post by leslie

I promise I didn't fall off the face of the Earth. I've just been in Canada. And I might never return.Could I make a living here? Probably not. Would I love to swim to one of these Gulf Islands (or ferry, whatever) and never connect to the internet or hear the news again (until Trump is in prison anyway)? Hell yeah. Absolutely. Let's make that happen.I'm going to have to break my posts into themes for the next few days so you understand how amazing my very short three days in this country were (not counting the travel days).First up is the whale watching excursion. Yup, we saw Orcas, and we got to see them kill a few things, but luckily there are laws that we have to be 200 (meters? feet? I can't remember) away from them, so nothing too gruesome.We also saw amazingly huge sea lions, harbor seals, a sea otter, and way off in the distance, a humpback whale (which I did not get to photograph).Ezra thought all of this was pretty cool. In fact, I would lay money on him liking the BOAT more than the ORCAS, but whatever, he had a blast. Obviously, I am still in a cabin deep in the Canadian woods on an actual island, so internet shares are nil because I've been kayaking and hiking and watching out the back yard for otters and all that is way more fun than a computer. But enjoy the photos! Look at those rocks in the water. Look closer. Those are sea lions.Again, you see the one in the water? Look at the rocks behind him. And they were barking at us. I have a very handsome husband. That is all.In the middle of this photo is a sea otter. The captain kept telling us how rare they were and what an amazing sight this was, but I couldn't see a single thing and just took the photo to appear interested. Now, I can see it. Dead center, just below the half-way mark of the photo, you can barely make out a head. I really snapped the photo because look at all that kelp! Way out in the middle of the water! Crazy!

post by leslie

You guys, a friend of mine had a baby.Well, I should be clear, MANY of my friends and MANY of my clients are having babies right now. But this was one of those friends who is at my house a lot and who I adore both personally and professionally and who I ring in the new year with and who brought me dinners when I had my own baby.And she had a GIRL! Of all my super close friends who live in Minneapolis, this is the first one to have a girl (at least in the last 5 years)! And this baby girl has the most beautiful wavy hair and the longest and most elegant fingers and toes and she is adorable and I couldn't be happier. Of course I've taken photos. You can see them below.For your internet shares of the day:+ Urban Outfitters has some great furniture design lately, like this and this.+ Great financial advice.+ I don't know how I would ever recover from this.

post by leslie

Yesterday (and part of Monday), I was photographing another "day in the life" session with clients, and wow did I have an amazing time. I just dumped all the photos into my computer (thousands of images) and ran through them for the first time, marking my favorite 150 shots. I cannot wait to do an expanded post about this family and the magic that I witnessed.Having a young family is so much work, but there is so much love. I think these sessions truly capture all of it, and while it opens my heart to remember this time that I had with my own sweet boy (and the nostalgia of it all!), it also makes me so glad that we have outgrown it! Such mixed emotions.I'm sure there is a French or Spanish word that captures the longing for those times along with the relief that it is over, but I certainly can't think of a word in English that holds that definition.Below are a few photos of the father and daughter's bedtime routine. Enjoy.

post by leslie

Well, the kid turned four yesterday and how are we all aging so fast?We celebrated in the park with ice cream, balloon animals and pizza. It was a bit too windy for the ice-cream-cake candles to light, so we sang and lit candles again in the evening.Ezra got to watch a movie during dinner (a rarity) and he got to choose his meal (yogurt). So we candled that up and celebrated again. It was a really fun day that left us all quite exhausted, but happy.Tomorrow I'll be on another one of my 24-hour shoots, so there won't be a blog post, but I hope to make up for it next week. You'll just have to wait and see what I have in store... For your internet shares of the day:+ An amazing story of a man saved from a bear attack in the mountains.+ Spectacular photos from the hurricane.+ The power of removing your shirt. I love this message, but I think I love the writer's voice even more.

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As I was mentioning yesterday, family sessions have been such a joy for me this year. It's not that they weren't enjoyable before, but maybe it's that I've been photographing many of my families for 3+ years, and now it's like spending an evening with old friends. Or maybe it's that the kids are growing into themselves and are such a blast to play with! Either way, I'm having a wonderful time.As I type this, I've shot six families this week with two more to go (along with a corporate shoot tomorrow). As you can tell, fall is a crazy busy around here, but that's how I like it!Below are a few of my favorite snaps from last weekend, and I'm sure I'll be posting more later. I will also take this moment to remind everyone that I am currently booked solid until November 12, so if you want family portraits for your holiday card this year, please let me know asap! For your internet shares of the day:+ I loved my Guess overalls in the sixth grade, but let's be real, can they really be flattering after you're 19? And yet, I keep looking at these.+ Speaking of appearances, I loved this article and have cancelled my future coloring appointments. (Although I do have the best colorist in the city, should you need a referral.)+ I cannot put this book down. You should get on it asap. Wait, read this one first (the one I'm on is the sequel).

post by leslie

Right now I am inundated with baby shoots, and it is pleasing me to no end! About seven or eight years ago, when I first started this business, newborn shoots terrified me because, well, babies were just little aliens and I was terrified of breaking them or being barfed on. Now that I'm a mom? BRING ME ALL THE BABIES! WHO CARES ABOUT BARF!?!Seriously, having Ezra has changed my entire perspective on family shoots, but newborn shoots in particular as I now fully understand how fleeting (and sweet and amazing) this time period is.This week, I am photographing three new babies and one maternity session (along with two toddler families and an agency head shot session thrown in for good measure). Today's images were taken last week as I dropped off food for a dear friend who just gave birth. I have a "real" session with this little lady next week, but I didn't want these images to go to waste. See what I mean about all the babies! September. I tell you what.No internet shares today -- life is just too hectic. Oh! But you might want to see my new haircut on instagram.

post by leslie

Last weekend I was hired to shoot the annual neighborhood Woofstock festival for CoPilot Outfitters (an amazing pet store in my 'hood). They will be posting all the images on their facebook and instagram pages this week, but here are a few of my favorites. Seriously one of the most fun assignments! For your internet shares of the day:+ Spectacular wildlife photography.+ Remember when I ran into that fox in the cemetery? Not a joke! That was five years ago today!+ Speaking of wildlife, these lions stole the camera. Literally.

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This weekend, we took the kid to his first Major League Baseball game, and man was that fun!The Royals (who Jamie and I grew up cheering for) were playing the Twins, so we thought it would be a great day. And the weather! You guys, it was like 70 degrees and sunny and beyoooootiful. Here are a few photos (also, besides Ezra LOVING the game, we decided to take the train to take things to the next level). Enjoy!For your internet shares of the day:+ Wondering when peak fall color will happen? Look at this amazing timeline and map!+ I love clever uses of perspective! These photos are hilarious.+ Like Hamilton? Like Prince? This is for you.