I had a photo session this weekend with a newborn (and her family), and this was my favorite shot. I love the light in this image. And look at that little baby girl smiling up at her dad!? Is this great or what? Anyway, not a bad way to start my Saturday morning.I should also note that this family gave me another one of my all-time favorite photo shoots, so they just prove that I have the best clients in the world.For your internet shares of the day, I have a few more Prince links (I CANNOT HELP IT). But seriously, don't you want to know what the man kept in his fridge? (I may or may not have linked to that before...). And then his twitter avatar changed. And my friend Margaret pointed out this wonderful fashion spread with Taylor Swift. As someone who used to art direct fashion shoots, I think this is wonderful. And lastly, I have been pondering a capsule wardrobe. I would like to simplify my  life, and to be honest, I pretty much live in the same clothes anyway (habit of working at home). I found this one to be a good inspiration...And lastly, go download that new Beyonce album. For real. 

This morning, we all got up and took Ezra to the zoo. It was a little chilly, but we meandered out to see the Russian Grizzlies. Pro tip: The bears are far more active in the mornings than the afternoons, so it's best to start your visit with them. As you'll soon see.They have 3 bears at the zoo, one male and two females. The male climbed over and began sitting on this tree.Then, the two females began to wrestle and fight! I'd never seen this before and we (along with all the school children around us) were fascinated. But then things got far more interesting. There was a definite victor in the lady fight, and the winner was rewarded...As one child screamed, "Oh my god! The nasty!" We just told Ezra they were hugging.For your internet share today, I unearthed my very favorite Prince story (which I shared years ago and since had been removed from the internet, probably from Prince himself). But since just yesterday, someone reposted a very poor quality video, but the telling of the story is what matters. Enjoy.

Oh man, you guys. My fantasy of running into Prince at the grocery store is lost.I was such an enormous fan of his when I was young -- I remember being introduced to the cassette tape of Purple Rain with my Walkman on a road trip to Kansas City, and it was one of the first albums that I needed on vinyl as well. I loved listening to that record and reading the liner notes. I've been a huge fan of Prince's ever since, but that was cemented when I was lucky enough to see him perform live on 07/07/07. His showmanship and musical talents blew me out of the water. And let's not forget that SuperBowl performance, eh?Tonight, the City of Minneapolis closed down the street in front of First Avenue (where Purple Rain was filmed), and people turned up in droves. They played his recorded music over loud speakers in the streets, and then local artists did tribute covers. It was sad and joyous at the same time, and it made me love this city even more (hard to believe, I realize!).Anyway, below are some photos from the evening. Enjoy.   For your internet share of the day, I liked seeing how the entire world reacted to the loss of such an artist. Wow.

I promised you guys a smash cake photo and then I plum forgot! Here you go. What a cutie, eh? That crown on top of her head might be my favorite part -- her mom got it from etsy (you can find a similar one here). One year olds eating cake might be some of my very favorite photo sessions!My mother-in-law arrived today and she and Ezra are simply delighted with each other. It's so fun to watch -- you'll get to see photos next week, I'm sure.For your internet share of the day, I adore this project with pit bulls. Enjoy!

I've got some family coming in town this week, so I'm busy wrapping up a bunch of work and getting the house ready. That being said, I'm just going to leave you with these ducks on the lake (I love how they are both on one leg looking back at me!) and this video of Japan. Watch it in full screen mode. I tell you, I've never had much desire to travel to Japan... but this video has left me intrigued... 

Attention internet readers: We have hit 70 degrees so step away from the computer and get thee outside!I took that photo of tulips earlier in the week (Nyberg brought them by last weekend, and they just keep getting lovelier and lovelier!). And sure, I could go outside and snap a fresh spring photo. But then I would have to come BACK inside to upload it. And my goal today is to finish as much work as possible by 2 pm, and then cut out early, walk the lake, get in a workout and drive around with my windows down and my music loud. Just like high school.We even set up the patio furniture last night! (Dear God, please don't snow again.)For your internet shares of the day, here are some tiny houses you can rent while on vacation this summer! Here are some very pretty things to buy for your  home (check out that bed...), here is a kid's book that I think looks fantastic and, ladies, here is a pretty honest Q&A with an obgyn about that particular job (and other womanly issues). Happy weekend, y'all!

I photographed this little girl last weekend, and I just love this shot so dang much! It makes me laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh! Poor thing!She really is an adorably sweet little girl, but she's a touch bashful in front of the camera, and I guess this outfit change was just too much to bear. Don't worry though, we fixed it with cake. You'll get to see one of those images tomorrow, I'm thinking.I was on set again all day today, but we finished early, set up the computer outside at a picnic table and had drinks in the warm sunshine while reviewing images. It was 100% lovely. I think tonight we may attempt to assemble our patio furniture for the weekend, and I'm just so happy that spring seems to have finally arrived for good.For your internet share of the day, I loved seeing Seth Meyers' kitchen (I love the look of shelves instead of cabinets, but they just wouldn't look as good covered in sippy cups). I also heard about this story from my mom and found it pretty interesting -- why living dead center of the U.S.A. might cause headaches...

Sometimes you spend 10 hours working to make photos that your client needs and that you think are just fine and will serve their purpose but are nothing that will ever land in your portfolio. Not every job can be ballet dancers being photographed in mid-jump, but honestly sometimes more effort goes into the simple product shots than into your favorite pieces of art. It can get a bit draining, but at the same time I learn a gazillion new things at every single shoot, so I'm thrilled to have the work.And then you come home, spend 30 minutes with the kid putting him to bed (oh how I wish there were more hours in the day!), and then you hit the lake for a walk in an attempt to clear your head and get some exercise because my god those donuts on set were delicious. And then Minnesota gives you that sunset up there.Have I mentioned my love for this place I live in? Yeah. It's pretty rad.For your internet shares of the day, this came out a few weeks ago but I missed it and I love it (thank you Taylor Swift for being you). And these instagrams of people who dress like their surroundings is mesmerizing. And I found some super helpful tricks for natural cleaners around the house in this piece (like eucalyptus oil for sticker removal!).