Posts in Category: Personal
Our Country – a Photographer’s Viewpoint
I’m about as interested in getting political in this blog as I am interested in unpacking every embarrassing moment I had in my 20s and walking you through each one. Not gonna happen.
But the 4th of July is tomorrow and when we aren’t perched over our grills, or swimming pools or fishing rods, or mayonnaise-based salads, or shooing children away from live fireworks, we may swap words like freedom, independence, liberty and patriotism with those close enough to listen.
In this moment of my life, I think about the word country and about all of the countries of my life that aren’t necessarily found on a map. Poet Wendell Berry wrote “The Country of Marriage” and I appreciate his metaphor. A marriage isn’t just about vows, it’s about the creation of a shared culture of how we live with our mates. Beyond the customary meaning of the word country, there are worlds I love and traffic daily and I find myself falling in love with the countries of my life: the country of motherhood, of family, of community, and the country of place – my home.
As mother to Finley, I’d have to say that parenthood is one of my favorite “places.” It’s where I wake up in the morning and lay my head at night and most of every day is spent managing our little country of Mom, Dad and Toddler. It’s governed by love, and with willpower and a lot of faith. Sometimes I’m the Mayor, but just as often, I’m whispering “Jesus take the wheel.” The land of motherhood is more than I could have ever hoped for. Reading chunky baby books, impromptu laughter, potty-training, watching Finley discover new tastes and smells and chasing his narrow rear-end all over the place. It’s grounding. It’s exhausting. Sometimes, it takes me to the ragged edge of my sanity, but truly – it’s magic.
The country of marriage has shaped me beyond words. Ryan and I are each others rock, sounding board, confessional booth, and shoulder. It’s where we test our metal as humans and where we rest when it feels like it is us against the world. That is home. Before there was Finley – there was the country of us. I’m so grateful for him and I know he is for me.
Community is absolutely a place and we know this first hand. We all thread and weave ourselves together in a community of neighbors, peers and friends and it’s alchemical. Something of substance occurs that holds us all together.
The country of work could easily be about the gear and the terrain. And I love both.
The country of work that is the best though is how intimate it can be. In those hours with clients, we form a little tribe all working toward the same goals: get the best images of the newborn, the wedding gown, the 4 generations of family, the first kiss after the I Dos. That world pops like a bath bubble when it’s over, but the memories and shared experiences last. I love that about our job as photographers.
Finally, there is what author Pearl Buck called “this good earth.” It’s not a zip code necessarily, but it’s the expanse of our home, where we point our cars when we want adventure and where we live.
I love my family. I love Ryan and our growing son, Finley. I love my parents, grandparents, cousins and in-laws and I love the people I get to work with, see out in my community and those who make my life richer and fuller. If I were to give any advice between bites of hot dog and ice cream sandwiches: celebrate what you love about our country and especially what you love about the micro-countries that fill your tank daily. Find those in your life who fit this description and thank them for being a part of your country.
Happy 4th of July.
With Love, Misty
“I give you a new command: Love one
another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By
this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one
another.”
John 13:31-35 (CSB)
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, engagements and weddings, brides, and 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 ©2019 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Our Boy – 18 month portraits
He’s dapper.
He’s thoughtful.
He’s got a lot on his mind.
He’s also our kid. And all that I can say, you guys, is that it’s getting much much harder for us to photograph our own sweet boy. He is getting faster, bored more quickly, and after hearing Mama or Daddy say the same thing over and over he completely tunes us out. [should I stop here, so you can laugh and nod?…… ok great.]
I am a photog AND a Mama. I am a Ninja at Merlefest capturing musicians and atmosphere. And I can coax cuteness out of sleepy kids like Holden. I want to believe that like Walt Whitman said, I “contain multitudes.”
But when it was time for this shoot – with the blooms about as perfect as our Finley, I felt what every Mama feels: “what on earth am I supposed to wear?” “How do I get it all together?”
I stressed about everyone else’s outfits, lacked time to get myself ready, lathered myself up about things going according to plan and then afterwards, worried over whether we got even one good shot.
I’ve said it before but it’s worth saying again, I now have a totally different perspective and appreciation as a photographer who is also a Mom. I feel your pain.
Now that I’ve shared that … I have to say that I love these images. Ryan and I are better people because of that little ginger. We focus in a new way (no pun intended); we prioritize differently; we laugh more; listen more closely and we absolutely love more deeply. Personally, he was our game-changer. Professionally, the same is true. Perspective is everything.
