When a really great friend of mine approached me about a family shoot for his two girls, I was intrigued. I haven’t photographed (or even interacted with) many of teens or tweens lately, so I was a little nervous. I don’t consider myself very “cool.” I took on the challenge anyway and figured I’d take the chance to shoot with a new prop: balloons! I have to admit it, this is a little trend I’ve seen lately that I’ve adored but haven’t tried…until now. So, I informed Dad to ask his girls what colors they’d like for balloons. I guess they had a hard time choosing, because they both sent two choices…so I picked the combination in the end. No matter what the colors were, I think these shots would still be super fun!

It was a really cold but sunny day after our largest snowstorm this year, but I was excited anyway because of this beautiful blue sky!

We started with a warm up, quite literally, in the form of a friendly jaunt through James Madison Park.

I love lakeshores, but who knew they were so much fun covered in snow?

Aaaaw, sisters!

Dad really wants a cool panoramic canvas for his home, so we played with some shots that would look good in large, panoramic format. What do you think of this one?

Had to get a few in with Dad, too, of course.

These sisters were fun to work with. They interacted so easily and genuinely had fun with the shoot.

They were great on their own, too.

After we brushed off all the snow, we took a short drive and met back up at the state Capitol building. It’s so Madison, and it’s fun in the snow. I also love the neutral colors of the building with the pop of the balloons.

Both of these girls have blue eyes that are to die for…RIGHT?

I love this shot! They shared lots of hugs that day. They made me miss my own little sis!!

These gloves were so big, we were all cracking up when they’d slide off A’s hands. I was really really tempted to pick up this wreath we found and play with it more, but I was a little paranoid that it might be frowned upon by the cops that hang out around the Capitol.

The family fun continued on the snow-covered steps.

Is this little family not one of the cutest you’ve seen??

There are those baby blues again, on all three of them!

Freckles!

OK, guys, you know me and shoe shots… I can’t help myself.

More sister love! I just love how they’re looking at each other in the second one.

Thank you, R Family, for giving me the chance to get to know you better and create lasting images for you to enjoy. I had a blast and I hope you did, too!

For details about hiring Red Gecko Studio as the photographer for your upcoming wedding, please use the Contact section of this blog! Red Gecko Studio proudly photographs weddings and special events in Madison, Milwaukee, and southeastern Wisconsin. Travel to any other location in the world can always be arranged, so don’t hesitate to ask about your destination wedding! Thanks for visiting, and please take a moment to leave your thoughts about Mandie’s photography as a comment!

I met little B and his family at a park down the street from my own house. It’s a great little spot with a wide expanse of green grass and all kinds of trees and plants around. Immediately, B found great interest in the last of the season’s dandelions…

Several dandelions fell victim to B’s curious little fingers…

B can’t quite walk unassisted yet, but he did a great job of wobbling along with mom and dad at his side.

It was difficult to pry his attention away from all of the interesting things in the grass.

But we were successful in getting a few big smiles from him throughout the session!

Speaking of big smiles, check out those adorable baby teeth!! We found a trick to making him laugh. These three make such a gorgeous family!

B Sandwich!

I was very impressed that we could capture this fantastic little family shot, and with such a wonderful little smile on little B’s face!

Little boys will be boys, and that means lots of curiosity and exploring.

He’ll cherish these shots when he gets older…Â

This is one of my favorites. So sweet!

To Little B’s family: Thanks so much for allowing me to capture this sweet moment in his life! I can’t wait for more opportunities to capture his adorable little personality as he gets bigger and bigger. Enjoy!