Posts Tagged: pixels on paper creative family portraiture
Driver Family Outdoor Portrait Photos
Back to our favorite orchards we went on April 6th to photograph Mom Meghan and her daughter Paisley (nicknamed “P”). “P” got dressed UP for the occasion in purple tulle and a big floral bow and sash. The dress’s skirt alone would turn any girl green with envy. It was full and she wore it, not the other way around. The dress was a gift from friend and mother of 5 (FIVE) boys, Stacy Eldridge. Stacy is a long time client and friend of ours and made the referral to Meghan. I have to say, it is SO fun watching her with Paisley after being surrounded by and raising boys for so long. Stacey is Paisley’s biggest fan.
Meghan is a single Mom, who works two full time jobs and manages to hold down the fort and make ends meet and while filling the roles of both Mom & Dad.
I think I’m probably the biggest fan of single parents, because at the end of the day, what they are doing is what we’re all trying to do – create a healthy happy family. And this mother-daughter duo is only about a year old, but there’s no mistaking that they are a family.
Single moms blow my mind. I can only imagine their level of stress and exhaustion as they navigate everything parents navigate, but as a solo act. I really wanted this photo shoot to be about spoiling them both, so we made sure that Meghan felt beautiful, loved and supported while the divine Miss P got to run around like a princess in her own kingdom of peach blossoms. The ultimate goal though was to capture images that Meghan would treasure for the rest of her life. The results are glorious, vibrant and beautiful.
The afternoon and evening of shooting were a complete blast. Stacy and her partner Michael were on the scene to help wrangle the almost one-year-old, so there was a lot of laughter between shots. The weather was gorgeous and there was so much love in the air. This goes in my book as a favorite session and I hope to have Paisley in front of my lens often as we watch her grow into the beautiful strong woman I know she’s going to be.
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.
Late Fall Family Maternity Photos
This lovely family all wanted to be a part of the maternity shoot. They came to our outdoor portrait garden during the fall and I’m proud to say that the colors were amazing. We had no hand in that, but we love it when we can shoot sessions here and enjoy what God has created for autumn and for us.
Big brother Conner knew exactly what to do in the garden and had the most fun running around, laughing, and making everyone work extra hard to keep up with him. He belly laughed and giggled for the camera, while his Mom – at the time 36 weeks pregnant and seriously gorgeous – was serene and his Dad was happy and proud. When they returned to the studio a week later to see their photo presentation I was touched by how much her husband oohed and ahhed over her photos and told her how beautiful she was. Let’s face it, most Moms this far along in their pregnancy feel far from that about themselves.
Their new daughter was born on her due date, December 3rd and we just spent time capturing her newborn portraits. We look forward to photographing her first full year and getting to know this family better!
This mom was referred to us by her co-worker. Because of our referral program, this client now gets a free portrait session and $50 in print credits. Consider taking part in this program!
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.
Family Reunion Portraits – Pick Your Spot and Let’s Go!
We know that the temptation with family gatherings, especially with the vacation season already here, is to use your phone to grab little candid moments in photos that are impromptu and casual. They don’t always turn out that way though. Not everyone ends up being happy with the results. As pro photographers, our instinct is always to be capturing memories where people really do feel like they look their best. We make our subjects feel comfortable, we love to laugh, learn the little relational connections and inside jokes, and we absolutely – ABSOLUTELY – understand the family dynamic.
This is our case for scheduling a family portrait session this summer season. Pick out your duds, your location, who you want included (WE LOVE A FULL ON FAMILY REUNIONS) and let’s create a moment on film where everyone looks and feels awesome. You’ll be glad.
Here’s to families!
“Family: A social unit where the father is concerned with parking space, the children with outer space, and the mother with closet space.” – Evan Esar 
“My family is really boring. They have a coffee table book called Pictures We Took Just to Use up the Rest of the Film.” – Penelope Lombard
“Some family trees bear an enormous crop of nuts.” – Wayne Huizenga
“Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family… in another city.” – George Burns
“The other night I ate at a real nice family restaurant. Every table had an argument going.” – George Carlin
“Obviously, if I was serious about having a relationship with someone long-term, the last people I would introduce him to would be my family.” – Chelsea Handler
So, the jokes are because laughter is ultimately what keeps us together, but we seriously love day in the life photo shoots, posed portraits and outdoor gatherings of family. Tis the season to get everyone around a place or a day you love and let us capture some images of 2018 that will last long after this season is over.
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.
