Hi guys! What a week!Lucy and I returned from Boston late last night, I worked from home this morning and then we headed into the studio for more decorating/setting up. And I got the internet working! So of course I wanted to get on here and blog from the new photo studio. HOW EXCITING!No, I'm not ready to show you the space yet (maybe we'll do a preview, but our statement piece doesn't arrive until around Halloween, so you might have to be patient).The photo up there is of some sort of medical equipment that I shot in Boston. It was an outtake, so it's safe to show you and it's nothing special. Just interesting to me that those medical tools are made in Pakistan. Right?OK. Internet shares. Are you as outraged by our president right now as I am? And frankly, it's not just the president who is pissing me off right now. Who are all these nazis? And what kind of world do we live in where they don't even hesitate to show their faces? My god. I never thought we would head in this direction, and it enrages me.For your internet shares:+ My friend Matt wrote this piece about the Charlottesville rally.+ This map is scary and also makes me mad.+ This photo. Damn.+ I need something happy. I don't have anything. What have you got?

I'm still in the thick of work right now, but getting keys to the new studio space and moving in was a huge relief. More photos of that space later, I promise (we just need to finish decorating first!).Right now, I'm in Boston prepping for a shoot with a new client. I'm not gonna lie, while this month has been exhausting, getting to photograph jobs out of town is always exhilarating, and this is no exception.I'm doubting I'll have time to blog tomorrow, but I'll be back by Wednesday, I promise. Please bear with me!I hope you all had an amazing weekend. Can you believe summer is almost over?! Get out there while you can! Sip wine on the patio, watch the moon rise over a still lake, chow down on some sweet corn on the cob and hold a drink in your hand while playing your favorite yard game! It's going to be gone before we know it!

Well, we're back in the city. Leaving Lake Superior behind is always tough for me, but the amount of work on my plate in the next few weeks made it even more daunting this time around.I have 12 shoots in the next 17 days. That doesn't sound like too much except that one of the larger shoots is in Boston and two of the remaining ones are weddings. Then you sprinkle in nine more family/seniors, and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed.Oh, and today and tomorrow I'm moving all of my photo stuff into a brand new studio (!!!). So there's a lot going on right now.I'm going to try to hang on to those Superior Sunrises as long as I can though. Below is a shot Jamie took of Ezra and I. It was the first time he left the cabin with us to watch the day begin. And he was a little chilly in his PJs, which is why he's wrapped up in my hoodie.Blogging might be a touch sporadic in the next week or so, but please bear with me. I promise to have some fun stuff to show you if I survive it all!

As to be expected, life on the north shore is amazing. The weather has been in the low 80s! We even dipped our toes into Lake Superior yesterday! Today is supposed to get up to the mid-80s, so we might actually get into the lake. We'll see!Yesterday also included lunch at my very favorite New Scenic Cafe. The heirloom tomato sandwich there just cannot be beat. Today we're heading out for a hike and then lounging around the resort for the rest of the day. I hope you all are having a great week -- it's back to cities for me tomorrow.If you haven't made it up to the north shore yet this year, GET ON IT! And if you want to come up with me next time for family photos, I still have some spots left...

 That little orange speck in the trees? That's our bonfire. I'm a pretty happy camper now that I'm back at my favorite retreat on the shores of Lake Superior.This right here is what working my tail off last week was for. Sometimes you have to burn the candle at both ends for a big payoff, and man is it worth it.We've been hiking and swimming and throwing rocks in the water and eating delicious heirloom tomato sandwiches with s'mores for dessert. It's Minnesota at its best.No internet shares. I'm heading back out to watch the birds.  Have a good week, you guys. I'll be back in the city before you know it.

Hello!

Lucy here, and I'm so excited to share my first post on Shuttersmack! I'll be dropping in to say hi and share some pictures every so often, so please check back!

As you may have picked up from Leslie's posts, it's been a crazy, totally packed week. She and I have been working together on commercial shoots during the days, and then we've headed our separate ways in the evenings to work on projects for other clients.

I've been especially excited to work on a City Pages food feature that's due out next week -- the issue hits stands Wednesday, so be sure to pick up a copy! I styled and took photos for the assignment, which was a total blast. I can't give away too many details quite yet, but I can share a few sneak peaks:

Did those pictures make you think about a cool, refreshing drink? It's Friday after all, go enjoy and cheers to weekend!

You guys tired of my raindrops yet? Because it was misting/drizzling/raining all morning long, and you better believe I stepped away from our set inside a gorgeous home in St. Paul, grabbed Lucy's macro lens (which I covet) and shot a few more raindrops before making my way back to some more 3M product.While the color of these leaves was lovely, I think the black and white makes the texture more dramatic, so here you go. For your internet shares of the day:+ I have been cleaning my face with micellar water for months now, and I love it. But this product? This is a travel must-have.+ And speaking of skin care, talk about a rave review.+ A great gift idea (especially for cat lovers!)

Life is a little insane right now with the number of shoots I have this week. I normally try to keep my schedule in a pretty reasonable place, but these days it's getting pretty nuts because of some last-minute switches. I'm just rolling with it because I have a few days off next week, and Lake Superior is a wonderful light to have at the end of your tunnel.No internet shares today -- I'm only on the computer to catch up on email. The photo above was snapped this morning on set. We were shooting in a gorgeous garden, and the dew caught in this spider web was lovely.I hope you all are having a great week! I'm toasting you all with the gallons of coffee I'm drinking to stay sane!