Posts Tagged: wilkesboro nc family photography
DIY Reno at the Homestead
There are so many positives to owning an old farm house. For us, it meant setting up a place of escape and rest, a place for work and life, a yard and a garden to wander and the big old rooms that you don’t often find in newer homes. We love it here and when Finley joined us two years ago, it made having the extra space worthwhile.
Of course, there are downsides and while we don’t focus on those (if you can ignore flaws in people you love, you can overcome house related negatives), we do have to deal with them.
This isn’t a flaw, per se, it was a project. It was “a can we kept kicking down the road.” The upstairs full bath has needed renovating since we bought the place. We put it off, because Ryan and I are the only ones who see it, and we are low-maintenance people by nature. If it works, keep it. But it was time, and when Covid-19 sent us all indoors for an indeterminate amount of time, we agreed that between us, we could do it and should get started. When we aren’t being low-maintenance (hee!), we’re being handy (especially Ryan) and when we are being handy ………. we’re exhausted!
We started with pulling out the old cabinets, pulling up the floor, and yanking down a mirror that no longer worked. Finley was eager to help at every turn. If you aren’t following us on Facebook and Instagram, you can check out stories where he shows off his mad skills.
Enter from stage left: new floor, cabinet refurb, new paint and new fixtures. I’ll save you the various stories of being sent items that were broken or wrong. It happens. It’s frustrating, but kept pressing forward. The bathrooms in Rome weren’t built in a day and we have day jobs, a toddler and other things to do. Gotta keep your eyes on the vision though, folks. Ryan fabricated a tall cabinet for towels and extras that we don’t need out on the counter and when the paint dried and the installing began, we turned the corner.
The final triumph was the mirror. We used reclaimed wood from my great-grandmother’s place and it has the right look, feel and vibe for this house and this room. I see it every day and think of my family. It’s a sound reminder of continuity.
And I call that Done! I’m grateful to have a husband who is accomplished with tools and knows what he’s doing. It never occurs to us to hire out this kind of work (not could we afford to). Projects like this reno allow us to make memories with Finley, show him the importance of skill and patience, refurbishing and repurposing materials that have intrinsic memories and value, say nothing of helping him appreciate precision in painting and math in measuring. And now …….. on to the next thing.
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.
Family Time
As I continue to ponder the priorities that Ryan and I have for 2020 and beyond, family keeps coming up.
As a family, we are focusing more on time together and making memories, especially with our extended family who all want time with Finley.
Why a Family Documentary Session?
Because you won’t regret it.
When we have a milestone, we hire our peers to photograph us with Finley, family and friends and we are also encouraging our client families to do the same. Let us capture your casual down time together. These are not stressful photo shoots. NONE of our photo shoots with families are unless there are last minute changes and even then, we know how to laugh and hug and say, “you’ll be telling this story decades from now.”
Some families plan a day in a special place like an orchard, a greenway, a park, beach or mountain retreat. For these, we get posed images for the archives, frames and scrapbooks, of course, but we also get the more casual shots of them just hugging, chatting and being together.
I know I sound like I’m giving a sermon, but family is important and some of the best pictures we take, those that the family members love the most, are caught off guard or of people just relaxing.
Things to Consider When Planning a Day in the Life or Family Photo Shoot:
+ How often do you ALL get together? Identify the time and start contacting your relatives and friends;
+ Is there a special place that your tribe loves? Can you visit, book it or plan to meet up there?
+ Do you all like to do something together? Do you ride bicycles or hike or ski or go bowling? Do you have a workshop where 3 generations can build something together? Do you love to cook or paint? You do not have to have an activity, but if your family is drawn to the water or to the garden, to your alma mater or family business, let’s include that.
If your priority this year is a photo session that is easy and casual and personal, think about a Day in the Life session. We can help with the details and planning and we’re ready! Contact us to discuss further.
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
Reid Family Gathering in photos
This gorgeous family are new clients for us and they have absolutely no connection with this area. We love meeting new faces and they brought 15 new faces with them when they all converged on Boomer, NC.
Because the family is spread out all over the country, the children of the Reid parents, literally found a place where everyone could meet, rented the mountain house for a family gathering and called us in to take photos of three generations. It was a beautiful day when Ryan arrived and the vistas and grounds of the home made for an ideal setting for group and individual photos. I love the kids in their colorful clothes hugging and smiling.
I love the idea of finding a spot on the map, renting a house, finding a photographer and just making it happen. Family photos are absolutely worth it. The kids played and caught lizards and the adults caught up. With families living in all parts of the country and world these days, time with cousins, nieces and nephews is pretty precious and priceless if you ask me.
We hope the Reids will make retreating to the NC mountains in Boomer an annual event and that every few years or so, they’ll call us up to come get new photos of their wonderful family.
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.
McKenzie Goff | Senior Portraits
This lovely new graduate is McKenzie Goff and she just wrapped up high school at Wilkes Central. This time of year is heady for new graduates, because they are smack in the middle of so much transition, change, and possibility. Milestones seem to happen weekly and for McKenzie, this includes acceptance to the University of Tennessee.
The Goff family in 2012 
McKenzie at 13 years old in 2014 
We’ve been friends with and photographing the Goff family for a very long time, including capturing their Christmas card images and portraits of their two daughters – both of whom have grown into the most sensitive, beautiful and interesting young women.
We’re so excited to watch McKenzie head to Knoxville to become a full-fledged Volunteer and begin her next chapter: the nursing program! Girl: you got this and we’re rooting for you!
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.
Kate & Otis celebrate 50 years together
So a couple of things stuck with me after this recent photo session (read: party). One, I love it when people understand the true value of a printed photo. It’s not because it’s my profession to take pictures, it’s because I feel like I’ve met a landsman… someone from “my homeland or country” who appreciates what I appreciate. I value printed images. I love seeing framed photos at people’s homes when I’m there. I love thinking of them deciding that that particular image was so wonderful, they printed it, framed it and put it on a mantel, office desk or bedside table. They thought, “I want to see this as often as possible and to be reminded.”
Two, it stuck with me that lovers of printed photos know that images are not only daily pieces of joy, they can last longer than a life.
When Ryan photographed the celebration of 50 years of marriage for Kate and Otis McNeil, Kate said “Not to be morbid, but truly a complement to your work: These are the photos we are proud to have displayed at our funeral whenever that day comes.” And she wasn’t morbid, or sad or even wistful. She meant it and that means the world to us.
Kate & Otis McNeil celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on December 8th of 2018 (their actual anniversary is December 22, 1968) with a massive party at The Event Center at Summit Square in Winston Salem, NC. So much thought, effort, preparation, coordination and love went into making this a special evening.
Family and friends came from all of the US to reunite and celebrate.
In speaking with Kate during the months leading up to the event to coordinate the photos it was obvious what a momentous occasion this was for her and Otis. We loved that it was not lost on them how important marriage is and what a triumph of love, commitment and fortitude 50 years is.
Kate wanted to make sure that we captured the party atmosphere, but she was especially keen that Ryan took plenty of posed and candid images of all their family that would be in attendance. So we coordinated family members photos prior to the event start time, much like a wedding.
After the event, Kate and Otis ordered images of their kids, grandkids and themselves and many members of their extended families have also ordered photos of themselves with their children’s families. It fills me up thinking of all those family members, spread out all over the country, seeing the same images from that day hanging somewhere in their homes.
If you take the time to celebrate a life, a marriage, a graduation, a birth – and you plan a gathering or party around it with guests and family, really make it an event – we encourage you to hire a photographer to capture those images that you’ll want to see on your desk and look at daily and those you’ll want people to remember you by later.
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.