Posts Tagged: pixels on paper creative family portraiture

Hello Heidi – Newborn baby photos

Jamie and Daniel, Henry, Hannah and Heidi Harrison… THAT is a mouthful. They are now a party of 5. This family is one we have known for a while and loved watching grow. Mom Jamie wanted baby Heidi to have her newborn shoot coordinated with sister Hannah’s portraits, so we did just that with palette and our set up at Pixels’ indoor studio.

Older brother Henry is a natural love bug and, just as he did with his sister Hannah, he could not take his eyes off Heidi. I love seeing this in little kids, especially older brothers. They seem to be preternaturally protective, nurturing and engaged with their younger siblings. Henry is proof.

Watching the children interact just reminded me how quickly families are formed. We photographed Jamie and Daniel’s wedding, their eldest daughter Hannah’s newborn session and the family’s 2019 Christmas portraits. Jamie even provided wedding guidance in one of our Wedding Redux blogs.

Heidi was a perfect angel during the shoot and let each family member snuggle her and pass her around. I never tire of greeting new little humans. I look forward to watching you grow up, Miss Heidi.


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.

Six Month Baby portraits in the orchards

I say it all the time, but with all that we endured during quarantine and Covid lock-down, it seems like these babies are growing up even faster. This is the third time we’ve photographed this little cutie, and now Gracelynn is six months old. She came to the orchards with an entourage, a steamer trunk filled with costume changes and a sparkling personality. All of it was right on time.

This is our third time photographing Gracelynn, including her newborn session and a family session. We also photographed mom Caitlin’s maternity portraits. Along with Caitlin and Gracelynn, father Matthew and grandmother Tabitha were in attendance to help with the many outfit changes and generally just to enjoy the day. This little girl is adorable, so filled with personality and always ready to give us great expressions.

I loved getting special photos of Tabitha and Gracelynn. This young gramma is over the moon to have a new grandchild in her life.


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.

York Family Outdoor Spring Peach Orchard Portrait photos

Heaven is getting to see faces you love after an absence, and aren’t we all experiencing a version of this these days? Families call us to take annual photos in the orchards, but when the York family contacted us, we were especially thrilled. We’ve known this couple Lindsay and Mitch for what seems like forever and they have three pretty awesome kids.

Ryan and I have had the privilege of photographing this wonderful family for family reunions, outdoor portrait sessions, Christmas at home sessions, the birth of children and again in the peach orchards. Lindsay and Mitch, along with sons Tate and Turner and their youngest, daughter Tinleigh, met us on a gorgeous day and I was amazed at how much those kids have grown. We had perfect weather and it was a blast letting the kids climb trees and dance beneath all of the blooms.

It’s the season for graduation portraits and family reunions, but it’s also a great time to simply update your family portraits. There are so many changes in kids and in life, make a point of capturing this moment in time on film.


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.

Mother’s Day

I recently came across an article that listed some of the best things about being a mom, and my mind reeled. There are too many to name. On nearly the eve of another Mother’s Day, I wanted to share a few quotes along with some of my favorite shots of moms and their kids taken by Pixels over the years. Outdoors, dressed up or down, laughing and exploring, these are some pretty adorable kids and spectacular moms.

“The smell of a freshly bathed child.” Finley’s bath time makes me lose track of time. I love those moments and the sweetness of his wet, red curls and warmth in his pajamas. It’s the best.

“Getting to mold a little human being.” I love this part of being a mom even when it’s tough, and I am definitely grateful that I get a chance to learn from other moms going through each stage along with me. Some of my dearest and most important friendships are with moms I’ve met before and after Finley was born. I realized that I’d joined a tribe that understood me, love our family and could lift me up or ground me.

“Being a safe space for my child.” Even on the toughest days, Moms still hold space and energy to let their children come to them for care, listening and comfort. I don’t see an end to this. I speak to my mother all the time and even as the topics change and the worries are different, she’s always right there. My hope is that my son knows that when he enters the wide world of independence, his dad and I are always here for him.

“Finding joy in simple things.” I am transported daily to my own childhood when I watch Finley. The craziest stuff will light him up and that lights me up too. Keeping it simple and about love is my goal. I’m especially appreciative of the multigenerational impact of families on each new member.

Call your mom this weekend, and if you can see her, see her. Love her. Thank her.

Happy Mother’s Day.


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.

David’s High School Senior Portrait Photos

David Eldridge (and his lifelong friend and sidekick Bryson) let Ryan hang out with them AND grab David’s senior portraits. David is one of five boys in a family that is generous, rugged, and anchored by their superhero mom – Stacy. In the land of men, she is not just the elder, but the Queen and I’ve admired her for years.

Back to David!! He and Bryson are all man, all about the outdoors and all about farm life and being real. Having Bryson around loosened David up, made him less self-conscious and the pair cracked each other up and were able to relax. (Ryan too had a ball.) In fact, Ryan and I commented that in some of these photos the pair reminded him of a country music duo shooting an album cover… think Tyler Childers or Chris Stapleton. There’s no cynicism with these two, just friendship and a sense that simplicity in all things is best.

There was no second choice for this location of this session – it was going to be outside and on the family farm. Senior portraits are an important milestone and we’ve captured older brother Gage’s portraits a couple of years ago.

We’ve shot images of this family for a decade. The most recent took place with members of both the Eldridge and Wood families, but we started years ago, when the boys really were just that – boys.

Congratulations, David and the class of 2021! We are so proud of 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 LicenseAll photos are ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.