Posts Tagged: nc newborn photographer
“baby backdraft” conner joins the tevepaugh clan
He’s beat. Look at him. He fought the good fight, watched out for his brothers-in-arms, rescued those who needed to be saved and now, after some grub at the station, is racked out. He was trying to wipe down his gear when he gave up and that’s when we snapped this. There’s only so much a dude can do, you know? At some point, you just need to call it a day.
Conner Tevepaugh after a long day fighting fire
Conner Tevepaugh with fireman Daddy Casey
Conner belongs to these two below – Sierra & Casey Tevepaugh. We shot their amazingly cool wedding at Rendezvous Mountain State Park in Purlear, NC and it was memorable for so many reasons. They didn’t overdue it, weren’t overwrought about it and kept it personal and sweet. Some weddings are about hand-wringing and stress. This was NOT that wedding. They fell in love and got married. It was awesome. Simple, gorgeous, fun and surrounded by love, laughter and true celebration.
Waddell / Tevepaugh NC Rendezvous Mountain wedding
Casey is serious about his job as a volunteer firefighter. The term “die-hard” has been used to describe him and it’s right on. Incorporating the firefighting theme into newborn son Conner’s photo shoot was an easy choice. Clearly, this little creature is comfortable in that setting anyway.
The Tevepaugh family own a beautiful orchard and for generations they’ve been photographing family members among the blossoms, but also in handmade apple crates. Photos of the kids and grandkids in these hang in the orchard’s store/barn to this day. Conner’s great grandfather, Bob Walsh, crafted the wooden baby cradle seen below. Bob is a brilliant woodworker and Conner was placed in his creation for this shoot.
Conner cradled in family love
Mom Sierra and Baby Conner in repose
Fate (and poet Robert Burns) tell us that the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Conner may become a Titan of Industry and wear a suit every day. Or maybe he’ll be a first responder like his dad or farmer like his Grandfather. Either way, his family will impart a love of nature, a desire to serve others, a sense of mirth and adventure and an understanding of how to be together and go with the flow. We LOVE the Tevepaughs and will love watching their family grow.
Pixels offers a photo shoot for newborns to ALL those couples who hire us to photograph their wedding. We’re not mere shutterbugs. We love to capture your big day and, should you choose to start a family, we want to capture your baby as well. Family comes in a variety of forms, but we’re in no matter what shape it takes.
Ivy Myers ~ the likeness of Garbo’s girl of “the moment” becomes the daughter of a lifetime
We showed this picture of newborn Ivy Myers to a writer friend of ours and she burst out laughing. “It’s Greta Garbo!” Beautiful, bored, tired and she wants to be [said in best German accent] alone. Ivy’s eyes, at half-mast like Garbo’s, is also glamorous and seems to crave both privacy and a nap.
Ivy however is not alone. She was very much wanted and is probably right this minute being snuggled within an inch of her life. Kim and Justin Myers, her mom and dad, had been trying to have a child for years and finally decided that they were going to be the fun aunt and uncle – relishing time with nieces and nephews and their friends’ kids. After years of praying and planning though – they now have sweet Ivy, the product of an open adoption. She is a delicious answer to prayers and a dream come true.
There’s just something about her little left hand that is hilarious …. “Oh me…. I’ve been here a mere few months and I’ve already got a fan base!”
At Pixels, we prayed during the adoption process, because Kim booked us before she was “theirs” and we knew how much they were ready for her. And then suddenly, they were parents. Creating the baby announcement cards was such a joy. Kim and Justin were now Kim, Justin and Ivy.
When it was time for Ivy’s 6 month photo session, the Myers came back to our studio in Wilkesboro, NC and Ivy had changed so much. Don’t you love it when children grow at this stage? They have those super-round Charlie Brown heads with all of their features relegated to the middle of their faces? There is all of this real estate of forehead, cheeks, chin that is perfect for smooching and snacking on. That was Ivy this past December 2014. She was also more interested in listening to Beyonce than Sesame Street tunes during the shoot. Yet another diva move!! But really, she’s more love bug than anything with her rolls and irresistible grin.
Ivy is proof that sometimes you actually do get what you want, even when the odds seem against you. Timing is impossible to control, but patience can be life-changing. At Pixels, we love these stories of how faith and a true resolve can produce unexpected rewards… like a family.
catching dreams with Holden
“I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. If they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be.”
– Holden Caulfield, The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
The catcher. The saver. There are heroes in fiction and Holden Caulfield is one of the greatest. Care-taking, tender, filled with contradictions, incredibly quirky and loving while questioning life. The Holden (below) who belongs to Traci and Andy Pierce is surely made of all of those things; they’re just brewing under that sweet exterior. We defy you to look at this face and tell us he’s not conspiring to do something and be someone special – even in his sleep.
The best among us usually sleep soundly and well.
