Covid-19, and the time in our lives it has brought, has not been kind to milestones and those who want to celebrate them, but this high school senior is not typical. She’s funny, smart, resilient and ready for the future. I’m so proud to know her and to have been able to photograph her high school graduation portraits – OUTSIDE of course.
Her mom was my best friend growing up and is a dear friend to this day, and her daughter is the coolest kid. We took photos for her senior year with her family in the wood and in front of waterfalls. The Andersons are solid friends and we love them.
Ashleigh has the best sense of humor and a fantastic personality. I love this kid. After her school year came to a grinding halt because of Covid, she was distraught. No big round ups. No graduation. No special occasions – just “all in to protect ourselves.” But she found her resolve and then decided to work a couple of jobs and start applying to college. She boot strapped it and got over it, like the cool kid she is.
“I did it!”
Congratulations to this remarkable young woman. I look forward to photographing you, Ashleigh through all the coming milestones in your life.
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 LicenseAll photos are ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
This lovely 18 year old is Ashleigh, and recently when we photographed her family in Stone Mountain, we also made time to get photos of her as a soon-to-be high school graduate. In May of 2020, Ashleigh will finish up at West Wilkes High School and head on to her next adventure. I love this young woman and I have been photographing her since she was about 3. I cannot believe that she’s graduating from high school, because I graduated HS with her mom!!!!! I have a two year old, Ashleigh’s mom Jenny has an 18 year old. We Gen-Xers all took our own paths and I love it.
One of the things I love about Ashleigh is that she knows her own mind and is perfectly happy to share her thoughts. She’s not rude, but she’s sassy and holds her own when ribbing her brother and parents, who were on the shoot with us. She is fun and funny and honest with herself. This is a girl I won’t need to worry about.
During the outdoor portrait session, Ashleigh had three or four wardrobe changes, and wore a boho style hat that she loved. She looks fab in it, if I say so myself.
Not all rising seniors or almost graduated students are happy with the options provided through their school and Ashleigh really wanted images that could work in a photo album, graduation invitations & announcements and especially on social media. We made sure that we captured loads for her to share, print and frame. Seniors: there are a lot of options out there and you have specific needs during this time in life. I promise, we’ve got you covered.
Congratulations, Girl! Ryan and I are so proud of you and hope you’ll keep letting us snap your photo long into the next chapters of your life.
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 ©2019 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Autumn is the perfect time to take portraits of your senior year students in high school. While prom season and the late spring are also popular for these portraits, the cool weather and new warm back to school clothes entice families to book sessions that can happen outdoors. It’s the final year and great expectations lie ahead, so why not a fall session?
We can shoot senior year portraits any time you like, but have scheduled shoots for spring and fall more often than other times of year. The photos above are of 3 siblings during their senior years. Their mom made it a priority and has thanked us many times for capturing photos of her “babies” – now grown!
Setting the stage is fun and – no surprise – seniors have personalities and opinions, so whether it’s on the Blue Ridge Parkway, in the woods, on the ball field where they played their favorite sport, in someone’s backyard, at our studio or another special spot – we can accommodate the vision. And clearly, dress code should be what expresses who they are as they venture forth after graduation.
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.
We don’t preach politics from this blog. We don’t preach, period. Our core values, we hope, show up in our work and the way we live our lives. Even if we weren’t parents, the loss of the lives of children is a heartbreak like no other. I cannot imagine racing to a schoolyard with Ryan to wait to see if our kid emerged from a building…. if Finley James would appear on a list later to be read at a memorial. And I’ll just stop there. Our prayers have been sent to Florida since we heard the news last week and my mind wanders the way a new mother’s does when kids make the headlines…
We want, with this particular blog post, to celebrate children. They will forge and become the true 21st century and what community feels like. They may wriggle around, or show shyness, diffidence, disinterest, be squirrelly, silly or just distracted during portrait sessions, but WE LOVE taking photos of children – of all ages. [Our apologies to the teens in this blog who are cringing at the “children” header.]
Here are some favorites from over the years that spring to mind.
One of the greatest joys really is watching from behind the lens as kids navigate all phases of life. I look at each of these faces and can remember the photo session, but also the child/kid/baby/graduating senior and how she or he was that day. I especially love knowing that I’ll see some of them again … older, wiser, goofier, figuring whatever of life’s puzzles is in their lap that day.
God’s gift of Finley to us has heightened this for me as a photographer. Any of those kids could be Finley and all of these kids could have been in that school in Florida. They’re all precious. They all deserve our love and care and it’s a distinct pleasure to be the one to make sure their families have portraits of them to remember each precious moment.
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.
Allison Elliott is at the very end of the road…. the road of high school. She’s done.
Remember that feeling? Oh sweet joy! Oh freedom! Oh life!And OH YOUTH! Her pal, Paiton Roberts, referred Allison to us for her senior portraits and like Paiton, she’s filled with that glow that comes naturally when you’re under the age of 20. Sweet, buoyant, beautiful and very artistic, Allison is ready to step onto the road to whatever is next. On Friday, May 26th she’ll be graduating from Millers Creek Christian School. She’s already taking classes in graphic design at the community college and she’s an avid photographer. Her friends count on her to get the fun candids for memories and posts. She is eager to learn and go places.
She may look comfy sitting in these outdoor settings, but this country-raised girl is less outdoorsy, preferring instead the idea of big city life, and all things fashion, beauty, sparkle and glitter. You’ll see when we get to shots of her in her prom dress.
One wonders if the big city can contain this girl. LOOK AT HER! We loved all the costume changes and designing her graduation announcement as well. Her prom gown, from the BeYoutiful Prom Boutique at Bridal Traditions, was edgy and cool and she looked lovely in it.The 1954 Chevy belongs to her dad and he’s had it since his high school days. Watching his face while she sat in it for her portraits was priceless.Good luck Allison! And to all the graduates out there, go get ’em!
And pace yourselves……………
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.