing even more photos for us so that we could not only be in them and fully present, but enjoy Finley on his birthday. All of the images that follow are copyright Joy Davis Photography.
We love this boy and are already throwing ourselves into 2020 and his next trip around the sun – OUR trip around the sun as a family. So let’s do this!! Do you have a milestone or celebration to capture? Is there a season you love as a family or a special place you go as a couple or a family where a documentary style photo session would be perfect? Contact us and let’s discuss making it happen this year!
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.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
All photos are ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Heirloom Photography
A while back, we blogged about engagement portraits as heirlooms. While 21st century portraits are no longer as severe and in grainy sepia tones, they do still serve a purpose as historical artifacts. I look at these young sisters below and think of the photos we’ve taken of children that their mothers cherish.
When we look at images today and see the amazing things we can do with filters and timing, it’s no wonder that everyone wants to be their own archivist, storyteller, photographer and keeper of the family history. Consider finding those moments where it will mean the most to have professional shots and remember that they will one day be heirlooms. And consider getting a professional to take them. You won’t regret it.
Two young brides above and below. They are a mere 150 or so years apart.
One family portrait – posed above.
A family portrait – posed below.
Sometimes the heirlooms are not heirlooms because they are posed. Images become heirlooms because they capture something specific – like the bride reading her favorite book for her bridal portrait. It was important to incorporate it for her. Sometimes, it’s the place – like the mountain home that a family rented so they could converge from all over the country for a reunion. Or it’s the mountains that became a back drop for an engagement photo shoot. And sometimes it is the unexpected moment, like the one above we caught of the bride and groom sharing a happy, sorta private hug.
Maternity portraits and new family portraits are heirlooms as well for generation and these shots, especially in informal outdoor settings tell a beautiful story of time, place and love.
Consider the photo albums and images in frames that you love seeing from those relatives you’ll never meet and schedule a photo shoot that will some day be relished by your future family.
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.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States LicenseAll photos are ©2019 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Remembering Virginia Ruth Roberts
Today, instead of our usual blog about trends, the business of photography, our lives and beloved clients, we’re going to pause to remember a spectacular human being: Virginia Ruth Roberts. For us, this blog is truly personal, because this lady was loved by everyone.
Virginia passed away merely 4 days ago on December 6th at the age of 87 at her home. For the full obituary and some other details, you can go here.
To Ryan and me, this special lady was someone we got to know through photographing the bridal and wedding of her grand-daughter Meghann Roberts Clawson and the engagement and wedding of her grandson Preston Roberts.
Virginia was loving and inspiring and, as a former teacher – she shined and brought that bright light to shine on everyone she met. Her love of life and others was contagious, so each time we were hired to photograph these big family milestones, we relished knowing that we were going to get time with her. She really was a jewel.
When I text her family through tears and asked what I could do, they were eager to hear that I would provide photos and it was an honor to send them. I know looking at them brought me enormous joy and smiles and did her family too. She touched all of us and Ryan and I are beyond grateful that we were able to orbit around Virginia as long as we did. She wasn’t our family, per se, but she felt like she was.
We’re missing and loving you today, Virginia Ruth.
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.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
All photos are ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
ellis family outdoor portraits – elijah turns one
Isaiah – One Year!
For this most recent portrait session with newest member Elijah, the Ellis’s wanted to be outdoors again, but the constant rain earlier this season caused us to reschedule this session three times. Mom Ashley joked that Elijah might turn two by the time the rain stopped. But as always, everything happens for a reason. When we finally got to photograph them, it was gorgeous out and Ashley’s Mom was visiting from out of state so she was able to be a part of the day. We all met up at a park in Statesville, NC where Ashley once played as a child.
This pic below cracks me up. How much would you pay to know what Elijah was thinking? He looks so suave and cute and the curls on the top of his head are just too much.
“On the road of life together.”
This photo – all of these photos – give me so much joy and hope for the future. Family continues to be the institution we all turn to the most for inspiration, comfort and hope. Cheers to the Ellis’s. Keep holding together you four. Keep chasing each other around and hugging and bonding. We hope to see you again 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 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.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
All photos are ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
quinton’s outdoor portrait photography photos
I find myself reminding friends, family and clients not to drop off into no man’s land with professional portraits when their kiddos head off to elementary or middle school only to resume them when they graduate from high school. Snapshots are awesome and we know you parents out there are handling those with your 35mm cameras and smart phones. But professional portraits allow us not only to control lighting and help with posing, location and mood, but we’re capturing memories and creating family heirlooms. All the change you see when you look back at picture albums or the walls of your home can be chronicled in portrait sessions. They are also of a quality that can be placed on canvases, hung on walls and passed down for generations.
This handsome young man is Quinton Roberts and he’s the proof in the pudding that taking portraits over a period of time is valuable. We have been photographing his family and their family business, Brushy Mountain Dental, since 2010. He’s the eldest sibling in the family and graduated in May from Wilkes Community College. His mom wanted portraits of him upon his graduation, and while most guys at Quinton’s age are less than thrilled to have their photo taken, fortunately for us, he wanted to make his mom happy.
Quinton photographed in 2010, 2013 and 2017
See what I mean about the importance of getting photos along the way? Look how much Quinton changed in just 7 short years! This latest shoot was really easy, because we’ve built a great relationship with him over the last 7 years. He was comfortable with us and we with him. He really is a great guy and from a wonderful family.
Mom Timberli has a specific idea in mind for large wall portraits in her home of all three kids during their graduation milestones and we’ve had fun making that vision come to life. We recently photographed Quinton’s sister Paiton for her senior high school photos. This fall, the youngest sister Madi will be a senior in high school and we’re already planning her portrait photography session.
If your kids are in that age of constant growth, be it early, middle or later teen years and you want portraits of them, please contact us. We would love to be the ones to photograph those milestones for your family.