Posts Tagged: charlotte portrait photographer

Gavin’s Five Year Spring Outdoor Portrait Photos

If you follow this blog, then you’ll find that most times our clients become great friends, and Jessica is one of those clients and friends. I adore her, and we have been photographing her son Gavin since his arrival. Now this little man is 5 YEARS OLD! Here’s a peek at his fourth birthday session, where you can also link to previous portrait sessions.

For the big number five, we decided to meet at a park in downtown Charlotte, NC. Putting this kiddo in a room with props is a fool’s game. Gavin is high energy, which is not code for “too much.” He’s delicious and we’ve enjoyed photographing him over the years, but he is all boy and loves to be outside, getting dirty and mixing it up. He is fueled by adventure and exploration. During our last session, he pulled his shirt off and made a break for it on foot. I remember Jessica taking off after him in her wedge heels. His energy was the same during this session.

Ryan captured these images and made sure that Gavin was able to sample all the fun this park had to offer. Happy Birthday, Buddy! Fly, run, play, soldier on and we’ll see you soon!

Pixels On Paper Photography Gavin Mendieta Five Year Spring Outdoor Portrait Photo
Pixels On Paper Photography Gavin Mendieta Five Year Spring Outdoor Portrait Photo

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 ©2022 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.

Fall Family Portraits

The leaves are rapidly changing and families are pulling out their sweaters, boots, scarves and hats and engaging us for fall family photos. It’s a gorgeous time of year and with the holidays upon us soon, you can be sure that it’s time to create wall portraits, photo holiday cards, calendars and gifts. It’s also ALWAYS a good time to capture memories.

Pixels On Paper Photographers NC Mountains Holland Family Outdoor Fall Portrait Photo

If you’re in the area or from the area, contact us for ideas and scheduling fall photos in the North Carolina Mountains.


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.

A Change of Focus

Photo by: Joy Davis Photography ©2019

During the first couple of months of 2020, I’ve been sharing the types of images, events, projects and portrait sessions that Ryan and I will be focusing on in the coming year and years to come. We are moving away from being working wedding photographers, something that we’ve done for nearly 2 decades and the part of our business that put us on the map. It was and wasn’t an easy decision, but I thought I would speak from the heart about it briefly – because that is how “I do.”

Our Life Shifted

A mere two years ago, we had a child added to our lives and he deserves not only our attention, but our guidance. We are not bubble baby people. Finley is out in the community with us, he meets many of our clients, he is sweet to his young peers having their photos taken in our studio and we haul him to Merlefest. This kid GETS DIRTY with his grandparents and helping around our property.

Ryan and I want our son to be fully immersed in the world – to see and show love and empathy to other people, to experience all sorts of joys, challenges and triumphs.

That is OUR responsibility as his mom and dad and it means making time that would have otherwise been spent photographing, organizing and editing weddings.

Our Professional Passions Shifted

When we began to focus more on Day in the Life and personal documentary style photography, families and babies it was ON. I enjoy it more than I can describe. I couldn’t be more proud of our 15 years as successful wedding photographers and remember many times having to double book weekends and turn potential clients away. Wedding portraiture and wedding day photography require not only extensive amounts of time, creative skills, lighting expertise and flexibility, these types of projects require an enormous amount of technical know-how and our work speaks for itself.

But personal documentary portraits are calling to me and the more we take – during all seasons and with all types of families – the more I know that it’s where I want to really “play at work” as a pro.

The Photography Landscape Shifted

Andy Warhol……. how did you know? In 1968, he said, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”

You all don’t need me to tell you that there has been a democratization of creativity over the last decade. If you have a smart phone, you can be writer, photographer, philosopher, curator, documentary film-maker and archivist, regardless of your age, socio-economics, gender or race. Capture every aspect of your life, publish it to social media and in your circle you’re seen and known. I’m not even remotely “mad at this.” Expression is one of life’s most important and even most healing joys.

What I have found, however, is a disintegration in our concepts of and respect for experience, skill and professionalism. Companies like Voice Bunny, Fivver and even Craig’s List allow pretty much anyone – untested – to have a hand in what used to be professional work that people trained and worked to be good at. Again, if it’s lightening in a bottle, fabulous!

