Happy New Year and Thank You!

January 4, 2021

Happy New Year and Thank You!
January 4, 2021

I don’t think anyone is going to be sad to say goodbye to 2020 — It has been a challenging year in so many ways! I hope that you and your loved ones made it through without too many scars. I look forward to brighter days in 2021 and I really look forward to giving you all hugs again. As we leave this strange year behind I want to say thank you. Thank you for sharing your families with me this year. Thank you for sharing your love with me. And thank you for supporting Julia Matthews Photography. So many small businesses have had to close their doors this year, and thanks to each and everyone of you, I’m still afloat and gearing up for another year. I cannot adequately express how fortunate I feel. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

And even though it was a dumpster fire on top of a pile of excrement, when I think about it, 2020 wasn’t all bad: It gave me ample time to reflect on the things that are most important to me. As a result, I was able to reorganized my priorities so that my life and business reflect the things that really matter most to me.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2020

Community Involvement
The best part of 2020 for me was getting more involved in my community with pro bono work. Before covid really hit the US I photographed “Read Your Heart Out” and Diversity Night at Olson Elementary, joined The Black Student Union at Verona Area High School for their Staff vs. Students basketball game, and spent a week at Gigi’s Playhouse of Madison photographing all the amazing programming they offer for individuals with Down Syndrome. Later in the year, I masked up and witnessed the powerful voices of the parents and educators in our community for their “Juneteenth Day of Solidarity for Antiracist Schools.” Please reach out to me if you ever have a community event that needs to be documented. Sharing the stories of the heroes within our own community is really important to me.

A PERSONAL PROJECT ABOUT MOTHERHOOD
During March, April, and May I had to put most of my business on hold. This gave me the opportunity to focus on my own family story. During that time, I collaborated with my daughters, on a self portraiture project exploring motherhood. I was delighted to have my photographs and writing featured on the “Scary Mommy” Blog. But more importantly I am happy to have this collection of photographs to give to my girls when they become mothers. What a labor of love motherhood is with all the daily ups and downs.

SEEING MY CLIENTS AT HOME
Last, but certainly not least, I loved seeing so many of my families at home. This was the year of the “Front Porch Session” and with my love for documentary family photography, that was a shift I was more than happy to make. I loved seeing the places you call home and your kids’ enthusiasm for everything that makes their home so special — the trees they climb, their swings and forts, their bikes and scooters, the plants they grow, the decorations they put up, and all the pets! When our regular life resumes I really hope families will still consider at home sessions. After spending the better part of a year separate from the people I love these stories feels more important than ever

A Little Joy During the Pandemic

November 17, 2020

A Little Joy During the Pandemic
November 17, 2020

I've spent the last 8 months telling my children they can't do so many of the things they love. Everyday there is something else they have been looking forward to that isn't going to happen. It breaks my heart. And yet, they find the joy in the smallest things and they find a way to keep on going. When I am having a hard time getting out of bed, they lift me up. If you are feeling down today, watch this video and listen to Blithe, my 7-year-old daughter. She is wise beyond her years and I think she'll bring a smile to your face.

Sending love to each and every one of you. We can do this!

Location Guide for Family Photos

August 28, 2020

Location Guide for Your Family Photos
August 28, 2020

My clients are always asking for location suggestions for their family sessions. I have described my favorite locations and what I like about each one over and over again. So this year, I’m inviting you to join me on a visual tour of my favorite places for family photos in Madison. You’ll be able to see some of the photos I’ve made in each of these places, along with some key factors to consider (location, parking, walking required, space for your kids to run around, available bathrooms, etc). I hope this will help you select the best place for your family photos!

UW Arboretum
2880 Longenecker Drive, Madison, WI 53713

The UW Arboretum is a great location for your winter, spring, and fall photos! The mosquitoes can get a little out of control here in the summer, so I don’t usually recommend that. This is my absolute favorite location in May when the Magnolia and Crabapple trees are in bloom. It is gorgeous! Easy parking at the visitor center, lots of space for your kids to run around, and bathrooms available when the visitor center is open (Monday-Friday from 9:30am-4pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 12:30am-4pm). You will have to do some walking at this location.

Picnic Point
2003 University Bay Drive, Madison WI 53706

Picnic Point is a great place for photos any time of year! You have beautiful trails, a few small beach areas, the lake, lovely colors in the fall, and wildflowers in the spring and summer. Plus they just added lots of additional parking, which is fantastic. You will have to walk at this location and there are no convenient bathroom options.

Allen Centennial Garden
620 Babcock Drive, Madison, WI 53706

Allen Centennial Garden is beautiful and compact! This is a great option to get a variety of settings without having to do lots of walking. There are tons of flowers, a bright red bridge, a nice grassy space, cute little benches, stone work, and a koi pond (this is a kid favorite). There are no public bathrooms available here, so keep that in mind. And this location charges a $30 photography fee; so if you want to do photos at Allen Centennial Garden that fee will be added to your invoice.

Aldo Leopold
330 Femrite Drive, Monona, WI 53716

Beautiful location for fall photos! Tons of trees with bold fall colors and you don’t have to walk to get to them. This is a great option if you are bringing grandparents that may not be very mobile because there is convenient parking right by ideal locations. There is also a lovely prairie you can walk into for more variety if you want to walk around.

Olin Park
1156 Olin-Turville Court, Madison, WI 53715

Olin Park provides a variety of background options in one place. You have the lake Monona with a nice little beach, open space for kids to run around, and a beautiful wooded area with wildflowers. There is also a playground here, which is a big hit with the kids for after their photos (or during, I love that too).

Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA)
227 State Street, Madison, WI 53703

The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art is the perfect location for the winter when you don’t want to be outside in the cold. There are huge glass windows that let in tons of natural light. And if you want to pop outside for a quick second you are right on state street with a great shot of the capital in the background. MMoCA charges a $25 photography fee; so if you want to do photos here that fee will be added to your invoice.

