This weekend, I shot an amazingly intimate wedding. There were 37 guests, and that means every single person there was a part of this couple's core support network. There were no cousins that the groom hadn't seen in a decade. There were no friends from the mother's book club. These were the people who meant the most to this couple, and it was so, so sweet.Also, because of the tightened guest list, they were able to hold their wedding at their favorite restaurant in town (112 eatery) and Holy Mother of God was that the best meal ever. Just wow. It was truly a magical evening. I cannot wait to show you the rest of the photos (patience, friends).For your internet shares of the day:+ Someone has installed fake signs around the Twin Cities. While I find none of the recent shootings funny (AT ALL), I do think this excuse of "the policemen were startled" to be ridiculous. It's one thing if I'm startled and shoot someone (point number 4,587 why I wouldn't carry a gun), but it's another thing when a trained police officer (a profession which requires bravery) uses that excuse.+ A trick to make you lose your fear of flying while in flight.+ A great way to save your money. 

I thought I'd use today to show you some of our family vacation photos from up north. I know I don't feature Ezra on the blog nearly as much as I used to (nor Magda!), and I thought this would be a good check-in.Right across from the cabin was this public beach. Ezra did his best to return all of the rocks to Lake Superior, but as you can see, it's quite a project. Hopefully one that will keep him occupied for years to come. Remember that foggy morning? Believe it or not, there's a huge buoy at the end of this breaker. Not that you can see it.Here are my boys exploring the rocky shore.Here, Ezra learns how to open a pistachio nut. He loved them! (Duh) A few shots of me and the boy. Your welcome.Ezra saw a young man climb this rock wall and hike off into the distance. So of course he wanted to try.And that's about it!I hope you all have a wonderful weekend ahead, and here are some internet shares of the day!+ A great summer dessert recipe.+ Some beautiful paintings for your wall.+ My next photo project. You think I'm joking.

Last weekend I had a smash cake session with a new client. Isn't this girl adorable?!? And wait until  you see her cute outfit at the end of the session!It was a super fun shoot as I immediately adored her parents, and then it got even more fun as we learned that this girl isn't really into cake. Ha! So then her parents tried to show her how to eat it. Scroll down for the good times. For your internet shares of the day:+ Behind the Scenes of the newest Star Wars film. Did you tear up like I did? Wow.We have always talked about the Star Wars characters in our house, but now Ezra wants to read his book about the story each night. His book just has one word per spread ("Trouble," "Princess," "Heroes"), which is actually nice because then I can just tell Ezra the story (and maybe leave out the parts he's not ready for). Ezra's favorite character is (of course) Chewbacca, but he has many questions about "Why is Darth Vader mean?" and he is super curious about the trash compactor that the team gets trapped inside of (there's a photo of it in the book). Luckily the creepy snake monster isn't in the picture. But you guys? Only like four more years until I can show him the movie. Let the countdown begin!+ Are you on a vacation or a trip? Yeah. Mostly trips around here. But still fun.+ Oh how I loved this book as a child. I cannot wait for the movie. Plus? OPRAH.

I am not gonna lie, one of the many perks of working with Lucy is that the girl can bake (and loves doing it). We've been wanting to do a food shoot in my new kitchen to see how the black countertops photographed, and we wanted to see if it was bright enough to shoot in all natural light. Plus? It's just fun to have Lucy style a food shoot for me for fun. Obviously, I think she does a bang-up job.These were our results. YUM. For your internet share of the day, this article really got me thinking about Capitalism and where we are headed as a society. And to think it was published in a BUSINESS MAGAZINE.To be honest, I think I'm still 100% on board with capitalism, but I agree the greediness of our nation and of people in general is the real root of evil here. I'm lookin' at you, Koch Brothers.Also! Lucy blogged about these galettes as well, and you can see her photos and thoughts over here!

A few weeks back I had that amazing shoot with the poodle, for which we had purchased a bunch of balloons. Well of course they were still inflated the next day, so I brought them along to my morning shoot down by the river. I'd say they were a hit! And frankly, balloons just make everything better.Besides processing photos this week, and updating mileage and invoicing etc (it's a bit of an administrative week over here at Shuttersmack HQ), we've also been looking at some new studio spaces. Nothing final to report yet, but it sure is fun to dream!Also, if you are thinking of scheduling a family shoot this year for holiday cards, you might want to reach out asap as my September and October sessions are filling up fast!Here are your internet shares of the day.+ What it's like to move your family to Israel. "My girls were too young to understand what was happening [with the Gaza conflict], but my then-six-year-old son was in summer camp and would ask to wear his Israeli army T-shirt every day. He would say, ‘I am going to take off this T-shirt only when we win the battle.’ I tried to talk to him about what was happening in a way that was sensitive, hopeful and not too scary. Everyone has mandatory military service when they turn 18 — three years for males and two years for females — so children learn about it from the time they can talk. It’s seen as a natural step at that stage in their life. "+ Some beautiful ceramics to make us all happy.+ Some great storage solutions for those of you trying to stop your plastic-bag usage. I'm trying my best, but it is HARD.

This is my new neighbor.My entire family might be completely smitten (you should see Ezra run over to hug this pup, OH MY GOD does it pull at my heart). Her name is June and we cannot wait to watch her grow up. Right now? Now we're just watching her poor mom walk her every morning around 6ish to try to get her to pee. Solidarity in the babies-waking-you-up-too-damn-early thing, my dear.We had a rad weekend full of farmer's markets, grilling out, cold coffee, friends for dinner, pizza nights and a haircut for the boy. And naps. It was glorious. How was yours? For your internet shares of the day:+ Who knew Japan had such amazing playgrounds?+ I want to try this butter RIGHT THIS SECOND. I mean, why not?+ And lately I've been on a bit of a bandana kick because I can wipe the sweat from my face during muggy photo shoots. But also? Tied around your neck they may or may not hide wrinkles. Not that I have any of those. Ahem.

I can't believe it  has taken me this long to blog these photos! A few weeks ago, I had this adorable poodle into the studio to do some fun work with my buddy Scotty. Scotty is an art director / stylist / producer in town who LOVES COLOR. Scotty lives out loud, and I adore him for it. As you know, I am ... um... more of a monochromatic girl. So I thought it would be fun to stretch my wings and play.These were my favorite shots from the day -- I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! And happy Friday! It's almost the weekend! For your internet shares of the day:+ I know there is a lot of Macklemore backlash out in the world, but I will always adore him and his music. And this latest video is wonderful.+ This news about our earth is so sad. Biological annihilation. ANNIHILATION.+ This interview on the Daily Show made me proud to be a Minnesotan. Omar is not from my district, so I didn't have the chance to vote for her. BUT I SURE WOULD HAVE.

Before we saw the deer, as I mentioned yesterday, we arrived at the harbor to look at the boats. We pulled into the parking lot and it looked a lot like that photo above. But by the time we got Ezra out of his carseat and we locked the car, it looked like the photo below! It was stunning and surreal how thick the fog got and how fast it all rolled in. It was also so eerie to hear the ship, to know it was there, and to not be able to see a thing. Ezra said, "Mama, it's kinda sneaky outside right now." Yup. That it was.We walked along the shore, listening to boats out on the water blowing their fog horns. Then we hiked into the woods a little (there was a path) and when we made our way back to shore it had lifted again. It was such a magical morning. For your internet shares of the day:+ A friend of mine has starting taking photos with a drone, and I love her current work.+ Another friend just opened up an air bnb cabin in north-central Minnesota and it looks spectacular.+ Did you see the latest photos of Jupiter? Wow.