Posts in Category: Commercial
Chetola Sporting Reserve Shooting Club at Blue Ridge Mountain Club Blowing Rock NC architectural photography
The collaboration between Chetola Recreation Sporting Reserve and the Blue Ridge Mountain Club is a smart and fairly seamless one. “On 67 acres of rural rolling terrain, among towering pines, red maples, and mighty oaks, and surrounded by the incredible Blue Ridge vistas in the heart of the gated Blue Ridge Mountain Club, lies Chetola Sporting Reserve. The private club, open exclusively to those with annual memberships or lodging guests at Chetola Resort, features an array of outdoor sportsman activities including gun, rifle and pistol ranges, sporting clay course, 5-stand clay station, archery range, and fly fishing. All activities are led by NRA-certified instructors specialized in a particular discipline, with customized Churchill-style instruction based on each guest’s proficiencies and needs.”
What Ryan and I saw was the usual amazing work from the minds at MBI Builders. It is an absolutely gorgeous timber frame lodge for the members and guests of the Resort and Club to enjoy and perfectly situated with beautiful views and area to practice your marksmanship.
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.
Blue Ridge Mountain Club Blowing Rock NC | MBI Builders Create a Custom Home | We create the Architectural Photography
A few weeks ago, we photographed another custom built home by MBI Builders LLC at the Blue Ridge Mountain Club in Blowing Rock NC. Talk about a gorgeous place ready to be filled with memories and stories…! This home has epic views out most of the windows (the views in our images look fake, but I promise you, they aren’t), and we had an “ordered from a catalog” day to shoot. This house is situated perfectly on the lot and depending on the room you’re in, you can feel like you’re in the treetops.
Some unique aspects are not only the views, though. The craftsman style wood work and custom cabinetry are perfectly hewn. All of the counter tops and inlays in the bathrooms and showers are made from concrete and custom created by MBI. Wood, concreate, and panorama surround you in every direction. All of the elements seemed to have voices of their own.
The kitchen counter tops look like a blend of earth and sky, something you can see out any of the windows, and each room invites both a call to dream about adventure as well as a desire for comfort and rest. Once again, MBI knocked the cover off the ball and we loved being able to capture key images for their brand, their portfolio and the homeowners who will move into this wonderful space.
If you are in real estate or business and need professional shots taken of your company, staff or office space, commercial, residential building or property, please give us a call. We’d love to be the ones to help your project or property come to life.
Merlefest 2017 | 30 Years of Exhilarating Music | music festival photos by Pixels On Paper
Another Merlefest is in the books, you guys and it was epic. Hot as one of the circles of Dante’s Inferno, if you’ll permit me to put too fine a point on it <smiling>. It was epic. So much to see and so much to share. This was the 30th anniversary and our 3rd year as official photographers. We covered 26 bands, plus the 12 who performed in the annual Chris Austin Songwriter’s Competition and we each walked 15 miles over the 4 days we were there. Frankly, we loved every second of it.
As previously mentioned, the temperatures were not springy. It was always a minimum of 80+ with two of the four days posting at just below 90 degrees, because Mother Nature has an audacious sense of humor. We usually layer clothing and then put items back on in the evenings. Nope. This year, a couple of morning showers added to the humidity and we wore just what we needed. The weather wasn’t going to stop us and it did not stop 80,000 other visitors from coming to enjoy the festival atmosphere we were all basking in. God Bless water and sunscreen. 
The crowd size for this celebration of 3 decades of music and merriment was comprised of every age from infants to 80 years olds and the age range of the performers was expansive too. The youngest performer was 8 and of course there were veterans of Merlefest who’ve played every year since 1987, like Sam Bush and Peter Rowan. 
Highlights for Ryan were seeing James Taylor (who drew one of the biggest crowds) and the Avett Brothers (who also attracted the hoards) and he relished the Bass Workshop with Bob Crawford, since he’s fascinated by all things bass. (Their combined set with the Avett Brothers blew the place up.) Finally, the crowd noise as they announced that Linda Jean Stokley was the winner of the Chris Austin songwriter’s competition was a thrill. Linda Jean – of The Local Honeys – played her winning song for grateful fans. “Cigarette Trees“ is about the destruction of coal mining and is positively beautiful.
For me, the top moments were watching and listening to Sam Bush, who’s not only an incredible musician, but loves to surprise the audience with guests he brings on stage. And Sarah Jarosz is another performer that I looked forward to seeing for months. I’d listened to her streaming online, so I was jazzed to see her perform and she did not disappoint!
We both always enjoy seeing Chatham County Line, the Avett Brothers, Mandolin Orange and Scythian. This year we discovered Sierra Hull, Mountain Heart, Mipso, and The Steel Wheels. We hope to see them again next year.
Every year, we try to store up our energy and prepare to throw ourselves into Merlefest. We are fans. We were fans before becoming official photographers in 2015 and have enjoyed the experience more than we can say. It’s hot, it’s busy (we’re working from when the first eye opens until we crash late at night), it’s exhausting and it’s a blast. We come home spent but grateful and with songs, notes, riffs and phrasing in our heads to remind us. It’s one of the coolest gigs we work all year. Till 2018, Merlefest fans!
Rattle & Hum | MerleFest 2017
If you combine jangley guitars, fiddling, soulful singing, drums, stomping, brilliant songwriting, mountain inspiration and camping, you’re probably at Merlesfest. And if you’ve never been, consider making it this year.
It’s spring in the North Carolina mountains and, more specifically in Wilkesboro, where MerleFest was born. For nearly 30 years (the festival began in 1988), crowds of music lovers, players, and entertainers have gathered to listen to and contribute to the festival atmosphere. Like so many other music festivals, MerleFest is singular… the fans, the musicians, the inspirations, the talent, the views, and the overwhelming sense of family, culture and heritage.For the last couple of years, Ryan and I have been official photographers and we’re going again this year in that capacity – from April 27th – 30th. Let the preparations – and energy conservation – commence.
Merlefest: we’re looking at you, kid
It’s the MOST wonderful tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime of the year!!
Yes, Christmas is actually the title holder, but as professional photographers who love documenting events as much as celebrations and the daily lives of our clients, MerleFest is in second place. Once again, we’re going as Official Photographers and full-time music fans and we’re psyched. This is our third year to get the announcement from them that we’re going to this amazing music festival. Count down is on to one of our absolute favorite and hardest jobs of the year!
Lindsay Lou & Flatbelly (2016)
Steep Canyon Rangers (2016)
We Banjo 3 (2016)
Sarah Potenza (2016)
Emi Sunshine (2016)
Merlefest 2015 for Pixels was spectacular and we walked 12 million steps – give or take. We took some of our favorite event photos including this one of the Avett Brothers.
The Avett Brothers
2016 was even busier as Ryan and I split up visiting stages, shooting various artists and bands and then loading images. A blast! Merlefest this year runs from Thursday, April 27 to Sunday the 30th and we’re already trying to figure out how to store sleep and vitamin C (not possible) and looking forward to the crazy pace. This year will be one of the largest yet as they’re celebrating the event’s 30th year. The lineup this year is amazing. The Avett Brothers will be back, along with Scythian, the Zach Brown Band, Andy May, The Contenders, The Waybacks, the Steep Canyon Rangers and dozens of others. Get your tickets and meet us there!
Pixels on Paper photographs, engagements and weddings, brid