Posts Tagged: Pixels On Paper
the blend ~ engagement photos made up of sand, family, Christ, dreams, Facebook and gratitude
“One word, that’s all you said
Something in your voice called me, turned my head
Your smile, just captured me
You were in my future as far as I could see
And I dont know how it happens, but it happens still…” – Kenny Chesney
The Sand Ceremony. Heard of it? At weddings, it is very much like the lighting of a unity candle. Some of her. Some of him. But for Kendall Shepherd and Nathan Williams, this ceremony includes Christ. They believe that He should be a part of their ceremony and lives in every way. Kendall told us, “We will be using a picture shadow box to hold the sand instead of a vase. Also, instead of using two colors representing one another, we will be using three. An ivory color will be placed at the base of the shadow box representing Christ as the foundation of our relationship and home. Then we will have a color representing each of us to be poured in to symbolize that we are becoming one. We hope to pass this tradition down to our children one day.”
But back to Facebook. (You didn’t think you’d get away from it, did you?) That’s how these 2 connected in the first place. They started chatting after Nathan spotted a picture of Kendall at their local gym where her family works out. They “friended” and decided to go on a date. This led to a second date. And, the rest is …….. we’re not even going to say it, because you know already. History. Ok, we went ahead and said it.
2 dates quickly became love and commitment – and the first commitment was Nathan staying with Kendall when she had emergency surgery. How’s that for showing “for better or worse?” He gave up his hospital blanket for her to stay extra warm and once home waiting on her every need, nursing her back to health. We’re pretty sure that sealed it. Even Kendall said, “the love, care and commitment we showed one another is what formed us into An US!”
Their wedding in August of this year will be largely traditional, elegant and classic, and they have devised a way to include a very special member of Nathan’s family – his late grandmother, Mary, “who will be watching from Heaven.” A pearl pendant of Mary’s will be placed on Kendall’s bouquet for the ceremony. The pendant was a gift from Mary’s husband Ernest to Kendall and is a treasured possession. Since Kendall never met Mary, this gesture is a way for the couple to honor her.
We feel pretty confident that these two are an “US” that will last. They told us that they laugh together, love to listen to tunes together (Kenny Chesney’s “You Had Me From Hello” is a personal fave that reminds them of each other – see the quote at the top!), love to be outside together and are clearly inseparable. Their plans for the future are to start a family, but first with a Labrador puppy.
Learn more about Pixels on Paper’s portraits.
When Whitney Met Preston
There’s a great moment in the movie “When Harry Met Sally” – no not THAT ONE – when Harry introduces Sally to his friend hoping Sally will like him and Sally introduces Harry to her friend in the hopes that she and Harry will hit it off. They do NOT. Their friends, however, fall in love with each other instead and pretty quickly know that they are perfect for each other. This leaves Harry with Sally,… as it was meant to be and let’s all raise a glass to the late, great Nora Ephron for being a genius of insight, humor and writing.
But I digress. Our story is about Whitney and Preston, who met through friends in a similar situation and found out that in fact they were the ones who were supposed to be together. They too fell in love, dated for 5 years and will be married in just under 3 months. These engagement portraits were the first real photos they have of themselves as a couple outside of cell phone photos.
Their love for each other is evident in their body language, laughter and ability to listen to and really see one another. Always a good sign and so fun to watch. The lyrics from one of “their songs” – My Best Friend by Tim McGraw – describe them perfectly.
“Oh we just get closer – I fall in love all over – Every time I look at you…
And I don’t know where I’d be – Without you here with me – Life with you makes perfect sense – You’re my best friend.”
These two are serious about the foundation of their relationship – a combination of friendship, lots of laughter, commitment and a very strong faith in God. They’ve made plans to incorporate traditional vows into their late summer ceremony and have also added braiding the God’s Knot into the day. For the uninitiated, the God’s Knot is made up of 3 strands of cord: one for God, one for the bride, and one for the groom. During the ceremony, holding the cords as a couple, Whitney and Preston we will braid them and as they are being braided the pastor will read a piece of scripture that describes each strand. They told us that, “God is the biggest factor in both of our lives and we know that as long as we have our faith in God, He will make our marriage and lives together as success and full of love as He sees fit.”
As we prepare to capture their wedding, we asked them for some thoughts about anticipating both the day and their future. “Our wedding day will be the one day in our lives that all the people we love, both family and friends, will be there to help us celebrate such a special time. We are also very excited about all the photos that will be taken! Pictures serve as memories and this is one moment we never want to forget!”
[A quick interjection/aside here]: People talk about the importance of making memories through photos all the time. It really does take an occasion – like a wedding – to show you how fleeting those moments and those days are and how grateful you are that someone documented your joy, your youth, your hope and your character in that particular moment in time.]
Pixels: What do you want to tell your families?
