Posts Tagged: NC Outdoor photographers
Fall portraits of Finley
I’ve said this before and there is a reason for that: the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. The Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote that in a poem, and as a descendent of Scots (McGuire), believe me – I get it, Robbie B!! I hear you, brother!
We’ve been capturing Finley in his Carhartt overalls as a kind of theme, for a while now. Whether I am behind the camera, or we’ve hired a pro, I love these images. With apple picking season upon us we set a course for Apple Hill Orchard in Morganton. As parents do, we hyped it up, packed the cute clothes, got our little guy ready and arrived to find they were closed. There was so much traffic over the weekend that our Monday plan was not to be. No apple picking. The good news is that we had a blast on a nearby trail and the day was glorious.
As memories go, what I will tell Finley when he’s older is that he spent 90% of his time that day, storing acorns in every pocket he had. If they had been pants, they would have fallen down. Like a little squirrel prepping for winter, he put handful and handful in those overalls. The snacks I had, including Cheerios and cashews just mixed right in. Hilarious!
Yes, I will probably try to get some apple picking portraits again before it’s too late, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t pleased with how these images turned out: happy boy, fun day and when we reached the farm shop to buy some apples, his acorns spilled out all over the place to the delight of other customers. It was a good day. Don’t give up Moms. Joy is out there, even if it isn’t what you envisioned.
My advice is that you do the best with what you’re given.
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 newborns and families, 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 ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Sofia’s Milk Bath portraits
You can run into the oddest little creatures during the summer in North Carolina. This little milk maid was spotted in June and her cuteness stopped me in my tracks. Meet sweet Sofia at the 6 month mark.
I captured her newborn portraits, which are adorable, but for this session, her mom wanted something extra special. We created a setting in our outdoor portrait garden under a chestnut tree that has become a particularly favorite backdrop recently. Mom Jessica selected the colors, brought flowers, a flower crown and the milk. We provided the setting, galvanized wash tub and additional props.
Sofia’s session took place during the uncertainty and “social distancing” we’ve all tried to adjust to. Mom, Jessica is an ER nurse, so for her safety was premier, but she was thrilled when she found out I was more than willing to photograph Sofia in a milk bath for her six month portraits. If you follow us and this blog, you know that these sessions are part of our one year package.
It’s important for any type of session involving liquid that the child can sit up and is stable on their own which meant we were slightly past the six month mark. I’ve found that for some parents the exact six month mark is important to capture while for others it’s less about the number and more about capturing the new found mobility of sitting up and crawling. Those two things don’t always necessarily come at the same time. My job is to be flexible, creative and help generate an easy scenario for grabbing the best possible images. The natural light, flowers and milk, especially against Sofia’s complexion all worked together.
Prior to the milk bath, I took more traditional portraits of Sofia using some of the props in our outdoor portrait garden. Parents needn’t worry about portrait sessions during this pandemic, especially during the mild months. I shoot outside, all props and accessories of Pixels on Paper are thoroughly cleaned before each session and only I touch my gear during the session. We remain socially distanced and extremely careful.
I look forward to seeing you soon, sweet Sofia.
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 newborns and families, 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 ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Congrats to Laura – A new Appalachian State University Grad
Like so many others during this Pandemic, Laura Souther did something note-worthy: she graduated from college. The fanfare of years past wasn’t there and while we know these newly minted grads are adults, we wish for more pomp and circumstance, pardon the pun. They deserve our heartfelt, if virtual, high fives. We had the honor of capturing Laura at her now alma mater – Appalachian State University – in mid-May on a truly gorgeous day.
She sparkled next to the sign with her sash, and her big smile was memorable, and indicative of the young woman she is.
It’s hard to believe but we photographed this girl 4 years ago for her senior prom. She looked amazing, but man! Father Time, could you just go take a break? Some of us want you to speed up and propel us forward, but as a mom of a two year old, I’d like to see you pump the breaks. I know Laura is raring to go though. She has been accepted to and will start graduate school in speech pathology next and is excited about the next phase of her life.
Laura: you are going places, sweetheart! We appreciate your resilience, your hope in the future and the work that you are going to put into making the world better. From the bottom of our hearts, congratulations!
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 newborns and families, 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 ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Ashleigh High School Grad Photos
Covid-19, and the time in our lives it has brought, has not been kind to milestones and those who want to celebrate them, but this high school senior is not typical. She’s funny, smart, resilient and ready for the future. I’m so proud to know her and to have been able to photograph her high school graduation portraits – OUTSIDE of course.
Her mom was my best friend growing up and is a dear friend to this day, and her daughter is the coolest kid. We took photos for her senior year with her family in the wood and in front of waterfalls. The Andersons are solid friends and we love them.
Ashleigh has the best sense of humor and a fantastic personality. I love this kid. After her school year came to a grinding halt because of Covid, she was distraught. No big round ups. No graduation. No special occasions – just “all in to protect ourselves.” But she found her resolve and then decided to work a couple of jobs and start applying to college. She boot strapped it and got over it, like the cool kid she is.
“I did it!”
Congratulations to this remarkable young woman. I look forward to photographing you, Ashleigh through all the coming milestones in your life.
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 newborns and families, 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 ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Small Business Love-Up: Elkin Creek Vineyard
We are celebrating and loving up on small businesses and showcasing some of our favorites. Today we’re raising a glass to Elkin Creek Vineyard.
This small but fabulous vineyard and winery in the Yadkin Valley in the NC mountains is run by two families that Ryan and I love dearly. Not only have we photographed at their venue, but Elkin Creek is a favorite spot for us, especially on Sundays. We collect our energy, relax and reflect.
On Sundays, we sit on their porch by the river, eat wood-fired pizzas and fresh sour dough bread and drink their amazing wines. They’ve extended their food service days during quarantine to include curbside pick up, special menu items and wines to go.
If you are in the area and love wine, or love amazing food and want to support this special place, we encourage you to stop by. In the meantime, we hope you’ll follow them on Facebook, where you can see what they are serving and how to feed yourself while supporting these amazing folks!
We love graphic design and commercial photography whether logo design, brochure design, head shot photos, architectural photography or product shots. At Pixels On Paper we pride ourselves in listening to a broad range of clients and customizing our photography and graphic design services to meet each individual request. Our skills, styles, and visions come together to be a permanent record that either reflects an identity or delivers a message that speaks to thousands. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your business needs. Email us at mail@pixelsonpaper.net or call 336.990.0080 to learn more, receive a quote or to let us know how we can put our skills to work for you.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
All photos are ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.