ellis family outdoor portraits – elijah turns one

Another family we love and have been photographing since forever is the Ellis Family and they have added a member over the last year. Ashley and Kevin hired us to photograph their engagement and wedding photos and we’ve stayed in touch since. This couple is so loving and so cool and fun that we were happy to have another reason to see them when sweet Isaiah was born. We photographed his newborn pics and he was so bright-eyed and cute. The following year, the Ellis’s came back to us for family portraits on Isaiah’s first birthday.

Isaiah – One Year!

For this most recent portrait session with newest member Elijah, the Ellis’s wanted to be outdoors again, but the constant rain earlier this season caused us to reschedule this session three times. Mom Ashley joked that Elijah might turn two by the time the rain stopped. But as always, everything happens for a reason. When we finally got to photograph them, it was gorgeous out and Ashley’s Mom was visiting from out of state so she was able to be a part of the day. We all met up at a park in Statesville, NC where Ashley once played as a child.

Ellis Family Outdoor Portraits by Wilkesboro NC Photographers, Pixels On Paper Photography PhotoEllis Family Outdoor Portraits by Wilkesboro NC Photographers, Pixels On Paper Photography Photo

Like all kids, no two are alike. We’ve joked in past blogs that Isaiah, with his ties, looks like a serious businessman. Ashley calls one year old Elijah her “Wild Man” and she warned that he probably wouldn’t be as easy to photograph at this age as his older brother. The kid indeed is full of energy, excitement, curiosity and is rambunctious and always on the go. Keeping up with him was fun and we were up for it.

Ellis Family Outdoor Portraits by Wilkesboro NC Photographers, Pixels On Paper Photography Photo

This pic below cracks me up. How much would you pay to know what Elijah was thinking? He looks so suave and cute and the curls on the top of his head are just too much.

Ellis Family Outdoor Portraits by Wilkesboro NC Photographers, Pixels On Paper Photography Photo

Ellis Family Outdoor Portraits by Wilkesboro NC Photographers, Pixels On Paper Photography PhotoEllis Family Outdoor Portraits by Wilkesboro NC Photographers, Pixels On Paper Photography PhotoEllis Family Outdoor Portraits by Wilkesboro NC Photographers, Pixels On Paper Photography PhotoEllis Family Outdoor Portraits by Wilkesboro NC Photographers, Pixels On Paper Photography PhotoEllis Family Outdoor Portraits by Wilkesboro NC Photographers, Pixels On Paper Photography PhotoEllis Family Outdoor Portraits by Wilkesboro NC Photographers, Pixels On Paper Photography Photo

Ellis Family Outdoor Portraits by Wilkesboro NC Photographers, Pixels On Paper Photography Photo

“On the road of life together.”
This photo – all of these photos – give me so much joy and hope for the future. Family continues to be the institution we all turn to the most for inspiration, comfort and hope. Cheers to the Ellis’s. Keep holding together you four. Keep chasing each other around and hugging and bonding. We hope to see you again soon.


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 weddingsbrides, 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.

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All photos are ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.

baby, baby, baby ~ professional portraits of those first, sweetest moments

“The Angel that presided o’er my birth
Said, ‘Little creature, form’d of Joy and Mirth
‘Go love without the help of any Thing on Earth.'” – William Blake 

Baby, baby, babies. They are awesome, and noisy, and smell great, and then stink up a diaper. They can make you feel like you won the lottery and make you want to yank your hair out – in between naps – and feedings and trying to find your way back to normal with a new human around. There are so many important milestones in a life, but the entry of a new person is one of the biggest. We always encourage new parents to consider getting portraits made of their newborns. We know you’re tired and we know there is some effort involved, but here are some things to think about:

  1. We’re good at it. We’ve been doing this for well over a decade (nearly 2) and we have the props, places to nurse in private, a changing room…. we’re ready for you.
  2. You’ll never be able to capture these moments from the first 10 days again. When they are over, they’re over. There will be other moments, but not during these first, fresh, tender few days.
  3. You’re tired and need a hug. Let us get Little Miss or Little Mister photographed while you rest, even for a moment. If you need to feed, no problem. If you need to change him or her, no worries. If you need that hug and an understanding nod, we have those in spades. You’re not alone. We can make it fun.

“When you were born, beloved, was your soul
New made by God to match your body’s flower,
And were they both at one same percious hour
Sent forth from heaven as a perfect whole?
Or had your soul since dim creation burned,
A star in some still region of the sky,
That leaping earthward, left its place on high
And to your little new-born body yearned?
No words can tell in what celestial hour
God made your soul and gave it mortal birth,
Nor in the disarray of all the stars
Is any place so sweet that such a flower
Might linger there until thro’ heaven’s bars,
It heard God’s voice that bade it down to earth.” – Sara Teasdale
Aaron Schlinsog Newborn Photography by Pixels On Paper Portrait Photography

Anya Parry Newborn Portrait Photography photos

These little miracles will be smashing their first birthday cakes after a single trip around the sun. Then they’ll walk, if they aren’t already and talk, and start reading and you’ll find them upside down in a hamper or wanting to jump off the front porch barefooted or flushing something valuable down the throne…… and suddenly, it’s their first day of kindergarten and then senior prom.

