Posts Tagged: Pixels On Paper

Pet Portraits yield mountains of pet food for our local animal shelter

In early November of last year, we broadcasted that we were booking appointments for Christmas photos of families, kids, new babies, couples and your other adored family friends. We also set aside a special day to photograph your pets. Here was the deal: on December 12th, we would prepare a festive and decorative setting for pets at our Pixels On Paper portrait studio in Wilkesboro for a free session. We would provide you with a photo file of your pet for use on a holiday card or to print, frame or share. In return, you would bring a 20 lb bag of food for us to donate to the Wilkes Animal Shelter.
We exceeded even our expectations!

Pixels on Paper 2015 Pet Food Fundraiser with Christmas portraits for Wilkes Animal Shelter with Waggles photo

We filled our truck to overflow and delivered it to the shelter. Upon our arrival, they told us that they were almost completely out of dog food. Their food storage building had only a few bags until we unpacked literally our truckload.
Pixels on Paper 2015 Pet Food Fundraiser with Christmas portraits for Wilkes Animal Shelter with Waggles photos

The last time we did this fundraiser, we contributed 560 lbs of food to the shelter. That was 2012. For 2015, we more than doubled it, delivering 1,243 pounds of dog and cat food. Our partners in this, Waggles Pet Supply & Dog Wash matched more than half of our donations.
We love this fundraiser, though it’s an exchange of pet portraits for pet food. It’s a foodraiser! I don’t have a soapbox speech on this, gang – I just want to say THANK YOU. Thank you, because it matters. We hear in our communities fairly often about the importance of outreach and “meeting a need,” be it for a school, a church, a specific neighborhood that is struggling or for more well-known causes related to health and sustainability. These local animal shelters in our communities meet a real need as well, so whether you are a former or current pet owner, or just a big-hearted human, we appreciate your willingness to be a part of the helping team!
Below is a selection of our portraits subjects. No cat, dog or human was harmed in the taking of these. They were mostly snuggled to bits.

Pixels on Paper 2015 Pet Food Fundraiser with Christmas portraits for Wilkes Animal Shelter with Waggles photosPixels on Paper 2015 Pet Food Fundraiser with Christmas portraits for Wilkes Animal Shelter with Waggles photosPixels on Paper 2015 Pet Food Fundraiser with Christmas portraits for Wilkes Animal Shelter with Waggles photosPixels on Paper 2015 Pet Food Fundraiser with Christmas portraits for Wilkes Animal Shelter with Waggles photosPixels on Paper 2015 Pet Food Fundraiser with Christmas portraits for Wilkes Animal Shelter with Waggles photosPixels on Paper 2015 Pet Food Fundraiser with Christmas portraits for Wilkes Animal Shelter with Waggles photosPixels on Paper 2015 Pet Food Fundraiser with Christmas portraits for Wilkes Animal Shelter with Waggles photosOur donation offers a small decrease in expenses for the shelter which can then prolong the time the animals have to be adopted. 

We’re incredibly grateful for all those who participated, let us love on and photograph their fur babies, and especially to our partner Waggles Pet Supply & Dog Wash for their generous contribution of food and freebies.

Learn more about how you can give back:

About Waggles Pet Supply & Dog Wash
Waggles Pet Supply & Dog Wash is a locally owned and operated business in Historic Downtown Wilkesboro. Two sisters, Kim and Robin, with the assistance of their mother Anna have created a unique place to spoil pets. Waggles offers accessories, specialty foods/treats and grooming supplies. A Do-It-Yourself Wash is available where you are supplied with everything you need to wash your dog, but Waggles cleans up the mess. Waggles Wash, and Dazzle Dog Grooming are also available.

About Wilkes Animal Shelter
Wilkes Animal Shelter receives more than 6,000 impounds per year. Approximately 100 pounds of pet food are used per day. Donations of food, bleach, blankets and towels are always needed. The Humane Society of Wilkes volunteers work closely with the personnel at the Wilkes County Animal Shelter to help get shelter pets adopted or placed in foster homes. The Wilkes county animal shelter is located at 408 Call st. Wilkesboro NC. Their number is 903-7688 and their hours are 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday – Friday, and 10:30 AM to noon on Saturday.
Pixels on Paper 2015 Pet Food Fundraiser with Christmas portraits for Wilkes Animal Shelter with Waggles photos

 

 

traditional studio bridal portraits ~ a mom’s wish come true

For generations, a formal, in-studio bridal portrait was the only game in town and there is a reason for that: they were classic and beautiful and often placed in gilded frames and given a place of prominence in the formal living rooms of people’s homes. In this post-modern age of outdoor portraits, studio bridals are a dying breed. Couples now have a specific vision that begins with quirky (often funny) and inventive ways to announce their engagement, then create their save the date cards, launch a website and finally produce a narrative that is singular to them. The genie is out of the bottle, folks and at Pixels, we embrace this and love the opportunity to create unique portraits that tell a story in an unexpected backdrop. I have to say though that I still love and appreciate tradition and the experience that it takes to create a formal portrait with studio lighting. We had this opportunity with Elisabeth, the beauty you see below.
Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro Photographers studio formal bridal portrait photoPixels On Paper Wilkesboro Photographers studio formal bridal portrait photo