Pope Farm Conservancy
7440 Old Sauk Road, Verona, WI 53593

Pope Farm Conservancy has a lovely farm landscape with a variety of crops growing, tall grass, rolling hills, and some wooded areas as well. In August there is a field of sunflowers in bloom, which makes it a very popular location for photos. This is a great location if you have active kids that need space to run around. It’s not a great location if you are not interested in walking.

Vilas Park
702 S Randall Avenue, Madison, WI 53715

Vilas Park is right by the Zoo! So if you have kids, you know what I’m talking about. There are cute ponds, open space for running around, a sweet little bridge, and lots of trees that look lovely in the fall. And since it is right by the zoo and a Playground you can stop there after photos, OR we can just start there and take photos of you family having fun.

Yahara River
2025 Yahara Place, Madison, WI 53703

The Yahara River is the perfect way to add some water to your photos without all the wind you get right on the lakes. There are even nice little spots your kids can dip their feet in the water, which is always a source of delight. There is plenty of street parking available so you won’t have to walk far, but there are not public bathroom options.

Westmorland Park
4114 Tokay Boulevard, Madison, WI 53711

Westmorland Park is beautiful year round. There are beautiful wildflowers in the spring and summer, gorgeous leaves in the fall, and it is a great place to sled and/or ice skate in the winter if you want some action photos (which are my favorite)! Plus, there is a playground and public bathrooms here.

Enchanted Valley Acres
5047 Enchanted Valley Road, Cross Plains, WI 53528

Enchanted Valley Acres is a great way to get your family photos while you enjoy a family tradition- cutting down your Christmas tree. Not only is the tree farm is a lovely background for your family photos, but when you do your family photos here, your children will have the memory of finding the perfect Christmas tree. And believe me, that will mean more to them than any of the photos you take at a park.

Hann’s Christmas Farm
848 Tipperary Road, Oregon, WI 53575

Hann’s Christmas Farm is another great location for a tree farm session. Plus, Hann’s has an adorable little shop where you can get hot cocoa or cider, lots of yummy treats, and choose the newest ornaments to put on your Christmas tree. AND Santa is at Hann’s Christmas Farm, so you can see him and knock that off your list too!

And last but certainly not least, YOUR HOME!

Believe it or not, we can make great photos in your own backyard! Kids are so much more relaxed in their own home, which makes it easy to capture their authentic personality. And let’s be honest, it’s less stressful for parents too. You don’t have the hassle of loading them into the car and making sure you brought all the pieces of their outfit that you want. You be right by your closet when the baby spits up all over your shirt. And you’ll have easy access to bathrooms, snacks, and toys if one of your kids needs to take a break for a moment. I know what you are thinking, “My house isn’t nice.” Don’t worry about that. Your house is not the subject of the photos- your family is. We can pile everyone onto your bed and make some great memories.

Front Porch Sessions

May 26, 2020

Front Porch Sessions
May 26, 2020

I've really missed photographing families these past two months, and I am excited to start working again. But the health of my families (that’s you!) and our community as a whole is extremely important to me, so I've decided to resume sessions very cautiously. I’m going to start by offering Front Porch Sessions. And honestly, during this strange moment in time, I cannot think of a better place to photograph your family than your own front porch. Years from now, you will be telling your grandchildren about this sudden lifestyle shift in which home and family were everything. I’ll make sure you can give them a photo to go with that story.

Front Porch Sessions- $150
20-Minute Session, including 5 digital files

Also, if your children missed school photos with me this spring, this is a great opportunity to get a photo of each child - from the safety of the porch, of course. You’ll have the option to purchase the same picture packages you usually do at school, delivered right to your front door.

If you are interested in a Front Porch Session, please fill out the form below with information about your location and session preferences. I'll try to group my sessions based on location, and I'll get back to you with date and time options within a few days. Please feel free to share this with your neighbors. I’d love to come see everyone in your neighborhood!

Front Porch Session with Julia Matthews Photography- Interest Form

The Stuffie Race

April 9, 2020

The Stuffie Race
April 9, 2020

It’s just another quarantine day in Wisconsin, with a little hail to make things extra dramatic. Since the weather forced us inside, today seems like an appropriate day to share another Matthews Family quarantine game- The Stuffie Race. Like the Stair Race, this game was designed with the sole purpose of making my children tired. And based on the fact that toward the end of the game the girls were hot enough to strip down to their underwear/diaper, I think it did the trick.

To play this game, the first thing you need to do is have the kids collect all the stuffies in the house. And for anyone that is confused, “stuffies” are what I referred to as “stuffed animals'“ before having children that insist on this new lingo. Once you’ve gathered all the stuffies (hopefully that process alone will keep your kids busy for a while) divide them into two laundry baskets or boxes. If you want to be super fair, you can make sure there are the same number in each basket. Then put the full baskets on one end of the room. And finally put two empty laundry baskets or boxes on the other end of the room. Now your set up is complete and you are ready to begin!

The game is simple. Two athletes will race against each other to see who can be the first to move all of the stuffies from the full basket to the basket on the other end of the room. You can only carry one stuffie at a time, and you absolutely must stay in your lane. That last rule is key! Depending on the number of athletes you have and their stamina, you can run as many heats as you like.

After some serious competition, awards were given. Unfortunately the pandemic prevented us from having medals and trophies made, so we repurposed some stuff from IronKids and i9 Sports. Look at the pride on those faces.

But they weren’t done yet! And the clothes came off so you know these last few heats will be intense.

Here it comes, the final moment of this epic competition…

And naptime! Another quarantine success story from the Matthews Household. Until next time, take care friends!