an orchard photo session with a young sister & brother
“Everything great that ever happened in this world happened first in somebody’s imagination.”
– Astrid Lindgren (author of Pippi Longstocking)
True. So, we ask you: What on earth was happening in her imagination when we took this photo?
Usually, we’d give our kingdom to know, but in this case, it’s counter to the mystery and fun of life.
And anyway, she’s clearly cracked the code. You can see it in her eyes and mouth.
Natalie Overby is one of our favorite subjects to shoot, because she is polite, poised, and incredibly photogenic. We hope she always has the tender passion and beauty in her that is so apparent in her photos. She has a poetic face and sensibility you pray is never interrupted by tragedy, but only enhanced by life’s nuances and adventures.
We also photographed her little brother Eli that day in our favorite orchard. His mom specifically asked that we capture his gorgeous blue eyes. Eli is a typical boy and would rather be playing in the dirt than sitting still for photos. He is charming, but restless and we couldn’t blame him. Spring… outside… sister’s there to hang with. It’s a recipe for play and soaking up sun.
“There comes a time in every rightly constructed boy’s life when he has a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure.” -Mark Twain (author of Tom Sawyer) …. And Eli is thinking about when to make a break for it…
Natalie takes great care to watch out for her little brother, but she was also incredibly present in each moment. It’s an interesting combo in such a young kid and heartening to watch. There’s a lot going on in that girl’s imagination and brain and Eli is the same.
There’s a quote that goes something like, “having a sister is like having a best friend you can’t get rid of… you know whatever you do, she’ll still be there.”
And there’s another great quote about siblings that says, “sisters and brothers just happen; we don’t get to choose them, but they become one of our most cherished relationships.” -Wes Adamson. We love our siblings, both those by blood and those found through this life and we hope that Natalie and Eli will have the same solidarity and trust, laughter and adventure, mayhem and memories that we have with ours.
Keep it up you two.
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 babies and kids, 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.
a perfect ending to a perfect romance ~ and a wedding
This is where it began. Two book lovers. Two romantics. Elizabeth and Kyle met working at a game store in college, realized they were both nuts for Dr. Who, books and each other. These two feel like family already to us and in fact their extended families do as well. We photographed their engagement portraits (a BLAST) and Elizabeth’s bridal portraits (gorgeous and romantic) and now, finally, the big day – just one month ago. It’s one for the books, for sure.
Everyone was emotional, naturally, but what we noticed most was how much unbridled love they all have for each other. Seeing Elizabeth with her parents was priceless.
Expectant groom Kyle was nervous and serene, fun with his groomsmen as was Elizabeth with her bridesmaids and bridesman. If you haven’t revisited their engagement session or her bridal portraits, there is a very cool detail in the bouquets and boutonnieres. They were all HAND-MADE with pages from each person’s favorite book. The color in the bouquets, groomsmen’s vests and elsewhere? Dr. Who “blue.”
Elizabeth and Kyle’s wedding took place at the First Baptist Church in Boone, NC and the reception was held at The Green Park Inn in Blowing Rock, NC. Family members played major roles. Sometimes this is the case, but not always. Elizabeth and Kyle included many friends from childhood and college as well.
Some memorable moments for us: Kyle saved a voice message from his recently deceased grandfather congratulating Kyle on his engagement to Elizabeth and it was played during the unity portion of their ceremony. Everyone wept, including us. A recording of Elizabeth’s deceased Godfather singing was also played. We loved their thought and attention to detail.
Another fave….. Kyle and Elizabeth’s four grandmothers were the flower girls! It was seriously one of the best ideas that I’ve seen at a wedding and the Grandmothers loved it.
When we asked about most memorable moments Kyle and Elizabeth were in lock step.
Kyle: “I cried when I first saw Elizabeth walking down the aisle. She had the biggest smile you could imagine on her face while silently mouthing to me ‘do you like it?’ in reference to the dress. It’s an image that is burned into my memory.“
Elizabeth: “My favorite moment of the ceremony was seeing Kyle waiting at the end of the aisle and watching him watching me. He never stopped looking at me and I could tell in that moment that he was sure of every decision that led us to that moment.”
Like the wedding, with tears and laughter – the pastor kept things light in all the right places – the reception was filled with levity, tears, toasts, passion, family, crazy friends and DANCING. The speeches in particular were heart-felt, fun and meant so much to the bride and groom. Elizabeth told us that she snagged one given to save in their memory book.
Kyle: “The cherry on top was having over forty people form a circle during the last song and all sing Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. It summed up the immense energy that surrounded the entirety of the event. I’m still trying to track down a video of everyone singing at the top of their lungs.”
