My mom arrived in town today from Wichita. This was a huge feat because she flew for the first time by herself since 2003 (when I moved to Minneapolis). I was pretty nervous about her getting through security and the enormous Minneapolis airport, but she managed just fine. She was seated next to a 7-year-old boy who was traveling by himself to Washington DC. He helped mom out by reminding her of the finer tips of airline travel, like buckling her seatbelt on the airplane and scoring free sodas from the flight attendants.Anyway, from the airport we went straight to daycare to pick up Ezra and there was a lot of love between the two of them today. I'll have loads of photos in my weekly Monday at the Madhouse post, but I loved this image of their hands together. And yes, my mom's nails are ALWAYS perfectly manicured. And no, mine are never that nice. It probably drives her nuts... (sorry Mom!).Tomorrow we have some fun things planned, but for now I'm going to close and go spend time with the family. Oh! But before I forget, here is the trailer to the new Kurt Cobain documentary that looks extremely sad, but real. Those family video clips just tear my heart open. 

This right here is a little corner of my buddy Leah's house that I adore. The light blows me away every time I visit! Look how tall/low the windows reach! Her home is one of my very favorite spots to shoot.Anyway, I was over there this morning pinning down the final details of her wedding that I'm shooting in a few weeks, and I snapped this right before I left. I could sit in that nook and read the paper and sip my coffee all day long, I tell you. Also? That wedding? It's going to be stunning. I cannot wait to show you photos from that day.For your internet share today, I'm showing you some Vans that I'm pondering for my shoe collection. Now that it's SIXTY degrees out (!!!), I'm refusing to wear any socks and these shoes all look perfect for summer. Be sure to tell me which are your favorites! 

This morning I had a breakfast meeting with the amazing Lindsi over at Bryant Lake Bowl. Since I'm usually out on a predetermined location shooting photos or slaving away at my desk to get caught up on processing/email/um, facebook  (just being honest), getting out and about for morning meetings is a highlight of working for myself.I never think of Bryant Lake Bowl for breakfast, but is PERFECT. Delicious oatmeal with a backdrop of bowling lanes, sunshine and beautiful typography? Yes, I'll take it.For your internet share of the day, I learned a ton about Reese Witherspoon here (who I love) including that she (as well as me) wore a red dress with tan hose to Prom (ew) and she loves Rilo Kiley (yay!) and she has THE MOST AMAZING TRAMPOLINE in her backyard. Jealous.Also, were you sucked into the blue/black or gold/white dress thing last week? This is the best explanation of how many colors we see and why. I see 35 of them, how about you?

