How adorable is this little girl?!? I had so much fun photographing her family earlier this week. She was an absolute delight (perhaps the most polite child I have ever met -- I hope to someday ply her parents with wine and steal all of their secrets).As you can imagine, I am absolutely slammed with family portraits this time of year. As of right now, I have seven sessions left before the end of the year -- and those are being fit in around my commercial work. When I wrap up my final shoot on Dec 29, there will be a big glass of red wine waiting for me at the end of this long tunnel!But even though I feign like it's so much work (which it is), it's also so much fun! I am absolutely delighted to have a career spending time with people and work that I love. I wouldn't trade it for the world.Now. For your internet share, I dove deep into this book list and made a gazillion additions to my library holds. And that got me thinking... Because of my discovery of audiobooks, I have "read" more this year than any other (27 at last count -- that's a huge jump for me!). And I have so very many suggestions!So here is my first-ever informal holiday book giving guide:For people who love historical fiction, particularly about WWII: The Nightingale, The Invisible Bridge, All the Light We Cannot See and The Book Thief. These are listed in the order of my preference, although they are all good for different reasons.For absolutely everyone: A Man Called Ove (So good !!!), Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Yes, this was a movie. The book is a thousand times better.)For women and / or feminists: Circling the Sun, The Nightingale (yes, this one is on my list twice -- that's how much it touched me)For Sci/Fi lovers: The Girl With All the Gifts, The MartianFor people who love thrillers: Girl on a TrainFor your enemies: The Goldfinch. Sorry. Hated it.

A dear friend of mine gifted me a wonderful bottle of balsamic vinaigrette a few weeks back, and oh man is that stuff delicious. I've been using it in all kinds of different ways, but my favorite is homemade salad dressing. Can you hear me smacking my lips? It's divine.Recently, I've been making a delicious salad with baby greens, roasted winter vegetables (carrots, squash, onions and cauliflower), cashews, roasted chicken and a sprinkle of feta cheese. You guys, you gotta get on this train! It's so good.Anyway, I thought you might want the recipe for the dressing below. I promise, you'll thank me.[kindred-recipe id="12134" title="Amazing Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing"]

Last weekend, I was lucky to get photograph the Rhymesayer's 20th anniversary show at the Target Center, which featured about 30 different acts. No, I am not joking.That up there is Prof. I had never shot his shows before, but knew he had a ton of energy, wore dorky clothes, and jumped around a lot, so I was amped. It was so much fun! I wish he would have played more than just a few songs. One thing I was (dumbly) unprepared for was that when he began, a huge amount of inflated animals (BIG ONES) were released into the crowd, and all during his set they were flying back toward the stage, bonking me in the back of the head. Sadly, so many great shots were blurred or obstructed by these, but I wouldn't have it any other way. The energy was fantastic.To see more shots from the concert (including POS, Brother Ali, Atmosphere and some amazing B-Girl dancers), click here.If concerts aren't your thing, maybe you would like to see the real estate listing for the house where Mary Tyler Moore lived in the show? NINE BEDROOMS AND SEVEN BATHROOMS. Amazing.

Right!?!I was lucky enough to have this handsome boy in the studio this weekend, and OMG I could have died from the cuteness.Way before Shuttersmack was ever started, I had a sheltie myself, named Maudee. I didn't give her that name, I adopted her when she was six, and I felt like it was too late in the game to change it on the poor thing. Her parents were giving her up because their GRANDKIDS didn't like the dog. Ahem. You better believe I have opinions about that.Anyway, trust me when I tell you she landed in a better place. However, I must admit, she was a bit... nuts. 1) She hated men. All men. Even Jamie. 2) Better not move to fast. If the phone rang and you jumped up off the couch to answer, she would begin barking like mad and circling you to get you back where you belonged. 3) Wow, did this dog hate blimps. Yes, blimps. In her heyday, I lived in Los Angeles, and I would let her sit out on the fire escape. But when a blimp came by? The entire neighborhood knew about it. They were her mortal enemy. And in Long Beach, CA, blimps are more frequent than you think.She was a weird dog, but we loved her nonetheless. She was a perfect companion to a single lady living in such a huge city. I'm including a photo of a photo of her from back in the (film!) days. Excuse the quality -- an iPhone photo of an old print can only look so good.But back to this guy, Cody! He was an amazingly sweet, non-neurotic Sheltie who even played fetch. It was a blast to take his photo.Ok! For your internet share of the day, I loved this mom's advice to her son. Because I think it holds true to all of us every day -- not just kids. And if you don't make a gazillion photo calendars like I do, you should look at all these pretty ones. Great gifts (even for yourself!)

