Posts Tagged: Pixels On Paper Photography
A Half Birthday Portrait Session | Sweet Sawyer Dean
Traci Pierce has been standing over her second son Sawyer and apparently holidng a watering can.
He’s growing fast and now at 6 month’s, he has a face that’s moving from baby to boy.
Traci wanted Sawyer’s 6 month photos to be the same as his older brother Holden’s. White cotton, simple and classic. It’s pure and sweet and I love that she wanted that simplicity. It’s a color-scheme that let’s the child shine through. Both Sawyer and his mom were crisply dressed, but gooey together. I loved this shoot!
Traci and her husband Andy have moved into a new house – as if 2 young boys wasn’t enough work. We loved being with them at Christmas for their in home session and the newness of the house was everywhere – and wonderful. A special service Pixels offers is assisting clients with rearranging and redesigning previous wall collections we created for their old home when they transition to the new one.
A few weeks ago I visited their home, took measurements and photos of all the walls where they saw their story being told and where they wanted to show off their family, and I made an inventory of all the photos we’ve printed and framed for them. Back in the office I created new wall collections using their existing photos and made suggestions of how to continue to build upon those layouts with the addition of Sawyer’s photos as well as future family portraits. The monochromatic approach makes this transition a bit easier, because bright white looks elegant in any surrounding. 
We love creating heirlooms for our clients, especially in a culture of selfies and snapshots and we certainly love it when a growing family can recalibrate a wall of photos to accommodate new siblings and new memories. The Pierces are dear to us and we’re excited that even on the busiest day, when there might be chaos in every direction, Traci and Andy can glance at the walls, see those boys in crisp white and think: “Well, THAT happened! At that time they were new and teeny and luscious and perfect.”
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.
Vendor spotlight: On the Windfall | a Perfect Outdoor Destination for Weddings
On the Windfall, located in Ashe County, North Carolina is a venue we love to photograph. When couples tell us they’ve chosen it, we look forward to seeing the spots we’re familiar with and to tramping around searching for new ones. It’s perfect for a destination wedding, with cottages for the bridal party or others, ideal fly fishing nearby, gorgeous mountain views and a reception hall that when lit at night is about as magical as it gets. (No, I do not get a kick-back for talking up this place. We just love it. It’s in our top 3 for sure.)
I was not kidding about the mountain view for weddings. It’s the very definition of spectacular.
“On the Windfall is part of the Eldreth Homestead circa 1800. The Eldreths farmed the property until the mid 1900s raising cattle, crops, and children. Some of the Eldreth descendants live in Ashe County today.” When George and Carol Ford, the current owners (some of the nicest most accommodating people you will ever meet) envisioned this place, they wanted cabin/cottage meets modern convenience for guests and they succeeded. When shooting weddings there, we see guests wandering in the nearby woods and, depending on time of year, enjoying the many shades of green or the autumn leaves. The site manages to be rustic, fantastical (think tiny white lights), homey, cool, earthy and modern.
This place is as beautiful at night as it is by day and with animals to see, views to enjoy, water to sit by and places to rest and relax, it’s the perfect spot to gather those you love around you to celebrate. We’ve shot several weddings here, including Bonnie & Amanda’s, and Meghan & Josh’s. Couples and their friends alike raved about the venue and how glad they are that they chose it.
Pixels is now booking engagement sessions and weddings for 2017 and 2018. Most brides and grooms who choose our wedding package receive their engagement session FREE. Whether you’re getting married in a church, at On the Windfall or another outdoor venue, we would love to bring our years of experience, inclusive vibe and approach to wedding photography to your celebration.
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.
a church wedding | two cultures and two families come together
Our hearts go out to the parents of brides and grooms. I think about this every time that Ryan and I shoot a wedding. God Bless the parents. They are exhilarated and stressed, proud and nervous, but mostly in love with their kids – who are no longer kids. How do you go from diapers to driving and then big decisions? How do you go from watching them choose a sport in middle school to a spouse for life? And with grace? To the parents, this must feel like it happens in 72 hours rather than a couple of decades. We honor the parents and love watching them love a celebration of their kids.
The tender moments included watching Ashley’s father place a pearl necklace around her and seeing them both in tears. The mind goes to the number of times they stood that close together as he watched her grow up and now, here she was: a bride.
While Ashley Caudill and Oscar Orozco married young (please read about their engagement to learn how they met), their wedding showed astonishing wisdom, love and faith. Prior to the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom were blindfolded and they joined hands while Oscar prayed for them. I (Misty) was the only other person in the room and it was incredibly touching. I wish that there was a recording of the words in Oscar’s prayer for them, because they were filled with humility, grace and wisdom far beyond his years. 
Both Ashley and Oscar agree that the best moment of the day was seeing each other for the first time. Neither of them could hold back crying tears of joy and reflect on those moments whenever they look back and talk about their wedding day. 
