Yearly Archives: 2017

Fatherhood ~ portraits and musings

A few weeks ago, I wrote a bit about adjusting to all the new things that have been a part of becoming a new mom. There are many. Finley has brought us more of a sense of unconditional love, more reminders about life’s greatest joys, reminders of our core values, more exhaustion and a greater community in his tiny frame than all the movies and books and experiences ever could have. Now, my beloved partner in business, parenting, adventure and life, Ryan is weighing in with his responses and of course we want to share them with you!
Ryan: “The biggest surprises for me are that diapers don’t stink that much YET (LOL!), but there are lots of them. Changing them is no big deal and, like Misty, I’m finding it pretty amazing that I can do so much on so little rest. He’s so wonderful though to look at. His cheeks are chubby and hiding dimples at the moment and don’t get me started on baby farts… HILARIOUS!”
“When he is awake, every source of light is something to stare at in wonder: windows, ceiling fans and chandeliers are all AMAZING to stare at. He is just starting to show signs of smiling, but its few and far between at the moment. I’m loving the awake times with him; they are always best when you can see him soaking it all in, just looking all around. But the times where he’s zonked out and I can manage to get a couple hours of solid work done are equally good.”
“Beyond the need for sleep, my frustrations come from not knowing what makes him cry. He can be clean and fed and still fussy, and it’s hard as a guy to not be able to fix it. Patience is still top of the list for what we need for both parenting and photographing OUR newborn. You’ve got to be ready at any moment for that one thing to be amazing and on your toes when its time to capture it, whether with a camera or with your memory which will last just as long or longer. Having cameras to capture is great, but sometimes just being in the moment is way better.”
 Thanksgiving was a thing for us! Our first real holiday as a family with the new guy. Ryan helped in the kitchen (like me, he loves it and is great at it, if I may say so), we all gathered in Asheville with the Case family who spent time holding little bug. I loved dressing and passing him around in his turkey jimmy-jams!
Those of you who follow us on the regular know that Chelsea was our first child. She is still an important part of the mix and we know that she knows it. Ryan: “She just loves her #tinyhuman Finley. Every coo and cry results in some sort of alert for her, barking or even running to kiss him on the head vigorously. She does love him. We’re not surprised.”
It’s hard – even when sleeping in ridiculously small increments – we’re drowning in grace and gratitude and constant epiphany. This parenting thing surpasses every other thing we’re doing. To Daddies out there – we love 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 weddingsbrides, 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.

88x31 lucy & glens valle crucis wedding photography | pixels on paper boone wedding photographers

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.

LAST CALL FOR HOLIDAY STUDIO PORTRAITS

Pixels on Paper Photography 2017 Studio Christmas Minick photo

Behind the scenes photo courtesy of Rachel Minick

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! This is it, dear ones! We’re making the last call for those of you who want holiday portraits. Schedule your session with family, as a couple, of your kids or pets and get those cards created and gift purchased.

We’re also offering 20% off prints and canvases for anyone we photographed this year, be they Christmas photos or any other special milestone. This is the very biggest print and canvas sale EVER! We have gorgeous prints and canvases that make the PERFECT gift for one of your loved ones or for YOU! Until December 8th, you can cross your holiday gifts off your list ONE BY ONE!

Get on it before time runs out! View your online gallery and use the promo code “merrychristmas” at checkout.

 

 

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 weddingsbrides, 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.

88x31 lucy & glens valle crucis wedding photography | pixels on paper boone wedding photographers

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.

Christmas & Holiday Card & Gift Season is Upon Us ~ order now!

Every year, the Christmas cards roll in and occasionally there is a Russian novel masquerading as a “newsletter.” I’m not one to throw shade at the Christmas letter; we all celebrate milestones, travel, struggle and survive, start and end chapters and it’s worth noting. But you can do it in pictures. I’m just saying…. show a series of pics, write a little, say a lot and you’re off. Pixels is happy to help you create cards and the attendant gifts.

