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.
Architectural Photographs of Lake Norman home
Once again, we were proud to be brought in to capture architectural images of a recently completed house on Lake Norman. This home on Rockabill Lane was designed by the local branch of LaBella, a national company, and built by MBI. The homeowners were thrilled with MBIs work and craftsmanship and were very pleased with the finished product. You can see why in the images we took. It’s a lovely modern mountain home with all the amenities and some incredible views.
There are several unique details to the build that were new for MBI. The chain for the rafter ties together the main living space. The wine barrel sink in the lower floor half bath is clever in that space. And the 2-sided fireplace that had one side in the master bedroom and the other in the master bath is extraordinary. All of these features are amazing and suit the house perfectly.
The house sits on a quiet cove peninsula of Lake Norman in Mooresville and has more than 200 degree views of the water from the large bank of accordion doors overlooking the in-ground pool. While it is a mountain house in feel, it clearly does not lack elegance.
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.
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All photos are ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
McKenzie Goff | Senior Portraits
This lovely new graduate is McKenzie Goff and she just wrapped up high school at Wilkes Central. This time of year is heady for new graduates, because they are smack in the middle of so much transition, change, and possibility. Milestones seem to happen weekly and for McKenzie, this includes acceptance to the University of Tennessee.
The Goff family in 2012 
McKenzie at 13 years old in 2014 
We’ve been friends with and photographing the Goff family for a very long time, including capturing their Christmas card images and portraits of their two daughters – both of whom have grown into the most sensitive, beautiful and interesting young women.
We’re so excited to watch McKenzie head to Knoxville to become a full-fledged Volunteer and begin her next chapter: the nursing program! Girl: you got this and we’re rooting for 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.
Driver Family Outdoor Portrait Photos
Back to our favorite orchards we went on April 6th to photograph Mom Meghan and her daughter Paisley (nicknamed “P”). “P” got dressed UP for the occasion in purple tulle and a big floral bow and sash. The dress’s skirt alone would turn any girl green with envy. It was full and she wore it, not the other way around. The dress was a gift from friend and mother of 5 (FIVE) boys, Stacy Eldridge. Stacy is a long time client and friend of ours and made the referral to Meghan. I have to say, it is SO fun watching her with Paisley after being surrounded by and raising boys for so long. Stacey is Paisley’s biggest fan.
Meghan is a single Mom, who works two full time jobs and manages to hold down the fort and make ends meet and while filling the roles of both Mom & Dad.
I think I’m probably the biggest fan of single parents, because at the end of the day, what they are doing is what we’re all trying to do – create a healthy happy family. And this mother-daughter duo is only about a year old, but there’s no mistaking that they are a family.
Single moms blow my mind. I can only imagine their level of stress and exhaustion as they navigate everything parents navigate, but as a solo act. I really wanted this photo shoot to be about spoiling them both, so we made sure that Meghan felt beautiful, loved and supported while the divine Miss P got to run around like a princess in her own kingdom of peach blossoms. The ultimate goal though was to capture images that Meghan would treasure for the rest of her life. The results are glorious, vibrant and beautiful.
The afternoon and evening of shooting were a complete blast. Stacy and her partner Michael were on the scene to help wrangle the almost one-year-old, so there was a lot of laughter between shots. The weather was gorgeous and there was so much love in the air. This goes in my book as a favorite session and I hope to have Paisley in front of my lens often as we watch her grow into the beautiful strong woman I know she’s going to be.
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.
merlefest 2019
Another year in the books and we returned with more great memories, stats and gratitude that being Official Merlefest photographers is a part of our business profile.
At this year’s festival, Ryan and I shot approximately 30 bands and performers. We’re always amazed by the talent… never surprised, but amazed, you know? I get why there are so many television shows dedicated to singing, songwriting, finding musicians with talent and the like. They are everywhere. Each year the line up is diverse, but 2019 seemed more so than ever before. It was incredibly inspiring to see and hear bands of all different cultures, races and genres. Traditional bluegrass, Americana, Afro funk, Celtic, blues, country, Indy rock, etc.
Merlefest is a little bit like going to camp. You get there and remember the things you love about your time spent and see faces you love that you’ve missed all year. I realized how much I missed the work itself, and how much I love the crew we work with throughout the event. Seeing them only once a year feels like being cheated, but it makes it more special when we’re all together again.
For Ryan’s part, he missed the atmosphere of live music and live performances. Like me, he can get lost in the sounds on stage while capturing both performers and ambient crowd fun. He also said he missed the late night editing sessions when he and other official photogs would process and laugh and swap stories.
I also felt a bit of remorse for how “out-of-focus” I was last year while juggling being a new mom to Finley. There’s some negotiating when trying to breastfeed between photographing stages, getting the work done but then wanting to make it home to tuck the little guy in by bedtime. Whoa it was hard! This year held much less pressure and felt normal again.
And on that front: Finley is no longer content riding on my back in the carrier for 10-12 hours. He attended the fest on Thursday with Grandma KeKe. He spent the majority of his day on the playground, in the kids area sand box and playing with rocks in the VIP seating. What we became even more aware of because of this kid is just how incredibly family-friendly the fest is. With an entire kids area, activities and even stages of entertainment specifically for children, it’s a huge draw for families.
Another revelation was realizing that I was approaching an A-list performer with a pre-conceived notion only to have that perception completely changed for the better after watching, listening and meeting that artist. I love those personal shifts that come with professional growth.
For Ryan – it was about being up close and personal, on stage even with musical talents and feeding off their energy during a performance. That’s what turns him on.
Each year, the fest challenges our photography skills and takes them to a level of creativity and demand that’s unlike anything we do all year. We love how much our relationship with other photogs on the team has grown. It’s fun to be in the upload room together throughout the event comparing our work, sharing experiences, laughs, and exhaustion. It truly feels like summer camp.
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.