Posts Tagged: family baby photographers

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 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

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.

Celebrating Dads | Father’s day photography

For this blog, we chatted with friends who are dads and they shared some of the things that they love most about being fathers. Seemed appropriate to go straight to the source.

Pixels On Paper Photography Finley Case 18 months orchard portrait photo

I let Ryan kick us off! “Watching Finley’s curiosity with everything he experiences, makes me see things again in a whole new light. And that excites me again about exploring things around me, even the once-mundane things we take/took for granted.”

“Watching my 3 year old develop a sense of humor and timing when trying to get a laugh is one of my favorite things. She’s been working on her dramatic pause with “this little pig went to market” that just kills me. Also when she tells us that she loves us – it is pretty amazing.”

“Watching my kids become kind, compassionate adults.”

“Always being there for them but also strong enough to carry them when they need carrying and wise enough to let them fly when they need to soar.” (His eldest just got married!!)

“What I love most about being a dad (of two young ladies) is the way my children have challenged me to communicate from a place of self awareness and honesty! That and that I LOVE hanging out with them and hearing the many ways they are sorting through life! They are just amazing.”

“Empowering your kids to discover and become who God created them to be. As a dad, you’re not a bystander. You can enable them to really figure out who they are and support that vision.”

Happy Fathers Day to ALL of the Dads out there. We appreciate you so much more than we can ever say.


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

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.

the love of parents – portraits of grace in the 21st century

Arnold family outdoor spring peach orchard photos by Pixels On Paper Portrait Photographers photoHow’s that for a grand title? Parenting has been on my mind for a minute: certainly years ago when I realized the sacrifices of my own parents, and absolutely again when becoming a parent myself with Ryan, my partner in all things.

Parenting is a full library. It contains every journal about how to do it, parenting magazines showing it in all its shades, every map of potential adventures with a child, every poem or bit of wisdom from the Kahlil Gibrans, and every scrapbook showcasing the memories of parenting. I imagine rows of volumes about life with a child – in good times and bad, on bikes, on camping trips, in boredom, during downtime, at holidays, recitals, studying, first days of school, and all the random but well-captured calamity that “just happens.” The layers of thought, work, imagination, terror and self-analysis that go into the concept of genetically forming a child and then physically raising that child, while trying to impart and protect them are frankly endless and would fill shelves – and do.

But honestly, especially these days of division and acrimony on cable news 24/7, what is most valuable to me as a new mom of a nearly one year old are the examples and illustrations of parenting with LOVE. I read and seek counsel, believe me – from the doctors and psychologists and from the Bible, but when I have nothing left to metabolize mentally, I return to simply providing love for Finley and looking to my friends, and clients, for proof of it. It’s not over-intellectualized or over-wrought, it’s easy and natural and primal and perfect.

Seeing that love through my lens is restoring me, ya’ll. Thought I’d share.

Listening. Spending time. Including them in preparing for the new baby. Picnics and time together. We’re photographing memories, but we’re also watching our friends and clients be “show up” parents. We’re watching them be present.

Parenting through showing others how to care for the least among us, including adoption dogs.

Parenting through some friendly competition.

And being the protective parents during some much needed downtime.

Anya Parry Newborn Portrait Photography photoOur time with these families gave us some insight into what we might expect with Finley, and looking back at some of the photos I’m reminded about what matters most: sticking together and showing love and grace. Starting at home.


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

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.

5 Reasons to Have Professional Portraits

We know that you guys are busy. Believe me – we’re right there with you. You have a million things to do, so a lot of those “things” end up happening quickly and less deliberately. We’re running around constantly.

Boar’s Head – the premium deli meat purveyors – have created a tagline to get us to think about how we have to thread the needle of decision making: Compromise Elsewhere. It’s a good one, huh? And, sadly or not, it’s necessary in a busy, noisy world.

“Choose your battles.” “Spend your time wisely,” etc. and it’s true. So I would like to co-opt this idea of compromising elsewhere with regard to keeping your biggest moments in life, those things that matter and will someday become the heirlooms on film and not stuck in your phone or in a cloud. For that you need professional photography and a little bit of planning.

