post by leslie

Normally, May hits and my family shoots kick into high gear. But this year was different. I'm not sure why ... maybe because it was still freezing out? Until Memorial Day when it was suddenly 100 degrees? But May was slow for families. And then June hit, and here we are back in the rush. And you guys, I couldn't be happier!I've been doing a lot of online workshops on my family photography -- looking to expand and grow and make more images that aren't just "pretty," but that tell stories and make me laugh. And in the last few weeks, I've had so much fun putting those skills to work.Don't worry, I still try to fit in the "pretty" photos during my sessions. But these more real moments are the ones that I adore the most, so these are the ones I'm going to show you today. The first one up top speaks to my soul.Each and every day I take forty gazillion deep breaths as I ask *again* for Ezra to put on his shoes/brush his teeth/put on some pants/eat his food/stop teasing the dog etc etc etc. And I cannot even imagine the exhaustion that a mother of two or three or four (or in one case I know NINE) kids. But through it all, we have to keep in mind that parenthood is, in fact, just as hilarious as it is exhausting."Can you please stop touching the furniture with your butt" is something I heard at a shoot once and now I have caught myself saying. It is just unreal. So when I attempted to document a mother feeding her newborn baby and a Ninja appeared out of nowhere (he was in normal clothes just moments before) and began banging on the window for attention, I knew I had to capture that. Because these are the funny moments that are worth remembering.Below are some of my favorite family images from the past few weeks. Some are pretty, some tell a story, some just make me happy. I hope you enjoy them.Also, if you'd like to book your own family session (even for holiday photos later in the year), get at me soon. My weekends in Sept. and Oct. are almost completely booked.And now for some internet shares of the day:+ What you can do to fight Trump's policy on separating children from their parents at the border.+ Some beautiful travel photos to ponder.+ Currently brainstorming uses for removable wallpaper. I'm thinking about the basement or the backs of stairs...

post by leslie

Something has changed this summer in our house, and it's the sound of real, live records being played.We've been undergoing a bit of a living room remodel (more about it later), but it involved rebuilding shelves surrounding the fireplace to a) look more original to the house and b) to create a cabinet on one side that housed the television (which meant getting electrical and cable/sattelite outlets over there). Once we had the TV next to the fireplace, our lives and direction changed. This meant that the fireplace side of the room was now dedicated to fireplace gazing, games of cards and Netflix.The other end (where the TV had once resided) was now a home to the piano, and we wanted to showcase our vinyl there as well -- creating a sort of music corner.We began looking for furniture that would match our mid-century modern piano and that would house a turntable, a bunch of albums and a speaker system. We couldn't find the exact right fit... so I reached out to my buddy Braden. Remember that guy? He made Ezra's incredible bed.He came over, made sketches, and built us the *most amazing* cabinet. It does everything we need, and we couldn't be happier.Another thing we invested in was SONOS (no, they are not paying me, but I wish they would). They now have a receiver that works with your record player -- so we can put on an album and then hear it in every room of the house. You guys, we are in heaven. And now Ezra knows how to operate it. So far, The Sound of Music is getting the most play from him, but that will evolve soon enough (like when he finds Purple Rain in the drawer).Below are some images of Braden's beautiful work (again). Also, please note that the piano bench is not original and we hate it and Braden's next project is to make one that looks right with the piano and the cabinet. I'm keeping him busy! But his work is so top notch that I can't resist. For your internet shares of the day:+ The author of one of my favorite parenting books has a post on time management, and it's fantastic.+ I'll be eating this all summer long.+ Good career advice. I had a similar conversation once, and it changed me forever (thanks London!). 

post by leslie

More rescue puppies! Aren't these two adorable? Two weeks ago, I was contacted by Kare 11 to do a TV feature on my Adopt a Stray in May project, so I brought in a few more puppies that I thought would be good for TV. If you'd like to see the story that ran, you can watch it here.These two pups are Sansa and Arya. They are sisters from a litter brought up from the southern states. They are 5 mos. old and they are SO GOOD. They don't bark (!!) and they are mellow, but not timid. They are super well trained, but they do need you to show you are the boss in order to listen. They are both great with other dogs and kids, and they might be ok with cats if they had a slow introduction.Sansa, the one with the darker spots was adopted yesterday (win!!), but Arya (the white one with the adorable spots on her tummy and nose!) is still available. You can read her adoption information here.Also, if you maybe have too many creatures in your home and can't welcome another, but if you'd like to help Wags and Whiskers (the rescue fostering many of the dogs you've seen here), they have a wish list on amazon of supplies they need. You can purchase them online and they'll go straight to the rescue. Nifty!And since Sansa was just so cute as well, here are a few shots of her (even though she's been adopted). Enjoy!

post by leslie

Look at all these dogs! I was lucky enough to photograph a ton of pups visiting Copilot Dog Outfitters this past weekend, and man was it fun! These are just a few of the dogs I snapped, but you can see all of them (so! many! more!) at the store's facebook page here.I'm driving back from the North Shore today, so no internet shares and not much news! Just wanted to give you something adorable to ponder.

post by leslie

I am finally back on the North Shore! I think my last visit was way back in October, so this is a welcome visit. I'm up here just for one night as I have a few family shoots scheduled in Duluth, and I'm here without Jamie and The Spawn. And let me be clear, while I do miss my family so very much, this much alone time with my audiobooks and podcasts has been nothing short of bliss.After today's morning session, I drove north to my favorite restaurant, ate lunch on my own (but weirdly ran into a friend from the Twin Cities!), and then meandered back down the scenic highway before checking into my hotel. These are a few images from along the way. No internet shares today as I used my down time to walk 5 miles along the lake to my favorite deli and grab dinner. Five miles along the shore? Best mode of transportation ever.

Post by Lucy

Hello, hello!I have an absolute new favorite spot in Minneapolis, although I think I am a bit behind, since it's everyone else's new fav as well. But, if you have not been, the gorgeous and ridiculously delicious Hai Hai restaurant in northeast Minneapolis should be at the top of your list. This is the second venture from the owners of Hola Arepa, and they hit it out of the park. I have been three times in the last month, and I already have plans to bring a couple of friends while they visit from out of town.What makes it so great? The Vietnamese-inspired menu features street-style dishes brimming with the freshest produce - cilantro, lettuce, basil, etc. - which balances the heavier ingredients perfectly. The cocktails are refreshing and unique - I had the Lychee Keen, a gin-based slushy drink which was almost *too* good. And the bright and poppy interior decor is a stunning backdrop for a meal with friends and family.So, after that love letter, you can imagine how excited I was when City Pages asked me to take photos for their feature on the place! Below are a few of my favorite shots. You can read the review here, and see more of my images here!

post by leslie

One of my new favorite artists (let's be real, one of the few "new" artists that I've had time to look into) is Caroline Rose. I love her album, and I was super excited to catch her live show at The Entry last night. Here are a few shots from the show. I highly suggest you give her a listen. I would write more but I was up past midnight and back at a shoot early this morning, and you guys... I'm old and tired.

post by leslie

So many things happened in the month of May that I didn't really update you guys on because, well, the dogs! But the main thing was that we took a family vacation to California to see Jamie's brother. And during that visit, Ezra got to have his first sleep over with his aunt and uncle (and cousins) and Jamie and I had our first weekend alone. We opted to just spend it in San Francisco, but instead of staying in the city, we stayed in the Presidio (truly magical) and spent most of our time hiking in area woods instead of the city.We finally made it to Muir Woods, just north of San Francsico, and these photos are from there. I don't really feel like photos of Redwood forests can possibly do justice to the majestic nature of these trees (not to mention the glorious smell), but here are my attempts regardless.