Touch-A-Truck 2019 Event Photos
Ryan and I are asked to photograph and participate in any number of projects with a purpose and we’re honored and appreciative. Then there are others that are deeply cool. This is one of those. We heard about this from a friend who started it and it’s both a fundraiser and awareness campaign. On June 1st of this year, we volunteered for and photographed North Wilkesboro’s inaugural Touch-A-Truck event.
A little back story: Dolly Parton is an icon. She’s the truth. We sort of knew that. But what you may not know is that she started the Imagination Library. This foundation organizes to distribute a free book every month to a child until the age of 5. I signed up for my son Finley when I heard about it. What a concept for kids who are not in preschool or daycare! Locally, this work is handled by the Wilkes Community Partnership for Children. The WCPC is a major advocate for early childhood development, providing education, materials, workshops, and loads of books.
News of this first event had people wondering if it could be pulled off, but folks like Matt Matthews from State Farm, the North Wilkesboro Rotary Club and a strong volunteer core pulled together to host over 900 people and children that day. A FREE day, from 10 am – 2 pm, parents and kiddos, girls and boys, climbed on every type of truck, tractor, first responder vehicle and had a free meal too. 900+! Not bad, huh?
I honestly don’t know what I love more about this event: the cute kids in their little bucket hats sitting in oversized cabs, the community all gathered in an effort to support our kids, or the sheer magnitude of vehicles that were rounded up to participate. Members of the Rotary contributed enough for everyone who attended to enjoy a hot dog and drink under a big shelter where there were more books and games and activities. One last amazingly cool thing about this event: they set aside an hour for children who are sensory sensitive and don’t like too much stimulus, noise, hubbub. Those sweeties were able to enjoy the trucks and other vehicles too. I just love that. Can you tell I’m passionate about this project?
Ryan photographed while I worked. Both boys and girls loved it – yes, girls – there was a pink firetruck! We were not paid but are passionate about being a part of this event. Looking forward to being a part of next year’s.
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.
Baby Ava is 6 months and makes a perfect woodland fairy
Mom Judy has vision. Maybe she uses Pinterest, maybe they come to her in a dream, but if you look at her maternity photo shoot you can see that this lady is not your “let’s book an hour at some studio and sit under hot lights in chairs wearing semi-happy expressions” kind of woman. She has tons of ideas. She, husband Travis and baby Ava – now 6 months – came to a spot I selected after listening to Judy’s ideas. She wanted it to be outdoors, light and airy (see the shots in her maternity session of her in nature, wading into a stream), with everyone bathed in natural elements and surroundings. I took a moment, talked to Ryan about a plan to capture it all in natural light and said, “let’s go!”
For this particular shoot, I chose a spot that reminded me of a woodland cathedral – with trees, dappled light and multiple shades of green. It is a heavenly setting. The day of, it was mercury-busting hot and the mosquitoes thought Travis was scrumptious, so we had to work hard not to melt or be chewed alive, but <dramatic sigh> we were all troopers.
From a creative photography standpoint, Ryan and I decided to try two techniques in tandem. He shot using only the natural light and I worked using our portable studio and supplementing the natural light with studio lighting equipent. You can see in some of the images slight variations in light, but the results are beautiful and our clever client mom was happy.
At the half way mark to her first birthday, Ava is adorable and a little ham. She was perfect as a newborn, is clearly comfortable in nature, but she really captured the essence of a woodland fairy at this shoot. It helps that Judy and Travis are pals of ours. Everyone was comfortable around each other and having Ava crawling and sitting up was exciting to watch. That first year is an adventure to say the least. We love these guys.
Want your portrait session in mother nature? We’ve got you.
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.
Architectural Photography for MBI Builders | Milfoil Ct Home
Another great home from MBI and we were honored to shoot it for their portfolio. Their work is amazing. This one is called The Milfoil, and the house started out as a builder spec in the Blue Ridge Mountain Club just outside Boone, NC. But people know a good thing when they see it – even in it’s beginning stages and this home was purchased mid-build and completed with the new homeowners giving their personal touches to the house. Ryan went out to photograph it in late May of this year.
