Posts Tagged: NC
Katie’s Senior Photos | A Bright Star in the making
I love photographing young girls and women, particularly when I can capture them in a way that others see them, in a way that is clear to me – that reveals them, but maybe not in a way they normally see themselves. There’s something about watching the revelation that happens when you show a young woman a photo of herself that is not a selfie – that is not frivolous (no offense to selfies and selfie-lovers) and they see a shade of themselves they’d missed. They see a character arc, another aspect of themselves they’d never noticed before. It’s both surprise and recognition and I love it. The experience of photographing Katie Waddell for her senior pictures was a ratification of this for me. It happened all over again.
Katie is a senior at Wilkes Central High School in Wilkesboro NC and she has completely touched my heart. She is the typical teenage girl – with her particular insecurities – but she doesn’t live in them. This girl manages to make sure that everyone around her feels loved. I’ve watched her make others comfortable, make them laugh and that’s what struck me and endeared her to me immediately.
When she wanted some photos taken for her senior year, I was thrilled to do them. Katie is so lovely, on top of her generous spirit and bright lit personality, she’s a perfect subject!
Katie is an amateur photographer herself and particularly loves black and white photos, so when we found a dead tree trunk we both thought was textural and cool.
We love to create short slideshow videos for clients to watch and share with friends and family. It’s just nice way to pull all of the great images and moments together into a dynamic album.
One thing she wanted help with for her senior portraits was WHAT TO WEAR. Oh……if I had a nickel…
It’s one of those crises women vacillate between loving (so many fun choices) and hating (too many choices). I offered to let her run her ideas and choices by me and one night I got a ton of texts with photos of her favorites under consideration. She, and I, had so much fun and she chose well for the setting she’d selected.
I told Katie to choose a spot that had meaning for her or that she particularly loved being in. Those of us with sand or mountains in our veins tend to gravitate to those locations again and again. Initially she wanted the woods near her house, but there was an overlook she loved as well, so we took photos of her in both.
When Katie and her mom reviewed all of the photos from her day, they both cried. She really SAW herself and I loved being able to give this gift to her. This young lady is just pure potential and I couldn’t be prouder of her or more excited about her future. My money is on you, Katie!!
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.
best friends | sydney & cherokee’s beach portraits
Friendship, like romantic love, has been celebrated in song lyrics, novels, movies and theatre. It’s been featured in paintings, operas, television shows, you name it. You can buy mugs, cards, plaques and t-shirts that speak to the importance of strong, lasting friendship. We even name our pets and offspring after dear friends. And most of us believe that the person we marry is usually our best friend, or ends up in that role.
I had the pleasure of co-hosting a beach trip with my mom when we took my “baby cousin” Sydney Wooten Chambers and her lifelong best girlfriend Cherokee Church to Crescent Beach in North Myrtle during fall break in October. I promised portraits of them months in advance and it gave them something to look forward to besides being on break at the beach.
Sydney is indeed my cousin, even though I have 20 years on her. She looks like a child of the 60s – free, happy, always showcasing a guileless smile and sweet face, with her long Joni Mitchell hair – and she feels more like a niece than a cousin. Cherokee has the same long hair, but her’s is a killer shade of red. These two have been hitched at the hip and soul sisters through thick and thin their entire lives. In fact, they’ve probably been friends since they could walk. To wit: Sydney had cancer when she was only four years old and Cherokee lost her mother to cancer when she was seven. The two can now look back with empathy and forward with hope – together. They have ridden the waves and at times been wiped out, but they’ve always gotten back on the board to chase the next tide, always by each others side.
The night before we left to return home, around sunset, we all went out and I took shots of them separately and together. These images are something they’ll have to remember their friendship, the trip, their history together and the strength of their bond. Seeing the love between these young women reminded me and my mom of our lifelong friends (my mom happens to be one of my best friends, in fact) and how, regardless of the chapter in your life, regardless of age, turmoil, victories, health, whatever, your best friends hold you close. They lift you up, they ground you, and they remind you that you matter. 
As we approach the holidays, if you have a friend or group of friends you’d like photographed in Christmas garb or if you want portraits taken “just because” – please contact us! We’d love to capture your nearest and dearest with you and create a new and lasting memory.
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.
Jenn & Joey’s Intimate Wedding | The Inn at Little Pond Farm
When Jennifer Davis & Joey Stout asked us to photograph their wedding at The Inn at Little Pond Farm in Vilas and Valle Crucis this September, we said ‘absolutely.’ The details, the setting, the small group, the couple and the location made our decision easy.
The wedding party was beautiful, small and YOUNG! It consisted of Joey’s two daughters and Jennifer’s two nieces.
The innkeepers at Little Pond Farm, Gaye and Frank Luaces, have created a perfect venue for weddings and gatherings and they’re among our absolute favorite people to work with. The small, intimate and magical setting makes it a pleasure for us to photograph and in late September, the place still shined and the weather was perfect.
