What a weekend! So besides the wonderful "being on TV" bit, I was also paid to photograph Sheryl Crow for the Star Tribune and to shoot Dessa for vita.mn. Yeah, that job I left 10 days ago? They're hiring me for freelance work already! Which is fantastic and makes me super happy, as now I am doing more of the work I love (photographing concerts! yay!) and less of the work I don't love so much (working on a PC on a shit system that crashes all week! Boooo).So that sounds like a pretty full weekend, right? But wait, there's more! I also spent the weekend attending The Blogcademy workshop. It's a seminar aimed at bloggers and small-business owners that helps us to focus on things like branding, blogging, money, etc etc etc. It's led by three really great ladies, Shauna, Gala and Kat (as seen above, in order), who really have their game on when it comes to this business. Some of the weekend was just a good refresher course, but man did I learn a lot today about monetizing your blog. It was FASCINATING. I have always been a touch naive about these things, and I really found it interesting (It's not just ads! There's so much more!).The two biggest things I took away this weekend (besides all that money stuff) were 1) (AGAIN) The importance of networking. I met some fabulous women at this workshop, some of whom I would love to collaborate with in the future. It's so easy to get wrapped up in our own social circles, and to meet so many new people with the same interests was wonderful. Also? Dear God, always, ALWAYS have your business cards on hand. Even on the weekends.And 2) Oh holy god do I need to make this blog more interesting. And wow, today is probably not doing the trick (sorry!!). They really focused on making your blog more useful to your readers, and it made me realize that while you guys get a voyeuristic view into my life, I'm not really giving you anything in return (besides a pretty picture to look at). I kept this in mind a lot last night when I decided to post my "How to take better concert Instagrams" segment, and I'm hoping I can keep up that kind of work in the future.So here's where I'd like to get you involved. If you guys have any questions you'd like answered (like, um, perhaps my recipe for the best scrambled eggs in the world? Or how to choose the best font? Or what's a good starter camera?) please, please, please shoot me an email (leslie [at] shuttersmack.com). I'm not going to be giving out advice and tips all the time, but it's something that I would like to have more of, and if you send me a good topic, it's likely that I can do a full post to share with everyone. Sound good?

So not only was the Dessa show fantastic tonight because I love seeing women own big stages, but the lights were ah-mazing. There was so much thought and detail put into the production, and it made the photographs much more interesting. The shot above isn't necessarily my favorite image of the evening, but it was so different from most shots I give you around these parts, that I thought I would include it. If you want to see the rest of the images (including all the dudes from Doomtree that showed up -- YAY!) you can do so over here.And now, let's talk about all these cell phone pictures at concerts, shall we?Don't worry, I'm not going to lecture anyone. I'm just as guilty when it comes to tweeting or instagraming -- share away, I say. And we've all been caught up in the moment at our favorite band's show and posted something horrible (you can see my absolute worst right here of Justin Timberlake at SXSW -- I'm still horrified I posted it). I have a few friends in my feed who post the most amazing concert shots on instagram -- it really blows me away -- and I've been working a little to improve my own. Here are a few tips I can share:1. Clean your camera/phone lens. That phone has been lord-knows-where, and some of you have never wiped it off. I can tell because your images look smudgy and greasy and we're all groaning about it, but are too Minnesotan to tell you to your face.2. For the love of God, turn off your flash. The only thing it's illuminating is the person's head in front of you.3. Don't take the photo in Instagram. Take the photo with the phone app (or another app of your choosing) where you can take 5-6 shots consecutively. You'll have a much better chance of getting the artist in sharp focus this way, and it just takes a moment to scan through them, find a good one, and then put it on Instagram. And speaking of this, you should really be editing yourself harshly. It's much better to post one really amazing shot than four mediocre ones. We get it. You were there. Show us something great!4. Wait for a still moment. Lots of times people pull out their phones during the happiest "makes me want to dance" song of the night because we're all thrilled it's being played and we want to capture it. Guess what? Getting a sharp image of that moment is going to be way harder than during a slow song -- not only because the artist is moving so much more, but the crowd is likely bumping into you as well. And you know what else? People in your instagram feed can't hear the music (I'm talking photos obvs, not video), so they don't know the difference anyway. Or better yet, take your photos between songs. I get the best facial expressions of artists during their banter anyway -- that's when they smile and laugh, right? So wait for that.5. Consider your lighting when choosing a filter. I am a big fan of using the b/w filters for concert photos because cell phones have a hard time with such huge contrast in lighting. Black and white always looks classic, and keeps that rock'n'roll vibe.6. Oh hey, you get an extra tip! Either be so close you can clearly (and I mean CLEARLY) see the artists face, or go to the back of the club where you can see the whole experience (crowd, lights etc). Those images taken in between where no one can even distinguish who's on stage? And what the stage setup is? Those can be kinda worthless.7. Oh my gosh! I'm so full of opinions! But seriously, this is more about etiquette. Don't be that person with their phone up the entire show recording it or trying to take an image. Be thoughtful of the people around you and courteous and QUICK with your photo snapping. That way the person behind you can have their shot as well :)If you have other tips (or apps!) on taking great cell phone shots at shows, email me and I'll share it here!