Elisabeth is an only child and her Mom always envisioned having a traditional, formal, studio bridal portrait of her daughter to hang in their home. Of course we were eager not only to honor this request, but to exceed expectations. I spoke to her mom and got a sense of what she had in mind. This mother-of-the-bride wanted a hand-painted muslin backdrop for some photos and mentioned that she loved images of brides on staircases. Fortunately our studio has both!Elisabeth Bolick studio formal bridal portrait photoWhile the studio bridal portraits feel more like they’re from a by-gone era, they are a perfect foil for the outdoor engagement portraits we took of Elisabeth Isaac…
Elisabeth Bolick and Isaac Spillman blowing rock nc engagement after session photos… and their glorious wedding photos. If you haven’t read their story of doing pretty much everything in reverse, launch the links. It’s worth the read. These two are an inspiration.
Elisabeth Bolick and Isaac Spillman tanglewood wedding photoPixels on Paper is now booking sessions (both traditional and crazy creative) for proposals, bridal, engagements, and weddings for 2016 and 2017 and we’d love to help create memories and heirlooms of your journey from “yes” to “I do.” Call 336.990.0080 and let’s discuss this adventure you’ve begun.

Merry Christmas ~ with our deepest gratitude and love

We want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and give you our heartfelt thanks.

2015 has been an amazing year for Pixels On Paper and it wouldn’t have been that way were it not for our awesome clients, supportive friends, partners and families. Thank you to those who put your faith in us and invested in our talents. An additional & HUGE THANK YOU to those who have referred us to friends and family. We hope and pray that you will continue to do the same, as ultimately this is what keeps us in the business of fulfilling our crazy dream.

This year, we served new clients, for whom we fell in love – new babies, newly engaged couples, brides & grooms, parents who adopted and families who wanted to create memories and heirlooms. And there were recurring clients (many have become our lifelong friends) who we loved to plan with and serve for those milestones that are worthy of more than pics taken by a smart phone. In August, Pixels celebrated its 10 year anniversary with a big party surrounded by many of you and believe us, our hearts were full – and still are.

It’s also been our busiest year ever for graphic design. A special thanks to those business owners who have trusted us to help them build their brand identities and design marketing materials that will help their businesses grow. We hope for continued success in all of your endeavors.

Pixels On Paper wilkesboro nc family child portrait photographers christmas photoPixels On Paper wilkesboro nc family child portrait photographers christmas photoPixels On Paper wilkesboro nc family child portrait photographers christmas photo

Pixels On Paper wilkesboro nc family child portrait photographers christmas photo Pixels On Paper wilkesboro nc family child portrait photographers christmas photo

Pixels On Paper wilkesboro nc family child portrait photographers christmas photo

As we enter into the season of proposals and engagements, if you or somebody you know is getting engaged, please keep us in mind for engagement and wedding photography. We are currently booking 2016 and 2017 dates!
To all of you out there, THANK YOU. Our wish for everyone in 2016 is health, happiness, peace, love and big dreams!

 

Sarah Grace – baby portraits of an adopted angel

If we ever needed good news, it’s now. ‘Tis the season to celebrate and yet the news everywhere is of fear. If we ever wanted to hear about the triumph of love, regardless of sacrifice, it would be in this time when we focus on gratitude, family and an amazing birth that took place beyond all odds. Now, more than ever, we need hope and grace.

Pixels On Paper family newborn baby and child photographers wilkesboro nc photo

Sarah Grace is just such a beam of light. Adopted by parents who, along with their families and church, prayed for her birth and for her arrival into their lives, she is a sign that there is still reason to rejoice. Their prayers, as so often happens, paid off and not only were Sarah Grace’s mom and dad able to complete her adoption successfully, but were present at the hospital for her birth.

Pixels On Paper family newborn baby and child photographers wilkesboro nc photo

Pixels On Paper family newborn baby and child photographers wilkesboro nc photoPixels On Paper family newborn baby and child photographers wilkesboro nc photo

Not long after Sarah Grace was brought to her forever home, her parents contacted us about a photo session and we could not have felt more honored to be a part of starting them off with her first portraits.
Most of the babies we photograph sleep through their session – which is charming in its own way. It allows us to fold all of their cuteness into blankets, buckets and baskets. This was not true of Sarah Grace. Oh, she’s cute alright, but she was wide awake, so present and engaged and it was evidence of her will and spirit. Even at 3 months, she’s already had to overcome a lot and her survival instincts were in keeping with the level of energy she showed with us.

Pixels On Paper family newborn baby and child photographers wilkesboro nc photo

Almost half of the babies we’ve photographed from their very first newborn session have either been adopted or conceived through IVF. It’s remarkable to consider! We truly feel that God has placed these children and their families in our lives for a purpose. We don’t know yet what that is, but are thrilled and honored about it.

Like with many others clients going through the adoption process, we’ve cried with/over them, prayed for them, and waited anxiously for those hours and days to tick by until it was official and these babies were permanently in their forever homes with no threat of being taken away.

Waiting for the good things… praying for them, dreaming about what it could be like… is not for the faint of heart. It takes patience of a Herculean magnitude, as well as an understanding that things may not work out as planned. For this new family, however, things took shape and were punctuated with a happy ending. Seeing that kind of want, love and prayer answered makes our job so incredibly wonderful. Their gratitude at having a deep desire granted fuels our joy at being even a small part of it.

We offer custom framing and free wall collection design and installation! Ryan is seen here installing Sarah Grace’s images in her nursery.

Creating their gallery was rewarding and fun. We love saying that helping families create heirlooms is one of the best parts of what we do and it really is.