Powerful Winter Portraits at the UW Arboretum

Anna’s Portrait Session Was As Wondrous As It Was Chilly!

It’s not often that I do portrait sessions when it’s 14 degrees outside, but when I do, they’re with the amazing Anna Petrie and they’re glorious. The late afternoon winter light was stunning, the snow freshly fallen, and the snow angels and snowball fights superb!

I recommend enjoying these fun photos while sipping on some hot chocolate under a heated blanket while gazing out the window upon winter’s majesty, which is exactly what I’m doing while writing this!

-Sam

Fall Family Portraits (and Shenanigans) at the UW Arboretum

It’s no secret that I love taking fall family photos at the UW Arboretum in Madison, WI

But even though the place is familiar, Alex and Kayleigh always manage to shake things up and this year’s family portrait session no exception! Enjoy the photos of these two adorable kiddos being goofballs and go play in some leaves yourself while you’re at it!

-Sam

Emma + Daniel: A Fall-Themed Wedding at the Goodman Brass Works Building

We were so excited to photograph Emma + Daniel’s wedding in the historic Goodman Center Brass Works Building!

I have been wanting to photograph a wedding in the Brass Works building ever since the Goodman Center renovated it, but COVID had other plans. It turns out it was well worth the wait though, because Emma + Daniel’s wedding was an absolutely perfect wedding day, and a great way to send off our 2021 wedding season!

All of the little personal touches that Emma + Daniel poured into their wedding day were wonderful! Daniel made all of the vases that sat on each of the tables and Emma designed the floral decor herself! With Daniel being a trumpet player, there were no shortage of musical guests playing for different parts of the wedding day, and the whole thing was such a lovely and sweet celebration of these two and their commitment to each other.

Help me wish Emma + Daniel a big congratulations, and enjoy the photos of their magical fall wedding day!

-Sam

Here are the vendors (with links) that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony + Reception Venue: Goodman Center Brass Works

Officiant: Phillip Cross (Dan's Uncle)

Wedding Band: Orchesta de Latin Pride (Sound equipment courtesy of Dan's uncle Fred)

Wedding Gown: The Wedding Shoppe (Wilderly bridal collections)

Groom’s Tux: Men's Wearhouse

Bridal Jewelry: Family Heirlooms

Hair Stylist: Brynn The Styling B

Wedding Party Attire: Mother of the maid of honor made the bridesmaid dresses and Dan’s mother made the Groomsmen’s vests & ties

Florals: K&A Greenhouse (floral decor, designed by the bride), Bre Cotter (bouquets), Suella Moran (boutonnieres)

Wedding Desserts: The House Cafe & Bakery

Catering: Working Class Catering

Fall Family Photos At Westmorland Park

Westmorland Park is a little hidden gem on Madison’s west side, and was perfect for family portraits in the fall!

The light in the late evenings in October is just spectacular, and we got to take full advantage while wandering around the cute little park for family photos. I’ve been lucky enough to take family photos for Erin, Dan, and their kids since their oldest was 11, and it’s truly a miracle to see teenagers at this age willing to still do family photos with their parents and have a decent amount of fun with it, so it’s always a treat to photograph them, and we’ve gotten to see some lovely locations during that time, and Westmorland Park is one of my favorites.

Enjoy these fun fall family photos, friends!

-Sam

Ada's Family Portraits at the UW Arboretum

Ada and her parents got to spend a fun morning foraging around the UW Arboretum for their fall family photos

Ada and her parents, (Brittyn, Carlie, and James) and I punked around the Arboretum taking pictures, playing with leaves, and finding all kinds of neat pine cones, mushrooms, and twigs. Brittyn even let Ada try on xyr hat and it made for some pretty adorable photos.

It was so nice to spend time with such a cute little forager and her family! Enjoy these magical pictures of a morning of adventure! <3

-Sam

Cam's First Portraits at the UW Arboretum

Cam got to have his very first family portrait session at the beautiful UW Arboretum

Cam was born just weeks after pandemic lockdowns began in 2020, which was a tough time to have portraits taken, but we made up for lost time on a chilly but beautifully colored fall day in October!

Enjoy these photos of Cam having a blast with Carla + Dylan (and while you’re at it, check out Carla + Dylan’s wedding photos here)!

-Sam

Sara + Jared: An October Engagement Session Filled with Serious Fall Vibes

Sara + Jared got to enjoy the lovely fall air and golden hour light at the UW Arboretum for their engagement session

I love the witchy, dark, and moody vibe of early evenings in the fall, and Sara + Jared were totally on board! Enjoy these gorgeous photos and help me wish a big congrats to these two on their engagement!

