Family & Portrait photographer based in madison, wisconsin
Capturing your people exactly as they are... joyful, connected, and beautifully real.
Capturing your people exactly as they are... joyful, connected, and beautifully real.
Here for the snuggles and the chaos
I’ve always loved preserving life’s chapters — the tiny ones, the messy ones, the “oh my gosh how are they already this big?” ones.
Family and portrait sessions with me are easy and fun and honestly a little magical. No stiff posing, no pressure to be a certain way. Just your real love and real connection… the sweet in-between moments that make your family yours.
If you’re craving photos that feel like you...full of laughter, movement, softness, and personality.
I’d be honored to
capture your family in a way
that is true to you
EXPECT
what to
Before Your Session
We’ll send over a quick questionnaire so I can get to know your crew, talk locations, figure out your overall vibe, and help with any outfit questions (one of my favorite parts). My whole goal is to make this feel easy and stress-free.
During Your Session
Think: movement, play, hugs, tickle fights, wandering, snuggling… whatever feels natural to your people. I’ll guide you just enough so you feel supported without ever forcing anything. The magic always happens when you relax into simply being together.
After Your Session
I’ll hand-edit every favorite image and deliver a gallery you can download, print, share, laugh and cry at... all of it. Turnaround is typically around two weeks, and you’ll get plenty of variety to choose from.
Katie has a way of making you feel completely comfortable and at ease — and our photos turned out so beautiful. She’s easy to be around, incredibly responsive, and delivers edited images faster than most photographers. I’d recommend her for absolutely anything you need.
maisie w.
AMAZING!
I have nothing but AMAZING things to say about this girl! She was the photographer for our wedding in Madison and the pictures came back better than I ever could have imagined! She was so easy to communicate with and share my vision with. She was always so sweet and bubbly. Her style and editing is honestly the best I have seen. I live in LA and work in the fashion industry so I have seen a lot over the years. I highly recommend Katie and will hopefully get to use her again for a project or two in the future!!
brittany + David
Katie was outstanding to work with--we're so glad we chose her as our photographer... We were overwhelmed by how many amazing photos we got, and friends and family can't stop commenting about how great the photography was. The portraits and detail shots were amazing, but the candid shots were our favorites. I think that's the most important--anyone with some basic skill can get the portraits, but it's really special to have a photographer who was able to get all those special non-posed moments (not just of us, but of our guests too). Looking at the photos is really like reliving the day.
It's like reliving the day
avi + Jeff
Katie is a great person, an amazing photographer and a solid professional. We got married in September 2016, and I will be beaming for years to come over our fantastic photographer - I can't stop telling my friends and family how satisfied we are. We got our photos back in such a timely manner - I am SO impressed! She captured all the right moments - I didn't even know she captured - and with incredible technique. Hiring Katie to be a part of our amazing day was one of the best decisions we made - and we will forever be grateful for all the memories.
I am so impressed
liz + Kenny
Reflecting on our recent wedding, my husband and I both decided that having Katie as our photographer was the best decision we made! She is seriously the absolute BEST! Throughout the whole process, from engagement pictures to the big day, everything was seamless. Katie was friendly, personable, responsive, and incredibly organized. We had a surprise snowfall for our Spring wedding and Katie was so positive and creative in dealing with this unexpected weather. She is beyond talented and takes beautiful photographs. We HIGHLY recommend Katie Ricard to anybody looking for a photographer!
Beyond talented
mary + owen
Katie did an AMAZING job capturing our wedding. We had both indoor and outdoor events that spanned from a cloudy morning to a sunny afternoon and ended with a starry sky evening and she was able to get all of it! There is not one photo she took that I do not like. I was lucky enough to stumble across her website during an internet search, and I highly recommend her. We got our photos faster than most other couples I know and The craziest part is that my family and guests can't even remember seeing her during the ceremony and reception when she was snapping them. I am so thankful that I found her and I will treasure these photos forever.
So thankful I found her
allie + Alec
LOCATION
the
Your home (cozy, meaningful, and SO genuine)
MCCARTHY PARK
Tenney Park
Aldo Leopold Nature Center
Olbrich Gardens (permit fee required)
Pope farm conservancy
Some of my favorite spots:
Any place that feels like “you” — your backyard, your favorite trail, your go-to Saturday hangout
I KNOW YOU'VE GOT QUESTIONS
A: Typically 1–2 hours for a full session depending on your crew’s energy, the location, and what we’re hoping to capture. Newborn sessions are on the longer side, family sessions with small children tend to be on the shorter side!
Q: How long does a session last?
A: Absolutely! I LOVE dogs. Bring a helper who can step in after your pet’s moment in the spotlight so you can relax for the rest of the session.
Q: Can we bring our dog?
A: Definitely not. We’ll stick to a couple key rooms — the places your family naturally hangs out. It’s about your connection, not spotless countertops.
Q: for an at home session Do I have to clean my whole house?
A: Definitely not. We’ll stick to a couple key rooms — the places your family naturally hangs out. It’s about your connection, not spotless countertops
A: Absolutely! I LOVE dogs. Bring a helper who can step in after your pet’s moment in the spotlight so you can relax for the rest of the session.
A: Typically 1–2 hours for a full session depending on your crew’s energy, the location, and what we’re hoping to capture. Newborn sessions are on the longer side, family sessions with small children tend to be on the shorter side!
A: Don't stress! They will give us exactly what we need. I follow their lead, keep things playful, and lean into real moments — it always works out beautifully.
Q: What if my kids don’t cooperate?
A: The turnaround depends on how much I shoot, how busy I am, my travel schedule, and the holidays. Typically, for sessions it takes 2 weeks or less. I try to get them back to you as soon as possible while making sure I give attention to each and every image.
Q: What is your turnaround time?
A: For families, I really recommend choosing one spot. It keeps everything relaxed and gives us so much more time to create beautiful, natural images together.
Q: Can we choose multiple locations?
A: For families, I really recommend choosing one spot. It keeps everything relaxed and gives us so much more time to create beautiful, natural images together.
Q: What is your turnaround time?
A: The turnaround depends on how much I shoot, how busy I am, my travel schedule, and the holidays. Typically, for sessions it takes 2 weeks or less. I try to get them back to you as soon as possible while making sure I give attention to each and every image.
A: Don't stress! They will give us exactly what we need. I follow their lead, keep things playful, and lean into real moments — it always works out beautifully.
