Ahhh, the great outdoors beckons – picnics, barbeques, sports and recreation. The reasons to venture outside are almost limitless. In fact, one excellent reason is to bring a camera along and capture images of life outdoors.

Audrey Wancket, of Spring Grove based Wancket Studios, is a master of making the most of a portrait studio. She has more than 100 custom backdrops and a warehouse of set accessories to ensure that each portrait she creates is as unique as those within each frame. But, even Wancket is drawn to the outdoors when the weather turns warm and inviting and flowers bloom.

When it comes to flowers, on the hill behind her studio, is a large wildflower meadow. A portrait of a child in the meadow perfectly reflects the innocence of youth.

“The wildflower meadow is an excellent backdrop for portraits,” Wancket said. “I’ve spent years developing sets so that our studio can offer backdrops that go beyond what you typically see at a studio. But, nature has a capacity for creating awe-inspiring scenes that we can only try to emulate but seldom duplicate.”

Wancket has another area out front which is landscaped and designed specifically for use as a set for portraits. The wildflower meadow, however, requires almost no human contribution or maintenance; nature does the handiwork. And, with the approach of spring and summer, the wildflower meadow magically reappears as though on cue.

“This scene is really beautiful,” Wancket said. “There is a fresh and vibrant appeal to portraits we create here. A lot of our clients really love this look. It’s not hard to see why.”

For more information about Wancket Studios, call 847-587-3350 or visit www.wancketstudios.com .