We were asked to create the Pierce’s baby announcement to alert friends and family that this little person was going to join the world. We created a Christmas card to drop the baby bomb and Traci’s sister wrote a poem to accompany it.
Holden’s father Andy is a pilot, so Traci set up Holden’s nursery in the colors, icons and theme that would allow Holden to dream of travels and get a sense of his dad.
We also took Holden’s 6 month photos and loved watching him with Traci, as they snuggled. Traci chose the all white theme and it turned out to be so pure and sweet. The Pierce’s bought our full-year baby plan, and we love being able to watch the growth over these shoots, not just in the babies, but in the families … how they orbit around each other, how they show their love for one other, what makes them light up. Capturing all of that makes our job the absolute best.
And coming full circle, we loved taking the Christmas photo for them following Holden’s birth in our outdoor studio.
Holden Caulfield said, “Certain things, they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone.” We know that Traci and Andy feel this way about their boy.
Stay young, Holden. Take your time. But as you grow…. grow up into a man who makes a difference. In the meantime, messing with your toes is a fine idea. There’s time for that now.
the huffmans ~ when you actually get what you pray for
When we met with Nikki Huffman for the first time, she asked that we capture as many moments as possible of her pregnancy because she wasn’t certain that she and Chris would be parents more than this one time. They struggled to conceive, as so many couples do, but with the help of smart medicine, they found themselves pregnant, elated and eager to conspire with us. We knew the Huffman’s were expecting before many of their friends and family. They wanted Pixels to create photographs for an announcement card (both above), so we happily plotted with them.
After following and documenting Nikki and Chris through the various stages of anticipation, there she was.
It’s always amazing when a new creature joins us on this little marble, but suddenly there was Harper … the longed-for baby and new member of planet earth.
The Huffman’s participated in our full year baby package, so we got to photograph, marvel, crack up and capture them all as Harper started to grow and move beyond mushy cute to curious cute to “she’s mobile!! look OUT!” cute.
A note: It’s rare that Dad’s speak up with a request. Chris shared with me that he had seen a huge close up image of a baby’s face during one of their many doctor’s visits. He wanted an image like that of Harper to hang in their house. Because of this, we created a beautiful 24×36 canvas portrait in sepia tones that was a close up of Harper’s face when she was sleeping in Nikki’s arms. We also created a keepsake photo album that included images from all of Harpers first year sessions.
We’d be lying if we didn’t say how awesome an experience it is to photograph a peaceful sleeping newborn and then watch her grow in front of our camera lens to a one year old who’d rather run through the yard than sit still for photos.
The Nikki, Chris and Harper Story has a happy ending. It also has a new beginning. Nikki is now expecting twins.
college football ~ waterfalls ~ baby girl and a bright future ahead
There is a moment in the life of every bride-to-be when she worries about how she’ll look in her gown posing 5 feet from a waterfall. If we had a nickel…… So we’re going to start at this point in the Minick story – the moment when Rachel navigated her way through hill and dale for bridal pictures, looking radiant in her wedding gown and Keen’s. You heard us. You gotta do what you gotta do.
She told us, it was the funniest part of all the shoots we’ve done with Pixels. “Hiking around the location where my bridal portraits were taken was a blast. Wearing Keen’s with my wedding dress and getting strange looks from people fishing at the waterfall was the best!”
Rachel and Ryan met at an Appalachian State football game and so began their relationship. 4 years later we are still photographing them and enjoying not only their company, but watching their family grow and their lives take the various twists and turns it does.
For us, this is not just a business of photography. We’re documenting, watching history unfold, and creating heirlooms that will link generations. The Minick’s, like many of our clients, have become our friends. We “do life” together when there are no cameras around. We feel very strongly that God has given us this gift so that we can become another supportive resource, cheerleaders and advocates for the married couples we’ve met through Pixels. We love seeing them create families and celebrate milestones and feel honored to be a part of the journey. Creating relationships has become as important to us as the photography work.
Below are just a couple of wedding pictures, but we hope you’ll view more of the Minick’s Big Day (teaser: check out Rachel and her bridesmaids’ shoes – they are not Keen’s, but they rock!)
Not surprisingly, people who love each other as much as these two do were destined to add to their family. So two became three with the arrival of Amelia. We’ve enjoyed capturing her with her parental units in a variety of settings. Always fun!
Pixels has an expansive and versatile photography studio for certain shoots, and we love photographing newborns, family portraits, prom pictures, weddings, engagement photos and the like. But we also absolutely embrace those moments when we can be creative in mother nature, and are experienced outdoor photographers in NC. We’ve been able to do both with the Minicks.
Rachel: “I want to remember the early days of our marriage and family and look back at the stages of Amelia’s growth. I know that I will delight in these portraits for years to come and love creating future family heirlooms with Misty and Ryan.” WE look forward to it, too. We love you guys.