This lovely girl is named Greta, and man, she was hysterical. She was so ornery during our shoot that frankly, I was surprised she wasn't MY dog. After Memphis and Magda, I have come to realize that I attract only the "most special" girls, and Greta would fit right in with that crew. But I finally got her to calm down and pose, and just for fun I threw on these devil horns (purchased for Magda one year for Halloween). And then she blinked and it looks like she's laughing and I am in love with this photo. Plus, I love all the detail in her salt-and-pepper face. What a cutie!For your internet share today, this story about a volunteer in Minneapolis just reminded me yet again how one person can make a difference and I should maybe work on that and get off my duff. And this column on anti-intellectualism was fascinating and terrifying and yet I saw the truth in it. Sigh.

This morning I got to photograph this little girl who is only SEVEN HOURS OLD in that photo. Omg, she was adorable. Just adorable! And so calm and so alert (wide eyed and curious!). I loved this photo of her brother helping to wash her hair.So how are all you doing? Me? I'm slammed with work and holiday stuff and trying to fit in time with friends and the kid and the dog and such. But really? I'm good. Really good.Surprisingly, I'm not seeing Star Wars this weekend. Crazy, right? I mean, I would like to, but... time. I just don't have it. Except for opening night, and I don't have tickets. So! I'm going to wait and try to catch a matinee next week. But for the rest of you, I hope you love it. And this gave me goosebumps, so it's my internet share of the day. MAKE SURE YOU WATCH UNTIL THE END.

I am shooting in the studio for Scotch again during all the daylight hours on Monday and Tuesday, so instead of showing you another behind-the-scenes look, I thought I'd show you the totally adorable Great Dane that I photographed this weekend. Do you see how tall he is? I have photos without a human in them, but the scale here is unbelievable! And he was just about the sweetest boy ever. And oh, those eyes! I feel like he and Merlin would have been amazing friends.For your internet share of the day, how about this new Star Trek trailer?! It has the Beastie Boys in it! Could I be any happier? Not sure.

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!)