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Downtown Madison Adventure

We met on a supremely gorgeous November afternoon. Sometimes we get these weather gifts in Madison as we begin to stare down a long winter, and we gleefully accept the warm wind, crunchy golden leaves underfoot, and temps that feel like a soothing hug. It should also be noted that it was the day after President Biden was determined the winner of the 2020 presidential election, and the city was absolutely evervascent with music, vibrant color, and lively humans.

We spent a couple of hours exploring the truly thoughtful and remarkable murals, the Capitol Square, and finishing near Madison’s central library.

family of six walks in front of colorful murals in downtown Madison. mom and two girls walk in front of colorful murals in downtown Madison. girl takes picture on her phone of murals in downtown MadisonDad, Mom, and teen boy walk dog in front of Orpheum theater; boy jumps to avoid getting tripped by dog's leashTeen boy smiles as he holds his little brother's shoulders as brother looks upwardBoy smiles looking off camera, dad smiles at boy, mom in background smiling off camera. Bright yellow trees in background large husky dog walks in downtown Madisonblack and white. Mom wipes away tears while rest of family crosses busy urban street in downtown Madisonfamily and dog walk in front of mural in downtown Madison, pedestrian walks in opposite direction family of six and dog cross street in direction of Capitol buildingFamily of six and a dog walk together in afternoon light in downtown MadisonDad smiles at dog who is centered in frame, rest of the family smiles from the edges of the frame Mom and her four kids walk on the cement railing at the Capitol building in downtown Madison

So delighted Lupin could join us again this year! Check out last year’s session with Lupin in the park.   Such a good boy.

girl lies with husky dog on Capitol building lawn in downtown Madison

Virtual school meant no school pictures this year, so we want to make sure to get those in! This was not the year we asked for, but this isn’t a year we should ever forget.  Even just normalizing a teeny bit with individual portraits helps.

black and white portraits of boys taken during a Madison Family Photographer session black and white portraits of two girls for a Madison Family Photographer session Dad, dog, and four kids rest on Capitol lawn in a downtown Madison adventure day

This family exudes energy, and I’m here for it. We’ve explored ski hills, apple orchards, neighborhood parks, beaches and home over the years, and each session feels magical in its own way.  But the overarching theme is that they show up as themselves–genuine in their curiosity, chatting away, comfortable, authentic.

Man holds dog leash while teen boy and teen girl cross the urban street with setting sun on downtown Madison adventure

Pretty sure this should be a vinyl album cover.

Family of 6 plus husky dog stand in the middle of State Street in front of the Orpheum theater on a downtown Madison adventure dayBlack and white. Family of 6 climb on letters of Madison library sign.

xoxoFamily of six walks into sunset outside Madison library

xo,

Jen

I get to make pictures for this kind, funny, engaged, loving family every single year. It is not lost on me what a GIFT it is to me that I can see them grow (and how gestures and expressions stay the same with maturing faces–it’s a delight!) and hand them a couple of hours of their year back to them.  Here is what they said about working with me:

“There are simply not enough stars in the galaxy to express how much I love Jen’s work! She has an incredible nack for capturing personalities in her images. I look at the photos she has taken of my four kids and see not only a fleeting moment in time, but also a distillation of each of their most unique characteristics. Having Jen document these moments has become a yearly investment for our family. We have ended sessions with our four kids, sometimes less than cooperative, mostly running in different directions, and wondered how she could have possibly gotten a good shot, only to find out a few weeks later that she has spun gold!”

and

“Jen is able to get pictures of ones family that are impossible to believe. Somehow she sees magic in the chaos and is able to capture it. Lightning in a bottle for sure.”

Want to see what other people have said about working with me–check out my reviews on Google.

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