Do yourself a favor if you are expecting and think about newborn portraits and photo shoots for your soon-to-be-born baby. If you hired Pixels for your engagement and wedding portraits, then you may have already chosen to have us capture newborn photos when the time comes. We do have a package that many of our clients have taken advantage of. Regardless, you’ll love these images. We’ve designed walls around children and family portraits and would love to do the same for you.

See this little princess wrapped in pink below? That’s Berklee. Just below her image is a recent one of her, now nearly 3 years old, with her new brother Wyatt. Pretty sweet, huh?

Pixels on Paper newborn photo of Berklee Arnold photo


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 weddingsbrides, 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.

88x31 lucy & glens valle crucis wedding photography | pixels on paper boone wedding photographers

All photos are ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.

Graphic Design for Historic brand and foundation

We focus a great deal of our excitement on the photography side of our business, but we are also a graphic design business and Ryan has close to 2 decades of experience with graphic design and branding. Some of Pixels favorite graphic design projects have been creating the branding, logo and design elements for Bridal Traditions, Fionix Consulting, and Byrds & Bees Farm – all various and interesting projects and great collaborations.

In 2013, we designed a logo for the Philip L. Van Every Foundation along with business cards, letterhead and all accompanying stationary. Yep, Philip was one of the founders of THE Lance company, known for snack crackers. [I don’t want to jump in the middle of people’s lives and long held opinions, but you’ve got to go with a Captain’s Wafer. It’s unexpectedly zesty and I’ll just leave it at that.]

We continue to handle any branding updates for the van Every Foundation, like new cards for board members and so on.

Recently, the Foundation approached us to create a sign that would contribute to the historic and family-owned Lance memorabilia wall in the corporate office conference room. We were happy to oblige.

We worked closely with the Foundation to design the sign using some historic photos of Philip on the factory floor with employees, mixed in with photos of the some of the products they manufactured. They were so happy with the results, and so were we. We talk about creating memories and heirlooms with photography, and this gave us a chance to do that creatively for our clients.

The Lance company began as a small and family-owned local business. It has grown into a nationwide brand and company that people know by name. In 2010, they merged with Snyders of Hanover and then in 2017, the company was purchased by Campbell Soup. The goal of this project was to give visitors to the Charlotte factory a glimpse of the company history and we loved being able to provide that.

If you are an entrepreneur or a medium to large company in need of branding expertise, a new logo or visual system for marketing, we would be interested in hearing your story and learning more about your business, vision and goals.


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 weddingsbrides, 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.

88x31 lucy & glens valle crucis wedding photography | pixels on paper boone wedding photographers

All photos are ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.

Perfect Outdoor Wedding, even with some rain

Timing, place, theme, palette, overall mode, multiple details………. some couples throw it all out and just let things happen. There is magic in that. There is also magic in a beautiful, thoughtful plan and that’s what couple Brooke Davis and Joey Tibbett had for their wedding. These two were guests at a wedding we photographed last year (that of Katie and Patrick Carlson) and Brooke ended up approaching us about HER wedding. We were thrilled when they decided to hire us for their big day. Seeing it all come together was a treat, because they did it up right, as they say.

Pixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoAfter our first meeting or two, we photographed their engagement portraits at Cone Manor and we could already see their sense of style and certainly their affection for each other. The wedding was absolutely amazing, though. This was the first time that we’ve shot a wedding at the Gambill Estate and it is a gorgeous venue for weddings.

Their day started off with a long, heavy downpour and even as it was letting up, there was enough rain to keep us all moving. We did our best with Brooke and her bridesmaids to stay dry and they were so lovely and such great sports. Pixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding Photo
Even though the rain stopped just before the ceremony, we were all under cover and the setting could not have been more beautiful. I mentioned their style, Brooke and Joey’s eye for symmetry, color, and details is astonishing. I’ve rarely seen a palette more elegant, clean and pulled together. One of their nephews pulled his little sister down the aisle in a custom wagon to everyone’s delight.

Pixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding Photo

Thank goodness the rain stayed away and people were able to spill out onto the grass for lawn games and chatter. It also allowed us to get great shots of the couple and their crew and everyone enjoying themselves at the reception. It was a truly beautiful day.

Pixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding Photo

Joey’s dad has a 1968 Rambler American that they wanted to drive away in, so of course we had to do photos with the car. It was as classic as the couple, the ceremony and the day.

Pixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding PhotoPixels On Paper Wedding Photographers Gambill Estate Outdoor Wedding Photo


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 weddingsbrides, 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.

88x31 lucy & glens valle crucis wedding photography | pixels on paper boone wedding photographers

All photos are ©2018 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.