Family Photos at International Friendship Gardens
International Friendship Gardens inside Riverside Park is one of the most visually dynamic locations for family photos at international friendship gardens in La Crosse — layered gardens, winding stone paths, and tree-filtered light that let us build portraits that look nothing like every other family session in town.
Around the forty-minute mark, something shifts. The kids stop performing. A parent forgets the camera is there. That's when the real frames happen — and they only happen when nobody is rushing.
This session didn't rush. There was no pose list and no shot clock — just this family, photographed exactly as they are. Every session is built to clear that bar.
Family photos at international friendship gardens and a dozen more locations within one walk
Most portrait locations offer one thing. Riverside Park's International Friendship Gardens offers a dozen within walking distance of each other — manicured garden plots, winding stone paths, and a tree canopy that turns afternoon light into something painterly.
Each corner solves a different creative problem: structured then open, bright then intimate. Strong family portraits live in those transitions, and Riverside delivers them naturally. Location here is never random — it's always chosen around the family, never the other way around.
Why the session felt effortless — and why that's not an accident
Before the session, a FaceTime planning call means we already know what matters to your family — which kids need extra time to warm up, which parent dreads seeing themselves in photos, what this season actually means. Nothing on session day is a surprise.
On location, Alisha is entirely focused on comfort and direction: keeping kids engaged, guiding poses that feel natural instead of stiff, reading the room so nobody ever feels lost. Jeff works the light. Flash, used well, builds that bold cinematic quality regardless of what the environment gives.
Pretty pictures aren't the goal. Finding the extraordinary in the everyday is.
Sessions run two to three hours with unlimited outfit changes, because the best frames almost never happen in the first twenty minutes. They happen later — after your family stops being photographed and starts just being together.
A few frames from the day
Layered gardens, shifting light, and a family that stopped watching the camera. These are a handful of the frames that made the walls.
What happens next
Every session follows the same simple path — planned with you from the first call to the wall.
Reserve your date
The $300 session fee reserves your date, covers your planning call, the session and your theater reveal — and applies in full toward your artwork; most clients invest $1,500 or more.
Plan it together
A FaceTime planning call before your session — locations, outfits, and what matters most to your family, planned with you.
Your theater reveal
Two weeks later, you’ll see your portraits presented large for the first time — and we design your wall art and albums together.
One conversation. No pressure. We'll tell you honestly if we're the right fit.
Transform your house into a home
A photo on your phone gets a glance. A portrait on your wall gets lived with — passed every morning, caught across the room at dinner, the first thing a guest stops to ask about.
And an album is what your kids pull off the shelf years from now — heavier than they remember, every spread a season of who you all were together. Not files in a folder. Heirlooms your family actually holds.
See the ArtworkFrequently asked questions
Can't find what you're looking for? We're always happy to talk it through before you book.
Book a planning call →01Where are the best locations for family photos in La Crosse?+
Riverside Park's International Friendship Gardens, Grandad's Bluff, and Clearwater Farm in Onalaska are among our most-used family locations. Every location is chosen around the family — never the other way around.
02What if my kids won't cooperate during the session?+
Keeping kids engaged is exactly what Alisha is here for. As the dedicated posing director and comfort specialist, she turns unscripted energy into the best frames of the day. Sessions run two to three hours — no pressure, no forcing, no stiff smiles.
03What is International Friendship Gardens at Riverside Park?+
A botanical garden within Riverside Park along the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Curated plots, winding paths, and layered greenery make it one of the most visually dynamic outdoor family portrait locations in the area.
04How much does a family session cost?+
The $300 session fee reserves your date, covers your planning call, the session and your theater reveal — and applies in full toward your artwork; most clients invest $1,500 or more.
Jeff & Alisha Wiswell
We're Jeff and Alisha. We met saving a critical patient in the ICU, and we bring that same presence and precision to every session. Two people, one vision: to photograph you the way we see it—honest, intentional, and fully present.
You show up as yourself. Alisha shapes the light, Jeff directs and keeps you at ease, both of us making sure nothing feels stiff or posed. The portraits you'll treasure aren't the perfectly arranged ones. They're the honest ones — and drawing those out is the whole job.
