Kate + Ben: A Couple's Session with Kitties and Fall Colors

Kate + Ben Hadn’t Had Portraits Taken Since Their Wedding Day

And that’s not unusual for married couples, but thankfully, they did something about it, and booked a session when the fall colors were out! We started off with some quick photos of them with their kitties, and then we moved to the Arboretum for some of that late fall light!

Enjoy these photos of Kate, Ben, guest starring their kitties Simon, Bruce, and James!

-Sam

p.s. Fun Fact: Kate and I met through a mutual friend, Amanda Fincutter of Ora Photography, and all three of us have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Ethan's Senior Portraits

Senior Portraits on Willy Street

Congrats to Ethan on his last year of high school, and good luck with what’s to come next!

-Sam

Celebrating Luci's Adoption With Family Portraits

Kris, Lesley, and baby Luci at the UW Arboretum

2020 has got to be an odd year to expand your family, given the limited social interactions, and in some ways limited support that friends and extended family can offer, but Kris + Lesley made their adoption of baby Luci official this year, and wanted to be able to celebrate with family photos!

Enjoy these sweet family portraits, and congrats to Kris, Lesley, and Luci!

-Sam

Fall Family Portraits in the UW Arboretum

Who says teenagers hate family photos?

Okay, I mean, everyone says that, obviously, and most of the time it’s true, but this family has 3 teenagers (or nearly teenagers) and even if they’re just faking it really well, they always seem to have a pretty fun time during our annual fall portrait sessions, and that makes for some super fun photos! I mean, dance-offs are always fun right?

Also note that parents Erin & Dan also make time for photos of just the two of them, which I strongly encourage all parents to do during family portrait sessions!

Enjoy these fun family photos in the Arboretum!

-Sam

Fall Family Portraits and Leaf Piles!

Ah toddlers and 5 year olds… Is there anything as guaranteed as them to drive parents crazy and also make them smile? Probably not

And so it is with Alex & Kayleigh, being delightful and hilarious during our outdoor portrait session at the UW Arboretum, and also making sure that their parents and I got a great workout running around to keep up with them. My legs were very sore the day after this session!

One of my favorite things about photographing Kim, Peter, Alex, and Kayleigh, besides the adorable children of course, is Kim & Peter always take at least a little time to get some photos of just the two of them. Parents, that is so important! Just think about it next time you’re doing family photos, and I promise you won’t regret it!

Enjoy these fun family portraits, and if you’ve got any toddlers or 5 year olds at home, I hope they make you smile and give you a little break today. ;)

-Sam

Jax's Senior Portraits in the Arboretum

This is an interesting year for senior portraits, because it’s been an interesting year for seniors

Hearing Jax talk about how he and his friends spent their time in Junior year compared to this year reminds me of the struggles we’ve all had adjusting to the curveballs 2020 has thrown at us, but I’m always amazed at how adaptable young adults are. I’m hoping before senior year is over, Jax can safely get back to eating ice cream with friends over lunch. ;)

Here’s to this year’s seniors, especially Jax!

-Sam

Family Portraits on Willy Street

I got to spend time with this adorable family on Willy Street for their family portrait mini session!

Lindsey, Ben, Aisa, and I got to enjoy what might have been the last nice weekend of 2020 by popping over to Willy Street and walking around the murals and parks there for their family portrait mini session.

Check out the photos from this fun session!

-Sam

Family Portraits at Pope Farm Park

I got to photograph Char + Corey and their kids (and grandbaby!) at Pope Farm Park and we all got to enjoy the lovely late summer weather!

We photographed Char + Corey’s wedding just over five years ago and I was so happy to get to see everyone again and meet the newest addition to the family (plus significant others) at the same place where I photographed Char + Corey for their engagement portraits! Kind of a full circle kind of moment and I freaking love those. :)

Enjoy the photos and help me wish a happy belated 5 year anniversary to Char + Corey!

-Sam

Alisha + Nathaniel: An East Side Engagement Session

Wedding planning in the time of COVID can be stressful, but at least the engagement session can still be fun!

While we’re crossing our fingers and hoping for the best for Alisha + Nathaniel’s 2021 wedding date, we got to let off a little steam (or pick some up? I don’t know, it was really hot) at their engagement session over the weekend!

We hit up some favorite places on the East side of Madison for photos, like the newly renovated Garver Feed Mill, the ‘Love’ mural on the now closed Plan B, and the Zaremba mural on the side of Pig in a Fur Coat. I got to meet their adorable doggo, Laverne (I’m sincerely hoping that her name is a Laverne & Shirley reference), and we even saw a little bunny friend!

Enjoy the photos from this awesome engagement session!

-Sam

Dotti + Kim's Surprise Proposal

Dotti surprised Kim with a proposal at the iconic Madison bar, The Shamrock

There are few things I love more than proposals (maybe weddings), and I have a soft spot in my heart for the Shamrock, so I was all about this surprise proposal!

Enjoy the photos, and join me in wishing Dotti + Kim a big congratulations!

-Sam

A Pride-Filled Family Portrait Session

Families Supporting Each Other Is One of My Favorite Things

And that’s why the story of Bailey and his family is pretty inspiring! It was while watching Drag Race with his Mom that Bailey first realized that he was transgender, and also where he discovered a love of drag (I didn’t even know Drag Kids was a thing, but it is and it’s awesome!)

Dana, Bailey’s Mom, contacted me to take family photos (outdoors and socially distanced) for an article that was being written about Bailey and his transition. I had a wonderful time spending a warm evening outdoors with Bailey’s family, and am excited to share some of my favorite photos from the session!

You can read more about Bailey’s journey and how his family supported him here and you can also follow Bailey @Nemo_Drag on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook!

-Sam

Family Portraits and a Snowball Fight!

We waited weeks for the perfect winter weather for these family portraits, and Mother Nature did not disappoint!

The weather was temperate but still snowy, and we got the snowball fight of our family portrait dreams!

Enjoy these fun, wintery family photos, and maybe go have a snowball fight yourself, huh? <3

-Sam