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.

Oops. I forgot to blog yesterday.I was just trying to cram so much fun and adventure into our last day on the North Shore and then we drove back and then we had bath time and then we unpacked and then I caught up on work email and then we made dinner and then it was story time and then it was bedtime and ... you get the idea. Yesterday was busy. Sorry about that!But how about this mama deer up there, eh?!?Monday morning, we took Ezra over to a short hike around Two Harbors. Ezra is completely enamored with reindeer, and lucky for us he thinks all deer are reindeer (for the time being). We got to the location, where the fog socked us in, and hiked around listening to nearby boats, foghorns and birds. We spied dewy spiderwebs, dogs out on walks and tons of wildflowers. But no deer.As we got back to the car and were pulling away, I asked Jamie to slow at one spot where I had seen deer on 3 other trips. And lo and behold! There were two baby deer! We parked on the side of the road, and I pulled Ezra up into the front seat. We rolled down the window and I was pointing to the baby deer.And then out of the grass comes a mama. And she looks at us, and just starts approaching. You guys, I only had on a regular, fixed lens for these shots. No zooming. How close that deer looks is how close she was. Her nose was almost inside the car! It was sweet.Once she determined we had no food to share, she turned around and led her babies back into the woods. It was pretty magical. For your internet shares of the day:+ Did you know Crispin Glover lives in a Czech castle? And you can see the inside?+ I think I will make this for dinner soon.+ I love this photo essay.

In case you didn't guess, I'm back on the North Shore in my happy place. I'm staying in my favorite Air BnB (you should totally stay here), the weather has been PERFECT and this morning there was cool and foggy and filled with warm coffee. It was completely magical.We went for a hike early on today, and I snapped this image from one of the cliffs. I love how it looks like an island out there (it's not). Also, there were HUGE freighters passing by in the water, but we couldn't see them through the fog! We could only hear their fog horns, their engines and see the waves lapping at the shore near our feet.A few hours later the fog disappeared completely, and now I can see the clear blue waters from the window as I type this. I have Scenic Cafe pie in my belly, a good book on the table and a sleeping toddler in the next room. Right now, life is spectacular.No internet shares today -- I'm getting off the computer! Happy Monday everyone!

Last week, I visited a friend of mine who does AMAZING underwater photography. I wanted to see how this was done because her photos are SO MAGICAL. I look at them with such wonder and awe, and I just wanted to watch how she did it.And I fantasize about photographing dogs underwater. Let's be real, it all comes back to the dogs for me. But I digress.You guys, some of this work is so much more simple than I thought it would be and some of it is SO MUCH HARDER. The ever talented Emerlee agreed to have me over to watch, and she even encouraged me to model for her. No, you are not going to see those photos. And let me tell you why.Modeling itself is so much harder than it looks, and that is when you are above the water breathing normally. Modeling underwater? A disaster (at least for me). In my mind, I looked so peaceful and serene in each photo. In the real world? I looked like I was trying to decipher tax code. My face was a MESS! The photos were hilarious, but I will not be attempting that again (nor will those photos see the light of day). However, it did teach me how to give direction, to empathize with my subjects more, and to respect Emerlee's work even more than I already did (which I thought was near impossible!).Here are some behind-the-scenes photos I took above the water while Emerlee was shooting. To see more of her work, check out her website. And if you are a recent bride or a pregnant woman, I think these shoots would be so awesome for you. I cannot suggest it enough. But you might want to practice relaxing your face underwater a lot before you arrive. It's way harder than you think! 

I have a backlog of animals to show you guys, so here are a few. The top owl was from a raptor center demonstration at the farmer's market last week (Ezra was so uninterested that it was embarrassing!), the moose shots were from the zoo a few weeks back (they were training them! I loved it!) and the bottom owl photo was also from the raptor center, but from back in Buffalo last month. I told you I had a backlog!I always think of owls and moose as northern animals who belong in Minnesota. I know this isn't true (I saw a similar owl in Texas this year!), but I never had a chance of seeing these creatures growing up in Kansas, so they seem native to me here. And the moose probably won't be in Minnesota much longer -- they're dying off pretty quick with how warm it is these days. I'm certain the current administration will do nothing to really help the problem either.For your internet shares of the day:+ The Hate U Give. This book has been on my hold list at the library for six months. I just got it and am devouring it and EVERY body should read it. And by everybody, I mean every white person. Every single one of us.+ Kelly Moore has some new camera bags. I have never purchased these before, but I am tempted by the Collins and the Jude...+ Oh how I would love to do a photo shoot like this!+ Or this!