Monthly Archives: September 2015

a mountain top wedding – filled with color, light and perfect outdoor views

Meghann and Josh know how to do it up right. Their August 2015 wedding goes down in our book of faves. Meghann told us several times that she didn’t realize everything that was going on at once or recall all of the details until she saw all of the photos we shot. That, to us, says mission accomplished. Brides and grooms plan for everything, but can’t be a part of Every Single Thing.
That’s why they hire photographers.

Boone Blowing Rock NC wedding photographers Pixels On Paper Lansing NC On The Windfall Outdoor Mountain Wedding PhotoBoone Blowing Rock NC wedding photographers Pixels On Paper Lansing NC On The Windfall Outdoor Mountain Wedding Photo

We loved the color palette of this wedding, we loved their families and friends and we loved the property – On The Windfall in Lansing, NC. This wedding, sports fans, was literally at the top of a mountain and guests were delivered to the site via designated 4 wheel drive vehicles. There were no other buildings around. The views in every direction were spectacular.
And we loved the million little thoughtful details. (Their wedding coordinator was Sammie Roberts of Something Perfect Wedding & Events and the attention to detail was unerring. Nice job!) When we meet with engaged couples, we advise them to put as many personal and significant details in their wedding ceremony as they can and these two went above and beyond. One example…. Meghann had small portraits of her late grandparents sewn into her bouquet.

Boone Blowing Rock NC wedding photographers Pixels On Paper Lansing NC On The Windfall Outdoor Mountain Wedding PhotoBoone Blowing Rock NC wedding photographers Pixels On Paper Lansing NC On The Windfall Outdoor Mountain Wedding PhotoBoone Blowing Rock NC wedding photographers Pixels On Paper Lansing NC On The Windfall Outdoor Mountain Wedding PhotoJosh’s job centers around being outdoors and he and Meghann spend their free time outside and in the woods as much as possible. So, one of Josh’s personal touches/contributions was that he built the arbor/altar where they said their vows. The mountain-top setting took everyone’s breath away and then, topping it off, was this hand-made gift Josh made for his bride. I mean, C’MON!!!
Meghann countered his personal touch by choosing to walk/dance/strut down the aisle to Bruno Mars’ “Marry You.” Josh LOVED it, and so did everyone else. The mood was already electric and this just goosed it that much more.

Boone Blowing Rock NC wedding photographers Pixels On Paper Lansing NC On The Windfall Outdoor Mountain Wedding PhotoBoone Blowing Rock NC wedding photographers Pixels On Paper Lansing NC On The Windfall Outdoor Mountain Wedding Photo

Part of their ceremony included a beautiful representation of them joining their lives and they did it in form of something that will live on and grow. The couple planted a tree together using soil that they brought from each family homestead. Like the Unity Candle or the Sand Ceremony, the blending of families in this way was beautiful and touching and incredibly apt in that setting. These two are just so cool!

Boone Blowing Rock NC wedding photographers Pixels On Paper Lansing NC On The Windfall Outdoor Mountain Wedding PhotoBoone Blowing Rock NC wedding photographers Pixels On Paper Lansing NC On The Windfall Outdoor Mountain Wedding PhotoBoone Blowing Rock NC wedding photographers Pixels On Paper Lansing NC On The Windfall Outdoor Mountain Wedding PhotoBoone Blowing Rock NC wedding photographers Pixels On Paper Lansing NC On The Windfall Outdoor Mountain Wedding PhotoBoone Blowing Rock NC wedding photographers Pixels On Paper Lansing NC On The Windfall Outdoor Mountain Wedding PhotoBoone Blowing Rock NC wedding photographers Pixels On Paper Lansing NC On The Windfall Outdoor Mountain Wedding Photo

The reception……. oooooooooh my. The sun started to fade as the toasts were made and food was served and then the karaoke got started. It was a PAR-TAY!! So much joy, so much dancing and storytelling and singing and silliness. Meghann told us that she’d cried several times while planning the ceremony and reception (the Good Cry; the “I love him and can’t wait to be his wife” cry) and was certain she would “be a mess.” But she said afterwards, “I can honestly say that no tears were shed that day…which is surprising. When we look at our pictures, we are laughing in so many of them – and not just with each other – it’s during every phase of the day. Mostly, I remember laughing when we read our vows. Some of it could have been nerves, but for the most part, it was hearing that we had chosen some of the very same things to say to each other without even knowing.”Boone Blowing Rock NC wedding photographers Pixels On Paper Lansing NC On The Windfall Outdoor Mountain Wedding PhotoBoone Blowing Rock NC wedding photographers Pixels On Paper Lansing NC On The Windfall Outdoor Mountain Wedding PhotoBoone Blowing Rock NC wedding photographers Pixels On Paper Lansing NC On The Windfall Outdoor Mountain Wedding Photo

