Updated Location Guide

 

Updated Location Guide
September 13, 2023

Finally, the Location Guide has been updated! Over the last year I’ve explored so many new places so I wanted to add them to my list of favorite Madison area locations for family photos. In this guide 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!

YOUR HOME

Believe it or not, my very favorite place to do family photos is in your 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. 

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.

Wingra Park
824 Knickerbocker Street, Madison, WI 53711

This is one of my favorite summer time locations! It’s right on the lake and absolutely beautiful. It’s great for portraits or candid family fun. If you are doing a Storytelling session Wingra Park is perfect because you have lots of activity options. You can swim, fish, play on the playground, rent a boat from Wingra Boats, go to the Chocolate Shoppe for ice cream, have a picnic, or play soccer/frisbee.

Monroe Street Murals
2531 Monroe Street, Madison, WI 53711

These colorful murals on Monroe Street will add a pop of color to your family photos. With two different murals right across the street from each other you get multiple options without having to travel. Plus they are right by the Chocolate Shoppe so you can get some ice cream after your session, or during! Lots of color and ice cream, your kids will love it!

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. 

Olbrich Botanical Gardens
3330 Atwood Avenue, Madison, WI 53704

Olbrich Botanical Gardens is one of my favorite places in Madison. It is absolutely gorgeous! Not only will the gardens look beautiful in your photos, but your family will have a wonderful time exploring the unique plants and flowers in each section. Olbrich does require a photo permit and a $40 photography fee. If you want to do photos here I’ll need at least two weeks to request the permit and the $40 fee will be added to your invoice.

Owen Conservation Park
6021 Old Sauk Road, Madison, WI 53705

Owen Conservation Park is on a hilltop overlooking Madison’s west side. It has lots of trails that take you through both the prairie and woods and it looks beautiful any time of year. My favorite part of this park is a secret playground hidden in the woods. The surprise of finding a playground here is always a big hit with the kids.

Lakeview Park
6300 Mendota Avenue, Middleton, WI 53562

Lakeview is another great park for both formal portraits or a storytelling session. There is so much to do at this park- playground, splash pad, pond for fishing, lots of space to run around, beautiful wildflowers, and weeping willow trees. This park is great for a longer adventure because it has a really nice public bathroom and shelter for having a picnic.

Hilldale Murals
726 N Midvale Blvd, Madison, WI 53705

Another great option if you want murals in your family photos is Hilldale. There are five different murals in that commercial area, plus lots of fun activities like giant chess, yard games, and sweet treats. Hildale is a great spot if you want to explore and get some more candid photos. Then when you are done with photos you can get lunch or dinner at one of the Hilldale restaurants.

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.

Marsh Woods Park
5399 Marshwoods Drive, McFarland WI 53558

If you live out in McFarland and don’t want to come into Madison, Marsh Woods Park is a great option. This park includes a wooded area, prairie, large pond, and a boardwalk that wraps around a giant weeping willow tree. It’s beautiful and peaceful!

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.

Tenney Park
1414 E. Johnson Street, Madison, WI 53703

Tenney Park sits right where the Yahara River feeds into Lake Mendota. If your kids like boats they will love this park because there is a working lock they can watch. This park has also has a beach, playground, multiple bridges, and plenty of space for kids to run around. The fall colors look really nice here and in the winter it’s a popular ice skating spot with a warming shelter and public restrooms.

Epic Campus
1979 Milky Way, Verona, WI 53593

Epic is a place like no other. If you’ve never been you should definitely check it out. Each building on the vast campus has a unique theme and every single detail goes along with that theme. It’s pretty wild! It feels more like an amusement park than a software company. The beautiful grounds are great for family photos and the themed building are a big hit with kids, especially Harry Potter fans. If you want to do photos here come prepared to walk. This place is big!

Stricker's Pond
7214 Longmeadow Road, Madison, WI 53717

Stricker’s Pond is right were Madison runs into Middleton. It has a walking path that goes all the way around the pond and takes you through both open and wooded areas. There is a playground along the way and several benches to stop and enjoy the view. Great location for families that live in Middleton or the west side.

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!

Print Your Photos

 

All Those Digital Files and Nothing to Show For It: Print Your Photos
August 30, 2023

Everyone wants digital files. You can save them forever and use them over and over again.  That sounds like the best bang for your buck, right?  But let me ask you this, how many times have you actually used those digital files, or better yet printed them?  For most people the answer is never!  You throw them onto a hard drive or on the cloud, and you never look at them again.  Storing things is easy, so we store EVERYTHING!  But when you save everything it becomes an organizational nightmare.  We want to keep all these photos because we think we are saving memories, but sifting through them becomes such an unmanageable task that we end up with nothing – no photo books, no photos hanging on the wall, not even a shoe box full of prints. Let’s face it, digital storage is like a black hole.  Once something goes in, it rarely comes back out. 

We all have good intentions.  We say we’ll make that photo book later or that we’ll print those photos for the wall when we aren’t as busy.  But guess what, we are ALWAYS busy.  We keep putting it off, but all the while we are waiting for a “good time” to make the photo book, we are just accumulating more photos.  By the time you get around to making that book, you might have photos on three different computers, multiple external hard drives, several clouds, and your phone!  Now you have tons of photos in tons of places, and the idea of making a book is overwhelming, let alone actually getting started. Does this sound familiar?

