Posts Tagged: NC

Family portraits ~ 3 generations sustaining each other

When the late poet (and part-time North Carolinian) Maya Angelou said, “I sustain myself with the love of family,” she was speaking for pretty much all of us. There are exceptions of course, but even when you run away like another NC native, Asheville author Thomas Wolfe, you find that your dreams are always tied to home and family. How do we pull together? How do we sustain ourselves? The Johnsons are an example of what that pulling together looks like. They are tied together and holding on to each other through welcoming new lives and encountering new struggles.

Pixels On Paper Portrait Photography Wilkesboro, Boone, Blowing Rock, family portrait photographers photo

Mary Jane Johnson, seated in the center and surrounded by her family.

Pixels On Paper Portrait Photography Wilkesboro, Boone, Blowing Rock, family portrait photographers photo

Recently, we photographed Kristen Andrew’s newborn son Jaxon with his big brother Luke. They were delicious. New brothers. New besties. Then Kristen contacted me with news that her Mom Mary Jane’s cancer had changed. Despite the early radiation treatment in the Spring of this year, Mary Jane was going to need chemotherapy in less than a week.

Their family had literally just grown by two with Jaxon’s birth in July and Kristen’s sister Lindsay’s son arriving soon after. Mary Jane’s chemo would begin on the 28th and I got the call on Thursday the week before giving me the update. We all know that chemo and hair loss are wedded, but I promised Kristen that I’d find a way to get the entire family photographed on the Monday before chemo began.

Pixels On Paper Portrait Photography Wilkesboro, Boone, Blowing Rock, family portrait photographers photo

“Families are the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.” Brad Henry
Pixels On Paper Portrait Photography Wilkesboro, Boone, Blowing Rock, family portrait photographers photo

Monday arrived and it was pouring rain. Our plans for an outdoor session fell through, but with no time to spare I arranged the indoor studio with a backdrop that would suit what I knew about this fun-loving, country-inspired family of 10 and we made Mary Jane’s wish for family photos come true. She couldn’t have been more in her element surrounded by her husband Steve, daughters Kristen and Lindsey, and their husbands and their sons.

Chemo has been brutal and Mary Jane has already spent days in the hospital recovering from her first cycle of treatment. When the family returned to the studio last week to view all the photos, they were thrilled to have captured these memories. I hope that these images give Mary Jane a renewed energy and strength before she goes into treatment #2. Nothing will make you fight harder than love and she loves her family first.

Pixels On Paper Portrait Photography Wilkesboro, Boone, Blowing Rock, family portrait photographers photoPixels On Paper Portrait Photography Wilkesboro, Boone, Blowing Rock, family portrait photographers photo“The family – that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to.” – Dodie Smith

The Johnsons are strong in their faith and prayer is going to be a big part of them holding together as they move forward. As we love them and pray for them, we hope that ALL of our clients know how completely loved they are. Chemo is tough. It throws everything and the kitchen sink at cancer. We throw everything we’ve got toward making our clients happy. If Ryan and I can be there for you and help you create a memory of a moment, we’ll do it.

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 weddingsbrides, 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.

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Pixels On Paper | NC Wedding Photographers | October Wedding Anniversaries

October is one of the more beautiful months for weddings in our area. It’s a month of seasonal transition which means you take a chance with weather – as with April and May. We cannot recall an October wedding that wasn’t amazing. Sometimes, the weather drives us indoors, but when the temperature and setting are on your side, it can be golden, … pardon the pun.
Here’s a toast to all of our October Anniversaries. And to many more! We love you all!

Kristin & Jason – 5 years on October 1st

“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of all three.”
– Stanley Horowitz

Donna & Andrew – 4 years on October 4th

“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”
– George Eliot

Mickey & Ben – 3 years on October 4th

“It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the Spring, who reaps a harvest in the Autumn.” – B. C. Forbes

LeighAnn & Jason – 2 years on October 4th

“Autumn’s the mellow time.” – William Allingham

Amanda & Rich – 7 years on October 10th

“No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face.” – John Donne

Melissa & Bob – 6 years on October 10th

“Aprils have never meant much to me, autumns seem that season of beginning spring.” ― Truman Capote
Katie Muskal and Josh Minor Blue Ridge Mountain Club Blowing Rock NC outdoor wedding photo

