Posts in Category: Personal
Pixels as Official Photographers at Merlefest 2015 ~ because it’s pretty much … whoa.
Sorry. We meant WHOA.
ALL CAPS WHOA.
As in HOLY CRAP…. A DREAM COME TRUE AND WE LOVED IT.
We were chosen to be official photographers for Merlefest 2015 and it held so much more than we anticipated. We’d been to Merlefest before as music lovers and working with vendors, but this was amazing. Amazing personally and certainly professionally.
If you love The Avett Brothers as much as we do, then you’ll know why it was a blast to be taking photos on stage with them and a thrill when one of our shots made the front page.
You know how your senses can go into overload? That’s how we felt. So much to see …. so much new, established and beloved music to tune into plus we were working. So we were doing recon, figuring out the logistics of stages and the schedule, where to upload our shots, and visualizing photos to capture in short windows of time.
One of the first surreal moments happened on Thursday morning (Day 1) when we realized that we had full backstage access. While standing on the main stage behind performers warming up before the gates were opened to the public, we were further bedecked in extra badges, wrist-bands and more credentialling bling (credential-ling? … maybe not a word, but we’re going with it).
Between the two of us, we photographed 26 bands/musicians, plus took shots of the fans, the dancing masses, craftsmen and general atmosphere. And we worked 53 hours over the course of four days. On Saturday, we arrived there at 7am and didn’t see each other until after 7pm.
The turnaround time was such that our images had to be taken correctly and perfect in camera while we photographed them. There was no time for Photoshop work. 5-10 shots after each concert/band and keep moving. The pace was hectic and exhilarating.
When we weren’t uploading photos to share with the world – ours went mostly to our Instagram page with a special hashtag #pixelsonpapermerlefest – we were shooting everything else.
Check out the Honey Dewdrops and the Jason Lee McKinney Band. Both have decided to use our photos for their social media work …. yeah, yeah, yeah!
The Honeydew Drops
Colt Prince, Guitarist with Jason Lee McKinney Band
Chatham County Line shared Pixels’ images on their Instagram and Twitter pages and Front Country has been using our images on Instagram and Facebook. We are gratified and couldn’t be more proud.
Chatham County Line Band
Front Country
Finally, our crowd shot was used by many in the Twitter, Instagram and Facebook worlds, including Merlefest’s Facebook and flickr site and on HCPress.com.
Any downtime we had was with Ryan’s brother Todd in the wee hours of the morning when we could actually do a post-mortem and share photos from the day and say, “Oh, that shot!!! I wondered if I had it or not;” and “that turned out better than I thought – check it out!” We would talk and crack up. There was something about that time that was particularly important because while we were tired, we were this little tribe of 3, telling stories and trying to marshall our energy for the next day.
Don’t get us wrong, there were challenges, but there were also revelations about ourselves, our skills and our business. Challenges included the always-changing light (dark, direct-sun, shadows, spot lights), weather (rain & cold), fast action (drums, fiddle), indoor and outdoor contrasts, stage equipment (microphones, monitors, speakers are always in the way). We are agile and completely willing, but there were jumps from venue to venue, stage to stage.
Triumphs, however were equally deep.
For Ryan it was realizing that we had the right amount of everything and the right equipment to get results. We tend to be of the mind-set, if we don’t need a particular lens or piece of equipment, we don’t buy it. While many of our peers there had some very expensive equipment and more of it, we realized VERY QUICKLY that we had the goods. Literally and figuratively.
For me, it meant finding myself as 1 of 4 women in a field of 28 photographers. Unlike portrait photography, which is dominated by women, event photography is a man’s world. Yet there I was, shoulder to shoulder with the boys grabbing the shots that would be sought out by other media outlets and bands themselves. It was weird and cool and now there is no putting the genie back in the bottle for us.
We cannot wait for Merlefest 2016! C’mon y’all and join us.
Ivy Myers ~ the likeness of Garbo’s girl of “the moment” becomes the daughter of a lifetime
We showed this picture of newborn Ivy Myers to a writer friend of ours and she burst out laughing. “It’s Greta Garbo!” Beautiful, bored, tired and she wants to be [said in best German accent] alone. Ivy’s eyes, at half-mast like Garbo’s, is also glamorous and seems to crave both privacy and a nap.
