Posts Tagged: Newborn Photography
Newborn Angelina James
She’s here and she’s here early! Meet Angelina James. Her parents Jessica and Bobby are a couple we’ve known for a while and a family we love dearly. Adding to their ranks was completely approved by everyone who knows them.
This sweet girl was born 3 weeks early, but she is a healthy baby, weighing in at 8 lbs and 11 oz. The new parents and baby came to our studio and it was an easy, fun and safe shoot.
We shot Jessie and Bobby’s maternity portraits and this couple comes to PLAY. They love outfits and themes and for Angelina’s first portraits, they did not disappoint.
Purple is one of Jessica’s favorite colors and with the various and adorable outfit changes, that color still factored in.
Dad Bobby is a lacrosse coach in Charlotte and he wanted to incorporate some gear in the images. What a stitch!! This little doll fit perfectly into the goalie stick’s netting. She was equally delicious dressed up as a little elephant (another of Bobby’s choices). This child………. what a dream!
Love this image of Angelina – the wee elephant, snuggling her “lovey” and fellow elephant.
Only newborns and their parents are being hosted in our studio at this point, due to Covid-19, and our need to follow strict protocols. We will be welcoming this crew back very soon. Jessica and Bobby bought our one year baby portrait package, so we look forward to more cute outfits, more laughs and more celebration of this sweet little girl.
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 LicenseAll photos are ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
15 Years of Pixels On Paper – Pt. 3 – And Here We Are
During the last 15 years, we have gained so much. That is perhaps my greatest understatement to date. From double-booking weddings for most summer weekends, to adding commercial and business photography, incorporating graphic design and branding services, we just kept growing.
5 years ago we were asked to be Official Photographers at MerleFest and have been there every year except 2020. We really missed that event and our fellow photogs this year, but know we’ll all be back.
In 2015, we held a BIG party to celebrate and show our gratitude to friends, family and clients. We’ve been blessed beyond measure and believe me, we know it.
We have also gained so much personally. Ryan and I became parents since our 10th Anniversary party, and Finley changed more than just our work schedules. He’s our first thought when we make big decisions in business and at home.
After Finley was born, we re-prioritized nearly everything and realized that our schedule of weddings was going to be hard to maintain. The climate was shifting to trends of do-it-yourself with your iPhone or hire a family member or non-professional to handle it, but for us it was also the sheer number of weddings we were asked to photograph.
Ryan and I were keen to be present for raising our kid. That was the deciding factor. Moving forward, we will still photograph weddings, but they are on a case-by-case basis and are few and far between. Our focus now is on family portraits, the occasional community event, newborn portraits, outdoor photography and Day in the Life documentary portrait sessions. And of course, graphic design and commercial work continue to be a staple.
Only occasionally do I wish for a crystal ball, as we call it a wrap on 15 years and prepare for the next 15. My faith leads me to work on my patience and being present for Ryan, Finley, our family and ways to be better as a human and better as a photographer. There aren’t enough words to express how amazed I am that 15 years have passed and how grateful I am for what each one has taught me. Thank you to all of you who have supported us and continue to. We’re here! It’s a weird world right now, but we’re still at it. Happy Anniversary to Pixels and
… much love to you all,
Misty & Ryan
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 LicenseAll photos are ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
15 Years of Pixels On Paper – Pt 1
It’s true. We’ve been at this professional photography thing for 15 years! Feels like we should celebrate, huh? It’s hard to know when some part of your childhood will help define not only your developing passions, but also your professional life. With hindsight being what it is, I can easily look back and say that Ryan and I were meant to open Pixels On Paper.
What we both experienced as kids was a parent who always had a camera in one hand. My mom loved photography and took courses, learned to develop from 35 mm film to prints and took the time to experiment with it when I was a girl. I remember her waking me before dawn to hike to a vista where she would photograph waterfalls, the sunrise and the views at first light. Those are such fond memories.
A tradition from Ryan’s childhood was a posed shot on the stairs on Christmas morning of him with his siblings. In the Case family, his dad was the documentary photographer and loved the tradition of getting an updated image each holiday.
In the early 2000s, Ryan and I lived in Charlotte and were active leaders with our church youth group, acting as chaperone’s and guides for activities and big trips. We also photographed everything, but with no agenda really. During a conversation with a good friend, Sandy, she mentioned that she loved our pictures and asked that we photograph her upcoming wedding.
