The Wayerski Family – A Studio and Outdoor Session in Medford, Wisconsin
We photographed their wedding. This is the next chapter.
In August of 2023, Brooke and Riley were married at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pittsville and celebrated at The Outpost Ranch in Wisconsin Rapids. In the questionnaire before the wedding, Brooke wrote that the two of them were looking forward to traveling the world and starting a family. There were two of them then. There are four of them now, and the two newest boys have opinions about sitting still.
Some families want the studio. Some want the outdoors. This family wanted both, and for a young family with small boys, that is often the right call. The studio gives the portrait that will hang in the hallway when the boys are grown. The outdoors gives the record of who they were this year: the running, the wrestling, the one who would not look at the camera and the one who would not stop.
We began in the studio while everyone was fresh, then drove out to the open field at the end of the day. The photographs below are from both. After them are the questions young families ask us most often, and how to reserve a date.
Of Studio, and Field
The questions young families ask before booking a session in the studio and outdoors.
Can a family session include both the studio and an outdoor location?
Yes. A one-hour Traditional Extended Family or Lifestyle Family Session is reserved for a single location. To add the studio, select the Studio Add-On when booking. That gives you a second hour in the Medford studio, scheduled the same day or on a separate date, whichever suits the family.
Which should come first, the studio or the outdoors?
Studio first. Children are freshest at the start, clothing is still pressed, and the formal groupings are done before anyone is tired. The outdoor portion follows, when a little dishevelment reads as life rather than a mistake. If the two portions are on separate days, order matters less.
What is the difference between a Traditional Extended Family Session and a Lifestyle Family Session?
Traditional means posed groupings: the whole family, each household, grandparents with grandchildren, siblings together. It is the session to choose when a large family is gathering and the priority is getting every combination on record. Lifestyle means the family is doing something together, and we photograph what happens. It suits smaller families and younger children. Both are one hour on location with James, and both include an online gallery and a print release.
Where do outdoor family sessions take place near Medford?
Most sessions take place within Taylor County: open farmland, the Chequamegon National Forest, a lake shore, or a family’s own property. Family land is our first recommendation when it exists. The photographs mean more there, and they will mean more still in thirty years. We are glad to suggest locations based on the look the family prefers.
What time of day is best for the outdoor portion?
The last two hours before sunset, in any season. In summer that is late evening; in October it is late afternoon. For the studio portion the time of day does not matter, which is one reason to schedule it first.
What should the family wear?
One palette, not one outfit. Choose three or four colors that sit well together and let each person dress within them. Avoid large logos and lettering. For the studio, solid tones and simple lines photograph best against a neutral backdrop. For outdoors, natural fabrics and layers hold up well in Wisconsin light. A second outfit is welcome if the two portions are on separate days.
Do you photograph young children and toddlers in the studio?
Yes, and the studio is often easier for them than the outdoors. There is nowhere to run, the temperature is comfortable, and a parent is always within reach. We work quickly for the groupings that need a small child to sit still, then let the child move. Bring a snack, a favorite toy, and no expectation that everyone smiles at once. The photographs that last are rarely the ones where everyone did.
How long will the boys last?
Plan on the studio portion taking the first thirty minutes of real attention and the outdoors taking whatever is left. We make the posed frames early and quickly, then let the boys do what boys do. A session is not ruined by a meltdown. It is usually where the best frame comes from.
Do you photograph past wedding clients differently?
We know the family already, which changes the day more than any technique. The couple has been in front of our camera before and relaxes faster. We also know what the wedding portraits looked like, and we will make at least one frame of the two of them that belongs beside those.
What happens if the weather turns on the outdoor date?
We reschedule the outdoor portion. Light rain and overcast skies are fine and often flattering; heavy rain, lightning, or high wind are not. If the studio and outdoor portions are booked on the same day, the studio portion proceeds as planned and the outdoor portion moves to the next available date.
How do we see and order our photographs?
Proofs are delivered to a private online gallery. Families choose the images they want finished and order prints, wall pieces, and albums directly from the gallery. Every session includes a print release, so ordered images may also be printed elsewhere.
How long until the gallery is ready?
Proof galleries are typically delivered within two to three weeks of the final session date. Finished and retouched images follow once selections are made. If the session is timed for a holiday card or a gift, tell us the date you need and we will work back from it.
Do you recommend prints, or are digital files enough?
We recommend prints. Digital files are convenient and included with every order, but they are not what a family looks at twenty years on. A framed studio portrait and a small album from the outdoor portion is the pairing we suggest most often. Both are ordered through the gallery.
How far in advance should we book?
Autumn dates fill first, usually by late summer. Studio dates are more flexible year-round. If the family is gathering for a specific weekend, reserve the date as soon as the gathering is confirmed.
Who photographs the session?
James photographs every Traditional and Lifestyle Family Session personally. Katie assists on larger extended family groupings.
To reserve a family session, choose Traditional Extended Family or Lifestyle Family, then add the Studio Add-On for the second location.
Questions before booking are welcome at info@jamesstokesphotography.com or 715.570.5718.
James Stokes & Co. Photographers is a husband-and-wife studio in Medford, Wisconsin, photographing families, seniors, and weddings since 2010. Read more about the families we have photographed, or see senior and portrait work.
