Outdoor Photo Shoots – It’s About Location
In my recent blog about summer photos, I mentioned that you don’t have to be getting married to plan a photo session with us during this gorgeous time of year. Although….. look at these two below. Pretty fab standing in the Church of Mother Nature. Potential outdoor shots are practically everywhere.
The Blue Ridge Parkway, The Biltmore House and Grove Park Inn in Asheville, The Piccione Vineyards in Ronda, NC, trails and fields in Blowing Rock, your own family property, camps and cabins, and any number of beaches in North or South Carolina, state parks or favorite neighborhood recreational spots make perfect destinations for a photo shoot. 
Our own portrait garden at the Pixels Studio is often the best option for those who want a beautiful outdoor shot but cannot travel too far. And honestly, we have more than a few clients who DO make a long drive to us BECAUSE they love our gardens and the relaxed feeling of the place.
Contact us about your summer adventure and if you’d like to commemorate it with photos!
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.
Summer, Summer, Summer – Great Time for Professional Photos
Every year there is the song of the summer. It gets played over and over and we make it part of that year, that season and that time. Those of us who grew up in the 80s listened to Bananarama (“Cruel Summer”), Billy Idol (“Hot in the City”), Brian Adams (“Summer of ’69”), U2 (“Indian Summer Sky”), Don Henley, Van Halen and others. The 1990s brought us DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince – or Will Smith’s “Summertime,” Len’s “Steal My Sunshine” (remember those scooters in California?), Smash Mouth and Janet Jackson. I hear summer songs this time of year everywhere, including in my head whether I want to or not. Don’t judge – you know you do too. And it makes me think of the little movies we have running in our minds. Our lives to music, with friends and family, children, engagements, new jobs, pitfalls and adventures. There’s a soundtrack and loads of mental images. This year, make sure there are some concrete images as well. Summer photos are keepsakes and we love taking them.
Ryan and I find that summer photo sessions aren’t just about weddings and engagements or Merlefest. We’re asked to capture families, children and any event that matters when the sun is high and people are gathered. Summer outdoor photos capture not only place and people, but specific aspects of where you are in life. What was going on in your family? How old are your kids? What sports or instruments are they playing? Do you have hobbies and pets you want to include? Do you take an annual trip to our part of the Carolinas every year and want to commemorate it? We find that our friends want to show off everything from their kayaks to their dogs, great grandchildren, new homes, summer vacations, gardens and just about everything else.
We’ll help you with location, should you need it and then make sure that the photos are perfect for gifts or family heirlooms.
Give us a call to book a summer session that you’ll have to remember forever. You don’t have to be getting married to want to commemorate the summer of 2017.
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.
Blue Ridge Mountain Club Blowing Rock NC | MBI Builders Create a Custom Home | We create the Architectural Photography
A few weeks ago, we photographed another custom built home by MBI Builders LLC at the Blue Ridge Mountain Club in Blowing Rock NC. Talk about a gorgeous place ready to be filled with memories and stories…! This home has epic views out most of the windows (the views in our images look fake, but I promise you, they aren’t), and we had an “ordered from a catalog” day to shoot. This house is situated perfectly on the lot and depending on the room you’re in, you can feel like you’re in the treetops.
Some unique aspects are not only the views, though. The craftsman style wood work and custom cabinetry are perfectly hewn. All of the counter tops and inlays in the bathrooms and showers are made from concrete and custom created by MBI. Wood, concreate, and panorama surround you in every direction. All of the elements seemed to have voices of their own.
The kitchen counter tops look like a blend of earth and sky, something you can see out any of the windows, and each room invites both a call to dream about adventure as well as a desire for comfort and rest. Once again, MBI knocked the cover off the ball and we loved being able to capture key images for their brand, their portfolio and the homeowners who will move into this wonderful space.
If you are in real estate or business and need professional shots taken of your company, staff or office space, commercial, residential building or property, please give us a call. We’d love to be the ones to help your project or property come to life.
Fiona and Lance’s Wedding at The Inn At Crestwood in Blowing Rock NC
The wedding, on April 22nd at The Inn at Crestwood Resort in Blowing Rock NC, between Lance and Fiona Martin was the perfect springtime event: kilt, weather, laid-back bride and all. The couple had a small and intimate gathering of friends and family from all over the country and different parts of the world, including friends from Switzerland and Scotland. Only one bridesmaid and one groomsmen were in the wedding party. Each detail was well planned, but when it came to the day, they just trusted everything to go smoothly and as planned. And it did, including the brief arrival of sunshine for a period.
Weather can be dodgy in April, so Fiona wisely chose to have the event indoors. Good thing too, because the Scottish inspired clouds were out and it did rain. Fortunately, it cleared long enough for photos. Even during the ceremony and reception though, the views from the windows were spectacular with Grandfather Mountain in the distance. They could not have chosen a more fitting spot for a groom in Scottish attire and a bride who looked like a Celtic Fairy.
Even though the couple are from South Carolina, they are serious cyclists and choose the Inn at Crestwood because of their love for the area. They’ve cycled in this area many, many times and so it was no surprise that they towed their bikes with them for their wedding weekend. The day before the ceremony, they went for a long road ride together along the Blue Ridge Parkway. But I wasn’t kidding about how serious they are as cyclists. To share their love of it with everyone, the couple gave water bottles and bicycle bottle openers as favors to guests.
Brides come in all types and temperaments, and Fiona is easily one of the most laid-back relaxed brides we have ever worked with. Her trust in all of her chosen vendors allowed everyone to be relaxed; each of us, from photographers to caterers, were able to take care of them and provide the best service. It’s refreshing when clients have complete trust in your work and don’t give you a list of specifics that sometimes hamper creativity.
Lance and Fiona shared that a few of the highlights were when Lance choked up during the ceremony, that they were able to chat with guests out on the patio before the reception started and when the dance floor flooded with ALL the guests who wanted to dance to a song by Average White Band. The reception was a real party!
Congrats to these two! We look forward to wishing them a Happy Anniversary this time next year.
If you’re interested in the vendors, Fiona and Lance chose for their wedding, have a look!
Wedding gown: London & Lace, Columbia, SC
Hair & Makeup: Beautiful Bride On Location
Wedding coordinator /planner: Vanessa Hensley at the Inn at Crestwood
Wedding and reception venue: Inn at Crestwood
Flowers: Park Place Florists, Blowing Rock, NC
DJ or band: Mountain Peak Sound
Caterer: Inn at Crestwood
Cake/deserts: Ugga Mugga Bakery
Kendra’s Outdoor Bridal portraits in a historic setting in North Wilkesboro NC
It’s wedding season, y’all. It’s wedding season, engagement portrait season, bridal portrait season …….. it’s summer! Here’s more proof: Sweet Kendra Green Bell married her beloved Nathan just last weekend on May 20th. We shot their fun engagement session at Piccione vineyard and these bridal portraits. She was as alive and glowing as the landscape and it was a pleasure to capture how radiant she was on this day.
The setting for this session was a relative’s historic 100+ year old farm and property in North Wilkesboro NC in late March of this year. Kendra loves the southern charm and old world style both outside and inside the home. And this wine and Avett Brothers lovin’ girl had the elegance to just float beautifully in the shots we took inside the house and then the boldness to stand in a cow field and outside an old grain silo for a few of the outdoor shots.
Kendra seems to the manor born, doesn’t she? She is so pretty, comfortable in herself and in this place, it was a perfect setting to get portraits of her before she became a wife. We cannot wait to show you those wedding pics in the coming 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, 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.