But when I saw a poorly dressed person (ripped jeans and tee shirt) show up as the hired photographer for a wedding, I began to wonder. She was not a close family friend. She was hired to capture what most of us agree is one of life’s biggest days. Her backup equipment was a single smart phone.

At Pixels we understood the mosaic of skills it took to shoot a wedding: the technical, the creative, and the personal.

We knew how to adjust the light at the right time to get the shot that a bride dreamt of all her life. We knew timing, gentle coaxing, coordination of personalities and spatial relations. We never photographed a wedding hoping to “get lucky” with lighting, weather, relatives, or venue. We were always ready. Always.

On average, we spent 134 hours per wedding. That is just over 3 work weeks in corporate America. From the first communication to the last bow tied around the final products delivered, we were committed to perfection, service and dreams delivered.

Now if you know me, you know that I’m not an elitist, but I do believe in expecting that people will pay for experience, decorum, knowledge, cultivated creativity and true expertise. If the marketplace no longer values these things, that’s sad, but I’m cool with it. It’s time to take a break and reevaluate.

Saying “I Will”

While Ryan and I are focusing professionally on photographing more community events, more babies, more family portraiture, more Day in the Life and commercial photography, we are saying “We Will” to some weddings, but are no longer promoting ourselves as working wedding photographers. At least for the foreseeable future. If you are what we define as a “legacy client” (ie: we’ve photographed you, your immediate family, best friend, or you have a strong recommendation from a client) we will consider photographing your wedding. If you want to reach out about your wedding, we can chat, but we aren’t actively seeking that business.

Thanks for listening and understanding. This blog may not have been the hike you were looking for – the quickie 1.5 mile loop – and you ended up on Mount Pisgah. My apologies. I simply love you all and wanted to be as transparent about the future as I am thoroughly excited about it.

Love,
Misty

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.

outdoor family portraits ~ some late summer fun

Hon family outdoor portrait Dobson NC Pixels On Paper family photographers photoI giggle a little every time I hear people opine that they just don’t have time for a portrait session. It’s not condescension, I promise. I understand busy. I “do” busy myself like plenty of other folks. This is life. But I also know that with a plan and a little will, you can pull off a photoshoot with you and your loved ones. Exhibit A: the Mendelson and Hon families we photographed recently.

We photographed Caroline and Andrew Mendelson’s wedding April 6, 2013. They found us through two referrals and were married in NC even though they lived in Boston at the time and still do. Caroline contacted us just a few weeks ago to find out if we were available to photograph her family along with her Mom and Dad, Mr. & Mrs. Hon while they were visiting them in NC for a week. OF COURSE, we made time in our schedule to make it happen. Hon family outdoor portrait Dobson NC Pixels On Paper family photographers photoHon family outdoor portrait Dobson NC Pixels On Paper family photographers photoHon family outdoor portrait Dobson NC Pixels On Paper family photographers photoHon family outdoor portrait Dobson NC Pixels On Paper family photographers photoHon family outdoor portrait Dobson NC Pixels On Paper family photographers photoHon family outdoor portrait Dobson NC Pixels On Paper family photographers photoHon family outdoor portrait Dobson NC Pixels On Paper family photographers photoThe sweet Mendelson family has increased by two since we last saw them 4 years ago. Big sister Julia and little Hannah were so much fun to get to watch, tickle and photograph. We loved getting to spend a few hours in Dobson, NC catching up with everyone and celebrating Mr. Hon’s birthday, which just happened to be that day. I suspect he’ll love looking back on photos of his two grand-daughters – a couple of little cupcakes – who came to celebrate with him and his wife. These latest memories will soon decorate the walls of their homes.Hon family outdoor portrait Dobson NC Pixels On Paper family photographers photoHon family outdoor portrait Dobson NC Pixels On Paper family photographers photoHon family outdoor portrait Dobson NC Pixels On Paper family photographers photo

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We do our best to accommodate requests for family portrait sessions because we know how much they matter. We’re spread out in this enormous country and time together is at a premium. Creating heirlooms for families like the Hons and Mendelson’s is our distinct pleasure.

We love family portraits whether they are set in the studio, the great outdoors, a specific location like the NC 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.

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