Posts Tagged: wilkesboro
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mr. & Mrs. Shumate ~ a wedding of authenticity, beauty, intimacy and family
Authenticity is a word so entirely overused, and poorly I might add, that its meaning and importance have been pretty much hijacked. As with other things of value, authenticity can become diminished and ultimately ignored. In an effort to take it back (“she said, shaking her fist in the air”), we present Amber and Andy Shumate and their August wedding photos.
Rather than put down the many ways we falsely refer to things and people, causes and characteristics as authentic, here’s a quickie review: authentic means true. It means real. It’s not something that needs to be self-important or self-referential, or high end to make a statement or low end to make a statement – it just is undeniable. That’s who Amber and Andy are – they are real and they don’t pretend to be anything other than themselves… happy to be together, solid, and in love.
They said their vows in Rendezvous Mountain State Park in Purlear, NC where the views are amazing and seemingly endless. The chapel in the forest is a naturally secluded backdrop with a large picnic shelter just steps away that accommodates a reception. Honestly, it is one of Wilkes County’s best-kept rustic wedding locations.
Andy is a fireman and works for the NC Forestry Service and he and Amber spend a lot of their time together in the great outdoors. Photographing them in the forest and overlooking the mountains seemed – pardon the pun – only natural.
We photographed their engagement in June and their wedding was quite similar because of their desire to include family and focus on the people, faith and values that ground them.
Andy’s daughter Ashlyn is central to their lives.
While she is Amber’s step-daughter, the two are already incredibly close and because of this, Ashlyn’s role in the wedding was primary… and particularly tender. Together they were all creating a new life, a new thing, a new family.
The details at the wedding were also perfect for the day and the couple: they were hand-made, heart-felt, creative and deeply personal.
Is there anything more powerful than seeing families blend? Than seeing a couple come together after beating life’s odds, and then make a plan not just for themselves, but for the next generation?
Isaiah 43:19: See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Congratulations and nothing but love and joy to you guys!
Christmas portrait sessions from Pixels on Paper
… are nearly full, but we have some openings on Saturday, November 28th and Saturday, December 5th.
Call 336.990.0080 or email us to grab one of the last slots.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. As we put our arms around each other, our families, pets and friends, please know that we are incredibly grateful for YOU, and we’re grateful for health, love, opportunities to serve, mid-night left-overs, warm hugs, goofiness, kisses from our dog and a roof over our heads.
We are blessed. We hope the same for all of you.
Christmas Portraits are booking now at the Pixels on Paper studio
It’s the most wonderful time of the year ….. to check stuff off of your never-ending To Do List.
Believe me, we get it. We run a business, we’re married, we have family we want to plan holidays around, we have hobbies and community work we care about and suddenly October has moved to Thanksgiving. December feels essentially like being shot out of cannon. This task, however, this SUPER easy item you’ll check off, is valuable. It lasts. It’s time to book your portrait with us at our festive and festooned studio.
Call us, set a date, choose your favorite holiday clothes, show up and we’ll make you look and feel like celebrating.
The details: For only $100, 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.
Our fee is due when you make your reservation.
The Pixels’ studio is located at 1198 Curtis Bridge Rd. Wilkesboro NC 28697.
Call 336-990-0080 to reserve or email inquiries to mail@pixelsonpaper.net.
More examples of portraits!
We spend all year thinking about this season and what to do with our studio. For 2015, we’ve moved from the classic red and green to silver, gold, winter white, natural green and then we’ve added rustic elements like wood and pine cones, gilded frames, mountain themes and the baubles and sheen that are more urban and chic. We cannot wait to create portraits of you and your family – this includes friends who are much family to you as your relatives – your babies, kids and even your pets.
We will also be scheduling FREE CHRISTMAS PET PORTRAITS for 2015. The last time we did this was in 2012 and it’s time, gang. We’re planning on Saturday, December 12. Bring your pet and a 20 lb. bag of food. More details to come.
Questions? Call 336-990-0080 to reserve or email inquiries to mail@pixelsonpaper.net.
holiday portrait season is here ~ pack friends, family & make your appointment
Perhaps you’ve noticed that the anticipation and celebration range for holidays has gotten longer, while the holidays themselves are the same. (Please say “yes” or we’re going to have to worry about you.)
Halloween: one day. Preparation begins just after Labor Day.
Thanksgiving: one day … with Black Friday and Cyber Monday hovering like an avalanche of “door buster” circulars. Preparation begins the day after Halloween.
Christmas: one day. Preparation begins the 4th of July. Kidding, but you get the idea.
Well, it’s the first week of November and there are cards to create and gifts to buy and we want to gently tap your shoulder and tell you that it’s probably time to book your session with us. We love the holidays and we want them to be special. Our 2015 studio is ready to go for portraits of families, couples, groups of friends, your babies or kiddos in primary school or those home from college, fur babies or all of the above. We believe in the abundance theory, so the more the merrier.
Here are the details:We will provide 5 digital images for $100 for families with up to 3 children. This includes 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.
Our fee is due when you make your reservation.
Pixels’ studio is located at 1198 Curtis Bridge Rd. Wilkesboro NC 28697.
Call 336-990-0080 to reserve or email inquiries to mail@pixelsonpaper.net.
We cannot wait to see you!– Misty & Ryan