Posts Tagged: cake smash portraits

Gracelynn turns one – boho outdoor and cake smash photos

Our garden grows the most interesting blooms and recently presented a new one: we call it “the Gracelynn.” It’s bright, delicate and you cannot stop looking at it.

Gracelynn came to our outdoor garden studio to celebrate her first birthday and it was the perfect spot to grab photos of this lovely little flower. We created a boho setting for her to smash her very first birthday cake, but some of the real gems from this shoot are from her interacting with her fellow blooms.

Gracelynn’s mom chose a palette of pink, pale rose and neutrals and we just let this girl shine. She did not need any coaching!

Happy Birthday, Little Girl! You felt like a burst of spring in our midst. We hope that you’ll come back to see us any season that suits 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 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 License All photos are ©2021 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.

Angelina Turns One – Cake Smash Photos

This juicy fruit of a baby is Angelina and I’m astonished that she’s now a year old! I remember shooting maternity images of her expectant and excited parents and it feels like moments ago. Parents Jessica and Bobby Bennett are two of the most fun people I’ve photographed in the last year plus.

Angelina has been cute since day one and I would know. She made it to our studio not long after she was born (and she arrived three weeks early!) and was a deliciously juicy little newborn bundle then. For her six month portraits, we all met up at our favorite orchard and captured her underneath the pink blossoms.

For her first birthday, we were back in the studio with a luau theme, lots of bright colors, pineapples, props, costume changes, and of course, a cake to destroy – I mean nibble. Angelina was so easy to work with and loved her outfits and the icing she sampled. I love these full circle one year moments! Happy Birthday, Sweet Angelina!!


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 License All photos are ©2021 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.

Baby’s First Year Portrait Packages

I’m not sure if it’s my love of photographing babies or my strong head for business, but Pixels offers a one year baby package for those who want to chronicle the first year of their child’s life.
Are you in?
I am ALWAYS.
Truth be told, the advantages are both business and personal…

Pixels On Paper Photography Anna Sophia Newborn Baby Portrait Photo

There are two reasons I offer this package:
First, new moms know that they will be busy with adjusting and sleep deprivation, joy and memory-making, and allllllll the rest of it during the first year. Having scheduled professional portraits on the calendar is a gift for a new mom.
Second, it allows me to capture better and better images as the year goes on. Some of the greatest friendships, and the portraits sessions that I’m most proud of, have come from families we met when the couple was just a couple, we got to know them and then BAM!, they were expecting a baby.

Our package covers newborn portraits, a 6-month portrait session and then One Year Birthday session. Once you’re in, we can start planning. Maternity portraits can be added if you desire.

The newborns are first and they are just, … perfect.

The six-month sessions are too much fun, because these little shavers are no longer so fragile and yet malleable that we just fold them into fun gooey shapes between feedings and set changes. At 6-months, they aren’t walking, but they are sitting up and pliable and you can pull out all sorts of attractions and props and have a blast. Indoors and outdoors, forests and fields, milk baths and orchard crates, a 6 month old shines everywhere.

One full trip around the sun is worth celebrating with outdoor parties, cake smashes, props, and with bigger and more adventurous themes. This session completes the package if that is the family’s goal. At the end of the year we create a custom designed photo album that includes all the favorite photos from each session.

The one year package can be upgraded to include a maternity portrait session and often, when ladies find out they’re pregnant, they want to include this special time. I don’t know about the rest of you, but pregnant women take my breath away. Is there anything more lovely than an expectant mom? We encourage newly married couples to keep this package in mind … just in case.

If you would like to learn more about our Baby’s First Year Portrait package, please contact us. We can manage portraits of all stripes, even with social distancing and in this weird time. The first year of a baby’s life is an amazing time. Don’t miss an opportunity to capture it with professional portraits.


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.

Tinleigh’s One Year Cake Smash

There is cute and there’s cute and then there’s Tinleigh. If you’re having a wretched day, get a load of this little nugget.