A lasso binding ceremony is part of the Orozco’s culture. A beautiful rhinestone cross lasso was placed around Ashley & Oscar by their parents symbolizing a binding unity as they prayed together and said their vows. We would love to see how the lasso will be used in future generations as an heirloom.
Another outward gesture of unity and symbol of their faith was a binding of three cords which Ashley & Oscar created and performed representing the scripture verse from Ecclesiastes 4:12 “Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
Oscar’s family is from Mexico, and they speak Spanish primarily, but it was amazing to see how these two families, two cultures and two language barriers were brought together in love. They combined elements from both into the wedding ceremony and the reception.
When asked, Ashley and Oscar said there isn’t one thing that they would change about their wedding day. The most memorable moments for them that they want to hold on to forever included performing the cross ceremony during the wedding, spending time with each other during pictures after the ceremony and of course Oscar said the vision of Ashley in her wedding dress.
Ashley and Oscar both recall laughing when seeing Oscar’s car covered in toilet paper after their reception exit.
Ashley was the couple’s wedding planner and she also hand-made all of the flowers, bouquets and center pieces, but their other vendors included:
Wedding Attire: Bridal Traditions
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Thanks Be To Calvary Baptist Church, Elkin NC
Cellist for the Ceremony: Steve Holman
Caterer: Oscar’s Father
Desserts: Kathy’s Creations in Sparta
Pixels on Paper photographs, engagements and weddings, brid
the angel in the details of your wedding
If you’re getting married in 2017, or any time for that matter, you start with the logistical planning and then little fairies of inspiration invade the whole process. I’m only sort of kidding. Ideas will come from every direction and while some of you will hire planners, you’ll be seeing great ideas everywhere and collecting them. They say that the devil is in the details, but really it’s more about having a few good people on your side to help you with working through everything.
As we book engagement sessions and weddings, we hope you’ll be thinking about where you want these taken: in a special setting, near a site or pond or vista you love. We’ve done a little bit of everything and a lot of many things and we’re in for the challenge, the haul and the laughs.
There’s the place, the people, the food and music to be worked out, but there is also the magic that will happen just because it’s your day. As wedding photographers for over a decade, we love the details … those you point out and tell us about and those we see because we’re paying attention. Is the handkerchief around your bouquet you are carrying your great-grandmothers? Were the flowers in your bouquet made from pages of favorite novels and poetry? Do all the groomsmen have on the same striped socks with team colors? Is the processional a song you listened to with your parents every summer? We love it all.
Cowboy boots, cathedral length veils, mountain destination or church, sit down dinner or buffet, summer suits or tuxes, big or small, if you have people around you to help you, people you trust and photographers who’ve gotten to know you, you’re three quarters of the way there. Most couples who book our wedding packages receive a complimentary engagement portrait session. It gives us an opportunity to get to know you, figure out your style and mojo, what makes you and your relationship special and how to help you relax “the day of” so we get the very best memories for you.We’d love to be the photographers to capture your engagement and every special detail of your wedding day. Get in touch with us and let’s start detail collecting.
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.
the party of a lifetime ~ your wedding
When was the last time you threw a party?
How many people were there? What was the occasion?
Unless you are a rock star party thrower or professional event planner (and we know plenty of both), the biggest party of your life is probably going to be your wedding.
When in your life do so many people who love you gather to celebrate you? Seriously. Think about it. And they don’t all know each other. YOU ARE THE REASON they’re there: relatives, coworkers, college buddies, favorite teachers, high school teammates, childhood besties, neighbors, your parents’ friends and new friends you’re inheriting because you’re getting married all show up to celebrate you ………… and party.
We notice unexpected meetings and connections at every single wedding we photograph. It never fails. Two or more people are seated together at the ceremony or the reception and the only context they have to connect them is you. And then stories are swapped, jokes are told and there are moments of “oh, so you are THAT Jennifer!” or “you’re the gramma who sent the box of banana bread during exams.” Your childhood babysitter sits next to your college roommate and sparks fly! Just kidding. Well,…. maybe… But the point is, this is not a rally with a cast of thousands and it’s not your retirement party 40 years from now. It’s a blow-out love fest for you and your beloved.
We’re not going to throw shade at amateurs. Your friends and family are going to take their own photos anyway. But we’ve heard the stories of regret from those who’ve let their friends “take pictures” and there’s no do-over. For the party of your life you need photographers who are experienced; who know what to look for when people cluster and when they separate; photographers who can tell which moment is going to be epic; who understand lighting regardless of location or setting; who’ve done this long enough to anticipate every single photo that you’re going to share on social media, frame and return to 25 years later.
Couples who hire us have spent time with us and we’ve focused on them, understand the vibe and theme of the wedding, know what to capture and are ready. We are getting the photos you want from your wedding, but we’re also eagle-eyed during the reception because we know what to look for and what will matter to you when you view the photos later.
There are all sorts of parties, but those with a purpose have a unique magic. Your wedding celebrates the beginning of your lives together and those who love you want to be there. Get ready, start your list and give us a call. We’d love to capture the party of a lifetime.
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.