Posts Tagged: pixels on paper children photography

Gavin is Four – An Outdoor Portrait Session

Believe it or not, Gavin stopped running, climbing and exploring long enough for us to grab some photos. Oh, and he’s four years old, hence the photo session. He loves being outside. In fact, every single time we’ve photographed this little monkey, we’ve done so out of doors (and occasionally out of breath).

I met his mom Jessica years ago and after we became friends, I shot Gavin’s 6 month portraits (I was 38 weeks pregnant during that shoot), his first birthday cake smash, as well as his 2 year old portraits. Before our eyes, he’s become a little boy.

On April 16th, we all met up at a park, and we brought our 3 year old with us. Those boys (and the rest of us) got filthy playing around, laughed constantly, and marveled at their energy. As you all know, boy and girl dynamics can be different. Girls, even when they are outside, will stick with a plan for the most part and follow directions. Boys love to move, must move. They demand dynamism. Finley and Gavin are text book examples of this. They are free range nuts and I loved to watch them. Perfect weather and setting and happy kids made for a perfect afternoon of photography.

One of the funniest moments was when Jessica, who is a full-time Army Reservist, asked Gavin to come to her and he took off. She is a petite creature, but she means business, and ran after him in wedge heels! She kept calling, “you know you’ll have to stop SOMETIME!!”

By the end of the day, Gavin was so wired, he tore off his shirt and Ryan caught him in action … nothing but a blur. Four year olds should be celebrated. We certainly adore this one.


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.

Sibling Love – Part 2

We’re celebrating siblings again and remembering what it was like to be young, to have enough energy to fight and make up, and reviewing some of our favorite images of kids with their brothers and sisters who were brave enough to jump in front of our cameras.

“A sibling may be the sole keeper of one’s core identity, the one person with the keys to one’s unfettered, more fundamental self.” – Marian Sandmaier

“Our brothers and sisters are there with us from the dawn of our personal stories to the inevitable dusk.” – Susan Scarf Merrell

Siblings often become good friends, and because they know each other so well, they can provide each other a deep sense of comfort. Laura Markham

“I don’t believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at.” ― Maya Angelou


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.

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.

Sibling Love – Part 1

It’s hard not to notice the kids, and especially the siblings, when scrolling through our library of images, as I want to do. We’ve been professional photographers since 2005 and when I’m organizing portrait galleries or brainstorming for our business, the faces of these munchkins jump off the screen. So I’m showcasing some pretty cute ones for you guys. We all can use a little pick-me-up.

“A sibling is the lens through which you see your childhood.” – Ann Hood

“Siblings are the people we practice on, the people who teach us about fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring – quite often the hard way.” – Pamela Dugdale

“You may be as different as the sun and the moon, but the same blood flows through both your hearts. – George R.R. Martin

“Having a sister is like having a best friend you can’t get rid of. You know whatever you do, they’ll still be there.” – Amy Li

“Be nice to your siblings, they’re your best link to your past and the most likely to stay with you in the future.” – Baz Luhrmann


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.

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.

Baby, Baby Series Part 3 – 1st BIRTHDAY & CAKE SMASH

“I just completed my first trip around the sun. Time to start my memoirs.”

If only we could record even the obtuse, undefined, blurry world of a one year old, what an interesting document that would be. What would we glean about ourselves, our sensory experiences and most especially our developing soul? I would love to be tasked with being the documentarian of the Life of the Mind – Year One Project. Here’s more of our son Finley (above) and his first birthday cake smash.

Instead, we at Pixels document the first year from the outside and it culminates with a first birthday cake smash and/or photo session. See more of Sawyer – above – on his first birthday.

Ivy Myers 12 months child and family portrait photography by Pixels On Paper Portrait Photography
Still Life with Ivy & Cake
pixels on paper photography, portrait photography, family portrait photography, photo studio, outdoor portrait photography, photo

Gavin’s birthday party took place at our favorite orchard. Here’s even more from that day!

Carson Mathis one year portrait photography photo
Carson’s Cake Smash

But it’s not all about the sweets and the mess that follows. We ask our client parents to bring other props or take advantage of ours and if possible, we love to take the session from our studio into our portrait garden and yard.

Amelia turns one. First Birthday. Child photography, children photo

See a little more of Ivy’s first birthday and lemonade stand.

What we cannot provide in an internal monologue for your one year olds, we can provide in photography. See some of our other favorites.

And this little man below is Barrett. You’ll see more of his first birthday cake smash any minute now!

Pixels On Paper Photography Barrett Spillman One Year Portrait and Cake Smash Photo

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.

88x31 lucy & glens valle crucis wedding photography | pixels on paper boone wedding photographers

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License

All photos are ©2019 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.

2 Year Old Gavin’s Day of Photos

We have been photographing this little shaver since the beginning and now he’s two. TWO! And he’s all boy. Gavin Mendieta loves playing outside, tramping around in the woods, getting his hands dirty in nature and getting massive love-ups from his puppy. For photo session number three with this kid, Ryan shot images in – naturally – the great outdoors.

That dog smooch made me laugh out loud when going through the files Ryan brought home. I feel like their heads are exactly the same size. Gavin is NOT afraid of kisses from the right friend.

pixels on paper photographers two year old boy outdoor portrait photo

We love providing clients with a mixture of portraits that are more staged and posed with real Day in the Life sessions, and with this family we were able to do both. These images were taken in Gavin’s very own backyard and nature habitat in Gastonia, NC and I love seeing children captured perfectly in an environment they know, showing their personalities and tendencies. It’s the third time we’ve photographed him in the great outdoors. 

pixels on paper photographers two year old boy outdoor portrait photo

Check out our first session with Gavin at 6-months and his first birthday cake smash.

pixels on paper photographers two year old boy outdoor portrait photo

Gavin: When you no longer need assistance climbing trees and fording streams, we hope we’re there. For now, enjoy your third trip around the sun knowing how loved you are!


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.

88x31 lucy & glens valle crucis wedding photography | pixels on paper boone wedding photographers

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.