Posts Tagged: NC Outdoor photographers
spotlight: our own outdoor portrait garden
One of the greatest pleasures of owning a century old home and the land surrounding it is the maintenance.
Maybe not.
One of the great pleasures of living where we do is that we were able to turn this place into whatever we wanted. We knew when we first began searching for a studio location that it had to accommodate both indoor and outdoor backdrops. What we found is part home, part studio, part offices and when you step outside, you’re surrounded by beauty. Shooting in our outdoor portrait garden is a favorite of ours and we thought – now that summer is on – we’d share some favorite shots we’ve taken there. Some babies, some sunflowers (see just below), some woods and benches, color with natural light and lots of green. We’re truly blessed. And we don’t mind the maintenance…
What nature doesn’t create for us in the surrounding landscapes, we are creating ourselves. From old tin and barn wood that we’ve rescued and harvested ourselves to antique and ReStore treasure finds that we’ve re-purposed. Our outdoor portrait backdrops are constantly changing based on need and our desire to create more options for our portrait photography clients. All within a few steps outside our studio’s front door.
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 babies and kids, 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.
woodland fairies portraits – expecting mom and young daughter
Come fairies, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind
and dance upon the mountains like a flame. – W. B. Yeats
This was a special session for us with expectant mom (and dancer) Rachel Minick and her daughter Amelia (learning to dance). And they do not have a dull life, by the way. What growing family is dull? But, we were going for the woodland fairy and bohemian vibe and we got it. Mother and daughter were so mellow and happy walking around and dancing barefooted together through streams, hills and spring grass. The whole session felt serene and incredibly cool.
We’ve been photographing little sprite Amelia since she was teeny and (we’ve said this before, but….) this family feels like family to US. We love them and love being a part of their journey. We started photographing them when Rachel and husband Ryan were engaged. Amelia is going to be an amazing big sister, but on this day in April, she was the only game in town. Just mama and daughter, senior and junior fairies. 
We shot this session with Rachel and Amelia in our favorite apple orchards and the wooded creek in mid-April and my favorite photos are the truly candid ones with them together. Amelia is just beginning the more girlie aspects of her childhood and in other portraits, it’s clear that Rachel is thinking about the next little creature to hit the earth and join their family.
The natural beauty of this day was such an important feature and honestly, most if not all of our sessions with this couple-now-family have taken place outside. It’s a fit. We look forward to seeing the next Minick.
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 babies and kids, 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.
Wedding Redux…. What would YOU do if you could do the day again?
This was the wedding of Meghan and Josh in August of 2015. The groom made the arbor they stood beneath (a gift to his bride) and she walked down the aisle to Bruno Mars’ “Marry You.” There were amazing details in every direction – from the mountains behind them as they pledged to be together for life, to the bouquets, color choices, and reception where everyone danced and partied late into the evening and stayed for the weekend.
BUT. What if they could do it again….? Do it all over again.
If you’re planning your wedding – listen up.
We asked Meghan and Josh what they would change and here is what they said. [insert the high-pitched rewind sound here and clip of everything moving at top speed in reverse]
Name 3 things you would do differently, if, by some strange wrinkle in the universe, you could do it all again (with the same person of course)?
I wouldn’t worry about a shuttle service to get people to and from town. I wouldn’t book vendors based solely on price and I wouldn’t try to do things I wasn’t completely happy with just to save money.
Name 3 things you would do again, if you could?
I would definitely do a small destination like we did where we all stayed in cabins together for the weekend so it was an extended celebration. I would still have my personal and humorous wedding. I would use my florist, caterer, and my photographers a million times over.
Tell us about vows. Any changes?
I LOVED our vows! We wrote our own and they were completely original and US. They were humorous, but still sweet.
How about the number of guests?
DO NOT invite everyone you have ever known and don’t worry about people getting their feelings hurt. Throughout this process, I started to notice that for every person we added to the guest list, we were adding approximately $75/head. This is where I should have cut my budget instead of scrimping on other things or trying to put too much work on myself.
Did you use a wedding planner or the “family-and-friends-all-hands-on-deck” approach to planning?
I had a planner and don’t know how we would have done it without her. I wish we had utilized her even more instead of me trying to do it myself to save money! I tried to do a lot of things on my own or use people who were “cheaper” to try to cut costs. I would have paid the extra amount and had everything taken care of and not worried about it! Do you notice a trend here?!
Time of year? Time of day?
I never wanted an August wedding, but then I never planned a wedding until I had to. August was perfect! Late summer was perfect for my colors and the time of day and location (on top of a mountain) made the weather absolutely unbelievable!
Location?
My fiancé and I wanted something that was natural and gorgeous, which is exactly what we got. We had to go way out in the county to find this, and didn’t want people to worry about driving. We wound up spending more money for a shuttle service to and from town and up and down the mountain than if we had just paid extra somewhere else. We had to rent two sets of chairs because of two separate locations, get generators, and lug things up and down the mountain just to try to get everything we needed into this “natural” space.
What about the elements of the ceremony?
Make it ALL about you! Traditional or not, putting your personal touches on these makes all the difference in the world and it is what your guests will remember.
