Well, I certainly *meant* to blog yesterday! I took the photos and everything, but the day got away from me.I am under the gun for several tight deadlines this week and that with the kid and his two costumes and a school party and halloween candy and decorations and a photo studio to set up in the basement for the neighborhood... I was slammed! But I wouldn't want you to miss out on these cute costumes, so here they are a day late.Ezra went to school as Robin Hood and trick-or-treated as Spiderman. He had a ball and woke up this morning asking if it was Halloween again today, which was adorable until the tears came when we wouldn't let him eat candy for breakfast. Childhood brings on lots of feelings, but luckily he rebounded quickly.I only have two internet shares today:+ The first one is cats. I know! I'm such a dog person! So you have to trust me that these are good.+ The second is an article about choosing to be a single mom and then, um, falling for someone pretty quickly after. It made me think a lot about family and how life changes so quickly. I hope you enjoy it!

Please pardon this interruption where I use my daily blog post to sell you a fabulous dog mini-session. I try not to be so blatant about, you know, earning a living over here on the blog. But this is something I would love for you to be a part of.The new studio is finally open and ready for the masses, and I am dying to break it in with some adorable dogs. Plus? What an amazing holiday gift it would be to surprise a loved one with a canvas or framed studio image of their best friend, eh?I'm holding the sessions on Monday, November 20. I know Mondays can be tough to break out of the office for an hour or so, but this is the Monday before Thanksgiving! So if you don't work in retail or at a newspaper/magazine, it should work out! But if not, I do have a few evening spots as well, so please just let me know what works best for your day.Here is more information!

$150 gets you:• A 30 minute session for your dog• Photos taken in studio in front of a solid, professional backdrop• A minimum of five high resolution images electronically delivered that week• A private website where you can order prints, canvasses etc. 

 

Reserve your spot here.FAQsQ: Can we take photos with the family and the dog?A: No. Sorry! But the dog(s) are the main focus of this shoot. If we have extra time at the end and you want to jump in for one or two shots, we can try it. But I cannot guarantee we'll have time.Q: Can I bring two dogs?A: Yes, but then you need to order two sessions so we have time to get individual shots of the dogs and then shots of them together. Getting two dogs to sit next to each other and look at the camera is tough...Q: What if I want more than five shots?A: You're in luck! At the end of our shoot, I will show you all the images I captured, and you get to select the 5 you want. If you want more than 5, it's $10 per additional image. I'll have credit card payment available.Q: If the files are being delivered electronically, why do I need a site to order prints?A: You don't! You can have them printed wherever you want. But I'm still offering to set up the site so that if you want the best possible prints ever, you can use my vendor!

It's snowing today. All day long.These aren't the big, fluffy, snow-globe flakes, but instead the icy, small ones that blow like crazy in the freezing wind. No matter, I'm still enjoying it because it's not sticking and traffic was fine both in and out of the studio/shoot today.I snapped this image outside my studio building today. I love the white flakes, the dark shadows and the bright red sign. Have I mentioned how much I am loving the studio space? Well hold on tight because we finally got the couch of our dreams and we'll be blogging photos of the space soon.For your internet shares of the day:+ Beautiful libraries.+ Amazon, this is too much. Creepsville.+ I've been listening to the new Stars album today.

At last night's family shoot, I had my camera out and was testing for light when a falcon flew by at top speed and I snapped as fast as I could and it looks almost in focus! These are things that makes me super excited, so I had to share it.And for your internet shares of the day:+ I hate making pie crust but someone tried all the grocery store brands and rated them. Yay! Here you go!+ Keeping the romance alive. Did I mention Jamie and I had our 18th wedding anniversary this week? We will be doing this next summer.+ If I win the lottery, I will be buying this cozy blanket stat.

Lucy and I ordered the fanciest couch for our studio, and boy oh boy do we love it! You'll get to see the whole thing when we do a larger studio reveal, but for now I wanted to share a few pretty details. I cannot wait to show you everything else in this beautiful oasis we created.For your internet shares of the day:+ These bird portraits are SO, SO GOOD. Click into them to see more. Spend time -- you will smile, I promise.+ I had no idea that sailor tattoos had such wonderful meanings behind them.+ I have always adored the NY Times Style magazine covers. Here are a few highlights.+ The best article you'll read about Justin Timberlake performing at the Super Bowl.

The color everywhere is so fantastic right now, but today is so windy that I fear it will be gone tomorrow. So here's yet another image from a family shoot by a lake. Sunsets by lakes in the fall are not a bad place to call your office each year, I've got to admit.I wish I had more to share today, but maybe tomorrow. I promise to find some juicy internet shares for you then!

This morning, we awoke to the sound of very large trucks on our street. Just out of frame (to the right) were enormous bulldozers (excavators, my son would correct).The were tearing down the house just to the right of the white one there. They are building a new home in its place, and the machinery they were dropping off was blowing my son's mind.Two hours later, the entire house was gone.I don't have any internet shares today -- I was shooting for a magazine about an hour south of the metro area today and have been out of pocket. But I will tell you about this.Last summer, when I was taking all those photos out at Colorado State University, I was teamed up with an amazing student intern who wrangled all of the models. She was about to start her last year of school, and was a tireless worker. She made me laugh and was so fun to be around. This is her.Last Wednesday, on her birthday, she was gunned down and died at the scene. She had turned 22. She was not what I would call a "friend," as we barely knew each other, so there's no need to send condolences. But she was a colleague who made and impression and I am so angry about the state of mental health care in this country I could spit.I am also pissed as all hell about gun control, but since she was killed by a military man, I realize many will argue that tougher laws wouldn't have stopped this. Those arguments are valid, but I still am fed up with the types of weapons everyday people can get their hands on.If you'd like to read more about her, here you go. She was lovely.

You might think our eldest child is excited for Halloween, but you would be mistaken.Rather, she is a little angry that I won't head out with her to enjoy this lovely fall weather, so she keeps barking at me from the bedroom. I finally threw this blanket on top of her (she loves to sleep under covers, like the princess she is) and she mellowed out. But I took a few photos first.I hope you guys have a wonderful weekend ahead! I only have one shoot this weekend, so we're planning lots of fun things with Ezra and I'm pondering all kinds of fall meals to make for next week. What are you guys up to?For your internet shares of the day:+ Neil Patrick Harris and his family go ALL OUT for Halloween, and I love it!+ I love this art project relating museum patrons to the artwork they examine, but I would never have the patience!+ I am coveting these sneakers.