So sometimes when I'm working with small children and I can see they're a little afraid of me and my camera, I break out some bubbles to help break the ice. Or you could call it bribery. Whatever.Anyway, this little one was having a really hard time learning how to blow bubbles, and then all of a sudden she got it. And these were the three frames the first time it worked, and I love the metamorphosis of her face. Adorable. She manages to capture most people's reaction to change all within a second or two 1) hard work 2) FEAR! WORRY! 3) Ah, relief. Enjoyment.
Today was a little more hectic than I generally like my Saturdays, but it ended very well -- with date night! Dinner at my favorite French spot, a walk around the lake (hence the canoes above -- don't they remind you of dead fish? Just me?) and then we finally saw "Moonrise Kingdom." It was just what I needed because I'm not really sure when I'm going to have time to slow down and relax in the next few weeks. Photo shoots galore! (Not that I'm complaining one single bit.)
Oh man how I love late summer/fall light.... it's just so golden! Tonight I had a shoot with a lovely family at a nature preserve. The scenery was stunning and the kids were amazingly well behaved. The mosquitos though? They sucked. Literally. I was eaten alive! And I used bug spray!And in other news, part of my car (like the engine part) FELL OUT OF MY CAR AND ONTO THE PAVEMENT TODAY. Yeah. You shoulda seen me at the gas station with my towel trying to pick the part back up to take with me. The car was still running fine, so I had no idea what it was, but I knew it came from my vehicle a) because I heard it break off (terrifying) and b) because it was too hot to handle after coming from the engine.The good news? It was a major part of the air conditioner, and not the engine, so the car is still driveable. The bad news? The cost is in four digits and my heater might not work without a fix. And here in Minnesota? I can go the next 10 months without a/c. However, that heater is a touch mandatory.
How lovely is this woman? She's a high school senior -- as in, she starts her last year of high school on Monday (so back off, boys). Parents usually arrange these shoots, and I rarely have any idea what the kid is going to be like when I get there. Man I almost fell over when this bombshell walked up.We had a blast during the shoot, and she's an amazing lady. I can't wait to see where life takes herI really never thought I would enjoy shooting seniors, but it's one of my favorite kind of sessions. I think part of it is that as a teen-ager, you don't have the ability to see how beautiful/handsome you've become, and I like showing them how others see them. I also love excitement and enthusiasm of being at the age where your whole future is so wide open. Ah, those were the days!
Sooo... you know how I'm usually really busy with work at vita.mn and work at Shuttersmack and work at Rivets and Roses and work teaching at the U? And going to concerts? And stuff like that? Well, my man has been really busy, too.Besides his hard work over at Best Buy (btw, he just got a big promotion and I am SUPER proud of him), he has been working with a few buddies to launch a brand new website. And not just like a portfolio site or a blog or something like that (which is still hard as hell, I realize), but a site that has users and a social aspect and a gaming feature. So, you know, it's *complicated.*And I could not be prouder of my man and his buddies and this site. It's called 
Tonight was our big vet appointment. We've been treating the dogs for their kidney and liver values for a full month now with the homemade kidney diet for Memphis and the homeopathic supplements for Merlin.One of the reasons we needed to see the doctor was because Memphis has had horrendous skin trouble. The problem is that any kidney diet is based mostly on carbohydrates like rice and grains with much less protein. But Memphis here has terrible sensitivities when it comes to grains, and this diet is giving her all kinds of sores and they are now causing staph infections. Goodness, if it's not one thing it's another! We're in a bit of a pickle because with so many issues (kidney problems, her stomach issues and her skin allergies) all of the food that helps one issue hurts another. It's pretty complicated trying to prioritize her health concerns.Then, after a long conversation with the doctor about these issues, Memphis refused to urinate for the test. So now we'll need to go back in the next few weeks so we can sort out how much this diet is helping her kidneys when it's hurting her skin. See? She's still a stinker after all of this.
Man, as I have mentioned before, these allergies are kicking my butt. I took a 2-hour nap today and pretty much just rested after the crazy weekend. I also finished up a bunch of housekeeping (work stuff, not *actual* housekeeping... sadly) and tried to eat super healthy since I am trying at all costs to avoid a sinus infection. Hence the delicious brussles sprouts.
From weddings to fashion! Today I had another long shoot, and dude I was so exhausted. I'm super excited for this one to publish -- it's gonna be rad. I really don't have much else to say other than I got home just in time to watch Breaking Bad, and damn I love that show. Jesse PInkman is my man (yo).