Elizabeth: “I think my favorite moment of the reception was our first dance. We were in front of everyone, but we were really only there for each other in those few minutes. I also really enjoyed our last dance. Out of nowhere, everyone still there got in a huge circle with arms all around each other and we sang Bohemian Rhapsody together while people danced in the middle, laughed, and cried a little!!”
Elizabeth: “SNOW! Kyle had been telling everyone that he wanted it to snow, but I was keeping pretty quiet about that. I wanted it, but I was afraid to say it out loud and then be disappointed. God decided to give us our wish and I was so happy to see it in our home-away-from-home in those gorgeous mountains. So many people traveled so far to be with us! We had family that has known us all our lives, friends we just made in the past year, former teachers, friends of our parents … so many people celebrating with us … and our friend, Oscar, made it back from his year in China less than a week before. It was a wonderful surprise.”
Notice the TARDIS on her garter strap.
Dr. Who used a tardis (time machine) to get where he needed to go. Elizabeth and Kyle are well on their way, with or without one. Best wishes! We love you guys!
Kyle: “I can’t believe that we actually pulled off what we consider to be our dream wedding.”
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 babies and kids, 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.
the Grievous Angels ~ photographing a killer charlotte band
These guys use only the good notes.
If it’s your cup of tea (or whiskey) to go to a live local show, then you need to see the Grievous Angels Band. We ADORE them and were honored to photograph a performance of theirs. They’ve got some fab photos from fans and friends, but wanted a few more for promotional use and we threw our equipment in the car and sped their way. Do you like American music, vocals that range from gravelly to crazy smooth, guitars, guitars, guitars with texture, folk, rock and a confluence of talent, grace, mischief, energy and a pure force that brings you back to earth? These guys are for you, … and when we say guys, we mean guys (precisely 5) and one gal – Alicia – nicknamed “the Pistol.” Any woman who can elbow her way into that mix is a mighty thing and Alicia is mighty.The photos for this session were taken in February of this year at Summit Coffee in Davidson where they perform regularly. As with all truly good live music, the vibe was raw and fun and we loved focusing on each band member. The Grievous Angels, by the way, are Joe Ciarlante, Tim Farney, Richard McDevitt, Reid Cathcart, Jim Gamble and Alicia Akima R Driver.
Drummer (and booking agent) Jim Gamble
the lovely, the talented Tim Farney, Ladies and Gentlemen.
(left) Joe Ciarlante and Reid Cathcart and the brilliant Richard McDevitt on piano
Grinning Reid (left) completely caught up and DY-NO-MITE Joe shredding and singing on the right
Reid Cathcart
The Pistol – Alicia Akima R Driver (get OUT of the way ya’ll)
L-R: Joe, Richard and Alicia
Pixels loves photographing musicians, as you know, and would love to do so for your band, group, ensemble, trio or musical tribe. We’re looking forward to Merlefest in a mere 4 weeks.
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 babies and kids, 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.
Merlefest…. we’re going again as official photographers
…. and we. can’t. wait. Wanna go? Get your tickets! April 28 – May 1 of this year. But you can also get a sense of the fun, the musicians, the tunes and the scene from us. Below is a quick look back at the gallery of shots we captured from Merlefest 2015, including the Avett Brothers, Sam Bush, The Honeydew Drops, Front Country, Trampled by Turtles, and the venue.
The line-up for Merlefest this year looks amazing. Join us or maybe we’ll capture you in one of our shots. If you are a music festival host and in need of photographers for the event, contact us.
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 babies and kids, 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.
newborn baby boy’s portraits ~ he washes ashore to grateful & happy parents
Flynn washes ashore…
On February 2nd, 1709, British sailor Alexander Selkirk was rescued after being marooned on a desert island for 5 years. His story inspired a book most of us read as kids … or at least we know it: it’s the story of Robinson Crusoe. Real quick – young sailor, impetuous, adventurous, defied his parents and sails to Brazil and Africa and eventually is marooned on an island and completely alone. He survives, becomes skilled, grows closer to God, picks up a slave named Friday and is finally rescued. Good book, you readers out there.
What does this have to do with Flynn Alexander Lundy? Precisely nothing, except that Flynn was born on February 2nd just over 300 years later. And he’s a boy. And with a name like Flynn, he’s got adventure in him – we just feel it. 
Kathren & Nathan Lundy (Flynn’s mom and dad) are a couple we photographed for their engagement and beautiful wedding portraits. Prior to the session at our Wilkesboro studio, we asked that they send us photos of their home so we could coordinate backdrops for little Flynn. And there was the sea – in foam, in depths of green and blue and a little sailor to place among them. Their home was filled with color and matches their lively and fun personalities. We loved matching our backgrounds to their palette.
We look forward to photographing Flynn and his parents for many years to come. For now, he’s resting up and dreaming of voyages far way.
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 babies and kids, 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.