Decorations & decor?
Make sure they fit your venue. I wanted glitz and glamour mixed with the natural space and additional vintage elements. Sometimes your venue is decoration enough!
Number in the wedding party?
I would suggest going with the smallest number of people possible. My 6 were perfect, but the smaller the better.
Positive and negative advice on any or all of the following:
Attire?
Dress in things that will look good, but also fit your location.
Food?
EAT! I said, “oh we are GOING to eat!”…then we didn’t. We loved the food we selected and then we didn’t even get our to-go boxes.
Gifts?
Don’t register for things you have no intention of using, regardless of what people think you need!
Flowers?
My flowers were one of the TOP things that made my wedding! The colors were gorgeous and tied together my color scheme perfectly! In an attempt to save money, I tried to use potted plants at the altar, but I should have let my florist do those as well.
What, if anything, do you regret?
I don’t regret anything, however, there are a few family members that I wish I would have taken pictures with before they left. I wanted the majority of the pictures done before the ceremony so that we could use the full time for the reception. I had some older family members I assumed were going to stay through part of the reception, but they left right after the ceremony, so they aren’t in any of my photos.
What do you wish you’d done, but were afraid to do?
There are a few moments of my wedding that I wish had been slightly more serious, but that is just not my personality. I was scared to have anything even slightly sentimental because I knew I would cry, so I did everything in my power to make sure that I didn’t break down.
What would you do more of?
If I could do it over, I think I would have enjoyed things more. I don’t say that to mean I didn’t enjoy it, but it was a very stressful time, and I went through different phases and a boat load of emotions. I had days where everything mattered and I didn’t care about the cost; other days, I wasn’t spending a dime, and nothing was a big deal because it was just a “celebration.” Looking back, I see that these were things I will only get to do one time and I would have cherished every moment even more if I had truly had a concept of this.
Stay tuned for more in this series — Wedding Redux, especially if you’re a bride-to-be, maid of honor, mother-of-the-bride or newly engaged. Hearing from those who’ve stood where you are about to stand can make all the difference in the world.
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 babies and kids, 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.
an orchard photo session with a young sister & brother
“Everything great that ever happened in this world happened first in somebody’s imagination.”
– Astrid Lindgren (author of Pippi Longstocking)
True. So, we ask you: What on earth was happening in her imagination when we took this photo?
Usually, we’d give our kingdom to know, but in this case, it’s counter to the mystery and fun of life.
And anyway, she’s clearly cracked the code. You can see it in her eyes and mouth.
Natalie Overby is one of our favorite subjects to shoot, because she is polite, poised, and incredibly photogenic. We hope she always has the tender passion and beauty in her that is so apparent in her photos. She has a poetic face and sensibility you pray is never interrupted by tragedy, but only enhanced by life’s nuances and adventures.
We also photographed her little brother Eli that day in our favorite orchard. His mom specifically asked that we capture his gorgeous blue eyes. Eli is a typical boy and would rather be playing in the dirt than sitting still for photos. He is charming, but restless and we couldn’t blame him. Spring… outside… sister’s there to hang with. It’s a recipe for play and soaking up sun.
“There comes a time in every rightly constructed boy’s life when he has a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure.” -Mark Twain (author of Tom Sawyer) …. And Eli is thinking about when to make a break for it…
Natalie takes great care to watch out for her little brother, but she was also incredibly present in each moment. It’s an interesting combo in such a young kid and heartening to watch. There’s a lot going on in that girl’s imagination and brain and Eli is the same.
There’s a quote that goes something like, “having a sister is like having a best friend you can’t get rid of… you know whatever you do, she’ll still be there.”
And there’s another great quote about siblings that says, “sisters and brothers just happen; we don’t get to choose them, but they become one of our most cherished relationships.” -Wes Adamson. We love our siblings, both those by blood and those found through this life and we hope that Natalie and Eli will have the same solidarity and trust, laughter and adventure, mayhem and memories that we have with ours.
Keep it up you two.
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 babies and kids, 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.
the orchards are calling ~ booking outdoor portrait sessions
Environmentalist and philosopher, John Muir once said, “the mountains are calling and I must go.” WELLLLLLLLL gang, the orchards are blooming and we are booking sessions for Thursday March 31, Friday April 1st and Saturday April 2nd. Sessions and the peak orchard bloom times are fleeting and limited. These photos are not only great as Easter portraits or for proms, bridals and engagments, they make wonderful gifts for Mother’s Day or to hang in your home. Click here to RESERVE TODAY and please make sure that you select your preferred date and session time.
COUPLE OF QUICK NOTES:
+ These sessions will last one hour.
+ We will provide you with unlimited images photographed.
+ Your pre-paid $135 fee reserves your session and is NOT refundable.
+ No digital files or prints are included in this session. All finished images will be available for viewing during your PreView Order session. You can purchase prints or digital files of your choice. Prints start at $12.
+ All orchard sessions are in Wilkes County.
+ For additional details email Misty at mail@pixelsonpaper.net or call 336-990-0080
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 babies and kids, 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.