Ivy however is not alone. She was very much wanted and is probably right this minute being snuggled within an inch of her life. Kim and Justin Myers, her mom and dad, had been trying to have a child for years and finally decided that they were going to be the fun aunt and uncle – relishing time with nieces and nephews and their friends’ kids. After years of praying and planning though – they now have sweet Ivy, the product of an open adoption. She is a delicious answer to prayers and a dream come true.
There’s just something about her little left hand that is hilarious …. “Oh me…. I’ve been here a mere few months and I’ve already got a fan base!”
At Pixels, we prayed during the adoption process, because Kim booked us before she was “theirs” and we knew how much they were ready for her. And then suddenly, they were parents. Creating the baby announcement cards was such a joy. Kim and Justin were now Kim, Justin and Ivy.
When it was time for Ivy’s 6 month photo session, the Myers came back to our studio in Wilkesboro, NC and Ivy had changed so much. Don’t you love it when children grow at this stage? They have those super-round Charlie Brown heads with all of their features relegated to the middle of their faces? There is all of this real estate of forehead, cheeks, chin that is perfect for smooching and snacking on. That was Ivy this past December 2014. She was also more interested in listening to Beyonce than Sesame Street tunes during the shoot. Yet another diva move!! But really, she’s more love bug than anything with her rolls and irresistible grin.
Ivy is proof that sometimes you actually do get what you want, even when the odds seem against you. Timing is impossible to control, but patience can be life-changing. At Pixels, we love these stories of how faith and a true resolve can produce unexpected rewards… like a family.
Pixels on Paper Studio construction update
You might think that just because you have not heard an update on the studio construction in a while, that we MUST be finished right? Wrong…unfortunately.
It has been a busy fall for Pixels On Paper with lots of outdoor photo shoots, mountain weddings and plenty of travel across both NC and VA. We are extremely thankful for the busy times, it just means we have to put on hold some construction at the studio. And now with the cold weather heading our way to settle in for a few months, what better time to have the shooting space ramped up and ready with the heat for some fabulous shoots!
Yes, we have had some shoots in the space already and have sets waiting on our awesome clients to swing in and help us break it in some more! Misty has done an amazing job finding the perfect pieces to put together to make sets that show our style perfectly. The sets are not your normal sets, they have a glam factor that we feel people will love with lots of sparkle and texture. They are prefect for young children, seniors, maternity and family shoots. We still love the freedom for the outdoor shoot opportunities, but if the weather decides to not cooperate, we have options now that we never had before.
What we still need to get finished on the studio side is the lobby, changing room and the consult space, all which are getting close, but not quite there with the finishing touches. We want the whole experience to be amazing from the time you walk through the front doors, to the photo shoot and even afterwards during the viewing/ordering session. We consider our clients as friends and friends deserve the best experience, and we will do that with this space more so than we could before.
These photos show the progress of our construction from June 2012 until today, November 1, 2012.
We haven’t outsourced much of the work in the grand scheme of things. But there were major components where we relied heavily on outside expertise and brought in the pros. Jeff and Josh, a team of two electricians from MECI worked for 3 solid weeks in the house bringing everything up to code and most importantly installing all the new speaker wire, computer cables and recessed lighting (which is enough that Misty’s Dad likes to say “can light up all of Wilkesboro”. Drilling and fishing wire through walls, floors and ceilings that are comprised of 1″ tongue and groove pine wood and drilling holes in original rough sawn 3″ x 7″ pine beams was no easy task.
Steve Garlock was on hand four weeks initially taking care of all the drywall repairs in the walls and ceilings where popcorn texture was removed. After Misty realized how long it would take to paint every square inch of the interior of the house by herself she had Steve stay on and they both tackled the painting together. Without Steve we would still be painting. In the time it took Steve to trim an entire room Misty had done a closet. He is crazy good and fast.
Chris and Red of Blanton Tree Works were outside for 3 days trimming and trying to bring about healthy growth to our huge 150+ year old Ash trees. Not one limb even touched the house or caused damage despite the precarious positions they were hanging in. And the best news is that the trees are still doing well and dropping much fewer limbs.