We want to end this blog with quotes directly from the bride and groom about their day and their feelings about life ahead. We asked them the 3 things they want to remember about their wedding day and here’s what they said:
1 – The biggest thing I want to remember is a lesson:  Above all else, we have each other and everything is okay.
2 – Life is easier and you can relax when you put things “in your garden”.  Minor details never matter!  Smile, breathe, and LAUGH!
3 – Everybody around us worked SO hard to pull this off … doing things behind the scenes that I didn’t even know about.  Always remember to love and appreciate everything that everyone has done for you.  It may not look like a lot, but for every little bit you see, there is a lot of deep rooted effort.

Autumn portraits for ALL ~ for your albums, photo galleries, holiday gifts and as heirlooms

We gear up for Spring and the end of the school year, especially if we’re parents, along with prom preparation, graduation, spring cleaning and shedding the winter stuff. Then we gear up for Summer — vacations, travel, summer camps, weddings and family reunions. And now fall is licking at our heels and this means a lovely, but limited, time for outdoor portraits with our sweethearts, our children, family and friends. It marks the seasonal change when the sleeveless clothes are put up – like the last of summer fruits and veggies into cans – and we prepare for the turn from warmth outside to fires inside.
pixels-on-paper-child-family-fall-portrait-photographer-photoAt Pixels, we love all the seasons (or we’d live in Santa Barbara, CA …. no offense to you all out there, by the way), but fall has a different light in it and in North Carolina, it always surprises us. Whether our dear clients come to our outdoor studio in Wilkesboro, meet us on a greenway or at a park in Charlotte, in Boone near ASU, in the Asheville mountains or anywhere along the spectacular Blue Ridge Parkway, the light is different each time, just like our subjects. It’s all new again.
pixels-on-paper-child-family-fall-portrait-photographer-photopixels-on-paper-child-family-fall-portrait-photographer-photoWe anticipate that the peek color in the mountains will be October 6-18th (that’s 2 weeks and then some) and closer to the end of October will be perfect for our fans and clients in and around the Charlotte area. We have props we can include and encourage you to bring anything that makes you think of fall with family.
Photos like these make great albums, calendars (the holidays are coming!), and gifts. Schedule your date with us as soon as you can. We look forward to seeing you and photographing you in mother nature! Contact us online or call 704.641.1131 or 336-990-0080.

Summer Rooftop Wedding in Center City Charlotte

Pixels On Paper Photography Charlotte NC Wedding photography photoPixels On Paper Photography Charlotte NC Wedding photography photoPixels On Paper Photography Charlotte NC Wedding photography photoSummer is done, at least by the calendar, but we never tire of celebrating a summer event and Sherea Jones and David Johnson’s wedding was absolutely awash in summer light. They were married on the rooftop of the Holiday Inn at Center City, Charlotte on a beautiful day in June. This teacher & head football coach and his gorgeous girl gathered along with their dearest family and friends – most from out of town – to celebrate a union, tell stories and dance.
We shot their engagement photos in March of 2014, so seeing them again and watching them seal the deal surrounded by so much love was immensely satisfying.
Pixels On Paper Photography Charlotte NC Wedding photography photoPixels On Paper Photography Charlotte NC Wedding photography photoPixels On Paper Photography Charlotte NC Wedding photography photoPixels On Paper Photography Charlotte NC Wedding photography photo We’re always interested in high points from the day, naturally, and the best memories from their point of view. They told us that included in their favorites were seeing each other for the first time, dancing with friends and family (and THEY ALL DID; it was party people!!), how gorgeous the food looked and how yummy it tasted, the weather and the overall sense of happiness everyone shared. Sherea and David also shared that one of their biggest laughs came when they were discussing all the things that COULD have gone wrong, but didn’t.
Pixels On Paper Photography Charlotte NC Wedding photography photoPixels On Paper Photography Charlotte NC Wedding photography photoPixels On Paper Photography Charlotte NC Wedding photography photoPixels On Paper Photography Charlotte NC Wedding photography photoTheir day was amazing and we loved being a part of it! We have more summer wedding stories and events to share, but this continuum from engagement to the day itself was a blast!

family fall portraits – book your appointment today!

