Last night, I was over at Magers & Quinn (my favorite local book store that is not aimed specifically at children) for a book signing. But not just *any* book signing -- this book was written by my dear friend, Andrea. And I couldn't be more proud of her.Not only for spending 4 years researching and writing a book (!!!), but also for tackling sensitive issues like race and our city's not-so-great history with black musicians. She is bringing it all to the forefront in a time where we are (inexplicably) still be struggling with race in our nation.She read several (wonderful!) excerpts from the book, and then answered a bunch of questions from the audience. One important point was that she spent so much time interviewing subjects for the book because black history just isn't documented as well as white history, and she needed to get these very important interviews in while she could. Again, I am so dang proud of her.If you are a music fan, you should read this book. If you are a Prince fan, this is the backstory about how he came to be. I cannot wait to dive in and read it all myself. You can buy your own copy here.For your internet shares of the day:+ A reminder on how to build an amazing cheese plate. Relevant with holiday parties about to start up!+ I love these portraits celebrating black girls and their amazing natural hair.+ This dress might be nice for a holiday party. And it might be on sale next week (just sayin'...).

A few weeks ago, I headed down to Le Sueur to photograph an aerialist for a magazine story, and man was that fun! I cannot even imagine the strength this sport takes, and it is so very beautiful to see. Should you have any interest in trying it out, the studio I photographed was this one, and they offer classes in every level. Get to it!For your internet shares of the day:Things I would like to own:+ For my front door.+ For my hallway.+ For my head.+ For the rebellion.Things I would like to cook:+ For a winter dinner.+ For a delicious side dish.+ For more protein.+ For a different kind of salad.   

I woke up almost 2 hours before sunrise this morning for another shoot at an elementary school, and it was 100% worth it. The kids I got to take photos of today were so freaking adorable (that kid above was not one of them), and the school was less than a mile from the studio (I'll post photos later this week).So after wrapping up around 10 am, I headed into work and finished up the family photos for those two buddies up top there.Every time I can get a dog and a toddler in the frame together looking at the camera, I feel like a champion. If that doesn't sound hard to you, go try it out and let me know how it goes. Lucky for me, these two were easy peasy, and we got a few images with the two together.For your internet shares of the day:+ This is a recipe rabbit hole well worth falling into.+ My doula went forest bathing and wrote about it. Now I want to go with her next time!+ And Ezra's biggest crush (our favorite server at our favorite restaurant) wrote this whimsical peace about choosing a travel partner. She makes me ache to be young again.

What a weekend! Jamie's brother visited us from Sacramento (much to the entire family's delight -- but especially Ezra's), and we spent the days at markets, reading books, building fires and playing.Well, Ezra (and Steve) were playing/wrestling. Jamie and I were just thrilled to have someone else take the brunt of it (sorry buddy!). And Magda napped like a queen. I love the shot above where she's dominating two chairs in front of the fire. This girl does love her warmth.While she slept, the humans ate out at restaurants, visited coffee shops and bookstores, and in general just had a wonderful time. And after bedtime, the adults hammered away at my new favorite show, Mindhunter.It was all pretty glorious, and we're going to miss Uncle Steve desperately. Lucky for us, we already have our next visit on the books. Below are a few images of Steve and Ezra. Enjoy! And now for your internet shares of the day:+ Frances McDormand will never stop surprising me and making me laugh.+ People reviewed wine glasses to see which ones made the wine taste the best. The winner is only $5.+ My god. We are so lucky to live in this country. Even if that jackass is still in charge.

This morning, I was over at the fancy mall in town, The Galleria. Why was I there? Because my buddy Ashley just opened her brand new boutique location there, and you guys, it is so, so great! It's called Roe Wolfe, and it's lovely.I will simply tell you that I photographed her store for an hour, and then might have spent a lot of money on amazing clothes that I cannot wait to wear. If you need any retail therapy, I cannot suggest the store enough.And now for some internet shares of the day!+ Amazing vintage photos of street life in NYC.+ I don't know if I want this backpack for me or for my kid.+ I love this office/music room makeover.

Good Morning! As I mentioned yesterday, I'll be slaving away in the studio for the next few days, so I'm doing a throwback to Halloween!Last week, many people came into my home studio all dressed up for snapshots of their costumes. But my favorites? Those were hands down the families that went ALL OUT for a theme. They were so creative and fun, and I wish I had that kind of imagination when it came to costumes!My very favorite was the family above who came as RUN DMC. Ezra had that exact shirt when he was a baby, and we, of course, never ever thought of such a funny (or easy to put together! or comfortable!) Halloween solution. Props to this family!And my next favorite goes to my neighbors who always come as a fantastic theme (Indiana Jones! Ghostbusters! And now, Star Wars!). That little Luke is so adorable!I hate to admit it, but I don't have time for internet shares AGAIN today. I will tell you that the new show Mindhunters on Netflix is fabulous, and if you need a new program in your life (and if you love true crime) this is the one for you! (Also, if you are from Wichita, as I am, they are totally getting into BTK territory!)Have a great day, you guys! The weekend is so close!

You guys! This is it! I'm finally gonna show you around our new studio!We got the couch a few weeks ago (which we are *loving*), and last week and this week have been jam packed with shoots in the new space. Tomorrow is our first commercial shoot in our tiny studio, and we're already realizing that we need more room. Soooo... we'll see how that works out.For now, we're just working like we live in an apartment in Manhattan. Every object in our space is dual-purpose (utensils double as props for shoots, for example), and I'm obsessed with looking up storage solutions on blogs like apartment therapy.But without further ado, here are more photos. We call this our "hospitality cart." We have cups, tissues, glassware, tea, coffee, chocolates, breath mints etc. Later we might add some booze for spontaneous happy hours with clients. But my favorite part is the dog bowl. Of course.No time for internet shares today as I need to squeeze in a workout before heading into the office, but I will say that I'm really pleased with last night's elections. St. Paul elected their first African American mayor, there's now an African American Trans person on the city council and Virginia made me squeal with delight. Human rights for all, I say. Have a great day you guys!

One downside of being a photographer (maybe the only one?) is that I have seventy five gazillion great images of my husband and my kid. But guess how many I have of ME with these two? Not very many.This is one of the many, many reasons I ask my photographer friends to take our family photos. And this year, Lucy had mentioned that she really wanted to get more experience with families, so I eagerly volunteered. I mean, she's amazing, right? I know. That's why she's on my team! She's SO DANG GOOD.Here are a few more. And near the end of the shoot, she let Ezra push the button and take a photo of Jamie and I. Here we are.I might need to teach him a few things when he gets bigger! Ha!Ok, but really, I need to tell you that while my holiday sessions are all sold out, Lucy is still booking families for this fall and you must, MUST, get on this! It's such a great marker for each year, and I promise it's not as painful as you think it will be! You can even book a mini-session right here.And now for your internet shares of the day:+ I loved this piece on parenting. It's a good reminder the morning after Ezra woke me up all night wanting to snuggle in "the big bed."+ These shoes are impractical but gorgeous and not too spendy, and it sure is a good thing they don't make them in my size or I would have already bought them.+ A chuckle on the streets of NYC.