As we book At Home portrait sessions and sessions in our Pixels studio for the holiday season, we can also create your Christmas cards. ANY PHOTOS taken by Pixels during 2017 – and this includes any of the holiday “At Home” or portrait sessions –  can be used for your holiday cards.

Cards, prints, canvases, calendars and other markers of your year make amazing gifts. Don’t forget that sometimes what your relatives need are not more pillows or gift cards and replicates of what you made last year, but something they will enjoy all year.

We need to receive your orders by December 10th to ensure you get them in time, but you can order when you’re ready. Simply contact us to get started!

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 weddingsbrides, 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.

88x31 lucy & glens valle crucis wedding photography | pixels on paper boone wedding photographers

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.

Truly Giving Thanks

This time last year feels like an entire lifetime ago. I said in our blog about our new son Finley that I’ve been amazed at how much someone can do on so little sleep. Well, I’m also blown away by how much we packed into this last year. We’ve been blessed with an embarrassment of riches in the supportive friends department. Thank you all for showing us so much love and grace around having our first child. Before, during and these first few weeks after Finley was born have been easier thanks to you. The outstanding friends awards go especially to the Minicks, the Pierce and Meade families. You guys have not only been our clients  but have gone above and beyond being our “village” with Finley. From gifts of maternity clothes and hand-me-downs for him, to meals, practical and light-hearted advice for Ryan and me, to wanting to hold Finley, giving lessons in baby-wearing, helping with pediatrician appointments … it is a MASSIVE list and you all have been wonderful.

The Minick family

The Pierce Family

The Meade Family

There aren’t enough words of love and gratitude for our families this thanksgiving season. When we married, our two clans joined, but we have reached a completely new place of unity through bringing Finley into the world. We love each of our parents for their patience, guidance and support, but we also love bearing witness to how much unadulterated joy they get from their new grandson.
We’re so thankful for our tribe and that also includes growing friendships. New, abiding and brilliant friends Bonnie and Amanda Walling from Charleston have become favorites in our lives. We photographed their engagement and wedding and what we all loved about each other during the preparation and the time together really stuck. Thank God. We were able to meet up with them for their one year anniversary and it was a blast.
Amanda Walling and Bonnie Hostetler On The Windfall outdoor Wedding West Jefferson NC

You guys know how much we love to travel, but outside of Merlefest and shoots in our gorgeous mountains (which feels like an escape, but is really our regional backyard), we stayed close to home. While we didn’t take any trips this year, we did make it to our local getaway spot – our campsite and cabin by the river in Sparta, NC. It’s the most peaceful place for us and we even managed to get there the weekend before Finley was born. I was trying to keep from going into labor. Ryan’s 40th Birthday was celebrated there with a camping weekend including six other families. It’s a pretty special memory.

We’re also grateful for new insights into what we do for a living. I attended a retreat this year that focused on photography and lighting techniques, and loved it. It too became a place where I found support, new friendships and a cohort of like-minded women.

Exposed Photography Workshop

And I’m thankful for my husband. Ryan took on a role of doing most everything single-handedly toward the end of my pregnancy and after Finley’s birth. As we kept serving photography clients, he was there in situations that normally are my domain alone. I’ve got a terrific partner in marriage, in business, in parenting and in life.

Finally, this Thanksgiving takes the headcount up by one…. one perfect little head. He won’t be making multiple trips to the buffet for stuffing or raiding the fridge for the midnight turkey sandwich, but we’ve grown as a family and we’re so grateful that this child is ours.

With my girl and one of my boys…

I would love to know what that new brain is cooking up and will keep wanting to know for the rest of my life, but this picture below makes me think of how we feel when we consider the gifts of this year: our family, our tireless friends, our clients, new experiences, new pals and a new little boy. You all make us smile.
Happy Thanksgiving and we’re sending you nothing but joy, health, contentment and your own sense of gratitude for the good stuff.

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 weddingsbrides, 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.

88x31 lucy & glens valle crucis wedding photography | pixels on paper boone wedding photographers

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.