Posts Tagged: Pixels On Paper Photography
outdoor mountain family portraits
The Polands have 4 kids, fourteen grandkids, 2 dogs, a donkey and 2 horses. LARGE. They are spread out all over the country so capturing these photos was a one day thing and everyone in the family, pets and all, were there.We met James and Judy one night while dining outside at The New Public House in Blowing Rock and liked them immediately. We spent hours on the porch that evening sharing stories, drinking wine and enjoying each other’s company. They told us about their large family made up of their kids and grandkids and their farm just outside of Boone. The various members of the clan rarely see each other. One son is in the military and often deployed. Another son lives in Florida. The family is made up of several blended families and the only time in years that they would all be together in the same place and at the same time was a single day in between the holidays. Judy really wanted a family portrait. Who could blame her? One woman, her husband and in a mere few decades…… a cast of thousands!
In only a couple of weeks, Judy called us and gave us the ONE DAY and we were off. We love this shot of Judy and James surrounded by their fourteen grand “babies.” We found a perfect spot on their farm and all of the colorful clothes the kids wore made it work. 9 girls and 5 boys…… LORDY!! And they were so cute and funny with loads of energy.
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 babies and kids, 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.
wedding expos ~ get ready, ya’ll!!
[with the oh-so-familiar backup music] “It’s the MOST won-der-ful tiiiiiiiiime of the yeeeeeeeeear!”
Ok, actually that was Christmas and it’s over, people. Valentine’s Day is also over and we hope it went well for ya. Spring is around the corner and that means – for those of us in the business and those out there who are engaged – Wedding Season. It’s a time when brides, friends of the bride, mothers of brides, coworkers of the bride and All God’s Children are making haste to get to a bridal show or wedding expo.
Expos are where you get ideas and find the people you want to work with as you plan your wedding. At Pixels, it’s where we can show who we are and what we will do to make your day exactly what you want it to be. We love meeting brides, couples and families while visiting with favorite and new vendors. And it’s where we meet YOU. Some of our favorite clients were met at bridal and wedding expos.
We believe in cross pollination when it comes to ideas. Good ideas come from everywhere, and if you’re a photographer it could be an ad, something overheard or read. It could be a headline we saw in the airport on the cover of Outside Magazine. Seriously. You never know where your next idea will come from, so part of going to wedding expos is to get inspiration.
Pixels will be participating in the following upcoming wedding expos, displaying photos, meeting couples, and accepting clients for 2015 & 2016 wedding dates.
March 13th Wilkes Wedding Expo, Wilkesboro NC
1:00-4:00 at The John A Walker Center
$5.00 when bride registers online, $8 at the door
March 20th High South Wedding Expo, Boone NC
1:00-4:00 at Boone Shopping Mall
$8 at the door
Below is our booth at the High Country Wedding Expo in 2015. Keep an eye out for us. We’d love to meet you.
Engagement portraits – highlight reel for 2015!
Famous poet, satirist and wit Dorothy Parker once said, “creativity is a wild mind and a disciplined eye.” And to that, we say, “YEP.” Over the last 12 months, we’ve photographed many engaged couples (they weren’t just smiling at each other; he put a ring on it!) using their input, their vibe, family wishes, instinct, experience and our own wild minds and disciplined eyes.
While not every shot conveys adventure, we’ve trekked through woods, waited on the light, tried many angles, changed venues, waited on the weather… you get the idea. You’ll notice that every single one of these portraits (including Kendall and Nathan above) was taken outside – which says a lot about our clients and about us. Nature provides options that an indoor studio simply can’t. So here’s a mini highlight reel of sorts – abbreviated to be sure, but some of our faves.*
* We provided links to each couple’s engagement and wedding blogs, so that you can see more and hear their stories. It goes without saying that we love these duets and being a part of capturing their journey has been an honor and a blast!
See Kendall and Nathan’s wedding day photos.
Micala and Tyler (below). Gorgeous red hair, sunset, cowboy boots…….simply perfect. See the engagement photos and wedding pics!
Awwwww – Elisabeth and Isaac! We loved taking these pics, writing about their story and spending time with them. See more and enjoy their lovely wedding day.
Below are two of the sweetest: Sarah and Danny. Like all of these couples, they were relaxed and game for whatever we asked them to do. Here are rest of the engagement photos and wedding pics.
There’s something about the shot below that is just so tender. These two, Amber and Andy, are down-to-earth, so maybe that’s it. We literally put them in the grass and captured what exists between them – love and anticipation. We’re going to repeat ourselves, but…… we LOVE THESE GUYS. More engagement and then the wedding.
Jamie and Daniel….. our Grove Park Inn “spilled my drink” and “talked all night” couple. See more engagement photos and the amazing wedding day.
While Sharae and David’s wedding was in downtown Charlotte, we still managed to get them outside on a greenway for the engagement session. We love the textures and colors in this shot, but mostly it’s them smiling. That particular engagement shoot was hot, but fun and their glass ceiling wedding was spectacular.