So the next time you do a session, why not just add an album, and let me take care of everything for you?  I’ll select the photos, design the album, have it printed by a high quality professional print lab, and ship it right to your doorstep. And it will be sitting on your coffee table in two weeks.  Better yet, order two, and you’ll have the perfect holiday gift ready for grandparents too!  

Maybe you really want some photos on your wall but don’t know which photos to pick or how to arrange them. Let me design a wall gallery for you, order everything you need, and have the wall art shipped to your doorstep ready to hang.  

At the very least, just order some prints, and put them in a shoe box.  Having them in a physical form will give your kids access to them, and I promise they will look through them. They will love remembering all the wonderful things you have done together as a family.  After all, that is why you wanted the photos in the first place, right?  

So don’t stop at getting your photos taken; let me help your print your photos! It will save you time and energy, but most importantly it will make sure it gets done.  Don’t let your memories go into the digital black hole and be lost forever.  

A Year in the Life

 

A Year in the Life
February 27, 2023

It’s finally here! Introducing my newest offering, A YEAR IN THE LIFE! Developing this experience has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done as a photographer and I’m so happy to finally share it with all of you. A Year in the Life is a truly unique experience that combines photographs from monthly sessions with audio to paint a rich picture of all changes and development within your family over the course of a year. It's tons of fun and super easy because I will take care of everything for you!

Watch the video below and learn about this beautiful experience!

A YEAR IN THE LIFE INFORMATION GUIDE

Do you love this idea, but want to know more about how it works? The information guide below will go through all of that. Use the arrows to move through the slides and hopefully it will answer most of your questions. And if not, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.

TIME CAPSULE VIDEOS

The Time Capsule video is the best part of the Year in the Life experience.  Watching these Time Capsule videos from my previous families will give you a good idea of what your year could look like and all the fun you can have!

GETTING STARTED

Interested in doing a Year in the Life- Fill out this Year in the Life interest form and I’ll get back to you so we can start planning the year. Space is very limited. I can only offer this experience to 10 families each year because of the time commitment, so reserve your spot now!   

Picking a Location for Your Family Photos

 

Picking a Location for Your Family Photos
April 28, 2022

My clients are always asking for location suggestions for their family sessions, so below I’ve described my favorite locations in the Madison area. 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.   

The Photo Temptation that Always Backfires

 

The Photo Temptation that Always Backfires
April 5, 2022

Spring is here! This is usually the time families start thinking about updating their family photos. So as you prepare for your next family session I want to share a common temptation parents face that often ends in disaster- bribing your child to smile with treats! It seems like such a good idea, it gets me too; but it almost always backfires.

Once a kid sees a treat, smells a treat, or hears a wrapper open you can say goodbye to natural smiles. The one and only thing on their little mind is TREATS! Sugar is like a homing beacon for children; as soon as they see it they are locked in and start salivating like Pavlov’s dogs. There is no turning back! Now you are going to get one of three responses. I’ve seen this happen so often I’ve named each response and made self portraits to illustrate what it looks like. Hopefully it’s obvious already, but I find kids’ response to treats hilarious! So don’t take this blog too seriously. This is a cautionary tale told through ridiculous self portraits and laughing is very much encouraged.

The Lab Rat is probably the most common response. You introduce a treat and you turn your kid into a lab rat. They are now trained to perform a very specific task for a very specific reward: awkward forced smile, sugary substance, repeat. Once you introduce the reward The Lab Rat is unresponsive to all outside stimulus- kisses from mom, tickles from dad, funny faces from a sibling- no response. The Lab Rat has laser focus and between awkward smiles will resemble a deer in the highlights. This one gets even more fun when the sugary substance is something that will build up on the child’s teeth or cause them to salivate profusely.

 

The next response, The Baby Bird, is what happens to my youngest kids who don’t have many words yet. The little one feels uncomfortable in this strange new setting with this strange lady using an odd piece of equipment. So the parents introduce a treat, surely that will put the child at ease. It does NOT put them at ease. In fact, now they are actually even more unsure about what is happening than before, but they did learn a new skill- Stress Eating. So the kid does the only thing they can think of to do, they tilt their head back and open up their mouth for more treats. So you are alternating between puffy cheeks stuffed full of food and an upward gaze with gaping mouth. Neither look is what you had in mind for family photos.

 

The last response is my favorite! It reminds me of that squirrel in The Ice Age movies, which is why I call it The Scavenger. If you are in the market for family photos you’ve probably seen at least one of the many Ice Age movies and know exactly what I’m talking about. Once you introduce that treat, it’s like that Squirrel’s acorn- they must have eyes on it at all times. The Scavenger’s one and only objective in life is to get those treats! It turns into a crazed hunt for where the treats have been hidden. That’s already funny, but what makes this response even more exciting is that while the kid is completely focused on finding the treats the parents are simultaneously focused on keeping the treats out of the photos.

Sometimes families with three of more children will pull out the treats and we get all three of these responses at once. It’s amazing and definitely holiday card worthy!

As you can tell, this is quite amusing to me. When parents pull out the treats, I like to predict which response we are going to get from each child. I genuinely LOVE photographing children waiting for treats. However, if genuine smiles is your motivation for bringing treats, rest assured this almost always fails.

This doesn’t mean you can’t eat during your session. But if you are doing to have food, I recommend you go all in! Family meal time, picnics, baking, and trips to the ice cream shop are amazing childhood memories. I love it when families want to incorporate these activities into their family photos. I can’t wait to see you and your family this spring, with or without treats!