Posts in Category: Portraits
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. The 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.
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.
piccard fall family portraits – goodbye summer, helloooooooo autumn
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.
We’ve got spirit, yes we do, and boots and blue nails, HOW ‘BOUT YOU?
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. 
We 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!!
fotos de una familia amorosa que celebran su miembro más reciente (photos of a loving family celebrating their newest member) photographing newborn baby Isabelle
Spaniard Diego Velazquez painted many, many portraits in the 17th century, but Las Meninas (The Bridesmaids) may be his most famous. It’s a painting of a painting and Velazquez even painted himself painting in it. It’s smart and layered, playful and beautiful, but it’s interesting to us because it’s not a portrait of the bride – but of all the others that surround a big event. It’s about the community of family.
Now flash forward 400 years or so and Pixels gets a call from the Castillio family asking us to take photos of their precious new daughter Isabelle. You know how much we love newborn photo sessions….. the babies are so snuggly and cute (and pliable! remember we often fold them into baskets, buckets, pots, etc.), so we were ready with all of the goods in our studio to show off Isabelle’s sweetness. The Castillios place a higher value on family though, so a coterie of loving family arrived with mom Vanessa and dad Henry. In tow were big sister Jasmine, 3 grandparents and 2 uncles. Family reunion meets celebration meets new baby portrait session.
We so admire these cultural differences, all the while knowing that family is universal, regardless of continent, language, or century. It just seems easy to forget during our busy current lives until it spills happily into your studio. The entire time we were behind the camera, there was constant conversation (all in Spanish), laughing, smiling, and hugging . They never stopped and while we understood little, it was easy to see that they were two families brought together as one, celebrating their newest edition. Our studio was awash in their joy.
There is no doubt that this little bundle will be surrounded by love every day. Her portrait session ended up including many of those who will love her and have her back for the most important moments of her life. Just look up and you can see that they all have eyes for her, are already grateful for her and making plans to celebrate, protect and cherish her. The pic of Isabelle with her big sister Jasmine snuggling her and grinning really touched us. How many stories will they share? How many late night laughs will they have? How will they lift each other up, store the others secrets and make each other better?
For the millionth time, we’re grateful for the ways we get to envision and capture families and what the word family means.
Dios bendiga a las familias que rodean unos a otros con amor. (God bless families who surround each other with love.)
“I Got Rhythm” …… who could ask for anything more?
Ira Gershwin was the lyricist to his more famous brother George. THE George Gershwin of An American in Paris, Rhapsody in Blue, Porgy and Bess. They were both geniuses. But we love and remember George because he provided the music we love and know so well. Ira wrote and George played and composed on the piano.
And apparently so does Peter, … the Ledbetter’s cat.
You heard me. Feline, with a captial F-sharp. He’s got rhythm. He’s got music. He’s got incredibly tolerant and loving parents.
Peter the Cat – Piano Player Extraordinaire
So, let’s set this up. The Ledbetters are a couple we met during our November Pumpkin Patch Portraits in 2014. Their beloved pup was with them and we took a shot of the trio that they ended up using as their Thanksgiving card. Since then, their dog has passed away to that perfect world where no one follows you with a baggie or makes you wear seasonally appropriate/holiday costumes. Their highly photogenic and piano loving cat, Peter, is now making his own mark, noise, nuisance, irritation, laughter, eye-rolling, ….you get the idea.
The Ledbetters with their precious pup, Thanksgiving 2014
Peter is active during the day, but especially busy at night. The Ledbetters told us that the most interesting times are around midnight when they sit bolt upright in bed and then realize that Peter is merely inspired and on the move across the keys to try out some new ideas. Cole Porter, Elvis Costello, Beethoven, Elton John, Harry Connick, Jr., Ray Charles, Thelonious Monk – Peter loves them all. His parents often find him under the piano with his noise canceling headphones jamming out to his faves. Currently, though he’s devoted to more experimental and original compositions.
These two, like so many of us, love their pets, treat them as family, and we were happy to take photos of Peter for them in our studio, where pets are not only welcome, they can be the subject. Peter is not our first nor will he be our last family pet photographed. Visit us and find out more about the Pixels on Paper’s studios and check out our other blogs about pet portraits: Woof Session, Kristen + Dustin + Tiger, Chelsea’s Tennis Ball.
Meet Copeland Ward ~ a name you may know before too long
Many of us, in the South especially, grew up hearing, “Pretty is as pretty does.” What is on the outside is just the genetic dressing you were given, but your heart and spine, your care for others, your reactions to life’s circumstances, and your interactions with the world are ultimately what determines the manner of man or woman you are. That said, how you look really is the most important thing. It just is.
<SMILING> Just wanted to make sure you were awake.
At Pixels, we’ve created head shots for business men and women, aspiring models or actors who need a portfolio and those who shine among us and want to share that sparkle for any number of reasons or objectives. Who wouldn’t want to help someone accomplish their goals and be a part of capturing the very best sides of themselves on camera? Copeland Ward is just such a candidate. She’s a busy soon-to-be high schooler, active in gymnastics, is a competitive cheerleader and has joined the pageant scene to great success.
We invited Copeland to the Pixels studios and also coordinated professional hair and make-up for her and even planned the wardrobe. Our goal was to create a look both youthful and classic, but that would also capture Copeland as the vibrant, interesting girl she is.
It’s hard to convey everything about a person in a photo or two, but what we can do as photographers is highlight those features that make you want to meet them or know more or both. Copeland’s eyes and especially her smile invite you in and show such warmth and youth and life and hope… at least that’s what we think. She’s a jewel.
A few weeks after we took these pics, she entered the Young Miss Wilkes County pageant and won. SHE WON! She’s now preparing to compete in the Young Miss North Carolina pageant. We’re so happy to have played a part in this journey, no matter where it leads.
If you’re interested in having Pixels work with you to develop a portfolio by capturing portraits, contact us. We’d love help you!