Fall Family Session | Madison Wisconsin

by Becky
This was my favorite image from the whole session! I loved how the brother and sisters were playing around together, teasing like they normally would.





I feel honored that I have been able to photograph Melanie’s family several times, including when their youngest was a newborn. This session was fun with the antique sofa. I hadn’t realized it was an antique when I bought it, so I felt a little guilty taking it out into the park!

Ashley & Casey | Weddings

by Becky
Ashley & Casey were married at the Monona Terrace in downtown Madison Wisconsin last summer. They were married on the rooftop and their reception followed in the Grand Terrace and in a ballroom.

The view during the ceremony was stunning! The chuppah was on the lakeside of the rooftop terrace, so all the guests were able to see the couple against the view of the lake.

During the reception, we sneaked back up to the roof top for a few more images at dusk.


The room was beautiful! And the dancing was a blast! They did a traditional Jewish dance, Hora, that got more of the guests up and enjoying the start of the evening.

Ashley and Casey’s album is complete, and I’ll be sharing some of those images soon!

Emily & Eric | Album

by Becky
I had posted about our new albums that we added to our line-up before the big bridal show in Madison (and I’m showing it again here). I was showing off the beautiful cover, which I *LOVE*, so now I’m showing some of the page layouts inside:





If you want to see more, call us to set up a time to meet! We would love to chat about your wedding details with you. 🙂

Clothing “Do” and “Don’t”

by Becky
Combining colors for a family portrait takes a bit of deliberate effort. You want to make sure that everyone coordinates, yet shows their own style. The key to making it look good and on purpose is to use the same colors multiple times within the family outfits.
Using one color and varying the shades is easy. Choosing blues, and having your family wear different shades and styles works. But when you pull in another color, like the red sweater, below, the person in that red sweater suddenly becomes the focus of the portrait. When you have a beautiful close-up of everyone together, this family’s outfits scream “Look at Mom, look at Mom!” Now, if that is what you are going for, great. But, most families want everyone in the portrait to be noticed. This becomes an even bigger problem when we work with smaller groupings within the family.

A better way to combine colors is to have multiple people in the family use those colors. In this example, pinks and browns are repeated throughout the outfits, both separately and together. When doing smaller groupings, such as the kids alone, parents with kids and parents alone, the extra effort in planning the clothing will really pay off.

If you are still in doubt, stick with one color and work with the different shades of that color. If you have any questions, let me know!

Emily & Eric | Wedding

by Becky




Emily and Eric were married in Madison, Wisconsin, at St. Thomas Aquinas. Their reception followed at the Pyle Center, on the UW campus. Being a school teacher, Emily was able to have a fellow art teacher make their Thank You sign. We incorporated that into their Thank You cards after the wedding. It was a fun way to show off wedding images with their notes to family and friends.

We featured Emily and Eric’s wedding in a new album style that we just started offering. I’ll post a few of the layouts from that album soon!

Maria & Matthew | Family

by Becky




These are a few of the two-page spreads from their family album:


We were delighted to photograph Maria and Matthew’s blended family. It was fun to capture the different combinations of family groupings and to show the new relationships within their family. They had such a hard time choosing from all of the great images that after we figured out the wall portrait arrangements for the different rooms in their home, we also did an album, so they could show off and enjoy all of their favorites.

Lisa & Zach | Engagement

by Becky





Lisa and Zach are getting married in July 2012. While they make their home on the east coast, they are planning a Madison wedding. On one of their trips home, we were able to squeeze in their engagement session. The UW Arboretum was the perfect backdrop for the day. Lisa and Zach were such a fun couple to work with and we are really looking forward to capturing the wedding day, as well!

Bridal Show Advice

by Becky

Are you recently engaged? Are you still planning your wedding? Are you attending a bridal show this month?

This is definitely the time of year that there are plenty of bridal shows to choose from! While bridal shows may vary in size, all will offer you the opportunity to see and meet with a variety of wedding professional in one place at one time. While some shows may be small and intimate, others may be huge and a bit overwhelming.
I have a couple pieces of advice for you to “make the most” of any show that you attend:
1. Know what you need.
Figure out in advance if you will be tasting cakes or looking for photographers. While you can, and should, try to walk through the whole show, if you don’t have a game plan, you may find that you get too tired or distracted to find the wedding professionals you went to the show to find.
2A. Take good notes.
Imagine arriving at the bridal show with 200 wedding professionals showcasing their services and wares and you have the good luck of finding the best cake baker in the whole state. “But,” you think, “maybe I should go peek and have a quick taste of the other cakes, just to be sure.” After a few more tastes, your tongue is sugared-out and you forgot who your favorite baker was, let alone where their booth is located and now you fear you will have to settle for blah ordinary wedding cake! Taking good notes could have saved you.
When you find a wedding professional that you love, write it down, either on the literature they hand out, on their business card, or on the show program. Taking a few notes on why you love them will also help you remember who they are after you leave the show. Don’t rely on your memory; you will have too many other things to see and do.
2B. Bring a fine-tip Sharpie.
Having a pen handy is helpful, and a lot of shows will even give you one for free, but having a fine-tip Sharpie is even better. Some wedding professionals will have a glossy brochure or a glossy business card which is difficult to write on with a pen. Your Sharpie will write on almost anything, so it is perfect for your bridal show note-taking.
If you are looking for shows to attend, come visit two that we will be at:
January 14 & 15, 2012
Alliant Energy Center, Madison WI
We have been in this show since 2002!
January 28, 2012
Spielman’s, Cedar Rapids IA
We are looking forward to our second year in this show!

New Albums!

by Becky
It’s that time of year again- when we update our album offerings! And just in time for the bridal shows. If you will be attending, please stop by to check them out!

We are excited to add a new album style to our line-up. This is a beautiful album that will complement our Artistic albums.

We also have a new wedding to show off in one of our Contemporary albums. This is a fun wedding that we affectionately call “the button wedding” because all the bouquets were made from buttons and they used buttons as a theme.
We look forward to seeing everyone this weekend at the Wedding Planner & Guide bridal show in Madison, WI!