Posts in Category: Families
Vermeal Family photos
This lovely – and big – family contacted us prior to planning a vacation and birthday celebration for the matriarch Liz. Three generations gathered in Boomer, NC, at a gorgeous rented mountain home. Boomer is a perfect halfway point (pretty much) for this clan that is scattered up North in NY/NJ and all over the South.
Funnily enough, the Reid family from NJ rented this house around this same time last year for a large reunion and we captured those images as well. It’s a beautiful spot with amazing views, most of the time! The Vermeal’s kindly placed Pixels’ contact info in the guest book for others who might want portraits taken. They are a thoughtful bunch!
To that point, we think turn-about is fair play, so we were happy to play concierge and help Liz and her daughter Jessica. The family secretly planned a surprise celebration. We suggested caterers, florists and other services in area in addition to helping them coordinate color schemes for the photos that would look good in this setting.
Even though it was a foggy morning the day of the shoot, everyone looked wonderful, and there was a lot of laughter and levity. We know that not all families or individuals love to have their photos taken, but Ryan makes it so relaxed and fun. He created groups, and clusters of the family members, since there were multiple generations. The grandchildren range in age from 6 months to 16 years and Liz wanted to make sure she had a photo of just them.
I love the way these images turned out and know that the families are keen to have these as keepsakes. The icing was this wonderful note we received from Liz afterwards: “Ryan, thank you so much for all your patience and humor dealing with our family during the photo shoot. We thoroughly enjoyed the process and the photos look great. We are so lucky to have found you both!”
We loved being found, Liz! Thank you for letting us be a part of your special birthday gathering!
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.
Bennett family and six month old Angelina
This day felt like a family reunion and I’m so grateful for it. We’ve all had a year of struggles and regrouping with familiar faces and old stories felt so good. Ryan has a history with this wonderful family. He and baby Angelina’s grandma Ann Russo became pals while working together a couple of decades ago. Long after they became friends, Anne’s daughter Jessica was getting married and they thought of Pixels to photograph their wedding. We’ve been friends since. On this day, we took Angelina’s six month portraits with parents Jessica and Bobby and grandparents Ann and Rich Russo at the peach orchards which were gorgeously in bloom.
Angelina was born while we were all in the teeth of the pandemic and mom Jessica worried that she wouldn’t know how to socialize, but this angel has a TON of personality. She’s not shy at all. It was so fun seeing parents and grandparents mixing it up with her. It was such a beautiful day in a warm setting with people we love.
Obviously, with all of this history, this wasn’t the first time we’d photographed these guys. Check out Jessica’s maternity portraits and Angelina’s newborn 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 License All photos are ©2021 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
The Driver Family and 6 month old Astrid
Somehow, six months blew by and suddenly there we were, right back where we photographed Mom and Dad (Macy and Jesse) for their maternity session. This time, they had their daughter Astrid, a freshly minted six month old, in tow and looking adorable.
It was a REALLY COLD and windy the morning we gathered, but the views on top of the mountain were incredible and the blooms on the apple trees lent themselves to the day. Astrid is the sweetest little thing and while she didn’t appreciate the temperature, much less the views, she perked up when she could be snuggled between her adoring parents.
Often, after children enter the picture, parents will shy away from having images taken of just them as a couple. We loved that Macy and Jesse wanted some of these portraits and we encourage other parents to remember this. Before there were little versions of you, there was just you. That should be celebrated too!
It was a beautiful day with a beautiful young family in a pretty spectacular spot. I would say that is satisfying all around. We love it when families find a location that they love and return to it to mark special occasions, milestones or just because images.
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.