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC photgraphers York baby one year cake smash outdoor portrait photo

While we haven’t had our usual number of summer sessions this year, we have been able to meet the needs of families who want to celebrate milestones, most particularly those of their children. It’s funny, but some of these taken in June of this year feel like my best. I think it’s due in part to a combination of things including having more rest, desperately needing an outlet for my creativity, the children are more attentive in part to not being out socially as often, and all involved being more focused. The latest three sessions have all been photographed in our portrait garden under our favorite chestnut tree. Yet I’ve striven to make each unique and individual.

Mom Lindsey wanted to incorporate strawberries into Tinleigh’s one year cake smash. The only definite plan she had was a dress, and the cake. We attempted to locate a field of strawberries for our location but due to Covid those fields weren’t available.

No problem! I had a miniature produce stand and coordinating props that I used to create our own little strawberry farm stand. I do this stuff for a living, people!! I was ready! All we had to do was insert an adorable girl who was full of toothy grins and the results were one of my favorite one year cake smash sessions.

She’s adorable, and it feels like an age ago since we shot her newborn portraits and 6 month photos. She arrived cute and nothing has changed.

Our family and the York family have become great friends. Our son Finley loves playing with the older two, Turner and Tate. One of the cutest behind-the-scenes moments was when Finley, Turner, Tate and Tinleigh were all digging into her cake with their hands and eating icing together.

Pixels On Paper Wilkesboro NC photgraphers York baby one year cake smash outdoor portrait photo

Older brother Tate had a little milestone of his own to celebrate: kindergarten graduation! Mom Lindsey was disappointed that she would have no photos when schools were closed in early Spring. We couldn’t dare let this moment go unphotographed.


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.

Barrett Turns One

Some photo shoot themes have to be crafted and developed out of thin air. And others are a natural because of family hobbies, vocations, passions, whatever. For Barrett Spillman’s one year portraits and cake smash, the choice of baseball was a home run….. I know. I’m ducking as I type, but this stuff writes itself, you guys!

Mom Elisabeth told me her idea of “MVP of the Year” and to “run with it” and that’s exactly what I did. Both her father and her husband Isaac, play baseball, so this theme felt like a fitting tribute to them and a fun way to celebrate their one year old.

I love doing an outdoor cake smash but rarely get to because many parents prefer to photograph them indoors. Fortunately, these parents weren’t at all worried about their little rookie getting dirty. 

We adore Elisabeth and Isaac and have photographed their engagement, bridal, wedding, Barrett’s newborn portraits and At Home Christmas. So it’s nice to feel relaxed and ready to play with faces we know well. This family is one of those who’ve hired us from the beginning and appreciate the continuity we capture through photo sessions over the years.

Now for some baseball! Thanks to our Parks and Rec director here in Wilkesboro who met with me and gave me full access to newly refurbished baseball fields that were otherwise locked down for the season. It’s hard to have a baseball shoot without the right setting. And thanks to my dear friend Ashley Shumate, the busiest baseball Mom I know. She let me borrow all the baseball gear to bring my vision to life for the Spillmans. 

Pixels On Paper Photography Barrett Spillman One Year Portrait and Cake Smash Photo

Barrett loved being outside, in the dug out, and on home plate and played the role of MVP as if he were born to it! His first birthday cake was a reward, so he was game for just about anything we needed from him. He was a good sport! 

Those expressions during the first taste of icing are always priceless and rewarding. 

We also photographed some studio portraits where Barrett wore an outfit that was a family heirloom. It’s been passed down and worn by other babies in the family turning one before him. Hence the need for these shots to be indoors. I wanted to preserve and protect it for future generations. That and it was 100% wool! To hot for outside. 

Happy Birthday, Young Man!! We’ll see you soon, I hope – whether you’re a sports star or not, we’re fans of yours.

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 LicenseAll photos are ©2019 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.