post by leslie

Well, election day is here. It's sorta like Christmas Eve and sorta like I'm about to head in for a route canal. On the one hand, I haven't had this much hope for our nation in 730 days. On the other hand, I'm terrified not enough democrats will vote and the GOP will remain in power and we'll become an autocracy and our drinking water will be forever polluted and The Handmaid's Tale is right around the corner. Sorry, I know that's extreme, but that's where my heart is these days.Today I'll be hitting up my favorite yoga class (in an attempt to remain calm), and then I'm heading to the phone banks to make sure people voted. If you are a democrat, please head to the polls today. And if you are a republican, please don't forget to vote in the election tomorrow.Cheers.

post by leslie

Well, it's about time we showed you guys the new studio space, eh?We wanted to reveal it last month, but we were waiting for our new chairs to come in (you can see them there, thank you Golden Age Design). Then we were waiting for the perfect small table to fit between them (thank you Target). And now we're waiting for the perfect rug. But frankly, we're tired of waiting! So we're showing it to you anyway!I suspect there will be several layout changes as we experiment with the furniture, but in general, it is such a wonderful feeling walking into this space for a a shoot. We both feel so fortunate to have this little corner of Minneapolis to ourselves. Enjoy! We have had a few inquiries about rentals. We are still sorting out the rates and the procedures, but we are renting it out for shoots. If you are interested, for sure let us know!

Post by Lucy

In the midst of a fall full of family sessions, commercial work and editorial shoots, I've also worked with a few high school students taking their senior portraits, and the sessions have been so much fun! Hearing about their plans after high school is always so interesting (Traveling abroad! Deciding on colleges! Exploring careers!), and it's inspiring to hear about people's hopes and dreams for themselves.Below are a few photos from a few different sessions!

post by leslie

Lucy and I were in the studio this week working on the official Shuttersmack holiday card. If you've gotten one of these in the past, you know they star my girl Magda. But this year was a bit more challenging as the "extra large" costume wouldn't fit around my sweet Vizsla's broad chest. We women face so many wardrobe challenges!If I'd only had some gold chains, we could have made her look like a Jersey elf! Anyway, I thought you all would enjoy the outtake! I hope you had a wonderful Halloween.For your internet shares of the day:+ Did you hear about the new Ben and Jerry's flavor? I might have to indulge.+ There's a new Conor Oberst song.+ Awesome autumn dinner idea! 

post by leslie

I am not gonna lie, I was less than excited about Ezra wanting to be Superman for Halloween. I'm just not a huge Superman fan (Spidey is my favorite), but in general, I'd love to venture away from superheroes and do something more creative. For five seconds, he wanted to be a blue bunny superhero. I could get behind that! Fun! Different! Imaginative! But before I knew it, we were back to comic book characters. Ah well.He's never even seen Superman on TV or in a movie. Never read a story. He picked the costume because... of the cape. But no matter what, I cannot lie. The kid is adorable, so I'll shut my mouth.I brought him into the studio for our annual photos, and I asked him to bring some of his other favorite dress-up outfits just for fun. And then he started art directing! "Mom, I should have a ladder in this one!" Yup. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.The image below was a test shot before we officially began. It is my favorite. For your internet shares of the day:+ Would you like to get paid $100/hour to play with puppies? DREAM JOB OR WHAT? (Except it's in Texas.)+ Cows play fetch?+ Halloween photos. My favorite is number 21. Of course it is.

post by leslie

Is it sunset? Am I photographing a family? (Is it a day ending in a-y?) You'll probably find me in a field full of tall grass. It's not like this every year, but it seems to keep working out as such this year! And isn't that girl up there adorable? I've been photographing her since birth or so, and seeing her grow up each year is such a blast.I also love photographing her older sister, and her younger one as well. I'll let you determine which is which. And now for your internet shares of the day:+ This is depressing and these kids need to grow up. It made me so mad that I couldn't even finish the article.+ A guide on how to trade Halloween candy. This breaks down candy bars as currency! I love it!+ The best pumpkin I've seen so far.

post by leslie

This weekend was spent not working. Instead, we bought and carved pumpkins. We made monster cookies. We had friends over. We built fires and played cards and solved puzzles and played Jenga. There were long dog walks and leaf raking and a lot of BBC murder mysteries.It was glorious and perfect.On Saturday night, as I scrolled through Instagram, I was sad for a beat that I am in a stage of life that is beyond costume parties and that we are no longer invited to such events. But as I pondered that, I realized I don't really have the energy for those shenanigans anymore. I'm happy and content to be home by the fire, snacking on home-made goodies and playing games with my family. In other words, I'm old now. And it's not as bad as I feared it might be.For your internet shares of the day:+ Pies that are far too beautiful to eat.+ Please remember what refugees and immigrants are escaping when they ask us to take them in.+ One of my favorite live bands, Diarrhea Planet (I know, I know) played their last show at the Ryman in Nahsville. You can watch clips here. That hair! That dancing! Those FIVE guitars!

Post by Lucy

 On a recent City Pages assignment, I visited the new Popol Vuh in Northeast Minneapolis. Whenever I'm out shooting at new restaurants, I am never quite sure what to expect - there aren't often photos online, the dishes I shoot are picked by the editor, the restaurant is sometimes packed with people making shooting difficult, etc. Sometimes the food that comes out of the kitchen is less than exciting, and I really have to stretch my creativity to get the shot. And sometimes, every dish that comes out of those doors is more gorgeous than the last. As I hope the pictures below demonstrate - the menu at Popol Vuh is just that - exquisite. City Pages food editor, Hannah Sayle, reviewed the spot - you can read about it here. And after you do that, I highly recommend making a reservation and heading to Northeast.Happy Friday!