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, engagements and weddings, brides, and 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 ©2019 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Grace & Love at Christmas
This season, I’ve been thinking about the ways in which I’m lucky, and there are many. Not everyone gets to be married to her best friend, have a one-year-old son who teaches her daily about the blessing of unexpected, unadulterated joy, lives in an old farmhouse she fixed up with her hubs, and has a creative job, supportive family and good health. I love my work, my clients, my family, my dog, my garden, and the views from so many windows. It’s an embarrassment of riches. We may have won the lottery, you guys. I don’t need a number on a bank statement to tell me that.
The sin would be to look in away in ambition for something that is not in God’s plan. The sin would be to take it for granted. I want to sit with my blessings. I want to look to the heavens in gratitude and whisper “thank you.” Yes, I get tired and grumpy and impatient and find aspects of life confusing and disappointing, but right now, I’m feeling the overflow of grace.
There are military service men and women who will not be home for the holidays. There are people around us who’ve lost someone they loved recently and wonder if they will ever be the same. There are others who lost someone years ago during this time of year and are revisiting and re-experiencing that annual pain. Some of our brothers and sisters are not employed and they are scared. Some are trying to remain hopeful during a transition in life that is secretly freaking them out. People are fragile and the holidays are filled with so much joy, that it breaks my heart to think that the overflow doesn’t cover everyone. But we all know that it doesn’t.
It is not my job or in my disposition to give advice, admonish or preach, so let me just say this: We all need more of the daily type of grace. Grace in life, the grace of God, is free. If you have and know it, take a minute – take a day – take a season to practice gratitude to the one who made ya.
But try to remember to show grace to others. Forgive the nonsense that is otherwise infuriating. Take the high road. It’s usually not crowded up there.
My wish for the rest of this season and for all of 2019 – as we set new goals, seek love, and the rewards of our professional labors – is for all of us to acknowledge the small graces given to us by others and to give grace every chance we get. Take a beat – act as though your mama or the child you’re modeling good behavior for – is right there next to you and decide to be the soothing hand. Be the silent force. Grace is not a standing ovation with an arena of applause. It tiptoes in, does the right thing, and then leaves without fanfare.
I want more of that!
Remembering Virginia Ruth Roberts
Today, instead of our usual blog about trends, the business of photography, our lives and beloved clients, we’re going to pause to remember a spectacular human being: Virginia Ruth Roberts. For us, this blog is truly personal, because this lady was loved by everyone.
Virginia passed away merely 4 days ago on December 6th at the age of 87 at her home. For the full obituary and some other details, you can go here.
To Ryan and me, this special lady was someone we got to know through photographing the bridal and wedding of her grand-daughter Meghann Roberts Clawson and the engagement and wedding of her grandson Preston Roberts.
Virginia was loving and inspiring and, as a former teacher – she shined and brought that bright light to shine on everyone she met. Her love of life and others was contagious, so each time we were hired to photograph these big family milestones, we relished knowing that we were going to get time with her. She really was a jewel.
When I text her family through tears and asked what I could do, they were eager to hear that I would provide photos and it was an honor to send them. I know looking at them brought me enormous joy and smiles and did her family too. She touched all of us and Ryan and I are beyond grateful that we were able to orbit around Virginia as long as we did. She wasn’t our family, per se, but she felt like she was.
We’re missing and loving you today, Virginia Ruth.
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, engagements and weddings, brides, and 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 ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Happy Thanksgiving 2018
We hope that wherever you are and whomever you’re with that you find time this Thanksgiving to remember what matters most to you and to celebrate that. Truly. Find the 2 minutes to hold the hand of someone you love, tell them how grateful you are for them and crack up together. Those moments become mental snapshots that you’ll keep until your mind goes…. during old age – or at Christmas.
KIDDDDDDDDING!
But I am serious about the first part. I love making eye contact with my mom, dad or Ryan for a second and shooting them that “I’m grateful for you” glance. It matters to show others that they matter to you.
Ryan and I are so grateful for this time of year to take a breath and put things into perspective. It has been a year of blessings – and grief – on the world stage and that is indeed a part of life. But when I think about how I want to ground myself, I do it thinking about a few of my favorite things – family, babies, laughter, nature and togetherness.
“Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year because it reminds us to give thanks and to count our blessings. Suddenly, so many things become so little when we realize how blessed and lucky we are.” – Joyce Giraud
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey
“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie
“When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect toward others.” – Dalai Lama
“Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find that you have more of it.” – Ralph Marston
“Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.” – Henry Van Dyke
“Thanksgiving isn’t just a day. It’s a way we can live our lives everyday.” – Katrina Mayer
Happy Thanksgiving, Y’all! Be safe, eat well, laugh a lot, grab some couch time and nap, and enjoy the beginning of the holiday season! Whatever you do, be grateful. We know we are.
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, engagements and weddings, brides, and 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 ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.