Are you ready? Today I'm starting a new series on the blog called Real Talk.I get a lot of emails from readers who want to know what camera/lenses etc I use because they "like my photos of kids/dogs/concerts and they want to shoot the same photos." Ahem.On one hand, this is SUPER flattering because hearing anyone loves your work is fantastic. It truly is.But on the other hand, I need to explain to everyone that the gear does not matter. Do you hear me? YOUR GEAR DOES NOT MATTER. The best camera in the world is the one you have in your hand. Things like angles, framing and light are what matter. But more on that later.Since I get these emails from readers, and since I've noticed that the photos or blog posts in which I show you how I got a shot get the most interest, I thought I would start a series on how to take better photos. You game?This will not be aimed at professional photographers, but rather at regular folks or hobbyists who are shooting with their phones or point-and-shoots. Sure, it's totally applicable if you have a wonderful DSLR camera like mine, but I want everyone to benefit from these posts, not just the photo nerds.I plan on talking about things like how to take better photos of your friends, how to get the most flattering light in your photos as well as how to get great shots of your babies or your kids and how to get your dog to look at the camera etc. In other words, I plan to spill all my secrets.Sound good?Also, I should note that by no means do I consider myself an expert in photography. I consider myself an expert in how I take *my* photos, and if you read this blog a lot, I'm thinking you might like how I create my work. Second, this blog will run every other Friday, unless I get a lot of questions from you guys that require more posts (which would be great!).OK. Let's start with my own gear and get that out of the way (only because you're curious, not because it matters).I shoot with a Nikon D700. This is not the latest and greatest camera body (See? It doesn't matter.), but I love this camera because it's much lighter than the next steps up and I have neck and back issues already. I also love it because it shoots wonderfully in the dark (for concerts) and it works with all my lenses from my old film days, so it saves me money.The lenses I use almost every day (along with a photo shot with that lens) would be:• 50 mm 1.4 // This lens lives on my camera the most. It shoots great in low light and I love the depth of field it creates (that means the fuzzy background).• 24-70 mm 2.8 // Perfect for road trips or concerts up when you're up close, it gives me great versatility for wide shots as well as a little zoom all in one lens, and it works in low light.• 85 mm 1.8 // I love this for portraits and weddings. It lets me be a little further from the subject, but the photos still appear intimate and beautiful.• macro lens // This is wonderful for getting my creative juices flowing and for photographing bugs and nature details.Those are my go to lenses. If that up there is gibberish to you, do not worry about it. You do not need those lenses to make wonderful photos. If you want it explained because you want to buy a new lens, shoot me a note and I'll happily explain more.Now! If you have questions you want answered, please please please shoot me an email and I'll answer it for you in the next installment! I love the idea of helping you guys learn!For your internet share of the day, this photo essay on what people around the world eat each day is fascinating to me! Seriously, go look at that and then think about what you ate yesterday.

I hesitate to say this... but it appears the worst of winter is on its way out! (Sorry if I just jinxed it!) Today when I left the house it was -2, and tomorrow it's going to be 37! And the 10-day forecast even has us in... wait for it... THE FIFTIES. You guys, are we turning a corner? It kinda feels that way!Anyway, one of my crutches this winter has been my afternoon tea. It used to be my afternoon coffee, but since I take my coffee with loads of cream/sugar/coffeemate, I switched to tea as I'm trying to shed this baby weight.I love how on the colder days the steam really curls around the pot -- isn't it lovely?For your internet share of the day, this art is beautiful and if I lived in California, I would want one of these asap.

So a few days ago, I got a new car. Exciting, yeah? YES IT IS.The last time I bought a new car it was 2003, and that wonderful Honda started having a finicky Check Engine light recently and some weird jerking motions, and I figured it was time to trade that baby in before she cost me some serious dough. So here we are!The part that makes me feel like the luckiest girl ever? Those three lights lit up in the center console. Those indicate the seat heater is set to high. Oh dear sweet Jesus, I've wanted heated seats for so dang long, and it is just as glorious as I had imagined. Today it was nine degrees out, and I was taking the long way home because I was so comfortable.Here's hoping this car lasts me until 2028 or 2029. By then Ezra will be learning to drive and maybe he can take it over. Whoa. Crazy.And speaking of The Spawn, today's internet share is kinda parenty, but I am here to tell you that if this were not written and instead were a speech, I would have been standing in the front row, stomping my foot and waving my fists in the air, whooping out loud to show my support just like Meryl Streep at the Oscars. This sums up how I feel about today's parenting/neighborhood climate completely.

Oh man, do I love that collie fur. He has about the best salt and pepper gray I've ever seen!This morning, it was (finally) snowing big, fluffy flakes, and I took the dogs outside to play a bit. I snapped this image of Merlin's back as he made it to his usual spot below me wanting a good back scratch. If you have ever visited my house, you are familiar with this position (similar to riding a horse backward). It's too bad he doesn't realize that back scratches with gloves on are infinitely worse than the ones indoors with my fingernails exposed. But I loved the snowflakes in his fur -- so lovely.For your internet shares today, have you seen these images of Cat Island? Holy shit, this is insane. Also? Did you hear Kevin Garnett was traded back to the Timberwolves? (!!) Do you know who is a big KG fan (besides me)? PRINCE. So there was this piece about that in the Star Tribune, but better than the writing is that amazing photo of Prince sitting court side. Whoa, that hair.