So this morning I swung by Zeus Jones to pick up Waffles, the company dog, and some of the creatives there to be interviewed on WCCO (the local tv station). No big thing. Just a normal Friday. (!!!)But really, it was fun. Waffles was an instant star, laying down and posing so nice for the crew, and I *think* the interview went well. And by that, I mean I think I answered the questions without sounding like a fool. But let's be real, I am going to HATE seeing myself on TV, and I just need to accept that and move on. It's good for business and it's good publicity and there's no way I'd turn that down. Regardless of how I look on video (ick).And how cute is Waffles up there shaking hands with Jason DeRusha? Adorable.

Yum, right? I met up with my buddy Nyberg tonight for our monthly dinner at The Lynn on Bryant. I hadn't tried this spot yet, but I kept seeing rave reviews, and I was curious. Man, it was tasty (but the service was a touch slow -- be warned). All of the meats and veggies are regionally grown/raised, and when you ask about a dish, the servers tell you what farm they came from, and in some cases what day the produce was picked. Wow.But besides the food, the conversation was wonderful as well. It was so good to catch up with Nyberg and to reminisce with her about our days at the newspaper. Many years ago (like seven), we both worked nights putting together the A section, and we used to have dinner with our coworkers around a communal table in the newsroom each evening. It wasn't too fancy -- some days you had time to sit for 45 minutes and sometimes you could simply swing by and say hello before eating at your desk. There were about ten of us in the group who ate together, and now there are only three left. And of those three, I am positive none of them have eaten dinner away from their desks in years. Man, times change (as does that business).?Also, I wanted to let you know that I have taken notice of the abundance of dog photos on the blog as of late (oh c'mon, like you can complain about that!) and the lack of rock'n'roll or food. In an effort to restore balance in the universe, I'll be trying to even that out a bit in the next few days. But if you miss the pups, just follow me on instagram. I'm sure I'll keep them coming over there!

After work tonight I took Magda for a long walk down to the lake and back, and when we were down there, we stopped to watch the dogs play fetch in the water. Magda is still timid around the lakes, like she can't figure out what to make of it. So I thought watching the dogs playing would help her relax a bit.This guy was super fun to watch play in the water, but I loved capturing his shaking off even better. Mags still didn't quite jump in, but I think if I'd let her off leash and thrown in a toy, she might have made the leap. We'll find out next month at the cabin, eh?

I know, I know, I know. She was on the blog yesterday. But look at that face! I took some other photos today, and you just have to trust me that she was the best option. I mean, really, it's hard to beat those eyes! Plus, I have a story.So yesterday when I was blogging about what a good girl she was, I thought she was asleep on the couch in the next room. I was wrong.She had snuck into the basement and eaten an entire beanbag. Like the kind you play Cornhole with. She ate the cloth and all of the old, dried corn -- all of it. This has made backyard cleanup most interesting, to say the least.Obviously, I spoke too soon on my blog yesterday about how well behaved she was being. But I will say that tonight at obedience class she was AMAZING. She sat in a stay for 20 seconds while I dropped the leash and went to play with a prop in the class and other dogs ran around her. And she didn't move. Clearly, we had exhausted her -- but I'll take it!Let's see... what else happened today. Oh yeah, I made an appointment for an interview to be on TV. No big deal. (!!!) In all honesty, I know that many things that are filmed for TV never end up airing, and I'll be suprised if this segment comes to fruition. But neverless, I've never been asked to do this before, and it's kindof excitingNow... what do I wear? That's the big question.

Well hello there! What a day!First off, it's nice to be more rested. Second? Holy cow, I've been blown away by the positive respons to Pets of Lyndale. Today has been so awesome with all the wonderful emails and notes and such about yesterday's photo session! It sure made my first Monday of being self employed pretty surreal.But other than that excitement, today was lazy. I answered emails, edited some photos, picked up the house and there were lots and lots of belly rubs (not mine, sadly). Magda here has been an adorable sweetheart, just following me from room to room and napping. Today I caught her sleeping a few times on her back with her legs all spread out in mid-air and her feet gallopping in motion while she dreamed. It was ADORABLE. But every time I made a move for the camera, she woke up. Sigh.We've been working hard this week to try and get her more calm when greeting guests at the door. This has resulted in us training her to sit or lay down when there's a knock at the door or the doorbell. It's actually going pretty well... stunningly. But we'll see how it goes when an actual stranger arrives. Merlin on the other hand? He's just pissed that no one is actually AT the door. Poor old guy.