Portraits

Extended Family Portraits at the Town of Burke Park

Peep these adorable extended family photos!

Some of my favorite photos of me growing up were hanging out with my cousins. Maybe that’s because I’m an only child, but we were all really close growing up and I cherish those photos. So as you can imagine, I’m team extended family portraits! Get the whole gang together, just like Lily’s family did, including grandparents, adult siblings, and all the kiddos, and have a blast! We got the formal photos out of the way first (taking time out to do silly face photos of course), then the kids got to play on the playground for the rest of the time, and wow does the Town of Burke have an adorable and colorful playground! Enjoy this sweet extended family and message us to book your own session!

—Sam

 
 

Ava + Ali's Newborn Portraits!

Two moms, two babies, one love

Anne + Amy, who you might remember from such weddings as this one, and such maternity sessions as this one, have brought home their two little ones! Amy + Anne delivered within days of each other, and now Ava and Ali (Alex) are home and getting all the love and attention they could hope for! Congrats to Anne + Amy and welcome to Earth, Ali + Ava!

—Sam

 
 

Family Portraits at the UW Arboretum

What better place for beautiful family portraits than the uw arboretum!

This adorable family braved the heat and the mosquitoes (both terrible) for a fun family portrait session with their kiddos at the UW Arboretum! We saw all kinds of wildlife, found some cool rocks, and got to see my favorite tree (yes, I have a favorite tree). Enjoy the photos of this super sweet family!

—Sam

 
 

Milo's Senior Portraits at the Allen Centennial Gardens

milo’s senior portraits at the beautiful allen centennial gardens were perfecT!

We absolutely could not have asked for better weather (especially with the heat wave that came in just after we did these portraits), and the blooms at the gardens were gorgeous as well. We also got to enjoy a musical performance as we wandered the gardens, and then we eventually branched out into other areas of campus to take advantage of the beautiful ivy-covered buildings, before finishing up with some sweet photos of Milo and his mom! Enjoy the photos of this awesome and chill senior session!

—Sam

 
 

Amy + Anne: A "Two Moms, Two Bumps" Maternity Session!

Bean & Squishie arriving in july!

When Anne + Amy contacted me about a maternity session and shared that they were both due in July, I could not have been more excited! They had a beautiful Sun Prairie wedding in 2024, so what better way to celebrate almost two years later than with their maternity session in the same location!

With ultrasounds of both Bean and Squishie, as well as some ADORABLE tiny shoes (honestly, who doesn’t freaking lose it over tiny shoes), we walked around Sun Prairie in the same places where they celebrated their wedding and got to celebrate the upcoming additions to their family!

Help me wish these two a BIG congrats (x2) and enjoy the photos!

—Sam

 
 

Mary Alice + Alex: A Romantic Spring Engagement Session at Tenney Park

Can there be a perfect engagement session?

I don’t know, but this was about as perfect as they can go! Mary Alice + Alex chose to begin their engagement session at Tenney Park by reading heartfelt vows to each other beneath the shade of a gorgeous tree, and if that wasn’t awesome enough, their dog, Winnie, was also dressed as a princess for the session 😍 (Special shout out to Brea for being an awesome dog wrangler and a quick-draw on the peanut butter!)

As we traipsed around the park, we saw all manner of wildlife (which feels auspicious), including a bunny, ducks, a baby Robin (with it’s family making a ruckus around us about this wee one’s first flight), AND A FREAKING BEAVER, which we originally thought was a muskrat until we got a better look. Truly this session could not have been more magical if one of us had been Snow White lol.

Enjoy the photos of this super sweet couple, and their shamelessly adorable dog, Winnie, as well as some of the wildlife we spotted along the way! And help me wish them a BIG congrats on their engagement!

—Sam

 
 

Ariah + Alyssa: A Surprise Proposal in the Peonies!

Ariah planned a romantic surprise proposal in for alyssa at a peony farm!

Alyssa’s favorite flowers are peonies, so Ariah knew a picnic proposal in the flowers (at the gorgeous Ovans Peony Farm in Beaver Dam, WI) was going to be the perfect spot to pop the question (and she was right!).

Alyssa had suspected a proposal might be happening, but she was convinced it was going to be the following weekend, and so the surprise proposal really was a surprise! Ariah had a custom-made blanket that said “Alyssa Will You Marry Me?” on it that she rolled out for the picnic (see the pics, it’s adorable!) along with the cutest picnic basket you’ve ever seen, complete with snacks (thanks for the cookies, they were delicious!), sparkling wine and wine glasses!

Alyssa said yes (if it wasn’t obvious by how madly in love these two are), and they celebrated with a toast and some frolicking in the flowers, then headed off to dinner with their families (another surprise Ariah planned for Alyssa) to celebrate more!

Help me wish these two a BIG congratulations, and enjoy the photos!

—Sam

 
 

Ashley + Ayla: A Surprise Anniversary Proposal!

Ashley planned a beautiful surprise anniversary proposal for ayla at the Allen Centennial gardens!

The proposal happened on their 5 year anniversary (June 6th), and even more adorably, Ayla had also planned a surprise proposal for Ashley (with another awesome local photographer Nat Erlin - https://www.naterlinphotography.com/) for the very next day in the same gardens! So there was a lot of joy to go around that weekend!

First, Ashley had two friends (pictured below) that were sneakily in disguise to keep the “proposal bench” clear of anyone for an hour before the proposal happened, and they did so good AND their disguises were *chef’s kiss*. Once we got the word that it was going down, the two co-conspirators hid inconspicuously behind some bushes (that’s dedication), and I pretended to be a flower photographer for a bit until the magic started!

These two were so obviously and deeply in love it made me smile ear to ear despite the 99.9% humidity and the glaring sun trying to bring my vibes down (nice try, humid Wisconsin early summer, love wins)! We excitedly chatted about birds while walking around the gardens and the UW campus for couples portraits after the proposal. It was a beautiful day with an even more lovely couple, and I am so honored and excited to have been able to celebrate with them! Help me wish Ayla + Ashley a BIG congratulations and enjoy the photos of this super sweet couple!

—Sam

 
 

Ann + Sam: A Romantic Maternity Session at the UW Arboretum

And baby makes three…

Ann + Sam (who you may remember from such weddings as this one) are having a baby! (Ann is doing all the hard work, obvs). These two decided to have their maternity session at the same place they had their first look on their wedding day, and it could not have been more beautiful! Enjoy the sweet photos of this even sweeter couple, as they look forward to welcoming their little Squidling in July!

—Sam

 
 

Anne + Adrien: A Cozy Lifestyle Couples Portrait Session

Home is where the heart is

And also where your dog is, yeah? Especially when your dog is as cute as Maggie! Anne + Adrien wanted to have couples portraits taken in the apartment they’ve made a home in together before some big moves that are coming their way, and the session couldn’t have been cozier or sweeter (though, not pictured is the Tornado Warning in the middle of the session that had us chilling in the parking garage for 30 minutes under the building, which was exciting, if less cozy lol). Enjoy these relaxed portraits of this awesome couple and their fur child, Maggie!

—Sam

 
 

Freya + Rowan: A Surprise Proposal at Tenney Park

Freya planned a beautiful surprise proposal for rowan at a place special to both of them

These two often head down to Tenney Park to draw and enjoy the view of Lake Mendota, so it felt like the perfect place for a golden hour proposal (spoiler alert: it was)! The proposal was as lovely as can be, as are these two! Enjoy the sweet photos of this even sweeter couple, and help me wish them a big congratulations!

—Sam