The humidity has finally broken, and we are now in the glorious days of summer. I snapped this photo during last night's photo shoot. I feel like the spoon and cherry are always shot from the side with the skyline in the background, but this was the first time I had spied it from the other side, and I'm not sure why, but the reflection popped out to me more.Tomorrow starts a wonderful stretch of trips and fun surrounding my upcoming birthday, so I'm trying to wrap up as much business as I can in the office today, while leaving time for walks and time outdoors. You should do the same.Here are your internet shares: First, this young couple gets to see what they look like at 90 years old before tying the knot -- very emotional. Second, I would like to write a novel with this guy as one of my main characters. Seriously. And third, who wants to hire me to work on a project in this location. Let's make magic!
I had coffee with a friend from ... oh, I don't know. He's a tour manager with various bands so he's been on the road for almost a full year straight. So yeah. I don't know where he's from. Well, he's from Kansas originally, so we'll just say that.Anyway, we had coffee today because the band he's touring with is in town, and so we hit up One on One bike shop in town (they also make coffee). Anyway, it's one of the few coffee spots in the North Loop, which is sort of an "up and coming" (or already peaked, depending on who you ask) part of town. I really love the architecture down there -- especially all the huge windows. So I tried to capture that in the reflection of the bike shop window.For your internet share today, this is how Vanity Fair kept the Jenner story a secret. Fascinating!
This morning we woke up to dark, cloudy skies and cold, refreshing air from the windows. (And a baby crying.)These are my favorite kinds of days. Wait, not the crying baby part, but the gloomy, wet, dark days of late spring. I am one of those rare creatures who prefers dark days to sunny ones (also? best photo light, for what it's worth).I've been taking my macro lens out more, and I've been loving photos of raindrops lately. Weird, I know. But I'll take inspiration anywhere I can get it. These were a few snaps I got this morning between storms.
For your internet share today, you should go listen to the new Sharon Van Etten album. It's perfect for this stormy weather.
This morning I had a photo session with that little guy up there. He's only eight days old, and he is so, so tired. This big beautiful world can be exhausting! It was all right that he was so sleepy though because he had an amazing 2-year-old sister who more than made up for posing in front the camera -- she was delightful!The rest of the day was spent in front of the computer and walking the dog and doing laundry. You know, the glamorous side of Shuttersmack HQ.For your internet shares of the day, if I were hosting a birthday party next week, I would offer these as party favors. RAD. And I am totally in love with this street fashion photo -- everything from the clothes to the pose to the hair are perfection. And lastly, this kid made me snort out loud. Too funny!
Aren't those dog portraits great? My buddy Brent drew them last summer when he was having a flash sale on commissioned work. I think it was in July that I hired him because I thought Merlin's time was getting short. I just can't believe my boy made it until April. And this week makes it 2 months since he's been gone. Man, I miss that guy.Lately, I've been listening to more audiobooks because it's a great thing to have running in the background while I edit photos. But the thing is, that site audible? It's not that great of a deal (the last book I wanted to listen to was $28!). So I've been trying to find free audiobooks online. This week, I've been listening to The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia). I never listened as a kid, and man did the Aslan character remind me of Merlin. Noble, kind, huge with a big, furry mane. Yeah. (Some people say Aslan represents Christ in the books. I'm sticking with Merlin.)Anyway, I've been thinking of my boy a lot this week, and I thought I should show you the pieces Brent drew for Ezra's room. Such a nice tribute to my very first kids.For your internet shares today, I loved this piece on the value of community college. I am a firm believer that the traditional 4-year schools aren't for everyone, and community colleges are a fantastic option. I also really enjoyed this essay on viewing your life after loss. And on a more upbeat point, this hotel's decor is FABULOUS. I want my house to look like this please.
Tonight I was hired to shoot Spark Camp (so much fun!) and then to follow the participants on a dinner cruise on the Mississippi River. I've lived in Minneapolis for 12 years now, and I had never been on one of the river boats, and man, it was so interesting! Great history, great views and fantastic, bug-free, weather. It was glorious.No internet share today -- Ezra was back at his "up all night" antics yesterday, and this girl here needs some sleep. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Doesn't she have cute feet? I think so. And I love that even she has dog hair stuck to her (besides the attached fur, of course).Lately, I've been wearing this girl out. Now that my torn calf muscle is healed enough to walk again, I've been burning up my fitbit (for me, anyway), and logging a minimum of 10,000 steps a day. This usually means Magda here gets an hour-long walk each day -- sometimes more. She really does love it, and I love how she snoozes the rest of the day away afterward. It's a good match.At first, I felt like I was really wasting precious work hours by walking an hour each day. But now I justify it as my "daily commute." If I were still working downtown, I would spend this much time in the car each day, so I might as well spend it getting healthy and enjoying the weather.Yesterday, it rained all day putting a damper on our walk. But I still got my steps in because the pedometer counts dancing as steps (as it should) and I saw The Rolling Stones last night! You guys, Mick Jagger is a FORCE. I was in awe of his health and his stamina on stage. I read this article today on how he stays so youthful. I don't know how true it is, but still fascinating. Especially this bit:
In fact, the Rolling Stones’ tour has more than 200 staff, including fitness trainers, dietitians, a physiotherapist and chefs poached from the Four Seasons hotel chain, who cart around lorryloads of organic food.
But while the show was super fun, the sound mix where we were sitting was awful. We could hear the sound from the front speakers and the middle speakers and the echo off the stadium. Which is why I think these might be the greatest inventions EVER.Obviously, I didn't photograph the show, but if you want to see some great shots, my buddy Nate has got you covered over here. Enjoy!