It snowed again yesterday (and today), so I headed to my nearest woods to search for deer. Sadly, they were all hiding, and instead I was left with an hour hike through gorgeous nature looking at animal tracks and enjoying the scenery. In other words, life was good.Lucy joined up with me (fellow winter nature lovers unite!) and she brought her *amazing* big-ass lens (yes, that's the technical name for it), while I just shot wider nature scenes. You can see her amazing images from the walk over here.Today we were both back together again scheming and creating portfolio pieces in the studio. I'll share more with you later, but you should know that studio shots of "real life" take FOREVER and we busted our ass all day long and I have zero internet shares to show you because of it. Oh! Except for this. I believe there may have been some jokes about the President Elect and that lens. That is all. 

At the end of last year, I was honored to be featured in Into Quarterly. They had put together a publication about Minneapolis, and they had asked if I would contribute several images. I really didn't know much about the publication, but thought sure, I'd do it.Then a month or so later, I was invited to the opening reception, and I was blown away. The quarterly is filled with photos, but also words from local artists. And the launch party featured many readings from the book by local writers.Wow. These readings and these artists. I could not have been more thrilled to have been included with such talent. The publication is LOVELY and wonderful, and I cannot suggest picking up a copy enough. (I get nothing from it financially -- I just think you might want to see it.)The quarterly is now available both online and at local book sellers (I believe Common Good, Forage Modern Workshop and Magers and Quinn all carry it).For your internet shares of the day:+ I wish I had the patience to do this with my hair.+ This piece about leaving White Nationalism is enthralling.+ I love these two street fashion photos.+ Moby was asked to play Trump's inauguration. This was his response.

I had a corporate photo shoot downtown this morning, and as it wrapped up it was still snowing outside. Since the wonderful Lucy was assisting me today, she and I headed over to the North Loop to catch some images of the snow. Sadly, the flakes were TINY, so the photos weren't as great as I had hoped.That said, it's never a bad thing when you get to take time out of a day to make photos purely for the fun of it! For your internet shares of the day:+ These photos of President Obama in 2016 are A+!+ And I also was mesmerized by these images of roadside glaciers in Alaska. Whoa.+ Remember that dog show I shot last weekend? You can see more photos here.

This morning I got to take photos at the Land O' Lakes Dog Show in St. Paul. You guys! You have GOT to check this event out. Not only is it fun to see the dogs, but WOW is that great people watching! I cannot suggest it enough!And I was *super* lucky because today the dogs that were showing were the Golden Retrievers, the Collies and other dogs that don't matter. KIDDING! But we all know I have a bit of a soft spot for these two breeds, so I was thrilled.I have posted a few of my favorite shots below, but please, please check out the full gallery over at City Pages. There are so many more wonderful images there!

Hello, hello!I have found that many people, when the new year begins, would like to update their photos on social media, linked in (maybe a resolution for new work?) and tinder / match.com (a different sort of resolution at play?). So I usually have a ton of requests for head shots this time of year -- which is great! I adore showing you how beautiful you all are!So I've set aside a day just for this purpose, and I think you guys should sign up right quick. Here are the details:When: Friday, Jan 27.Where: I'll be shooting in my studio between 10 am and noon, and I'll be shooting out in the wild between 2 and 4 pm. I know it will be cold outside, but maybe we'll pop into a shop for coffee or seek shelter in an alley. Yes, this session might be a little harder, but these photos do have a special feel about them (you can compare the styles above). Also, if you choose the environmental option, I will be picking the location where we'll meet, as I need one spot that will work for many people. If you want something more specific to your own needs, we can schedule a separate day/session! Just let me know.How much: $150What do you get: You'll get five final images of yourself, processed in both color and black and white (so 10 files total). They will be sized for online purposes only though, so you won't be able to turn this into wallpaper. So sorry!How do your sessions work? Great question! All photographers work differently, and this should explain my process.How do I purchase? I'm so glad you asked! Go here.

When we woke up this morning, it was -11 outside. Yipes!When it gets this cold, Ezra gets frost on the two windows that get hit with the moisture from his humidifier. The moisture gets stuck between the blackout shade an the glass, and for some reason we get these cool veins of ice on the outside of the storm windows. I have no idea what the science is, but after the sun comes up fully, they melt away -- which means I need to act fast if I want to photograph them.Pretty, eh?For your internet shares of the day:+ I love this trend of dark houses. What do you think?+ This is a nice reminder that the grass may appear to be always greener, but it's not always the case.+ I like this idea for kids!

This morning I had my first shoot of 2017 with the adorable Charlie, whom you see above. Charlie is an emotional support dog, and he is such a charmer! As you can imagine, starting the new year with a new pup in the studio was aces in my book!A few more shots below for your enjoyment.And for your internet shares of the day:+ I loved these photos of people becoming U.S. citizens.+ Even Bon Appetit suggests Trader Joe's appetizers! Fun fact, when the Trader Joe's opened here in Minneapolis, Jamie and I threw a huge party and invited all our friends to try the food. Loved it!+ Nine everyday changes to improve your new year. My favorites? Bring a book with you everywhere and send your best friend flowers.

I barely shot any photos this weekend, which is supremely disappointing. The good news is that it was because I was deeply engrossed in living life instead of documenting it, but it does make blogging on Mondays a bit tougher.Saturday evening, we hosted a small gathering of families for some New Year's Eve shenanigans. There were seven kids and eleven adults and it was completely chaotic in the most fun way. The kids ate pizza and played games and built things with blocks and toys and the adults drank delicious alcoholic beverages, ate pizza paired with an amazing kale salad (I know! Yes, you did read that right!) and around 8 pm we had an official countdown to the new year followed by everyone running outside banging on pots and pans, twirling glow sticks, yelling happy new year and lighting their sparklers.Well, except that I made a terrible mistake and *I* lit everyone's sparklers. Which meant that I didn't have time for photos! When I lit the last one and raised my camera, only one was left burning! Next year, someone else has to light them so I can take pretty photos. So that photo you see up there is the only one I could get. Lame.After all that noise, we came inside for a toast and then everyone headed out and Jamie and I collapsed.It was a really wonderful evening, and we had so much fun. And then only a few hours later I came down with a monstrous head cold and we spent the rest of the weekend taking it easy and eating chicken soup.I think it's pretty obvious from many of my previous posts that I am not looking forward to 2017. I know people keep telling me to stay positive about the political future, but I've read far too much history, and I know that while that sounds good, it won't really help things.So while I dread the future of our nation, the earth, and equal rights among all people, the only positive thing I can do right now is hug my own family tight and spend the time I do have on this planet doing things I believe in and spending time with people who I love dearly and who make me happy. I hope you all can do the same.