So here are my 5 reasons why hiring a professional photographer – ie someone who is seasoned, great at it and loves it – to capture the most important moments in life.
5 – If you make the time, the results are worth it. The quality is better and Ryan and I have worked for well over a decade to make this is true.

4 – It’s more fun than you think it will be. Seriously. People make appointments thinking it’s a box to tick because they need good photos of milestone (AND YOU DO!!), but our clients come back again and again for sessions, because there is a vibe and flow and a lot of laughter. We’re easy like Sunday morning, as the song goes, and the vast majority become our dear friends. We try to make shoots fun no matter where we are or who we’re with because who wants a job that stinks? And honestly – WE DO HAVE FUN. We are real people who are married with a baby and who love music, craft beer, gardening, hockey, family, travel and capturing portraits.

3 – Proper portraits, shot by professional photographers, are of the best quality. It’s just true. Your social media “story” or travel snapshots provide a sense of a moment and some narrative, but professionals portraits do not have to be stuffy. They are real AND turn out better than something shot on the most expensive smart phone or personal point and click digital camera. Part of this is our equipment. We use only the best cameras, lens, and lighting and then the best technology for clarity, cropping, processing and retouch. And then part of it is our experience. We don’t take photos as part of a holiday. It’s how we make our living. Enough on that. You get it. The last part is our passion. We know what we’re doing, do it with the very best equipment and software and we absolutely LOVE IT.

Madelyn McGuire Family and Child Photography by Pixels On Paper Portrait Photography photo

2 – Professional portraits make amazing gifts. We’ve all seen the sort of “great, but blurry” or pixelated framed images and while the sentiment is there – the quality isn’t. If you’re going to give a gift, give a nice one. Whether it’s framed for your own home, made into calendar or used for some fun type of gift, your friends and family will appreciate it if it doesn’t look like it was created on someone’s lunch break in an alley.

The number ONE reason to have professional portraits taken is because the time will indeed pass quickly and when the moment is gone it is indeed actually gone. Kids grow up, the wedding day comes and goes, the beautiful bride goes back to her life and job or career path, the family disburses to the 4 corners of the earth and getting that minute back is just impossible.

Consider where you are in your life right now, what big events, milestones or celebrations are on the horizon during the next few months or even year and give us a call. We’d love to be the ones to create those heirlooms 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 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

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.

Our Finley James’ 6 month portraits

pixels on paper family and child portrait photographers wilkesboro nc photopixels on paper family and child portrait photographers wilkesboro nc photo

Our little man is 6 months old, has a great smile (his chin when he’s grinning is so stinking cute it cracks me up), big bright eyes and is a target-rich environment for kisses and nibbling. All the clichés of parenthood are swirling around us. You know how falling in romantic love opens up a new world of understanding when it comes to love songs? Well, just have a baby and you’ll hear yourself saying “time is flying by!” and “he’s growing so fast!” They may be tired phrases, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t true.

We took some time during the various orchard portrait sessions this season to grab some personal shots with our little man. Hat: check! Vest and dapper plaid shirt: check! Boots and sweet attitude: check! Happy parents: absolutely!pixels on paper family and child portrait photographers wilkesboro nc photopixels on paper family and child portrait photographers wilkesboro nc photopixels on paper family and child portrait photographers wilkesboro nc photopixels on paper family and child portrait photographers wilkesboro nc photoAnyone need a plumber in a bow tie? We happen to keep one on staff at all times. He’s efficient and cheeky. Sorry, not sorry for the terrible joke. To cover all our bases, we also snagged some of his six month portraits in the portrait studio.pixels on paper family and child portrait photographers wilkesboro nc photopixels on paper family and child portrait photographers wilkesboro nc photopixels on paper family and child portrait photographers wilkesboro nc photoThanks for letting us share, gush a little and show off Finley. Wait until he has his first birthday……!


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.