The new school year means a new crop of seniors and a chance to mark time. We love this season of the year for the change in weather, the fresh start it represents, and the fact that it gives us a chance to capture images of seniors and families.
We recently posted some favorite senior portraits in our last blog and reviewing these reminded us of so many other siblings, families and mere kids we’ve watched move from childhood to young adulthood. It’s a specific period in one’s life and parents always tell us how grateful they are to have professional portraits of their “babies” … just about to embark on the next chapter.
Setting up a family portrait can feel more work to plan, often because we are all spread out. That said, families find it easier once they simply start a conversation, corral those family members who are hardest to pin down, and set a date. Honestly, it’s a breeze once you decide that it’s important.
The leaves will be turning soon so let’s start scheduling!
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 License All photos are ©2021 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
As much as we enjoyed our chapter as a busy couple in Charlotte, running from wedding to wedding and meeting new clients, Ryan and I always wanted to live in a more rural community, be closer to family, and have a place where we could have a slower-paced life (I’ll let that sink in…. as those of you who follow us know, things have only gotten busier until recently). Our vision was of a small “Main Street” store front with a studio below and our home above it.
God had other plans and, as always, they were better than what we wanted for ourselves. We didn’t get a downtown business footprint, we found our forever home. We started looking in earnest in 2010 and by 2012 we were settled into our beautiful 160+ year old home.
And then the work began.
By this time, we were 7 years in and our once casual “hobby” was a fully formed entity. We had a brand, infrastructure, more and better equipment, schedules … we were legit ya’ll.
We transformed the house into a studio and showroom space and everywhere I turned, I found advantages, opportunities and ideas to make our business and our lives better. This took years, but it has all been worth it: the blood, sweat, tears, exhaustion and time.
I cannot say enough about how this place has enhanced our lives and made us even better at what we do. I could finally manage newborn portrait sessions the way I wanted: providing comfort, privacy, controlling the thermostat and of course the lighting and props. No more substitutions and “must” improvisation. We still improvise, but boy can I work better with all my resources around me and I love that we have spaces for clients to change outfits, relax, feed a newborn, experiment with theme, etc. We also added a vegetable garden (well, that is for us) and an Outdoor Portrait Garden – a favorite of families and perfect for first birthday cake smash portraits.
The more newborn and first year photos I took, the more I appreciated having a place like this. And we no longer relied solely on sending links to clients to preview their portraits. Brides and grooms, new parents and our growing list of commercial and business clients could come to our showroom, flop down on the sofa and see the images, discuss their options, if they needed wall treatments and frames and place their orders. It elevated us to full-fledged pros, not just amateurs schlepping our gear at the beginning of the process and laptops at the end.
This business, this home is so much more than a roof over our heads. It’s so much more than a studio space. We make memories and do life here, but it’s also a place of real creative magic. And it continues to be. I’ll share more in our third blog celebrating our 15th Anniversary in business. Keep your eyes peeled for the last installment.
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.
We love outdoor photo sessions during the warm months and summer provides plenty of opportunities for these. Yes! We can and will socially distance for the session, but that is not a hindrance when you decide you’d like some day in the life documentary photographs or portraits. Below are some favorite shots from summertime in the outdoors with some documentary sessions thrown in for good measure.
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.
While we’re all still trying to decide between a tank top and shorts or to pull out the sweaters we know we’ll need, it’s time to think – if only late at night when you have a few minutes of peace – about setting up fall portraits. Families gather for camping retreats around crackling fires, hikes and reunions. Kids play in the leaves. Friends want to dress up before going out for parties and get more than selfies, but mostly fall is the perfect time to get photos to use for Christmas and holiday cards, to give as gifts, and to celebrate another new season together.
This little vagrant above was trespassing (unnoticed at first), but once spotted we picked him up, reported him to authorities and then took him to wait at our place when, oh wait……….. that’s my son.
Senior year portraits that aren’t strictly cap and gown, family time and events, even personal milestones, all of these are perfect opportunities for a photo shoot. The temperatures are also premium in North Carolina as are venues.
If you’re even just thinking about an autumn portrait session in the NC mountains or at a private and favorite spot, contact us to start planning. We look forward to capturing a moment in time with people you love!
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.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States LicenseAll photos are ©2019 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Hey All! We’ve been enjoying our summer and will continue to until the very end. I would say bitter end, but summer is wonderful and so is autumn. It’s way more sweet than bitter.
We hope you are living large too! Get your ice cream, go camping and tubing, have family reunions, read those books that have been stacking up and get some rest. I said so.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s do a little thinking about the fall and for rising seniors, it means portraits. Below are some of our favorite senior images from over the years, so let this be a nudge to be thinking about location, wardrobe, your schedule and if you would like for these to be part of holiday card, graduation party invitation, given as holiday gifts, blown up life size so that parents can pretend to talk to you after you’ve flown the coop……………. I think there is a pill or therapy for that, but I won’t share it in this blog.
Casual, prom ready, or a variety of wardrobe choices – it’s entirely up to you. The Blue Ridge Parkway, a club golf course, our outdoor portrait garden, your family’s backyard, the same is true of location. Pick where you want to be and we’ll be there!
Senior Portrait blog Part II is coming with more images (and ideas) to share. But if you want to see more from these sessions check out Maddie Roberts, Gage Eldridge and Allison Elliott.
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.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
All photos are ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.