Albert Camus wrote, “Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower.”
[here is some space where you can ponder that wistfully….                                                                               ]

In North Carolina, particularly during the fall, it’s hard to take a bad photo outdoors. Everyone says it about their home state, but it’s true for us. NC is take-your-breath-away beautiful this time of year. Just ask the Chambers of Commerce and many tourist-based businesses.
At Pixels, we pride ourselves on taking photos that are well-composed and that capture the life in our subjects, both human and in mother nature. But Camus really nailed it. With every turn of your head, there is another angle of beauty, another bit of God’s magic on display. True to form, when we scheduled a family shoot last October off the Blue Ridge Parkway, this was the case. It was gorgeous out. Pixels On Paper NC Mountain Fall Outdoor Family Portrait Photographers photoThe idea for this shoot was to get pictures of Kristy Parker, her sister Lorri and their respective college-aged “babies” to give as Christmas presents for their parents. So on the weekend of an Appalachian State University football game, the sisters drove from Raleigh to Boone to meet up with us.
These guys are a happy bunch and in the crisp air, under a blue sky, they were excited to see each other, goofing and chatting between shots. Kristy confided that this would be the first picture of her with Lorri since they were children and of all of them together in many years.
Pixels On Paper NC Mountain Fall Outdoor Family Portrait Photographers photoPixels On Paper NC Mountain Fall Outdoor Family Portrait Photographers photoPixels On Paper NC Mountain Fall Outdoor Family Portrait Photographers photo

Outdoor portraits can be especially striking and memorable. And of course you get the pictures of the experience – proof that you were there!!! – to share and laugh about later.
We’re scheduling autumn sessions now and encourage you to book yours ASAP. Weekends fill up quickly and we want to make sure that we can accommodate everyone before all the leaves are brown and the sky is grey (name that tune).
Call us at 704.641.1131 or 336.990.0080 and we’ll get it on the books. 

Pixels On Paper NC Mountain Fall Outdoor Family Portrait Photographers photo

piccard fall family portraits – goodbye summer, helloooooooo autumn

McCoy/Piccard Fall Family Portraits photo

Some of us mourn when it starts creeping toward us.
“Wait, what? We just got settled in and then it was the 4th of July and now you’re telling me to change out my closet and garage?!?!” “I barely used that new floaty, those new grill tongs, that umbrella for the deck, that swimsuit and visor I got for Christmas!” “We were going to go to the beach twice!” “We were going to cook out more with the neighbors.”
Others of us crave it … we anticipate it, rubbing our hands together like we’re practicing for that first bonfire.
But like it or not, summer is rounding the corner y’all; it’s time for Autumn – capital A Autumn. Since we’re making yet another trip around the sun, and summer will return, let’s focus on the good of this coming season – the gorgeous leaves, brisk mornings, fire wood, scarves, heated car seats, football, soups and stews and snuggling with those we love.
And seriously – NO ONE wants to snuggle someone in a sweaty tank top. And if you do, no judgement, but we don’t want to hear about it.

The Piccards were ALL about the snuggling in October of 2014 when we met up and photographed them along the Blue Ridge Parkway. It started raining when we arrived, but the delay gave us time to grab lunch and bond and when the weather cleared, we were able to grab shots of this family of 4 with wet leaves beneath them and mountain fog surrounding them.

McCoy/Piccard Fall Family portraits photos

We’ve got spirit, yes we do, and boots and blue nails, HOW ‘BOUT YOU?

Pixels On Paper NC Mountain Fall Outdoor Family Portrait Photographers photo

We’ve know mom, Brandii McCoy for many years, since we’ve worked with many Charlotte, NC sports teams and Brandii is the dance and cheer coach for the Charlotte Checkers, the former NBA Bobcats, and now the Charlotte Hornets. She’s used to being in front of the camera, so we knew we’d get great shots of her and her lovely family looking pulled together. We also wanted photos of them just being themselves, relaxed and silly and goofing. During conversations, we learned that Brandii and her husband had never had formal portraits of themselves taken, so this session and our lunch with them made for a lot of fun for all of us.
The girls, Karsen and Adler, knew how to work it, by the way. Check out the crossed legs and ankles, the subtle head tilting and, of course, there was the unscripted cuteness. Pixels On Paper NC Mountain Fall Outdoor Family Portrait Photographers photo

Pixels On Paper NC Mountain Fall Outdoor Family Portrait Photographers photoPixels On Paper NC Mountain Fall Outdoor Family Portrait Photographers photoWe look forward to many Autumn shoots in 2015 and now is the time to book your fall portrait session. Pixels has openings, but they fill up quickly, especially the weekends. We’ll want to capture the best pics of you (and yours) during the height of the season. Call us at 704.641.1131 or 336.990.0080 and let’s make a plan!!