Like other weddings we’ve photographed at the Inn, Jennifer and Joey’s was beautifully simple, elegant, small, centered on family, and focused on marriage. Less than 30 people attended, including us and all the venue staff. I LOVE getting to see every guest gathered around one table sharing a meal together! All that in addition to the picturesque French provincial details at every turn make for great images and memories for the bride and groom and their families.
Cake, flowers, and a private chef are all coordinated and arranged by Gaye and she accomplished her customary perfection. Between the venue and the details, this day and wedding were Martha Stewart Magazine worthy, if not better.
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.
river run farm | haley and cody’s valle crucis nc outdoor barn wedding photos | pixels on paper photography
Haley Smith & Cody Fountain were married in late September of this year at River Run Farm in Valle Crucis, NC and the setting, weather, crowd and vibe were perfect. This wedding had that feeling of “all is well” or “everything is as it should be.” Their engagement session was casual and sweet and the wedding, while more than casual, had that same feeling.
There was a beautiful juxtaposition of nature – late summer meeting early autumn – with cowboy boots, orange and green bouquets mixed with bridesmaid dresses and striped ties. It was a natural mix and it was perfect.
Gorgeous green fields and valleys meet pumpkins and mums. The setting showcased mother nature’s hand in all directions.
The sun goes down and River Run is a perfect spot for a reception. Theirs did not disappoint!
As usual, we were able to work around some amazing vendors. Here’s the short list:
The flowers were provided by The Blossom Shop; the caterer/coordinator was Gadabouts. The cakes were from Nothing Bundt Cakes and the reception music was brought to you by the DJs at Mountain Peak Sound.
We wish this couple nothing but joy and many, many years together.
Christmas Portraits | Welcome Home
Misty 1976
We’re doing something different with our holiday portrait sessions this year. We’re bringing them home. As in to YOUR home. It’s where you live and it’s where the magic and memories live too. Photographs tell the story and evoke all the memories of the season even as they are frozen forever in that specific time. It only made sense to take your family portraits in the place you call home.
Misty 1978 – Gifts for my girlie AND my rugged side.
Let’s be honest: isn’t half the fun of old family photographs saying, “remember that couch? remember that carpet?” Or “that was our first year in that house and you insisted on having a mini-tree in your room.” Every family on earth looks at past Christmas photos and has these conversations, in reverie and laughter.
Ryan 1980 – HOT WHEELS, BABY!!!! Santa WAS listening.
Misty 1981 – future Merlefest attendee and Official Photographer, thank you very much!
Ryan 1982 & 1986 with brothers and sister. LOVE the pjs. Sports, super heros and Little House on the Prairie.
Place matters, but so does family, so here’s the origin of this idea: We’ve had holiday portrait sessions at our Pixels indoor studio for years with great success, but this year, I could never settle on a theme I liked. Thinking through it all now, God was definitely showing me why. I wasn’t listening or obeying what he was leading me to do. Finally, about a week ago and after much discussion with Ryan and some fear, I listened and obeyed. I sent an email to a client who has always participated in and anticipated our Christmas sessions. Here’s an excerpt:
Because you inquired early regarding information about Christmas portraits and we’ve photographed yours for years, I’m writing to share my idea for Christmas photos. For us, this year has been hectic, challenging and rewarding all at the same time. Through it all I’ve been very reflective and God has been incredibly forthcoming in showing me direction and insight all along the way both in my personal journey and the path of our business. I want all the work we do to be done with intention and relevance.
Nothing is more important during the holidays (or anytime for that matter) than family. When trying to create the concept for this year’s Christmas theme “family” and “home” continued to resonate in my mind. I wanted a way to create a personal experience for each of our clients, so my resolution is to offer in-home Christmas sessions.
I want to capture families gathered around trees with handmade ornaments, trees where all the fragile ornaments are at a height away from little fingers, stockings are personalized and tree toppers are those that have been passed through generations. I’d love to capture children in their Christmas PJs while they show me an ornament they made at school. Children years from now will recognize their surroundings in a photograph. What it looks like is different for every single one of our clients.
Misty 1986 – I was expressive. …still am.
Ryan 1983 – and his own hot wheels a few years later.
Ryan 1971 & 1981 – there’s a theme developing here……….
Misty 1990 & 1992 – “What? NO WAY!!”
Ryan 1985 & 1987
We hope you’ll take a moment to remember your own Christmas photos over the decades and consider that this will be easier than you might think, will be fun and SOOOOOOO worth it when you see the results. We know this is going to take some coordination, guys, but we’re in if you are. People start decorating as soon as mid-November and hope to get their cards out or gifts for relatives ordered soon after. As you plan your decorations and holiday festivities (family visits like Thanksgiving, for those who want to get the tree up and capture more than your immediate family), let us know so we can book the date and time and shares fun ideas with you.
The fee of $125 is due when you make your reservation. We will provide 5 digital images for families with up to 3 children. This includes the printing rights along with the option to purchase prints, cards, and gifts. Pets and additional children or family members are welcome for an additional $25. Call 336-990-0080 to reserve or email inquiries to mail@pixelsonpaper.net.
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.