It’s All Liminal
Seasons, by their very nature, are liminal. We mark December 21st as the day Winter begins, and yet winter is as fluid as can be. We stay in this weird threshold for weeks when there’s a change of season. Does my body know it’s winter? Does my brain know? Is this calendar wrong? The temperatures outside during the winter are unreliable, and the impending holidays cause us to “begin winter” in our heads as early as Halloween.
The good news is, I kind of like thresholds. You’re not quite at the end of one chapter and another is starting to present itself. I’m alright with that. Does it make me feel spectacularly disorganized at times? YUP! And I’m alright with that too. I look at my To Do lists and then at my son’s curls and boundless energy and think, “I’m where I need to be right now. This other will keep for a little bit longer.”
As Ryan, Finley and I turn the fluid page between “last year” and the “new year” we want to wish each of you a feeling of peace – real peace of mind — the kind that slows your pulse and warms your insides. And I pray for each of you a sense of hope. We cannot always find it within reach, but hope sustains us, reminds us of our blessings, and keeps us moving forward – faces pointed toward the light and anxious for what will reveal itself in the liminal mist. Here’s to that in 2022: light, peace, and hope.
Minick Family Christmas Photos 2021
Another opportunity to run around downtown North Wilkesboro, play among the lights, and do it with family: YES PLEASE!
If you’ve followed this blog for more than a year, then you know that we are not only familial with the Minicks, but we’ve shot more portrait sessions with them than there is time to count. Engagement, wedding, maternity, newborn, 6-month, birthdays, family portraits outside and in our studio, we have images of Ryan and Rachel and kids Amelia and Matt that number in the thousands. This Christmas, we added more and this time, the children were the stars.
Amelia and Matt Matt hammed it up around the lights and holiday features, jumped, danced, played and chased each other. I love these joyful and more dynamic shoots during the holidays with kids. Everyone’s ready to celebrate and that’s difficult while sitting still, if you ask me.
Wishing the Minicks – and you all – THE MERRIEST OF CHRISTMASES and the most joyful holiday season.
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 newborns and families, 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 ©2021 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
York Family Christmas Photos 2021
Our holiday portrait sessions took us mostly outside this season, which gave everyone an excuse to wear their seasonal sweaters. The Yorks, whom we’ve known for a good while and photographed many times, were another family that put on their holiday duds and invited Ryan to photograph them at their home.
Mom Lindsay, Dad Mitch, sons Tate and Turner and sweet daughter Tinleigh got to show off the kids’ new tree house – BUILT BY MITCH! – and run around with the newest member of the family, weimaraner pup Allie. It made for an active and fun shoot for everyone.
And these children…. as I write I’m remembering the times before they had Tinleigh and how all three of these kids has grown so quickly. These images are going to be heirlooms we hope, because they capture such a fleeting time. Plus, I love seeing the tartan plaid, the suspenders and bow tie, the snowflakes and missing teeth. It’s all precious to a mama.
The treehouse itself is crazy-impressive, and we can imagine many fun afternoons with those kids exploring and having adventures in it. What was also memorable: the Weimaraner pup. The children are, of course, in the love with her and she let them tickle and snuggle her between and during shots. They are the cutest!!
Other photo and portrait sessions with the Yorks:
Spring in the Orchard
Christmas at Home
Tinleigh’s Newborn Portraits
Outdoor Maternity Portraits
Summer Outdoor Family Portraits
and there are many more of Tinleigh’s first year and large family gatherings. We adore this growing family and appreciate that they call on us to document their lives through the seasons and the milestones.
Merry Christmas, Yorks! Cheers to 2022!
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 newborns and families, 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 ©2021 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Andrews Family Christmas 2021 Portrait Photos
Our Christmas portrait sessions this season have been wonderful. Ryan had the pleasure of photographing the Andrews family this year. We love the Wilkesboro’s Christmas decorations and visit them as a family many times during the season. They are a perfect place to get photos.
Mom Kristen, Dad Matthew, and sons Luke and Jackson met up with Ryan and they wandered around capturing some great shots. Kids love playing in and around the lights – we know our son does, and the Andrews boys do too. It was a perfect location for their photos.
We’ve photographed this lovely family more than a few times. We photographed Jaxon’s newborn session, his six-month portraits, and one year portraits, as well as an At Home Christmas session. Watching their boys grow up is a reminder to enjoy every moment with our family. Tis the season, afterall.
Holland Family Outdoor Fall Portrait Photos
It’s THAT time of year, and I look forward to seeing those families who book us every year for their Christmas portraits. The Hollands are a beloved annual date with Pixels and, no surprise, seeing them again was a shot in the arm. Parents Kevin and Tram, son Colten, and daughters Sophia and Ava are the sweetest family and good LORD, these kids won’t stop growing up on me!!
We decided once again to photograph them on their family property. We’ve done this before with them during the autumn and it’s always a good idea. The place is gorgeous and they are relaxed there, so we just roam, laugh and snap images.
The Hollands will again be using these images for holiday cards and gifts, but they’ve also had holiday portraits taken at their home, not once, but twice and again in our decorated studio!
You’ll notice some pumpkins on the the front stoop of their cabin. They grew those on the property this year and sold them as fall and Halloween approached. They told me it was quite a harvest. I love how industrious and earthy they are. In fact, Ryan and I often share/swap stuff from our garden with the Hollands and they with us. Just another reason we love them so much. I also loved seeing their sweet pup, Pearl again. She was bred and had some pups and it was fun having them and their crazy Jack Russel energy in the mix.
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 newborns and families, 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 ©2021 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.