Posts Tagged: Pixels On Paper Photography
newborn portraits, siblings in the orchard, warmth and kid pictures
In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer. – Albert Camus
There’s something about this little lamb in that hat. She could be a newborn arrival during a winter in Newfoundland, all cozy indoors, but soon to be ready for her first pair of snowshoes and later for her first real spring. She sort of embodies that phrase “long winter’s nap” and we loved scooping her up from pose to pose as she dreamed spring dreams (maybe).
The pink bonnet worn above, by the way, has been handed down over 3 generations in her family and was one of the special touches they brought with them to the session.
This little ones siblings are showcased in what looks like a spring dream – our favorite orchard – the first of April. Only a week before their little sister was born, we took these portraits of them. The family owns tons of gorgeous antique pieces of furniture and we incorporated several into the photographs of the kids. These two are so bright-eyed and photogenic; working with them was too fun.
Two weeks after the orchard session, they all returned to our studio and seeing the three of them together was truly special. They were so calm and gentle with their new sister. We can only imagine the adventures this trio is going to have in the years to come. At Pixels, we use the word gratitude often and that is not an accident. New lives, expanded families, the beginnings of marriages, milestone occasions waltz into our lives and studio every week and we are overcome with gratitude. Grateful we get a glimpse into the lives and joys of others and that we’ve been tapped to document those moments. It is an absolute blessing in so many ways.
11 years feels about right – let’s get married!*
You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness, and let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
On Marriage, by Kahil Gibran
*So you knew there had to be more….
Sarah Crisp and Danny Clampett have been together for 11 years and engaged for most of that. They are in love and committed, but never felt driven to stress themselves with planning a wedding. Instead, they focused on each other and let their love be that moving sea between them. And, more practically, planning a wedding is for wedding planners and those who really want to do it and have the time and inclination to put all of the pieces together.
Sarah and Danny are not any of these types. They just wanted to live their lives. They would begin to plan and then life’s other priorities would sneak in and hijack the momentum. But once they decided to dive in and really do it (after a decade) – it happened within months. It tumbled out!
Even though Sarah is a girlie girl (one of 4 girls in her family), she made Danny – a country boy – feel at home in a more rustic environment for their engagement portraits. We photographed them in Davidson, NC and they were, ARE, just a truly beautiful pair.
Stay tuned for their wedding pics!!
man’s man & his sweet lady hit the Little Sugar Creek Greenway in Charlotte ~ Sharae & David’s engagement portraits
“You only need one man to love you. But him to love you free like a wildfire, crazy like the moon, always like tomorrow, sudden like an inhale and overcoming like the tides.
Only one man and all of this.” – C. Joybell C.
So when Sherae Jones met David Johnson, we feel confident that she didn’t require him to read the above quote printed out and then sign it in front of a notary. Well, we’re pretty sure … she is a rather organized woman. But we feel equally confident that if she’d asked him, he would have. The guy clearly loves this girl.
Here’s how we know: Sherae booked Pixels well over a year before their wedding to capture their engagement photos. We told you she was organized. David, who is a high school teacher and head football coach, had recently been to a friend’s wedding and found the aggressive wedding photographer to be ……….. a bit much. Suffice it to say, when it was time to meet us on a hot, humid day in June of 2014, he didn’t leap from the car (cue the symphonic romantic music) and run in slow-motion toward us with his arms thrown open. It meant a lot to Sherae though, so of course, he did what real men do – he showed up.
Some of our clients are incredibly effusive and physical. Sherae and David were more contained, but their love for each other was apparent.
By the end of the shoot, David was looking around the greenway location for other possible spots and making specific requests. Sherae was excited that David ended up having fun and being engaged in the process and WE were thrilled that they were happy with the results from the shoot. We grabbed some nice pics of them in the shade, where we would stop to cool off and confab about other locations. Working with Sherae, we used some of the photos to design their Save the Date bookmarks.
These two get married in June of 2015 and we wish them only love, and that it be free like a wildfire, crazy like the moon, always like tomorrow, sudden like an inhale and overcoming like the tides for many, many years.
the McAdoo family album ~ part deux
Meet The Smalls, a.k.a the McAdoo kids – Emma (left) and Sophia. These two are siblings who would have never been sisters if their parents had not fallen in love via eHarmony. (This photo is from March of 2014!)
We had the honor of documenting Rachel and Jeremy’s wedding in November of 2012. Theirs is a wonderful love story and was featured along with our photos in Carolina Bride magazine. We’ve known the McAdoo’s for years. Rachel is a wedding planner and when she chose us to photograph their day – the ceremony at Holiday Inn in Center City Charlotte and reception at Byron’s Southend (so cool – great venue) – it meant the world to us.
You can see how Sophia has grown! And now she’s a big sister who loves the little lamb who showed up to grace all of their lives. We love this family so much and look forward to capturing more moments in their journey as the girls turn into little ladies. We know kids, well ALL OF US, change every day, but any excuse to see all 4 of their faces and hear the latest and greatest from the world of McAdoo would be fun.
Pixels on Paper photographs weddings, maternity shots, new borns, kids, family portraits, head shots and anything personal and creative. We have both indoor and outdoor studios, but also travel to favorite locations we know and love discovering new ones with clients. We’d love to hear from you!
the huffmans ~ when you actually get what you pray for
When we met with Nikki Huffman for the first time, she asked that we capture as many moments as possible of her pregnancy because she wasn’t certain that she and Chris would be parents more than this one time. They struggled to conceive, as so many couples do, but with the help of smart medicine, they found themselves pregnant, elated and eager to conspire with us. We knew the Huffman’s were expecting before many of their friends and family. They wanted Pixels to create photographs for an announcement card (both above), so we happily plotted with them.
After following and documenting Nikki and Chris through the various stages of anticipation, there she was.
It’s always amazing when a new creature joins us on this little marble, but suddenly there was Harper … the longed-for baby and new member of planet earth.
The Huffman’s participated in our full year baby package, so we got to photograph, marvel, crack up and capture them all as Harper started to grow and move beyond mushy cute to curious cute to “she’s mobile!! look OUT!” cute.
A note: It’s rare that Dad’s speak up with a request. Chris shared with me that he had seen a huge close up image of a baby’s face during one of their many doctor’s visits. He wanted an image like that of Harper to hang in their house. Because of this, we created a beautiful 24×36 canvas portrait in sepia tones that was a close up of Harper’s face when she was sleeping in Nikki’s arms. We also created a keepsake photo album that included images from all of Harpers first year sessions.
We’d be lying if we didn’t say how awesome an experience it is to photograph a peaceful sleeping newborn and then watch her grow in front of our camera lens to a one year old who’d rather run through the yard than sit still for photos.
The Nikki, Chris and Harper Story has a happy ending. It also has a new beginning. Nikki is now expecting twins.