And finally, there’s Whitney and Preston – our “When Harry Met Sally.” We took photos of this pair in quite a few locations for their engagement session. Love them and love their history. See more of their gorgeous wedding at Williams Farm.
Now is the time to book engagement portraits. If your best friend, sister, cousin, co-worker, brother, roommate or loved one is engaged – we’d love to be the photographers to work with them to create portraits they’ll love for the next 50 years.
a bridal portrait session in the greens of mother nature
Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
to be understood.
How grass can be nourishing in the
mouths of the lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever
in allegiance with gravity
while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch and the bonds will
never be broken….*
Bride-to-be, Kendall Shephard, reminds of us a swan a little bit. Dressed in white, gorgeous but not overdone, long, lean, elegant. She stands out, but just so, in all that green. Her fiancé, now husband Nathan Williams, works for the North Carolina Wildlife Commission and the couple spend an enviably high percentage of their time outdoors hiking, playing and exploring. We chose the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock, NC for her bridal portrait session and it made perfect sense. She was happy and completely in her element, even in a wedding gown.
Kendall shined, surrounded by shades of summer green, rippling water, moss, stone, rocks and branches. She was this perfect column of light. A classic beauty in the middle of natural beauty.
These portraits were taken in June of this year and the couple were married in August. She was just as, if not more, beautiful on that day with Nathan by her side and surrounded by her nearest and dearest, so stay tuned for the blog about the Shepherd-Williams wedding. But this day was Kendall’s and she could not have been more clear and pure and alive wandering in the woods and musing with us about her upcoming wedding.
*Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.
Let me keep company always with those who say
“Look!” and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads.
– Mary Oliver, nature poet
a mountain top wedding – filled with color, light and perfect outdoor views
Meghann and Josh know how to do it up right. Their August 2015 wedding goes down in our book of faves. Meghann told us several times that she didn’t realize everything that was going on at once or recall all of the details until she saw all of the photos we shot. That, to us, says mission accomplished. Brides and grooms plan for everything, but can’t be a part of Every Single Thing.
That’s why they hire photographers.
We loved the color palette of this wedding, we loved their families and friends and we loved the property – On The Windfall in Lansing, NC. This wedding, sports fans, was literally at the top of a mountain and guests were delivered to the site via designated 4 wheel drive vehicles. There were no other buildings around. The views in every direction were spectacular.
And we loved the million little thoughtful details. (Their wedding coordinator was Sammie Roberts of Something Perfect Wedding & Events and the attention to detail was unerring. Nice job!) When we meet with engaged couples, we advise them to put as many personal and significant details in their wedding ceremony as they can and these two went above and beyond. One example…. Meghann had small portraits of her late grandparents sewn into her bouquet.
Josh’s job centers around being outdoors and he and Meghann spend their free time outside and in the woods as much as possible. So, one of Josh’s personal touches/contributions was that he built the arbor/altar where they said their vows. The mountain-top setting took everyone’s breath away and then, topping it off, was this hand-made gift Josh made for his bride. I mean, C’MON!!!
Meghann countered his personal touch by choosing to walk/dance/strut down the aisle to Bruno Mars’ “Marry You.” Josh LOVED it, and so did everyone else. The mood was already electric and this just goosed it that much more.
Part of their ceremony included a beautiful representation of them joining their lives and they did it in form of something that will live on and grow. The couple planted a tree together using soil that they brought from each family homestead. Like the Unity Candle or the Sand Ceremony, the blending of families in this way was beautiful and touching and incredibly apt in that setting. These two are just so cool!
The reception……. oooooooooh my. The sun started to fade as the toasts were made and food was served and then the karaoke got started. It was a PAR-TAY!! So much joy, so much dancing and storytelling and singing and silliness. Meghann told us that she’d cried several times while planning the ceremony and reception (the Good Cry; the “I love him and can’t wait to be his wife” cry) and was certain she would “be a mess.” But she said afterwards, “I can honestly say that no tears were shed that day…which is surprising. When we look at our pictures, we are laughing in so many of them – and not just with each other – it’s during every phase of the day. Mostly, I remember laughing when we read our vows. Some of it could have been nerves, but for the most part, it was hearing that we had chosen some of the very same things to say to each other without even knowing.”
We want to end this blog with quotes directly from the bride and groom about their day and their feelings about life ahead. We asked them the 3 things they want to remember about their wedding day and here’s what they said:
1 – The biggest thing I want to remember is a lesson: Above all else, we have each other and everything is okay.
2 – Life is easier and you can relax when you put things “in your garden”. Minor details never matter! Smile, breathe, and LAUGH!
3 – Everybody around us worked SO hard to pull this off … doing things behind the scenes that I didn’t even know about. Always remember to love and appreciate everything that everyone has done for you. It may not look like a lot, but for every little bit you see, there is a lot of deep rooted effort.