Eeek! How fast can I write a blog post?! That is the question!You see, I'm out at a coffee shop working today because I cracked my iPhone screen (again). Don't worry, I have a new case on the way ... sadly giving up on my current one. But I digress.I dropped off my phone for repairs, and I knew I would have an hour to wait at the coffee shop across the street. So I brought my laptop but, sadly, forgot my charger! And I only had 14% left when I began to post. So as you can imagine, I'm typing as fast as I can here.These photos are of the lovely Arya, who is a 2 year old rescue. She is amazing and funny and so, so sweet. I cannot even begin to tell you about all the kisses I got during this shoot and how much I liked this girl. And those eyes! Be still my heart!
Ah! I'm down to 7%! Better get you your internet shares of the day, eh? Here you go!+ I'm certain you have seen Michelle Obama's speech at the DNC by now (IF NOT GO WATCH IT IMMEDIATLY), but I loved this back story on her dress. It was designed by Christian Siriano! My favorite Project Runway designer evah!+ And on a totally different note, I aspire to making a cheese plate like this. Who's with me?
On Sunday, we decided to check out the new U.S. Bank Stadium (aka the new Vikings Stadium) downtown. We are not Vikings fans (sorry!), but since roughly $500 million of taxpayer money went into building this thing, we thought we should check it out. And yes, I have opinions on $500 million of taxpayer money being spent on a stadium to house roughly 10 football games a year. Oh sure, I know more events will be held there. But how many sellouts? I cannot imagine more than 1-2 sellouts per month on average. The cost just seems ridiculous to me.Also, Metallica is one of the first concerts being held at that stadium, and I am curious what that will sound like in a pointy room full of steel and glass. But I digress.
It drives me nuts that the ceiling beam there is not in line with the center of the field. But that's probably just me.I should say something nice though. Right when you walk into the place, this is about your view. It is open and airy and it feels like it's outside (even though it's clearly not). I do like that about the design.
Only in Minnesota, am I right?
I thought this was interesting -- I expected concerts to be in the end zones. I don't know if this was set up to illustrate what concerts would look like or not, but it was fascinating to think about.Ok! Internet shares of the day:+ We in Plesserville (especially the youngest) are enjoying 
Hey-oh! I shot this image at the end of our trip up north a few weeks back. We drove up to the harbor to watch a ship come in (thanks to 
Yesterday, sweet Wyatt dropped by the studio for some photos. OMG, he is the sweetest, most chill puppy I have ever (EVER) met. Normally, I am chasing puppies all over the studio just trying to freeze the frame enough to get the little suckers in focus (which, btw, is so much fun -- please don't take that as a complaint). Wyatt here strolled into the studio and pretty much just laid down to pose. It was amazing.Enjoy!
For your internet shares today:+ 
Last night, we had the beloved Nyberg come over to babysit so Jamie and I could head out to a concert. We were excited to see the new buzz band Carseat Headrest, and it had been awhile since we'd been to a show at the Triple Rock (one of my favorite spots in town). I brought my camera and while I had pondered pitching this show to local publications to make a little money off the photos, I decided I'd rather come home after the show and go to bed (instead of staying up an additional hour or two processing and writing captions).GOOD DECISION, LESLIE.This band, while sounding fantastic, was sooooooo boring to photograph. They stood perfectly still, barely bobbing their heads for the first 40 minutes of the show. At which point, I put my camera away and wandered to the back of the club to say hello / have a drink with my friends.And with THAT sales pitch, if you'd like you can go 
I have huge goals for photographing the Milky Way. We all know I'm a space nerd and a photography nerd, so this all makes sense, right?It does. Except for the fact that this kid we made wakes me up every day at 6 am (or earlier), and I cannot seem to stay awake past 11 pm. Which makes photographing the Milky Way tough in the summer when the sun sets so late. But I decided to give it a try last week while I was up north.While I can technically (barely) see the Milky Way in these photos, I would consider this to be a pretty big fail considering my end goal is something 
For your internet shares of the day:+ I think 
OK kids, this is a big post. Lots of nature shots (probably more of the scenery than the kid). But I hope it's worth it!We went up to the North Shore of Lake Superior last weekend, and we just... took it all in. We played games, took walks, watched trains, watched freighters coming in and out of dock, watched birds, collected rocks, sat by campfires and ate s'mores. It was just what the doctor ordered. Here are the photos.Day one:
Day two started with sunrise at 5:24 am. No, Ezra wasn't up. But I wanted to watch it.
Then it got super foggy!
"Bye-bye boat!" "Loud boat!"
Day three was spent outside playing. I left my camera at the cabin for most of it because I knew I was going to photograph the stars that night and because playing with bubbles and yard games is hard when you are carrying a camera.
Um, those are bugs. Amazingly, they didn't bother us (much).
See all the camp fires along the shore? I love that.No star photos for you now -- I'll do another post on that next week. But I did finally see the milky way, and it was wonderful.For your internet shares today, I have some doozies!+