Posts Tagged: studio newborn portraits

Newborn Baby Photos of Miss Astrid

Macy and Jesse are now the brand spanking new parents of a pretty spectacular little girl. Meet Sweet Astrid Jane.

If you follow this blog, you’ll remember the maternity shoot we shared of this young couple, taken what feels like yesterday, outdoors near some great views. They were excited and expectant, and Macy looked gorgeous in a blue maternity dress.

Well, she gave birth in November and is already such a loving and attentive mom. Father Jesse also impressed me with his gentleness. He’s always that way with Macy, but watching him gingerly and so quietly attend to his newborn daughter during the photo shoot was a reminder of the importance of dads as comforters and loving caregivers, not just breadwinners and protectors.

The quiet, gentle, easy nature of both mom and dad is clearly a part of their new love. Astrid was so sweet and calm and compliant. It was a wonderful portrait session, even with the social distancing and key protocols, the world fell away and we could all just revolve around this new little being.

The name Astrid, for those of you who’ve never heard it before, is a Scandinavian name that combines a “god” with “beautiful” or “fair.” This little girl is definitely a fair beauty and absolutely worshiped by her besotted parents. We’re pretty crazy about her too.


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.

Newborn Baby Gracelynn

Gracelynn is a new citizen of Planet Earth. First time parents Caitlin and Matthew Triplett brought her to our studio, along with first time grandparents – all socially distancing and crying. It’s part of the gig… taking pictures and watching happy tears. Tears are welcome, you guys, I mean it. If there was ever something to celebrate in a time of uncertainty, it’s new life.

This perfect little girl barely slept during the session, and while that can sometimes be an issue with babies who cannot get comfy easily, Gracelynn was just as eager to be cozy and camera-ready as any newborn I’ve ever seen. It didn’t matter what position I put her in, she was “thumbs up” and ready to pose.

A few months ago, I photographed the Triplett’s maternity portrait session. Grandmother Tabitha is a friend of mine and reached out to make that session happen after the family experienced several losses in a short amount of time. Gracelynn is the antidote for that pain and loss, bringing with her hope, light and joy.

These photos are going to hang in both Caitlin and Matthew’s house and Tabitha’s as well. Before we even started the shoot, we discussed wall arrangements, so I was already familiar with the rooms themselves in both houses, what they wanted, their wishes, color palettes and themes.

For Caitlyn, the gallery/collection will be made up of maternity and newborn portraits with 6 month and 1 year portraits to come.

For Grandma Tabitha’s home, we are creating an entire wall made up of images of Gracelynn, Caitlynn and Matthew, and Tabitha’s other child Zach. When we are able, we will take family portraits of everyone together. I am so looking forward to that.

I felt a calling once again during this shoot to do this type of photography. New moms need whispered prayers, encouragement and a reminder that what they are doing is right. I think we forget how anxiety-producing it is to bring home a teeny human who needs absolutely everything. Being a loving and stable presence, even during a few hours for a portrait session, or for a year of sessions, gives me the opportunity to share a little love and support. I’m grateful for this.


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.

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. 2 – The Big Move

As much as we enjoyed our chapter as a busy couple in Charlotte, running from wedding to wedding and meeting new clients, Ryan and I always wanted to live in a more rural community, be closer to family, and have a place where we could have a slower-paced life (I’ll let that sink in…. as those of you who follow us know, things have only gotten busier until recently). Our vision was of a small “Main Street” store front with a studio below and our home above it.

God had other plans and, as always, they were better than what we wanted for ourselves. We didn’t get a downtown business footprint, we found our forever home. We started looking in earnest in 2010 and by 2012 we were settled into our beautiful 160+ year old home.

And then the work began.

By this time, we were 7 years in and our once casual “hobby” was a fully formed entity. We had a brand, infrastructure, more and better equipment, schedules … we were legit ya’ll.

We transformed the house into a studio and showroom space and everywhere I turned, I found advantages, opportunities and ideas to make our business and our lives better. This took years, but it has all been worth it: the blood, sweat, tears, exhaustion and time.

I cannot say enough about how this place has enhanced our lives and made us even better at what we do. I could finally manage newborn portrait sessions the way I wanted: providing comfort, privacy, controlling the thermostat and of course the lighting and props. No more substitutions and “must” improvisation. We still improvise, but boy can I work better with all my resources around me and I love that we have spaces for clients to change outfits, relax, feed a newborn, experiment with theme, etc. We also added a vegetable garden (well, that is for us) and an Outdoor Portrait Garden – a favorite of families and perfect for first birthday cake smash portraits.

The more newborn and first year photos I took, the more I appreciated having a place like this. And we no longer relied solely on sending links to clients to preview their portraits. Brides and grooms, new parents and our growing list of commercial and business clients could come to our showroom, flop down on the sofa and see the images, discuss their options, if they needed wall treatments and frames and place their orders. It elevated us to full-fledged pros, not just amateurs schlepping our gear at the beginning of the process and laptops at the end.

This business, this home is so much more than a roof over our heads. It’s so much more than a studio space. We make memories and do life here, but it’s also a place of real creative magic. And it continues to be. I’ll share more in our third blog celebrating our 15th Anniversary in business. Keep your eyes peeled for the last installment.


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.

Newborn Atticus shines in his Grandfather’s Shadow

Atticus Ford belongs to Micala & Tyler and mom Micala shared with us that this session was particularly special because it was their “first official moment as a family of three.”

Pixels On Paper Photography Atticus Newborn Family Portrait Photo

A great deal of thought and planning went into the theme and backdrop of his session prior to his birth. Micala had a vision and Pinterest board, but her true inspiration was her grandfather, someone she’s incredibly close to. She wanted to dress Atticus in the clothes and surround him with items that would convey the man that she hopes he’ll be some day. His hat was chosen because it’s so like one that his grandfather wears. She found his outfit on Etsy and I had all the props to create the scene. Thank goodness for my love of antiquing, reading and thrifting. Between us, we pulled it all together.

Is Atticus going to be an attorney who shines the light on injustice, even when it’s not easy for him and his family? His name would certainly suggest that. Will he join the ministry and spread the gospel? Or is he a writer of fiction who illuminates the lives of the common man? These pictures make you wonder, but there is no mystery surrounding his parents’ love for him.

For additional images for their home and for giving to others, I stuck with classic neutral / earthy tones and textures to highlight his beautiful dark red hair and coordinate with his nursery. His mom thoughtfully shared their home interior and colors through photos. On the day they came to the studio, we were more than ready.

Atticus was good throughout the entire session. No crying, awake when he needed to be with great eye contact, and asleep when it was picture perfect. I kept taking pictures long after I’d gotten more than we needed.

As wedding clients, the Rash’s took advantage of our packages and received their newborn session free. We also shot their wonderful engagement session when Tyler surprised Micala with a song before proposing. This couple is really about making memories with a purpose and being present during the entire photo process. We encourage others to adopt this attitude and let a pro handle your milestone portraits … hint hint!

Atticus: we love you little man! Cannot wait to see you soon!


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.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License