We decided when we bought the house that the existing upstairs carpet was nasty and had to come out and we would love hardwoods to go in its place. After searching we found a great deal on some walnut hardwoods (Thanks Ronnie at Munday Hardwoods!!) that has amazing color and character, exactly what we were looking for! What we did after we found it, was think that we could install it ourselves. And we did… and in the process, both of us found a whole new respect for people who install flooring for a living. It took us over a week (8 loooong days) of torture to get the flooring in all 1,100 square feet of it. Not that I was counting, but thats 8,371 staples 2″ long fired to hold the flooring down. Neither of us could have imgined the pain we would have at the end of the day; backs ached, hands pounded with pain, and knees refused to work like they should. Aleve and ibuprofen and tylenol all worked to help us make it the next morning to go through it again. It took our bodies a solid 2 weeks after the work just to recover.
Which brings us to Kenny and Craig Mathis of Mathis Hardwoods. Apparently in this part of the state there is no one better at hardwood flooring. The previous owners of the house informed us about Kenny and Craig having had worked on the floors in the early 90s. We decided to bring them back since obviously they knew what they were doing the last time. The floor downstairs in the original rooms are partly quarter sawn oak probably from the 1910s. In the dining room, added in the 20s, were Heart Pine floors and in the kitchen, added who knows when, were 6 different layers of flooring about 5 inches thick with the last being linoleum. We wanted to keep the integrity of the oldest hardwoods downstairs, get rid of their yellowed coloring and sun-bleached spots, loose the weird transitions between rooms, and have the floors match throughout the entire downstairs. Simple right? That’s why we called in the Mathis brothers. 3 weeks of sanding, installing more oak, sanding, staining, coating, and more sanding. Oh yea the bonus, they are hilarious, love to pick and joke and they are great singers. Each taking turns singing gospel hymns over the noise of the sander or nailer. In the end they were indeed the best. The only problem is that they made the job look easy. Bear in mind the downstairs floors were actually finished before we tackled installing the upstairs hardwoods ourselves. We really do have a new found appreciation for the work they did.
As for the portions of the house that we will live in, we are closer to moving in than ever. The kitchen is all but done, with some lighting, a little tile work and then stocking the cabinets, and what an exciting feeling that is! We have done all of the cabinet building (Thanks IKEA!!) and appliance installation ourselves. Thanks to all of the completely square walls and floors that are flat, it was all a breeze… OK, not really (someone REALLY needs to come up with a sarcasm font…) In a house that is over 150 years old, you expect some things to have settled a bit, which makes carpentry finishes a bit of a challenge. It adds to the slow going, but in the end it is looking amazing if I say so myself. And besides, those sloped floors that we decided not to level out will make easy entertainment for Chelsea and her favorite tennis ball.
The upstairs will be our living space with bedroom, den and a home office. There are lots of things that will make the place feel more like home, but those can happen while we live there. Our personal bathroom is currently pink… yes, pink, and light pink at that. It HAS to be updated at some point to suit our style, but for now, we will live with it.
Looking back, it has been a journey that we are both not only proud of, but both completely in love with. We love the fact that so many people have helped (and are still helping) to get us to our goal, and are so thankful and feel blessed. Looking forward, we see what we are doing as an opportunity to meet more friends and to share the talents we have been given with others. Here are only a few of our friends that have driven the distance and gone out of their way to pay us a visit and see the progress.
We will keep posting updates as things progress and would love the opportunity to show the space off to anyone who has time, and even better would be to schedule a shoot of your own to see it first hand.
pixels on paper studio under construction
You may have noticed a bit of an absence from the blog for a couple weeks. It was not for lack of things going on that we have not posted, but for the exact opposite reason, tons going on. If you follow us on Twitter or FaceBook, you may have noticed that there have been loads of posts about our new studio space and the renovations under way.
So far we have done a lot of repair work to the exterior of the space, including washing from top to bottom, repairing some rotten wood and painting, lots and lots and lots of painting. It was a family effort as it took four of us to install a new 14′ support beam under the house that will soon bear the load of our new kitchen.