Merry Christmas, thanks & love from us
Christmas for us came when I learned I was pregnant. You take a breath, you say a prayer of thanks, you look at your body now as a vessel versus just your operating system. As a couple, you think, “Jesus, take the wheel.” We did all of those things. Being pregnant was exhausting at times, exhilarating when my energy returned, hilarious when I was photographing clients crawling on the ground with a belly and ultimately, it was the most profound transition in the world when Finley James arrived not long before Thanksgiving.
Photo ©Joy Davis Photography
As we said in other blogs and social media posts – and elsewhere – nothing turns your life upside down like adding another human to your day to day. We’re in love with him. He makes us guffaw in wonder, laugh out loud, say prayers of joy, thanks and prayers for help, and little Finley has reminded us how deeply important it is to say “Thank You” and “I’m Sorry” and “I appreciate you” and “Here’s what you mean to me.” Humbling is a word that comes to mind a lot lately, as does transformed.
For you – our sweet clients, collaborators, peers, family and friends – there aren’t enough words of love to convey the ways you’ve touched our lives, not just in 2017, but since we started this venture.
So as not to appear lazy and ungrateful – two things we are decidedly NOT, here is an attempt at naming a few:
Thank you for loving us unconditionally.
Thank you helping us through my pregnancy, for giving advice and for jumping in when he arrived.
Thanks for keeping us grounded when small to medium thoughts, issues and stressors ran the risk of becoming bigger worries than they really were.
Thanks for seeing us across deep waters when there WERE large issues.
Thanks for allowing us to indulge in the joy of YOUR families, milestones, and lives.
Thanks for letting us turn our lens on you to see the beauty of other journeys in our midst.
Thanks for doing life with us. We love your presence in the world and it magnifies our sense of scope at what really constitutes a full life.
Thanks for taking this journey with us. We learn from watching you, laughing with you, wringing our hands around you, breathing the same air as you and from the ways our lives overlap. Truly, these intersections are a God Thing and we absolutely thank Him too.
Merry Christmas to each of you!
With love,
Misty & Ryan
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 ©2017 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Truly Giving Thanks
This time last year feels like an entire lifetime ago. I said in our blog about our new son Finley that I’ve been amazed at how much someone can do on so little sleep. Well, I’m also blown away by how much we packed into this last year. We’ve been blessed with an embarrassment of riches in the supportive friends department. Thank you all for showing us so much love and grace around having our first child. Before, during and these first few weeks after Finley was born have been easier thanks to you. The outstanding friends awards go especially to the Minicks, the Pierce and Meade families. You guys have not only been our clients but have gone above and beyond being our “village” with Finley. From gifts of maternity clothes and hand-me-downs for him, to meals, practical and light-hearted advice for Ryan and me, to wanting to hold Finley, giving lessons in baby-wearing, helping with pediatrician appointments … it is a MASSIVE list and you all have been wonderful.
The Minick family
The Pierce Family
The Meade Family
You guys know how much we love to travel, but outside of Merlefest and shoots in our gorgeous mountains (which feels like an escape, but is really our regional backyard), we stayed close to home. While we didn’t take any trips this year, we did make it to our local getaway spot – our campsite and cabin by the river in Sparta, NC. It’s the most peaceful place for us and we even managed to get there the weekend before Finley was born. I was trying to keep from going into labor. Ryan’s 40th Birthday was celebrated there with a camping weekend including six other families. It’s a pretty special memory.
We’re also grateful for new insights into what we do for a living. I attended a retreat this year that focused on photography and lighting techniques, and loved it. It too became a place where I found support, new friendships and a cohort of like-minded women.
Exposed Photography Workshop
And I’m thankful for my husband. Ryan took on a role of doing most everything single-handedly toward the end of my pregnancy and after Finley’s birth. As we kept serving photography clients, he was there in situations that normally are my domain alone. I’ve got a terrific partner in marriage, in business, in parenting and in life.
Finally, this Thanksgiving takes the headcount up by one…. one perfect little head. He won’t be making multiple trips to the buffet for stuffing or raiding the fridge for the midnight turkey sandwich, but we’ve grown as a family and we’re so grateful that this child is ours.
With my girl and one of my boys…
I would love to know what that new brain is cooking up and will keep wanting to know for the rest of my life, but this picture below makes me think of how we feel when we consider the gifts of this year: our family, our tireless friends, our clients, new experiences, new pals and a new little boy. You all make us smile.
Happy Thanksgiving and we’re sending you nothing but joy, health, contentment and your own sense of gratitude for the good stuff.
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 ©2017 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.