Family Portraits at Thousand Oaks Park

Family portraits aren’t only for families with young children

Family portraits are an awesome idea for all families! Claire (and her adorable rescue pup Jojo) invited her parents and sister to take family portraits while they were all in town visiting, and I love how these golden hour family photos turned out!

—Sam

 
 

Daliah + Jakob: A Delightful Early Fall Engagement Session at Pope Farm Conservancy

We may not have fall colors yet, but we definitely had cozy vibes for this fall engagement session

Daliah (she/they) and Jakob (he/his) were such a joy to work with! I mean, just look at those smiles! We made the best of the unseasonably warm October weather and lack of fall colors, but still managed to get that beautiful golden hour light and cozy vibes that I love in engagement photos! We can’t wait to celebrate with them for their wedding next year!

—Sam

 
 

Mushroom's Senior Portraits at the UW Arboretum

This young adult has the best style

And the best taste in X-men characters! (I’m in agreement with Mushroom that Dazzler doesn’t get nearly enough love) It was such a joy to get to talk with them and their mom and grandma during their portrait session! Good luck with senior year, Mushroom!

—Sam

 
 

Cali + Cezanne: A Dairy-Loving Wisconsin Wedding Celebration

Cali + Cezanne got married in early september but wanted a wisconsin-based celebration with their midwest family and friends

And what a celebration it was! First though, I have to tell you the cutest thing ever, which is that before Cali (she/her) + Cezanne (they/them) starting dating, they were colleagues at work and Cali was trying to set Cezanne up with a friend. Good news for everyone then that Cali’s matchmaking efforts backfired, and instead, these two ended up together, and the rest is history!

Now onto the celebration! The wedding celebration was held at Seven Acre Dairy Company, which was absolutely the perfect venue for the festivities! The Wisconsin-themed wedding day was filled with small details that felt so homey and magical, and just wait until you see the outfit changes Cali + Cezanne had!

I am so honored that I got to celebrate with these two! Please join me in wishing them a big congratulations!!! Also, help me wish happy 90th birthday to Cali’s grandfather, who recently turned 90 and was surprised with a cake during Cali + Cezanne’s wedding celebration!

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony + Reception Venue: Seven Acre Dairy Company

Hair & Makeup: Megan Steiner (childhood friend of the bride’s)

Wedding Rings: Wwake for metal bands, and blue band for Cezanne is from Nora Kogan

Bridal Gown: Della Curve Bridal

DJ/Band: Kuhl Entertainment, Greg Morrow

Florist: daffodil*parker

Desserts: Seven Acre Dairy Company

Catering: Seven Acre Dairy Company

 
 

Marcus' Senior Portraits at Tenney Park

Tenney Park was a gorgeous setting for Marcus’ senior portraits!

I love hearing from seniors what their plans are for post-graduation (while keeping in mind that it’s actually not realistic for a 17 or 18 year old to have figured it all out by that time lol), but it’s always interesting to me where young adults see themselves headed, and when Marcus told me that he was interested in studying political science, I loved how much that meshed with his vibe for his portraits (down to the tie even)!

Help me wish Marcus good luck on his journey into senior year and all he’ll accomplish after!

—Sam

 
 

Liz + Nathanael: A Dreamy Offbeat Wedding At Lussier Family Heritage Center

who knew what one game of werewolf would lead to…

Liz + Nathanael met by chance while playing Werewolf at a gaming convention, and the rest is history! This amazingly sweet couple had a pinball machines for guests, beautiful origami cranes as favors (handmade by the bride’s brother), and true to their delightfully nerdy hearts, they even rolled for initiative with special D20s to see who was going to read their vows first!

We were overjoyed to celebrate with these two and their families, and please help us wish them a big congratulations! Enjoy the photos of their beautiful day!

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony + Reception Venue: Lussier Family Heritage Center

Officiant: James Swartout (friend of the couple)

Hair & Makeup: Soulful Artisan, Stephanie Jessup

Jewelry: Spalding Jewelry

Bridal Gown: Brides by Young

Groom Tux: Indochino

DJ: Kuhl Entertainment, Tauri Robinson

Florist: Sunborn Gardens

Desserts: The Baked Lab

Catering: Blue Plate Catering

Videographer: Dolister Films

Pinball Rentals: Craft Beer Pinball League

 
 

Family Portraits at Home

This beautiful family wanted family portraits taken before their oldest returns to college

And since family portraits aren’t just for when your kids are little, before one or more kids return to college is the perfect time to get some updated family photos! I love that this family also got to celebrate 10 years in their current house!

Enjoy these sweet family photos!

—Sam

 
 

Daphne + Ben: A Beautiful Summer Wedding in Downtown Madison

Daphne + Ben capped off 8 years together with a beautiful summer wedding day!

These two high school sweethearts have been together for 8 years now, and picked the most gorgeous summer day to get married at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in downtown Madison, WI, and celebrated their reception at the Memorial Union Terrace!

I could feel the joy radiating off of Daphne + Ben during every part of their wedding day. It was an absolute honor to celebrate with them and their friends and family. Enjoy the photos of this gorgeous wedding day!

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony Venue: St. Patrick Catholic Church

Officiant: Father Andrew

Reception Venue: Memorial Union Terrace (Great Hall)

Desserts: Sweet Perfections Bakery

 
 

2024 Magic Pride Fest

Magic Pride Fest was the event this Madison Pride Season!

I try to make Pride every year (as long as we’re not photographing a wedding that day) but holy smokes, this year’s Pride event was the most well-attended I’ve seen it! It was amazing to see so many folks living our their expressions queer joy! The event had more vendors and tents than ever this year too, and it was great to see so many familiar faces! We also got so lucky with there being some cloud cover and a little breeze, that it made for the absolute nicest day to celebrate! Enjoy the photos of this fun Madison event!

—Sam

 
 

2024 Sun Prairie Pride Fest

Sun Prairie’s Pride Fest was a celebration of queer joy

It was an honor to get to photograph the 3rd annual Sun Prairie Pride Fest this year! The event was so joyful that I was smiling from ear to ear the entire time, and not just because of the delicious watermelon popsicles that were available! Enjoy the photos of this awesome event, held at Sun Prairie West!

—Sam

 
 

Amy + Anne: A Chic Downtown Sun Prairie Wedding

THese two enjoyed a beautiful summer wedding day in Sun Prairie!

Amy + Anne’s wedding day was one year to the day from their first kiss, and what a way to celebrate in style! They meticulously planned proposals to each other after picking out rings, but neither of them was able to wait until when they had planned, which just speaks to how excited Amy + Anne were to get going on spending the rest of their lives together!

Enjoy photos from this absolutely gorgeous queer wedding day!

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Loft at 132

Officiant: Stacey Christenson (friend of brides)

Hair & Makeup: Studio XIXI

Wedding Rings: Skalitzky Jewelers

Gown: Vow'd

Suit: Indochino

DJ/Band: Kuhl Entertainment / Tauri Robinson

Florist: Sun Prairie Flowers by Hen and Chick

Catering & Desserts: Chef Dave