-Sam

Austin + Joe: A Graduation Celebration & Couples Session on the UW Madison Campus

Austin and his husband Joe celebrated Austin’s PHD just before they get ready to move cross country!

We roamed around the campus, stopping at Bascom Hall and the Allen Centennial Gardens along the way, and barely escaped the early evening rain (which I feel like is Wisconsin in a nutshell, so it’s a great way to spend the week before you move!) Congrats to Austin and good luck to him and Joe (and the puppies!) as they start their next adventure!

-Sam

Terry + Leah: A Madison Children's Museum Wedding

Terry + Leah were married in March of 2021, but wanted to throw a bigger celebration once more people were vaccinated, so enter wedding celebration number two!

Wedding number two was just as fun as wedding number one, but with more guests and surrounded by the whimsical beauty of the Madison Children’s Museum! Check out wedding Part One here!

These two were the first couple to have a wedding ceremony on the new Wonderground structure at the Children’s Museum. Their sunset ceremony was absolute perfection!

Help me wish a BIG congratulations to Terry + Leah, and enjoy the photos!

-Sam

Here are the vendors (with links) that helped make Terry + Leah’s wedding celebration awesome!

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Madison Children’s Museum

Officiant: Eldonna Hazen, First Congregational UCC

DJ: Vital Image

Videographer: Steve Donovan

Terry’s Wedding Gown: David’s Bridal

Leah’s Wedding Suit: Indochino

Bridal Accessories: Dress My Wedding, LLC

Wedding Rings: Jeweler's Workshop

Hair Stylist: Serena Hesse, Serena's Hair Now

Dessert Bars: The Roman Candle

Catering: Banzo

Family Portraits at Home With the Doggos!

Lindsey, Ben, and Aisa (and Dewey & Daisy) had a short and sweet family portrait session right at their house

Which is basically the most convenient place you can have a portrait session, and it allowed us to sneak in some photos with the dogs indoors, and sneak in some outdoor photos in between rain drops!

Enjoy these fun family photos, and give all your doggos (and kitties) pets for me!

-Sam

Tori + Kevin: A Colorful Garver Feed Mill Wedding

Tori + Kevin threw one Heck of a wedding day celebration at the glorious garver feed mill

When the couple whose wedding you’re photographing once dressed up as Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec and Karen from Will and Grace (the ultimate real-life power couple) for Halloween as an adorable inside joke, you know you’re in for a fun-filled and good time kind of wedding day! They even snuck their puppy Myles for some photos!

I met Tori + Kevin for the first time on their wedding day and was instantly charmed, not only by the two of them, but also by the vibe of the day, and how sweet and friendly everyone was, and the rest of the wedding day only got better as the sun got lower!

A BIG congratulations to Tori + Kevin, and enjoy these super sweet wedding pics below!

-Sam

Here are the vendors (with links) who helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Garver Feed Mill

Officiant: Justin Miller (friend of the couple)

Bridal Gown: Vera’s House of Bridals

Groom’s Suit: Men’s Wearhouse

Wedding & Engagement Rings: Brilliant Earth

Hair Stylist: Marie Hemming (my fave!!!) of Love + Light Hairdressing

Florist: Laura The Kind Flower

Wedding Desserts & Catering: Garver Feed Mill

Coffee: Ledger Coffee Roasters

Decor Rental: Event Essentials

Patrick + Aaron: A Memorial Union Terrace Wedding

Patrick + Aaron had an amazingly fun wedding day at the iconic Memorial Union Terrace in Madison, WI

Their wedding was one of the first weddings we’ve done this year that felt a little more like “the before times” and it was wonderful to get to see them enjoy such a long-awaited (and once postponed) wedding day in true Madison-style at the Memorial Union Terrace!

We loved getting to celebrate in style with these two and their friends and families (and it was so fun to be on a party bus again!) Congratulations to Patrick + Aaron!

-Sam

Here are the wedding vendors (with links) who helped make Patrick + Aaron’s wedding day awesome!

Ceremony + Reception Venue: Memorial Union Terrace

DJ: Amy Midle, Polished Entertainment

Hair Stylist: Nichole Mick, All About You Salon & Spa

Florist: Kelly Deterding, Heather Hill Floral Design

Dessert: Madison Sourdough

Catering: Wisconsin Union