Posts Tagged: Pixels On Paper
Christmas at Home with the Hollands
Bakers know that the right ingredients will deliver nothing short of heaven when combined according to directions, in the right proportion, using the right tools and cooking for the right amount of time at the right temp. Occasionally altitude is a problem with cakes, but that is not what this blog is about. This blog is about how Christmas – a sacred time for believers and a joyous time for everyone – can accommodate many combinations of elements and still manage to create heaven. 
Welcome to the timber-frame warmth of The Hollands. This family is new to us, but we are already so incredibly grateful for this burgeoning relationship and for the opportunity to get to know this wonderful family that really “gets it.” Both parents, Kevin and Tram are in the military and they moved to Wilkes from Fayetteville, NC with their blended family which includes 3 children still at home: Colton, Ava, & Sophia. When I visited them on December 4th to document their holiday at home, it was cold, dark and rainy. When the door opened, it was like getting a hug. There was so much light, heat and warmth. 
The family used to drive from their home to Ashe county to cut down their tree and this year, they all went together locally do the same. Next year, I hope to go with some of the client families to take photos of the journey, the tree choice, the car with it tied on top or tossed in the truck bed and the little faces looking out the window.
The ingredients that made this “day in the life” session so wonderful were varied and fun, specific and universal. I loved it! To wit: there was an impromptu paper airplane making and flying contest, stories around special decorations, origami ornaments from Tram’s aunt, beloved glass ornaments that were the girls favorites, running around in sock feet, games of checkers on the rug, decorating, coffee and hot chocolate preparations, stolen kisses between the parents. It was family. I was reminded of the other families I’ve done Christmas at Home portraits with and how normal becomes extraordinary when you pay attention. 
There were the posed photos that families want and I enjoy – when everyone is smiling and practicing good posture, but I have to say I love it when we pass that point of formality and people just act like I’m not even there. The Hollands are wonderful and Tram took the time to share that they had a photographer back in Fayetteville who’d been their photographer for years – someone who’d documented big and small occasions in their lives. She understood the importance of building a relationship, where trust and familiarity are combined over the years and that shared knowledge and care make for wonderful photos and memories. We look forward to many, many years of getting to know the Hollands, watching the kids grow and helping them celebrate all aspects of their lives.
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.
Home for the Holidays… as in your place
Eddie: You surprised to see us, Clark?
Clark: Oh, Eddie… If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn’t be more surprised than I am now.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
For Christmas 2016, we’re leaving the lights off in our studio and only decking the halls we use as a family. Surprise!!
But it’s not because a relative is coming in an RV with a chemical toilet that needs dumping. And thanks for asking.
We’re taking photos this year at YOUR home, because that is where the holiday magic happens. The magic of cousins and siblings cracking each other up, relatives comparing diets, cars, & travel stories, people quibbling over football games and superior technology; the sharing, bargaining, eating, celebrating, reminiscing, and all the other things that make up The Abject Comedy of A FAMILY CHRISTMAS.
A Christmas Story (1983)
Ryan and I have fond memories of our Christmases at home as children and now it’s your turn. If you’re wondering about this, here’s a little movie inspiration to help you along. We know Christmas is rarely Currier & Ives…. and so do you. So, let’s have some fun!
The Family Stone (2005)
Meredith: I’m just as good as any of you!
Amy: Maybe better.
Meredith: What’s so great about you guys?
Sybil: Oh, nothing! It’s just that we’re all we’ve got.
Holly Hunter & Robert Downey, Jr. in Home for the Holidays (1995)
Joanne: You’re calling me a freak?
Tommy: No, I’m calling you a product of baboon lovin’. There’s a distinction.
Iris and Miles in The Holiday (2006)
Miles: Iris, if you were a melody…… I used only the good notes.
Elf (2003)
Buddy: I’m sorry I ruined your lives and crammed 11 cookies into your VCR.
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Harry: Hi, it’s me. It’s is the holiday season and I thought I’d just remind you that this is the season for charity and forgiveness. And although it’s not widely known, it is also the season of grovelling. So if you felt like calling me back, I’d be more than happy to do the traditional Christmas grovel.
Die Hard (1988)
John McClane: Come out to the coast, we’ll get together, have a few laughs…
So, here’s the proposal: Get your house decorated (if you want), tree and stockings up, kids dressed, antlers for the dog, etc. and then let us come to your home to photograph your family, friends, neighbors, pets, coworkers and anyone else in your tribe. Be elegant, be campy, be casual, be silly, be seriously festive, it’s up to you and yours. Just make a date and when you call us we’ll help you brainstorm and plan.
The fee of $125 is due when you make your reservation. We will provide 5 digital images for families with up to 3 children. This includes the printing rights along with the option to purchase prints, cards, and gifts. Pets and additional children or family members are welcome for an additional $25. Call 336-990-0080 to reserve or email inquiries to mail@pixelsonpaper.net.
Love Actually (2003)
Prime Minister: Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there – fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge – they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love actually is all around.
One last thought… Christmas is truly a time to capture a memory and moment in time. Photos at your home are often the most memorable and regardless of whatever else is happening in your life – love is what manifests this season.
Newborn Tucker’s First Portraits | Courage, Strength & Heart
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” -Lao Tzu
Mom Shanna had the courage to endure weeks of bed rest, 6 weeks in the hospital, including being inverted to prevent going into early labor and all after losing one of the twins she was carrying in the first trimester. All because of and for this little creature.
She and her husband Ethan, (revisit their wedding photos here) were certain that they couldn’t have children after Shanna had to have surgery to remove a very large tumor from her ovaries. But then she became pregnant and a whole new series of challenges were laid at their feet. Her time, pain and trials were not without an excess show of strength, love and bravery though, and that included a village of prayer warriors, friends and people who didn’t even know the couple. I remember being astonished and heartened as social media kept everyone in the loop about her progress, health, and concerns. 