Katie & Josh 1 year October 10th

“October, baptize me with leaves! Swaddle me in corduroy and nurse me with split pea soup. October, tuck tiny candy bars in my pockets and carve my smile into a thousand pumpkins. O autumn! O teakettle! O grace!”
― Rainbow Rowell

Mary & Gilbert – 8 years on October 11

“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” – Lauren DeStefano

Megan & Jeff – 3 years on October 12th

“In autumn, don’t go to jewelers to seek old, go to parks.” – Mehmet Maret Ildan

Lucy & Glen – 4 years on October 13th

“I know the lands are lit, with all the autumn blaze of Goldenrod.” – Helen Hunt Jackson

Addie & Matt – 6 years 0n October 16th

“How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.” – John Burroughs

Amy & Bobby – 7 years on October 17th

“Autumn came, with wind and gold.” – Unknown

Jamie & Daniel – 1 year on October 17th

“But these are days that we dream about when the sunlight paints us gold.” – Martha Schuster

Annette & Omudhome – 8 years on October 18th

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.” – Emily Bronte

Laura & Chumah – 5 years on October 22nd

“Autumn. The year’s last, loveliest smile.” – William Cullen Bryan

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 weddingsbrides, 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.

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Portrait of a Young Woman | Quinceanera

 Quinceanera dress pictures Pixels On Paper photograpers Wilkesboro, Boone, Winston Salem NC photo Quinceanera dress pictures Pixels On Paper photograpers Wilkesboro, Boone, Winston Salem NC photoIn 2015, young actor Lily James lived many girls’ dream by playing Cinderella and donning a gorgeous blue dress and glass slippers. On September 17th, Vanessa celebrated her own enchanted evening surrounded by friends and family: her Quinceanera, or coming of age. We’ll share photos from the event in a blog to come, but for now, let’s just revel in how absolutely lovely she is.
 Quinceanera dress pictures Pixels On Paper photograpers Wilkesboro, Boone, Winston Salem NC photo Quinceanera dress pictures Pixels On Paper photograpers Wilkesboro, Boone, Winston Salem NC photo Quinceanera dress pictures Pixels On Paper photograpers Wilkesboro, Boone, Winston Salem NC photoYouth, the promise of the years stretched out ahead of her and that dress all came together that day.
We adore this girl and loved spending time romping around in the fields with her. It gave us an opportunity to explore the juxtaposition of the gauzy fabric with the setting’s natural elements.  Quinceanera dress pictures Pixels On Paper photograpers Wilkesboro, Boone, Winston Salem NC photo Quinceanera dress pictures Pixels On Paper photograpers Wilkesboro, Boone, Winston Salem NC photo Quinceanera dress pictures Pixels On Paper photograpers Wilkesboro, Boone, Winston Salem NC photo Quinceanera dress pictures Pixels On Paper photograpers Wilkesboro, Boone, Winston Salem NC photo Quinceanera dress pictures Pixels On Paper photograpers Wilkesboro, Boone, Winston Salem NC photo Quinceanera dress pictures Pixels On Paper photograpers Wilkesboro, Boone, Winston Salem NC photo Quinceanera dress pictures Pixels On Paper photograpers Wilkesboro, Boone, Winston Salem NC photoThis shoot was a true departure from her Quinceanera announcement photo session, where she seems more of her time in urban settings and street clothes. These images capture a moment in a Vanessa’s life, but they are also timeless.

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 weddingsbrides, 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.

Fall Portrait Sessions – Time to Book!

We’re now booking our fall outdoor portrait sessions beginning in late September and running through October. Our clients are brides, engaged couples, couples with their pets, siblings, and families of all sizes. Because of our heavenly locale, clients tend to prefer the Blue Ridge Parkway, Blowing Rock, Boone, and West Jefferson for their photo session, but the Pixels portrait garden in Wilkesboro is also ideal. If you have a special location, please get in touch with us and we’ll work out details and any special requests.pixels-on-paper-child-family-fall-portrait-photographer-photopixels-on-paper-child-family-fall-portrait-photographer-photoFall photos are often framed or turned into holiday cards or both. Bring props or we’ll bring them, but let’s create some memories. Contact us today to book your date! We cannot wait to see you.

Some of our favorites!
The Allen Family
The Hatfields
The Picards
The Vanmeters

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 weddingsbrides, 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.