Now most of the work outside is on hold and we have turned our focus to the interior spaces. We have grand plans for the studio side that we cannot wait to show. The electricians are almost finished with the task of running all the new wiring we need and surround sound throughout the house. We have removed 100% of the popcorn ceiling texture so far and tore out the old kitchen to make way for an updated and more suited to us space. We still need to get the floors refinished, the walls repaired and painted and the studio and office set up, which is no small task, and will take some time with a lot of thought and effort on our part. In the mean time we wanted to give all our fans a peek at what has happened on the outside.
Ryan got to have fun in a bucket truck while using it to replace gutters on the upper roof and paint the trim on the 3rd story dormer windows.
Removed and replaced a rotten beam under one side of the porch that was also supporting the front corner of the house.
The old tongue and groove porch was in dire need of a few coats of paint before it began to rot. It will need to be painted again after construction is complete.
Our repurposed store displays hung to give the wisteria a place to grow.
One of two rotten window sills that Ryan replaced.
Water damage at the side door ended up going all the way through the sub floor. Once again Ryan’s carpentry skills were put to the test and he passed with flying colors.
The landscaping outside was in dire need of help and family have taken over that task since Misty continues to get poison ivy whenever working in it.
We continue to be amazed at all the people who are stopping in to check on us and offer encouragement. Our clients continue to be our life, and for that we are thankful. We have gained so many friends through the years, and we hope that by what we are working towards will make that number grow for years to come.
We are also thankful to our families who have put in their fair share of the work. Without their love, support and back breaking work, none of this would have been possible. Blessed beyond measure does not begin to describe how we feel. This has been God’s plan for us all along, and we are excited that we are finally able to start to see what He has prepared us for through our journey so far.
If you are able to, and are in the area on the weekends when we are there the most, give us a shout and come on by to see the journey unfolding. And thank you in advance for our patience in dealing with us as we throw ourselves into the renovation because at times we may be slow to respond due to the work going on.
Stay tuned for more progress going on in the inside.
pixels on paper to open portrait studio in wilkesboro nc
Well, the day finally arrived that we have dreamed about for several years, agonized over paper work for months and spent sleepless nights imagining. We have taken the next HUGE step for Pixels On Paper and purchased our studio space.
The idea that we wanted a large space of our own was a thought for years and we were not sure how it would happen. We spent a lot of time looking at different location options, and finally landed on Wilkesboro, NC. It was a bit of a struggle because we wanted the small town feel and atmosphere without alienating our clients in Charlotte where we got our start. We feel that being a short driving distance, only a little over an hour from Charlotte, we get the best of both worlds.
We began our search looking at Main Street options with a cool studio street level and our private residence above. After many scenarios and different options on layouts, we quickly realized that either expense or limited availability would not allow that to happen. Finding a way to avoid passing additional expenses along to our clients was a high priority.
It was after a disappointing tour of a property that we were seriously considering that led to a drive on Curtis Bridge Road past a place we had written off earlier, still sitting empty. We pulled in, walked around the outside, peered through the windows and both began to get a certain feeling and just looked at each other and knew…THIS IS IT! It was completely opposite of the ideal space we originally had in mind but yet so much more than we could have imagined. We very quickly began the purchase process on the historic farmhouse house that was built in 1854. The process consumed us, taking lots of work, causing a few tears when the process wasn’t going as expected and four months later led to to the excitement of finally receiving the keys.
Although in great shape for being 158 years old, we will be working on the space longer than originally anticipated now that weekends are consumed by wedding season. The timing is not ideal but we realize that our timing is not what God had in mind for us. There are reasons that we will see later for why we have had to struggle to achieve our dream.
And just so there is a true appreciation of all the work that will transform this beauty located at 1198 Curtis Bridge Road in Wilkesboro here are a few of the “before” photos.
For all the wonderful clients who we consider friends, family and new people we are meeting through this process, thank you! We are so blessed to be able to do a job we love and be surrounded with such supportive and loving people.
As we move forward with the space, we will try our best to keep everyone updated on the progress through our blog, Twitter and Facebook. Be sure to check back and follow our journey, or if you would like to help, we will post when we will be there working, bring a fun attitude and be a part of it all.
Again, thank you for allowing us to be a small part of your lives and for all that you do for us, it does not go unnoticed.
With much love and gratitude,
Misty and Ryan