Last night I slept in a room far from a toddler or a dog who could wake me up at the crack of dawn. I was under a down comforter next to open windows with a crisp breeze and the sound of the lake crashing on the rocks below me. I was free to sleep in like a sloth and enjoy every minute of it.So of course I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 5:57 am.THIS CHILD HAS RUINED ME. But I guess it's all been worth it.Anyway, I threw on some jeans, brushed my teeth, and headed out to take some photos of the sunrise. I mean, what else was I gonna do? Lay in bed checking facebook and playing games on my phone? (Actually, that would have been great as well! But not every day do you have that gorgeous lake outside your door). So I headed out and was completely, one hundred percent thrilled that I did. The sunrise did not disappoint.Then we had breakfast, went for a hike, grabbed some coffee and hit the road. I got back to Minneapolis at 3:45 pm, just in time for my 5 pm family photo shoot down at the lake. Did I mention I barely squeezed this trip in? Yeah. That's an understatement. But again, totally worth it.I don't have much of an internet share today, but I did think this was hysterical, and I would love to see what Magda would do if I tried to carry her in my purse.
Yesterday, my buddy Nyberg and I headed up to the north shore -- further north than I've been in about a decade. And you guys? It was so worth it. The fall colors were amazing (as was the company) and we had a blast. We also had an amazing lunch at 
I had a weekend full of photo shoots paired with a serious head cold that hit me hard on Saturday. So when I was taking photos of this adorable two year old, and she was wearing out, I could feel her exhaustion. I could keenly feel how hard it is to keep working for great photos when all you really want to do is eat a delicious snack, laugh with your friends and maybe take a nap. But what I love about this image, besides how tired she clearly is, is the way her mother is looking at her. You can see the love there -- how she's holding this thirty-something pound toddler (carrying her around in the woods, no less) along with a bag, and she is still gazing down with such tenderness. These are the kinds of photos that I sometimes don't deliver to my clients because they aren't smiley -- they aren't the kind of images I'm being hired to take. But I love them nonetheless. They show how after an hour of hiking through the woods for great photos, kids get beat.I'm also going to include an image here of how this sweet girl turned around and turned it on for the camera one more time. Both because I want to show you her sweet smile, and also because I don't want you to think my shoots are miserable! (They're fun! I promise!)Enjoy.
Happy Friday!I shot this during an engagement session at the lake the other night, and wow do those clouds look like a blanket or what? I love the colors and sky and water in the fall. This season just speaks to my soul.This weekend, we're hoping to brunch with friends and hit up another apple orchard and maybe squeeze in a haircut. What are you all up to? I hope you get amazing weather for it.Here are a few internet shares for you!+ 
This morning I got to photograph this American Bulldog pup. You guys would not believe how HEAVY this puppy was! I know bulldogs in general are dense, but wow! I went to scoop him up with one hand and could barely do it! And he's only 5 months old!But let's all just relish those forehead rolls, can we? So adorable.I have been so lucky to photograph so many wonderful puppies and dogs this year. Please, please, please keep them coming. It's good for my soul.
And for your internet share of the day, I have only one, but it's long. Please read to the end. I really enjoyed 
Oh, what a wedding this was! There was a sweet and loving couple, beautiful spaces, gorgeous light, wonderful parents, so much laughter, and in general, a room filled to the brim with genuine love and adoration. I had such a marvelous time photographing this wedding, and I'm sure you'll know it by how many photos I have posted below! (Sorry -- I couldn't cut any out!)I absolutely adored this bride and groom, and I wish them all the wonderful adventure life has to offer. Cheers!
Special thanks to 
Because I am a complete and total sucker for books, of course I order books of my photos all the time. Like every time we finish a great trip. Or every time I go on tour with a band (ok, that was only once, but I *do* have a book). Or every time my kid has a birthday.See, while this blog is an awesome place to hold all my memories of Ezra's first two years, I'm still paranoid that this whole internet thing is just a fad. KIDDING! But I do worry that something might happen someday and I could lose the images I have backed up on two computers, two external hard drives and the cloud. (Paranoid much? Yes, sir!)But beyond being afraid of technology eating my photos, I just like sitting on the couch and looking at books! It's fun! And they are so pretty and easy to make! So the bottom one is from Ezra's first year and the top one is from Ezra's second year. I honestly don't know if I'll have the determination to do one every year of this kid's life, but it sure is fun to flip through.Want your own photo book? 
This weekend, I shot an *amazing* wedding. I know I say that all the time, that this wedding or that wedding was amazing. But this? It barely even felt like work.Every aspect was so gorgeous (the dress, the couple, the light, the venues, hell, even the DISHES) that it all just sort of fell in place. Because the normal day-to-day of wedding stuff was going well, I began pushing myself to capture some under-the-radar emotions. It's easy for me to wrap a couple up in their arms and tell them to chat while I take some photos of them looking lovey-dovey (ok, actually, that's not always as easy as you would think). But I wanted to capture more than just the standard shots. I wanted to capture something that showed what it might feel like to be getting married that day.There were a few images that I thought fit the bill as I went back through my photos today, and one was the image above. This is the bride before her walk down the aisle, and she's fiddling with the rings. I think it capture the very small amount of jitters we all get before a wedding. And it's not always because we're nervous about the whole married part (I know that wasn't the case for me), but for many people it's nerves because of a million other things like getting up in front of 200 people to say your vows or maybe there's some family drama going on or maybe you're worried about that big event/dinner/party you planned that starts in an hour. Regardless of the reason, lots of people have butterflies before saying I do.I thought this image captured that nicely. Also? Wowza, look at that dress!And now for your internet shares of the day:+