There is love and there’s love and then there’s the Minick family. You can say the name Minick and my heart fills up. We have the best history with this family and our love for them runs deep. We’ve photographed just about every milestone of their adult lives. On May 17th, Matthew (“Matt Matt”) celebrated his first birthday and we photographed his celebratory portrait session 10 days after. We decided to make this session a family affair and snagged some photos with parents Rachel & Ryan and with his big sis Amelia.
We’ve been photographing the Minicks for so long, including their engagement and wedding, Christmas photos, maternity and Amelia’s one year portraits and Matthew’s newborn portraits. They are absolutely family. Matthew had a Little Blue Truck themed birthday party and photo shoot as well. We love seeing these kids and family grow and especially watching the little ones develop their own personalities. No two are alike!
Rachel, Ryan, Amelia and Matthew: we love you to pieces. We love how open you are in your lives, how you invite us in to share and how your amazing family is growing in size and in love. We look forward to the next milestone and another chance to hang out and do life.
Just a few weeks ago, we shot another June wedding. Katie Vance married Patrick Carlson at Leatherwood Mountain Resort. We photographed Katie’s bridal portraits on November 4, 2016 at this very same spot. Katie wanted photos at Leatherwood both in the fall as well as in the summer to show off the various scenic views. Leatherwood – a place we love and have shot many times for brides and grooms – is a favorite for its bucolic setting and rustic atmosphere. Katie chose it to showcase the opposite. She is more princess than country bride and loves to sparkle. Even the Vans she wore with her gown had purple glitter on them. Katie grew up in Boone and loved being in the glorious mountain views that surrounded her all year. She loved how the mountains could be so massive and still be charming in the details. Her challenge to us was not to photograph the farm’s rustic style but instead to capture the more elegant natural surroundings. We were happy to oblige. Wedding photos are coming soon! If you’re interested in Leatherwood, here’s more about this venue from us.
Ever heard of a June wedding? Me, either, but apparently they are really popular.
Pixels very first wedding was a June wedding – that of Sandy & Mark Sherill on June 18th 2005. That’s where it all began.
So now to Sandy and Mark – our very first wedding shoot. Sandy and I were middle school youth group leaders together as well as friends. She watched for a few years when Ryan and I would take candid photos whenever we were with the youth group. When it came time for her own wedding she asked us a few times if we’d photograph her wedding. We kept saying “no way.” She finally put her foot down after asking four or so times. “You two are going to shoot my wedding.” She was sweet and we caved and it was on. The only complication is that her wedding was at the end of a week that we were chaperones for our youth group’s annual mission trip to the Pittsburgh Project. We left PA early to head to the wedding in Norfolk, VA with a car full of middle school girls who were also attendants in their wedding. YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS STUFF UP! With equipment that was far from professional, packed in suitcases with our mission clothing, we made it and photographed our very first wedding together. 12 years later Sandy and Mark (just below) still love their photos and we’re still friends. Sandy even hired us to photograph her oldest daughter’s wedding years later.
Looking through these June weddings makes me smile. Each one represents a day that changed the trajectory of that couple’s lives forever and there we were, pulling those indelible moments out of the air and making sure they made it on film. So many stories!
By my count, that is 22 and we added new ones to the list this year. Happy Anniversary to each one of you. Thank you for letting us be a part of your lives and keep celebrating! We love you!
In my recent blog about summer photos, I mentioned that you don’t have to be getting married to plan a photo session with us during this gorgeous time of year. Although….. look at these two below. Pretty fab standing in the Church of Mother Nature. Potential outdoor shots are practically everywhere.
The Blue Ridge Parkway, The Biltmore House and Grove Park Inn in Asheville, The Piccione Vineyards in Ronda, NC, trails and fields in Blowing Rock, your own family property, camps and cabins, and any number of beaches in North or South Carolina, state parks or favorite neighborhood recreational spots make perfect destinations for a photo shoot. Our own portrait garden at the Pixels Studio is often the best option for those who want a beautiful outdoor shot but cannot travel too far. And honestly, we have more than a few clients who DO make a long drive to us BECAUSE they love our gardens and the relaxed feeling of the place.
Contact us about your summer adventure and if you’d like to commemorate it with photos!
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.