We thought she was joking.
She wasn’t. We came home early from a youth group mission trip (our one little rolling camera bag pre-packed and in tow) to capture Sandy’s big day. Before long we were taking courses, going to conferences, and being asked to shoot more and more weddings. Suddenly, a few weddings became weddings in the double digits and we booked sessions for folks who wanted a milestone captured or a family portrait done.
Out of state conferences allowed us to travel and expand our understanding of light in new settings, hone our business skills, and learn from fellow and veteran photographers. I’m so grateful for both the theoretical and hands-on education we got during the those first 4-5 years.
It wasn’t long before we realized that Pixels really was a business and a passion that needed nurturing as we moved forward. Pixels might provide a way for us to move out into the country and be closer to family. More on that to come in part two! Meanwhile, I’m beyond nostalgic thinking about these beginnings and how far we’ve come…
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 LicenseAll photos are ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Siblings in Photography
It’s been said that a sibling is the only enemy you cannot live without. I’d like to think that I would use the case-by-case method instead of thinking that this is true across the board.
While musing recently about a possible influx of babies due to being quarantined in 2020, I reviewed so many images of children, of kids being kids, of the demure, the knuckleheads tamping down their laughter while I was shooting images, and of little cherubs (sorta) …. brothers and sisters, friends, conspirators, frenemies, … siblings.
A favorite line about siblings someone recently shared with me: They are children of the same parents, each of whom is perfectly normal until they get together. I love this and it prompted me to find other summaries and observations about siblings.
”The advantage of growing up with siblings is that you become very good at fractions.” – Robert Brault
“Half the time when brothers wrestle, it’s just an excuse to hug each other.” – James Patterson
“They say that no matter how old you become, when you are with your siblings, you revert back to childhood.” – Karen White
“A sibling is the lens through which you see your childhood.” – Ann Hood
“To the outside world, we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were, we know each other’s hearts, we share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys.” – Clara Ortega
I would like to add (as an only child) that cousins deserve to be included in this mix too. Those relationships that build and shape us are just the best.
Take the opportunity to have those relationships photographed.
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 LicenseAll photos are ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.
Baby’s First Year Portrait Packages
I’m not sure if it’s my love of photographing babies or my strong head for business, but Pixels offers a one year baby package for those who want to chronicle the first year of their child’s life.
Are you in?
I am ALWAYS.
Truth be told, the advantages are both business and personal…
There are two reasons I offer this package:
First, new moms know that they will be busy with adjusting and sleep deprivation, joy and memory-making, and allllllll the rest of it during the first year. Having scheduled professional portraits on the calendar is a gift for a new mom.
Second, it allows me to capture better and better images as the year goes on. Some of the greatest friendships, and the portraits sessions that I’m most proud of, have come from families we met when the couple was just a couple, we got to know them and then BAM!, they were expecting a baby.
Our package covers newborn portraits, a 6-month portrait session and then One Year Birthday session. Once you’re in, we can start planning. Maternity portraits can be added if you desire.
The newborns are first and they are just, … perfect.
The six-month sessions are too much fun, because these little shavers are no longer so fragile and yet malleable that we just fold them into fun gooey shapes between feedings and set changes. At 6-months, they aren’t walking, but they are sitting up and pliable and you can pull out all sorts of attractions and props and have a blast. Indoors and outdoors, forests and fields, milk baths and orchard crates, a 6 month old shines everywhere.
One full trip around the sun is worth celebrating with outdoor parties, cake smashes, props, and with bigger and more adventurous themes. This session completes the package if that is the family’s goal. At the end of the year we create a custom designed photo album that includes all the favorite photos from each session.
The one year package can be upgraded to include a maternity portrait session and often, when ladies find out they’re pregnant, they want to include this special time. I don’t know about the rest of you, but pregnant women take my breath away. Is there anything more lovely than an expectant mom? We encourage newly married couples to keep this package in mind … just in case.
If you would like to learn more about our Baby’s First Year Portrait package, please contact us. We can manage portraits of all stripes, even with social distancing and in this weird time. The first year of a baby’s life is an amazing time. Don’t miss an opportunity to capture it with professional portraits.
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 LicenseAll photos are ©2020 Pixels On Paper. Do not copy, crop, or remove watermark.