Mmmmm... fall cooking. Am I right?Last night, I had my good buddy Margaret over for dinner and a business meeting. You see, she's redesign my website, and I cannot wait to show you what it looks like! It should be ready to go right around the new year (fingers crossed!). If you've ever designed (or redesigned) a website, you know this is a big deal. It's so much more work than anyone anticipates... especially when it involves things like a daily blog, many portfolio galleries and archives of old galleries and posts. I'm sortof a pain-in-the-ass that way.However, my web guru just rolls with it, proving again how great it is to have her on my team.Aaaaanyway, back to the food! I wanted to offer the lady a hearty meal, so I roasted up three pans of winter veggies (butter and thyme were used generously) and then we used them in a hearty and delicious salad which I will share the recipe to later, I promise. I know it's been awhile since I had any recipes on here, and I'm gonna fix that. But it's gonna have to wait until next week because I want to take a photo of dressing being poured onto the salad, and I don't have anyone to do that while I shoot during daylight hours.Complications! I know!And you know what else? Tonight I'm gonna get to photograph a rap show! I KNOW! IT'S LIKE MY OLD LIFE IS COMING BACK TO ME! I am super excited :) You'll get to see those photos next week as well (or tomorrow morning in the Star Tribune, if you so desire).For your internet share of the day, I liked this post on things you should do at least once a year for yourself. Happy weekend, everybody!

Yesterday, Leah up there geared up for the weather and drove an hour away with me to search for my phone in the woods. That right there is a true friend, people.We had so much fun chatting and catching up on the drive, and then we got there and I told her where I thought the phone might be. We hiked out to the area and I turned to her and said something like, "So this is where I did a lot of the shooting -- " and she interrupted me, pointed at the ground under a nearby tree and said, "Look! There it is!" Just like that. We were there for like 10 minutes max (and 9 of those minutes were spent hiking from the car).I could have kissed her, I was so thrilled! We all need good luck charms like Leah in our lives.To celebrate, we then went to Kramarczuk's for lunch (yum!).Also, after much testing and watching and waiting, I determined that our Christmas tree stand is not, in fact leaking! Yay! It turns out that my sleep deprived husband or myself (who is obviously sleep deprived as well), must have just poured an entire pitcher of water into the space between the tree skirt and the tree holder instead of, um, in the holder where the water belongs. See? I am not exaggerating when I talk about our exhaustion. Dear Ezra: YOU NEED TO SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT NOW.Ok! Now for your internet share of the day! I love photo contests and gazing at the winners, but I really loved these because No. 4 was taken with an iPhone out an airplane window. Amazing! Also, I loved this artwork made from typewriters.

You guys, I am having one hell of a week.On Monday, after only about 3-4 hours of sleep the night before, I slipped down the stairs, landing on my back and head pretty hard. Nothing serious was hurt or broken (thank God!), but I am black and blue and sore all over. And cranky about it.Also? While I have been working very hard to slowly lose weight after Ezra's first birthday (now that I'm not starving all the time from nursing), I gained 3.5 pounds over Thanksgiving weekend. Damn my weakness for pie.Then, on Tuesday, I had this amazing photo shoot out in the woods with a family choosing their Christmas tree. I was so excited for this one! We had fantastic weather and it was so gorgeous out there! And then when the shoot wrapped up, as the sky was darkening, I realized I had lost my phone. In the snow in the woods.I stayed there for 40 minutes retracing all of my steps, but no luck.I got home, used "Find My Phone" and the software located it... as a blip in the woods. Not exactly helpful.I'm heading back out there in an hour or so with a wonderful and dear friend to search some more. Not only is it my phone, but I carry my driver's license and all my credit cards in the case. So this is a Big Deal. Please keep your fingers crossed that I find it.Then, this morning, I went to water the Christmas tree and found the floor and tree skirt (and surrounding presents) soaked through with water. I am now testing to see if I have a leaky Christmas tree stand or not. And if so, won't it be fun to get the fully decorated tree out of it to replace? Ugh.To say we are exhausted around these parts is a huge understatement. We really need some solid sleep so we can a) fight these colds b) stop being clumsy and c) keep our electronic devices in check. Also so we can be more patient with the very demanding toddler and dog. Please send us warm wishes and patience.For your internet share of the day, I enjoyed this gift guide for things to buy yourself under $50. And I also love looking at the most popular baby names -- I have three friends who are knocked up right now, and there are some gems in here!

My little girl is three years old today. Happy Birthday, Mags! I plan on spoiling her later with a romp in the snow and a glazed doughnut. Normally, we give our dogs ice cream on their big day. But Magda here is our first winter birthday, and ice cream doesn't sound as good as doughnuts, so there you go.On one hand, I feel like we just got Magda a year ago. Not because time has flown by so fast with her in our lives (although it has), but more because those traumatic days of her puppyhood seem still so fresh in my mind. But... then I remember that when she was a pup, Merlin was with us (and healthy). And there was no Ezra. And my dear friend Alby was still with us, and still undiagnosed with cancer. When I think of all that has transpired since we brought this girl home, it's more like she should be seven or eight years old today. Time is weird, eh?For your internet share today, I'm sending you over to Still Kickin. Today is Giving Tuesday, which while I think falls way too close to "Give To The Max Day," I still support fully. The story behind this month's hero over at Still Kickin is a tear jerker, and what better way to support that cause than to purchase rad t-shirts for yourself or your favorite kid.