We want to believe that “things come full circle.” In fact, we say it with a spirit of hopefulness. There is continuity in life: births, deaths, struggles, triumphs, remembrances, redemption, connection and repatriation. It takes age, wisdom and being observant to realize it and I would like to believe that Ryan and I are those people. We certainly try to be!
There is also the idea of creating a large and full circle of people around you: those who inspire and challenge you, have your back, love and celebrate with you and hold you up when you just cannot do it alone. Ryan and I have both in our lives: that sense that things are coming full circle as we prepare to be first time parents AND that we’re surrounded, literally and figuratively, by people ready to help, support and love us in this new chapter.
Over the last 14 years, we’ve been blessed to be a part of your lives (and we have no plans to stop). But as we get ready to greet our son (the full circle in my belly at the moment), I’m reminded of all the chapters of your lives we’ve captured on film and those chapters we’re about to embark on ourselves. We’ve learned so much watching you all.
We’ve photographed engagement portraits in all sorts of settings, celebrating the beginnings of new marriages. We’ve taken bridal portraits inside and outside with brides in sneakers or cowboy boots, in gardens, in tiaras, on staircases and in the woods. Those moments absolutely take us back to our own engagement, wedding and first years together.
And the weddings themselves we’ve photographed – too many to count – where there is the crush of emotion and relief and joy and then “let’s get out of here and go on a honeymoon!”
Children. This one is particularly tender for obvious reasons, but watching you all as we took maternity photos, newborn portraits, first birthdays, new siblings and the growth of your families has been the best. You hunker down during the hard stuff and laugh out loud during the silly bits, but your commitment to family is something we understand completely.
We love living our lives in the open amongst such amazing friends, colleagues, and family – those by blood and those forged from common interests, trust and deep connections. While we may need to hibernate a bit when our little man arrives, we’ll be happy to share stories, ask questions and continue to watch our lives come full circle. We love you all so much and thank each of you for the part you play in our 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.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License
All photos are ©2017 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Buckle up, buttercups and get out your calendars. Before you can say, “it’s time to throw out the last of the Halloween candy,” it will be time for Christmas portraits. The time to schedule them is RIGHT NOW.
This year, we are offering two options from which to choose. The first are the in-home documentary sessions just as we did last year. We shot several of these and we, and they, LOVED the experience. We’re excited to do it again this year. In-home sessions can be scheduled from the time that a family’s home is decorated (or being decorated) until December 10th.
The Holland and Minick families were two from last year and each shows the joy and reality of family Christmases. You can decorate all you want but life goes on and those images make some of the best portraits and the best memories.
You still gotta eat, even during the holidays and with two young kids, the Minicks invited us to capture their daily life in the kitchen as well.
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 ©2017 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
I have a pal who finds hilarious pictures of her family from old portrait sessions and gives them as gifts each year, along with NEW portraits. It’s sort of a repurpose, re-gift, re-laugh about it. The time progression is its own reward along with her Mother’s laughter and recollections.
The York sons did something similar for Christmas last year, minus the goofy shots from the 1990s. These three men bought a family portrait session – a gift card from Pixels actually – and presented it to their parents, Mark & Denise York. The gift card was good for a family portrait of the entire York family, something they knew that their Mom had been wanting for a very long time.
Listen up, sons and daughters, especially if you’re looking for a Christmas or anniversary present for your parents: your mom and dad did all of that laundry, schlepped all of that sporting equipment, sewed quilted ballet bags to carry your point shoes, baked untold dozens of Toll House cookies, worked with paper mache, checked homework after 11 pm, wiped your rear end, taught you to drive and throw a football in a tight spiral and stood in line to buy toys you’ve long forgotten about …………… you with me? THEY EARNED IT.
Mrs. York cashed in her certificate at the end of August after undertaking the kind of coordination that would make the Pentagon cringe. She had 15 family members (4 generations) to pin down and she stuck the landing. On a gorgeous day at a picturesque family farm in North Wilkesboro, we met up with this crew and thank goodness for perfect weather. Finding another date would have been many more months in the making.
When we photograph families, extended families and multiple generations, we always capture a variety of combinations for the individual family units and the matriarchs and patriarchs who want everyone and all the time. Gift cards for photography are available for any occasion at all times but are especially popular at Christmas. If you’re interested, please contact us and we’ll start planning.
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 ©2017 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” – St. Augustine
Augustine was a smart man. He was a saint, a Christian, a philosopher and a studier of men and their relationship to each other and to God. I like this quote, because while it can apply to every single person who loves well, in a marriage, it describes what bride and groom, husband and wife, father and mother will need to keep the family together: hands and feet ready to help and carry, eyes to see both pain and joy, ears to listen to stories that are exhilarating or boring (don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about) and a big heart that wants to jump in no matter what. And it’s just a start. Happy Anniversary to the couples who married in October – all of you – and most especially to the ones we’ve photographed over the years. We love you. Keep celebrating and showing each other what love looks like.
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 ©2017 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.