Whitney and Preston: “We want our families to know that without them our relationship wouldn’t be as strong and successful as it is. Both sets of our parents have shown us what lasting relationships need and how they should be.”
We have every confidence that these two will work to make their relationship last, surrounded by the support of family and friends (it matters, folks!! you need your tribe around you) and grounded in a strong relationship with God. They are looking forward to the next chapter in their adventure and to starting a family in the next few years.
We LOVE you guys, Whitney and Preston and wish you only more fun, more cracking each other up, more quiet time at home listening to tunes and watching favorite movies and only the best as you build a full – a TRULY full – life together.
Brushy Mountain Dental ~ home, family, molars….
We found the most amazing house and put in an offer. Then we remembered that we already have an amazing house. Then we remembered that these are clients of ours who’ve we photographed for years. Check out Brushy Mountain Dental in Wilkesboro, NC.
Can you imagine working here? Well we have for various shoots and it’s a fantastic location. Brushy Mountain Dental provides a service we all take for granted (and need and may be putting off – – just saying) in one of the coolest offices we’ve ever seen. They’ve built a business with people they trust for people they care about – their clients – and they’ve been at it for nearly 15 years.
Pixels started photographing their office and staff several years ago and created a gallery for their website, social media and office.
Dr. Christopher Roberts and Timberli Roberts
All dressed in white. Like your teeth should be…….! Learn more about the commercial and graphic design work from Pixels.
a commercial shoot for Hitachi America and Anomaly Technical Marketing
beep…………….. beep……………….. beep………………….. We live with this sound. It says “commerce,” it says “products on the move,” and “inventory,” “profits” and “revenue.” More often, to us, it says, “now it’s mine!!”
It is all but ambient noise these days. Our groceries are scanned, our large appliances are scanned, every shirt, shoe, toy …… and our phones scan, our business cards scan and each is singular. Each bar code or QR code takes you to a specific place and time, a web address, conveyor belt, product, pallet and date, and usually all of these – right down to the person who made the actual product code. Did you know that the FDA is now able to take a single pill and lead it back not just to the very pharmaceutical it is, but to who manufactured it, when it was created, which doctor prescribed it and which drug store sold it? Well they can. Seriously.
Hitachi Printer
Pixels got a call from Anomaly Technical Marketing about taking some photos for an upcoming promotional series for Hitachi America located in Charlotte, NC. Hitachi needed commercial photos for some collateral Anomaly was creating – brochures and other materials and we were more than happy to jump in.
Hitachi Printer
Commercial photography is a different beast requiring a totally different approach. It’s more about the product and its uses rather than the emotion of our portraits of people and pets. But we love the chance to capture the inanimate parts of our world for both commercial promotions and in other graphic design applications. If you want to see more about our commercial work, have a look here.
Hitachi Printer
Hitachi Printer
Ivy Myers ~ the likeness of Garbo’s girl of “the moment” becomes the daughter of a lifetime
We showed this picture of newborn Ivy Myers to a writer friend of ours and she burst out laughing. “It’s Greta Garbo!” Beautiful, bored, tired and she wants to be [said in best German accent] alone. Ivy’s eyes, at half-mast like Garbo’s, is also glamorous and seems to crave both privacy and a nap.
Ivy however is not alone. She was very much wanted and is probably right this minute being snuggled within an inch of her life. Kim and Justin Myers, her mom and dad, had been trying to have a child for years and finally decided that they were going to be the fun aunt and uncle – relishing time with nieces and nephews and their friends’ kids. After years of praying and planning though – they now have sweet Ivy, the product of an open adoption. She is a delicious answer to prayers and a dream come true.
There’s just something about her little left hand that is hilarious …. “Oh me…. I’ve been here a mere few months and I’ve already got a fan base!”
At Pixels, we prayed during the adoption process, because Kim booked us before she was “theirs” and we knew how much they were ready for her. And then suddenly, they were parents. Creating the baby announcement cards was such a joy. Kim and Justin were now Kim, Justin and Ivy.
When it was time for Ivy’s 6 month photo session, the Myers came back to our studio in Wilkesboro, NC and Ivy had changed so much. Don’t you love it when children grow at this stage? They have those super-round Charlie Brown heads with all of their features relegated to the middle of their faces? There is all of this real estate of forehead, cheeks, chin that is perfect for smooching and snacking on. That was Ivy this past December 2014. She was also more interested in listening to Beyonce than Sesame Street tunes during the shoot. Yet another diva move!! But really, she’s more love bug than anything with her rolls and irresistible grin.
Ivy is proof that sometimes you actually do get what you want, even when the odds seem against you. Timing is impossible to control, but patience can be life-changing. At Pixels, we love these stories of how faith and a true resolve can produce unexpected rewards… like a family.