Merry Christmas to ME!One of the amazing guys I work with on all the Scotch shoots also runs a side business making hand-made leather goods. He carefully chooses the hides, designs all the pieces, and hand-stitches it all. And besides that, he works full time. And he's a dad with two kids -- one an infant. I seriously have no idea where he finds the time or energy, but color me impressed.Dan (that's his name), mostly makes purses and satchels and fantastic work bags. But I thought maybe he could make me a camera strap, so I pitched it to him a little while ago. You guys! It's soooooo beautiful! I am completely in love. The leather is so soft and light and flexible, and it's just what I needed.If you'd like to buy something fabulous for you or a loved one, you should check out his online shop here.One more thing: I'm taking Thanksgiving off from blogging. My parents are coming to visit, and I want to give them my full attention. So you'll get a nice, fat post on Monday, but until then I suggest you stay off the computer and snuggle with the ones you love (whether that be animals or people).And speaking of that, I loved this.Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I have to be honest, I am feeling the exact opposite of this photo regarding this year's holidays -- I am almost giddy with anticipation. But still, this dog (named Delilah), made me laugh with her look of defeat.I am really looking forward to the holidays this year as a) it means more time off with family, which I have been really missing b) I love pie and c) I feel really thankful for everything in my life right now.That said, I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm pretty upset with the state of the world at the moment. I'm particularly bothered by the racial events in my city as of late, the Syrian refugees and the bombings in Paris. There seems to be turmoil everywhere, and frankly, it is bringing me down. Maybe that's why Thanksgiving and Christmas are so appealing this year. Cozying up to the fire and eating delicious food and being with wonderful friends just sounds so blissful right now. I know the problems are in no way going away, but taking a break from the news and the internet for a day or two sounds pretty great.But! If you want to stay online, I promise this will keep you smiling. C'mon! You have to laugh at Darth Vader brushing his teeth! That right there is internet gold!

Since my big photoshoot ended early this week, I added in a session with 5-week old twins this morning. (Rest? What's that?) But it was so, so great to be back shooting photos of people again. Look at how these two are holding hands! And no, I did not do that -- they did it on their own.For your internet share today, here is something to make you laugh (especially if you adore Joseph Gordon-Levitt like I do).And on a much more serious, but important, note:  Here are some things you can donate to help refugees who are on their way to Minnesota this winter. And if  you would like to do more, you can mentor a refugee or family to help them settle into their new home and new country (like help get their kids enrolled in public school, or help teach them English). More information on that can be found here.

Today we finished the shoot a full day early! Woot! This was awesome news because now I have a very short break before my 9-hour shoot on Saturday.This photo is of our stylist, Liz, perfecting the details on set today while rocking the messy bun.What else happened today? It snowed! Just flurries, but still exciting!And lastly, for your internet share, I am in the middle of this article about dying alone, and it is FASCINATING. Enjoy!

Oh you guys...While I love, love, love big shoots like the one I have going on this week, it is so hard to arrive on set while it's still dark and leave when it's already dark. Such are winter days in Minnesota, but since I'm usually working from home most days, I am spoiled in that I can take walks mid-day or just, you know, go outside to get the mail or whatever.The studio we are working out of has these two windows you see above. And that's it. So... I feel a bit disconnected.It's a good thing we're having so much fun with the work itself. I can't wait to show you the finished products!For your internet share, I am super excited for 2oolander. Can you say, Benedict Cumberbatch? Oh yes.

Not the best compositional photo, but I think it's interesting for you guys to see the behind-the-scenes photos on some of these bigger shoots.This week, we have two sets built in the studio, along with two additional setups that we're working with. We are faking all kinds of rooms and scenarios, and it is amazing to see it all come together.In this shot, you can see our fake copy room, the lights, the back of the set and one of about six tables full of props.Also, I've been arriving on set at 7:45 am and getting home a little before 7 pm. So no internet share today. Instead I'm gonna go crawl into bed.

I had a meeting and some shoots over at Zeus Jones today, and I couldn't resist a photo of this little cutie, Mika. She was a bit afraid of my camera, so she kept her distance. Still, a pretty fun fluffball though.Happy Friday everyone! I hope you have exquisite plans for the weekend.And for your internet shares today, this is for all the kids who love The Addams Family, this is for all you former metal heads (\mm/), and this is for all women who are not menopausal. Enjoy! 

This weekend, I thought, was my last chance at true fall photos before the clients pulled out the winter coats and scarves. But alas, it appears that this coming weekend, it's supposed to hit 60 again! Seriously, is this the greatest autumn ever, or what?Of course, the photo above is from a family session this week. I hate to keep posting my client work -- I prefer to use this space for my personal photos. But this time of year, with 3-5 shoots each week, my personal photos are falling to the back burner a bit. Don't worry, once mid-December hits, we'll fall back into a normal routine again.Sadly, I don't have an internet share today, because I was barely online as I attempted to catch up on work before my 58 hours of shoots next week (not even an exaggeration!). If you, however, found anything clever or funny online today, share it in the comments! I would love the entertainment!