The homeowners plan to use the house as a vacation home for mountain get-aways when they visit from Florida. As with many homes of this type, there are stunning mountain views through windows set in a very large vaulted ceiling. When you walk through the front door, this key feature is attention grabbing. Ryan also shot other interior images including a large master bath and master bed on the main floor and plenty of guest spaces in the lower floors, all appointed with the homeowners details. .
If you want to know more about MBI Builders, you can here. And if you need commercial or architectural photography, you know where to find us!
We love graphic design and commercial photography whether logo design, brochure design, head shot photos, architectural photography or product shots. At Pixels On Paper we pride ourselves in listening to a broad range of clients and customizing our photography and graphic design services to meet each individual request. Our skills, styles, and visions come together to be a permanent record that either reflects an identity or delivers a message that speaks to thousands. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your business needs. Email us at mail@pixelsonpaper.net or call 336.990.0080 to learn more, receive a quote or to let us know how we can put our skills to work for you.
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.
Baby Marion’s 6 month portraits
We photographed this session in Wilkesboro and Marion’s parents wanted the session to be in a natural area. We chose an Asian ornamental garden because this babys gramma had a similar garden.
The day of the photo shoot it was hot as blazes and Marion wasn’t having it.
Little brother Connor made the day fun by hamming it up and since the parents bought a package for newborn, six months and a year, it was fun to have them all together surrounding the newest family member.
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 ©2019 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Craft Bistro
Food. Glorious food. In the past, we’ve been asked by business owners to shoot images of their space, work and atmosphere. Favorites that come to mind are New Appalachia and Boondocks Brewing. We know and love the gang there and enjoyed the project. These commercial shoots are a way to mix it up for us as pro photographers. So when our dear friend Jared Yelton, the owner and chef of Craft Bistro called us to photograph the vibe and emotion of opening and running his restaurant, we immediately grabbed our gear and said yes!
Craft Bistro, located in West Jefferson, has only been open for a few months but has been doing some amazing things already.
On the day of the shoot, we were able to capture the skilled, efficient and talented team before service started, grabbing a quick group shot as well as some exteriors of the building.
Then the doors opened and the kitchen ramped up. They wanted us to get the passion behind the food as well as the great space that houses everything. The kitchen is open to guests, because Jared and his team’s view is that there is nothing to hide. Cooking, serving and eating can be a shared, communal experience.
As food would come to the “pass,” Ryan was able to grab it and do a quick shot and then it was off to the table, so the images are of actual customers’ dishes, not something set up to be the perfect shot. He loved this dynamic and organic type of shooting and capturing the “dance” in the kitchen with Jared at the helm, and the other chefs moving around getting their part of the meal ready. It all felt seamless. Photo shoots like these allow us to “feed” off the creativity and drive of our subjects, and it’s always a treat to watch people do what they are so passionate about and so great at doing.
Note: we have worked with Jared before when he was at another restaurant and really appreciate his point of view and certainly that he reached out to us for this project. That’s a rewarding feeling.
If you haven’t tried this wonderful spot, we urge you to check them out.
Craft Bistro is located at 8 E Main St., West Jefferson, NC. We wish them nothing but the greatest success as they feed our need to eat with our eyes as well as our palettes and share a completely wonderful experience with hungry guests. Go see them! You will not be disappointed.
We love graphic design and commercial photography whether logo design, brochure design, head shot photos, architectural photography or product shots. At Pixels On Paper we pride ourselves in listening to a broad range of clients and customizing our photography and graphic design services to meet each individual request. Our skills, styles, and visions come together to be a permanent record that either reflects an identity or delivers a message that speaks to thousands. We would be honored to meet with you, learn about you and your business needs. Email us at mail@pixelsonpaper.net or call 336.990.0080 to learn more, receive a quote or to let us know how we can put our skills to work for you.
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.