At just over 20 weeks, Shanna was admitted to the hospital and put on strict bed rest. At 27.6 weeks, on August 2, she gave birth to Tucker Clayton Matherly – a little fighter in his own right. He weighed 3 lbs. 2 oz and spent 66 days in the NICU. Thanks to the Ronald McDonald House, his mom was able to stay close during the evenings while he was in there and watch him gain strength. Tucker visited our studio with his proud parents at 12 weeks old. His first 10 were spent in the hospital.
Shanna and Ethan’s deep love for each other gave them strength, if Lao Tzu is correct, and their deep love for their unborn son gave them immense courage to make sure he made it home.
I remember thinking after Shanna had been in the hospital for 6 weeks straight that if I had been in her shoes I don’t think that I could have done it. A small sterile room, the same four walls, family and friends on the outside going on about their lives, being away from her husband and home. And then having to watch her son from the outside looking in….
But when I held Tucker during our newborn session, talked to him, looked into his sweet face and cried with Shanna over this miracle, it was perfectly clear how and why she did it. God has blessed this family and my prayer is that he will continue to bless them.
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.
The Hills & Valleys are Alive | 4 seasons for photos in the Carolinas
It’s taking ALL I can do not to bring up Vivaldi’s masterpiece, The Four Seasons. And now I’ve done it, so if you like any of the 4 movements, or Vivaldi or classical music, it’s now stuck in your head. You’re welcome.
Meanwhile, our autumn portrait sessions booked up (THANKS EVERYONE) and I’m reminded that we shoot year-round because we can. North and South Carolina provide an embarrassment of riches for portraiture, not just for nature photographers. Mountains, gardens, farms, barns, fields, streams, valleys, the Biltmore Estate, the Blue Ridge Parkway and any number of purpose-built resorts and views surround us. We find ourselves consistently tramping through the woods, climbing rocks, on ATVs and by moving water capturing memories. Here is a small sampling of locations in our distinct seasons. If you need a reminder of the dizzying array of options, enjoy. We’re here and we’re always ready!
Late Summer Wedding in West Jefferson – rustic, by the river and UP ALL NIGHT at the reception
Leatherwood Resort
Winter Wedding at Elkin Creek Vineyard
Sunset on Beech Mountain
Hoben family Summer outdoor portrait in Roaring Gap NC
One of our favorite Spring spots: an extravagantly beautiful orchard in bloom
And the same orchard peopled with the lovely Arnold family
Autumn Blue Ridge Mountain Club Blowing Rock NC outdoor wedding
Rain or shine…… love wins, right? Blowing Rock NC
Gorgeous Quinceanera portraits in a mid-summer field in Wilkesboro
Warm Winter bridal portraits after snowfall in Moravian Falls NC
Wedding at Twickenham House and post reception vista portrait in Jefferson NC
Charleston SC engagement portraits
Botanical garden bridal portraits
Engagement session at The Biltmore Estate in Asheville
From the back “porch” at the Biltmore Estate
A fairy portrait session – expecting mother and big sister wade in
Winter Family Portrait of the Allens at Chetola Resort in Blowing Rock NC
Summer engagement photos in the NC Blue Ridge Mountains
Scottish highland wedding – bridal portraits
Delicious Brock at his 1st birthday portrait session in Pixels’ Portrait Garden in Wilkesboro.
Pixels On Paper | NC Wedding Photographers | October Wedding Anniversaries
October is one of the more beautiful months for weddings in our area. It’s a month of seasonal transition which means you take a chance with weather – as with April and May. We cannot recall an October wedding that wasn’t amazing. Sometimes, the weather drives us indoors, but when the temperature and setting are on your side, it can be golden, … pardon the pun.
Here’s a toast to all of our October Anniversaries. And to many more! We love you all!
Kristin & Jason – 5 years on October 1st
“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of all three.”
– Stanley Horowitz
Donna & Andrew – 4 years on October 4th
“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”
– George Eliot
Mickey & Ben – 3 years on October 4th
“It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the Spring, who reaps a harvest in the Autumn.” – B. C. Forbes
LeighAnn & Jason – 2 years on October 4th
“Autumn’s the mellow time.” – William Allingham
Amanda & Rich – 7 years on October 10th
Melissa & Bob – 6 years on October 10th
Katie & Josh 1 year October 10th
“October, baptize me with leaves! Swaddle me in corduroy and nurse me with split pea soup. October, tuck tiny candy bars in my pockets and carve my smile into a thousand pumpkins. O autumn! O teakettle! O grace!”
― Rainbow Rowell
Mary & Gilbert – 8 years on October 11
“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” – Lauren DeStefano
Megan & Jeff – 3 years on October 12th
“In autumn, don’t go to jewelers to seek old, go to parks.” – Mehmet Maret Ildan
Lucy & Glen – 4 years on October 13th
“I know the lands are lit, with all the autumn blaze of Goldenrod.” – Helen Hunt Jackson
Addie & Matt – 6 years 0n October 16th
“How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.” – John Burroughs
Amy & Bobby – 7 years on October 17th
“Autumn came, with wind and gold.” – Unknown
Jamie & Daniel – 1 year on October 17th
“But these are days that we dream about when the sunlight paints us gold.” – Martha Schuster
Annette & Omudhome – 8 years on October 18th
“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.” – Emily Bronte
Laura & Chumah – 5 years on October 22nd
“Autumn. The year’s last, loveliest smile.” – William Cullen Bryan
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.