post by leslie

I had a very dark shoot last weekend in the studio, and since we all know I like things light and bright, I did a bunch of tests with our intern, Erin, before the talent arrived. Then, after, we dressed her up like a bad ass firefighter and I snapped some fun photos for her profile pic. I love how tough and dirty she looks here!For your internet shares of the day:+ A delicious dinner idea with bacon. Need I say more?+ This essay on motherhood in France has me dreaming (again) of moving abroad.+ I love plants. I love keeping them alive. This terrifies me.+ Even more terrifying than that planter is our idiot of a president and what he might be agreeing to behind closed doors.

post by leslie

Back in May, I got a call from London. On my land line.So that was weird.It was a coordinator for a photo competition that I had entered on a whim, and I was shocked.A while back (like last fall), I was looking through the "Dog Photographer of the Year" winners, and I clicked on how to enter, made a note of the entry date on my google calendar and forgot about it. Then, this year, that item popped up on my calendar and I put off the entry for about a week. As the deadline approached, I took a deep breath, spent 30 minutes deciding on images, and threw together an entry figuring I would never hear a word and it was all a waste of time.But it wasn't.This wonderful Brit on the other end of the line was telling me that I had placed second in the category for rescue dogs and that I had scored an honorable mention in the working dogs category! I was STUNNED. And thrilled.She told me because I came in second, there was no real prize, but the recognition (which I'm thrilled with, thank you very much). She said they had more than 10,000 entries from more than 70 countries world wide. She also told me I could not, under any circumstances, tell anyone about this until mid-July. I had to keep my mouth shut for TWO MONTHS. As you know, keeping my mouth shut is not my strong suit.But I did it! I highly suggest you click through and check out the winners of each category -- they are truly fantastic images. And the honorable mentions are not online, so I'll put that one below. Enjoy!

post by leslie

Oh, these sweet old men. They are 15 and 11 (I think?) and their parents brought them in for a few portraits while it was still feasible. That top one up there, Rascal, is such a sweet dear. He has been his mom's running partner for many years and even has alerted her a multiple times when her blood sugar dropped while she was sleeping! (Yes, she's diabetic. No, he's not trained to do that, but he *knew*.) Rascal is the more senior of the bunch, and man was he adorable.Sanders, below, was also a complete sweetheart during the session. He's normally a bit more standoffish as Rascal is the dominant one of the bunch, but he was eager to please, even though he didn't want any treats.Photographing these brothers was a delight, and it's a good time for me to point out that documenting the dogs in your family is particularly fun when they are puppies, but I think it's important to do no matter the age.  And now for the internet shares of the day:+ Target is going after Amazon and offering a huge "black Friday in July" sale on Prime Day. Look at these deals!+ I am completely swooning over these under water photos.+ A video game I might actually play!

post by leslie

One of my favorite clients works to ensure every single child in Minnesota can get a rigorous and engaging education regardless of their class, race or financial status. To say I am thrilled to work with this organization is an understatement.I had a shoot with them yesterday featuring Breakthrough Twin Cities, which I had never heard of before. This organization prepares underserved students for college and further education, and they were doing amazing things (which I got to photograph). These classrooms are so engaging that several times I got caught up in the discussion and didn't want to move on to the next class. Really.But what I really need to tell you is that there was a heat advisory yesterday and the first campus we photographed was not air conditioned, and these kids were fine with it and I was not and man, my privilege was showing.These assignments are so important because I (obviously) strongly believe in the organizations' missions, but also because they remind me to suck it up and stop being so spoiled. So, so many kids out there do not have the start in life that I nor any of my friends had. To see them working hard through their summer breaks (in steamy classrooms) to get a leg up on a chance to go to college? So inspiring. And yes their parents are probably making them do this. But bravo regardless. For your internet shares of the day:+ Fascinating animal facts like Santa's reindeer are all female. Because of course they are!+ Someone reminded me of this young individual today, and I think it's an important time in history to remind everyone of her sacrifice.+ President Obama released his summer reading list, and the title of the first book made me snort and cry at the same time.

post by leslie

This is Sugar, another rescue dog in need of a home. He is 6 years old, and is a papillon mix. He's very loyal to his person and is quite the snuggler. He's not super playful, but is good with other animals and respectful of kids. That said, he'd be great on his own.Sugar was rescued from Arizona, and the rescue (Pet Haven), is working to get him healthy before he is adopted. If you're interested in meeting this cutie, you can reach out to Pet Haven, and they can set something up!I will also point out that Wash, from Pet Haven, is also still available (and still adorable). And now a few internet shares:+ This movie looks great. I don't want to see it. Eighth grade was the worst.+ No matter how adorable, I could not live in 600 square feet with my family. Well, I could... but I don't want to. Sorry guys.+ I would like to visit this treehouse with them though.

post by Leslie

A few weekends ago, my friend Meredith asked for some help checking on her chickens in the heat as she and her guy were heading up north for the weekend. And yes, "checking on chickens" is real and not code!I knew Ezra would love to do this, so I heartily agreed and we headed over to add ice to their water and make sure all was well. I was hoping to capture photos of my boys holding the birds, but they are two peas in a pod in that they firmly said no. I held them a little, but I can't very well take photos of myself holding a chicken.But you know what else Meredith has in her back yard? A HAMMOCK! So I hopped up there and snuggled with my boy for a bit before the 95-degree heat got the better of us.Special thanks to Jamie for snapping a few shots of me and the boy.For your internet share of the day:+ People are terrible. Especially racists.+ Yeah. Being a woman is awesome. I mean, it is, but...+ I made this for dinner last night and it was awesome. 

post by leslie

I had two more rescue dogs in the studio last week, and this is the adorable Hadley.She's around 2 years old and came from a hoarder's house down south. Because of this upbringing, she was not socialized as a pup, and is a timid girl. Not the kind of timid that runs and hides -- she came up to me for snuggles immediately, but she is pretty nervous around loud noises or small children. She has the kindest brown eyes, and seems incredibly loyal. She would do best in a home with another dog, as she loves having a sort-of dog mentor to show her the ropes.If you are interested in her and would like more adoption information, you can read more about her here.

post by leslie

I didn't write much about the Fourth last week because I felt like I was still enjoying it! Jamie's mother came to visit us last week and we spent the actual holiday at a wonderful parade, teaching Ezra about fireworks and enjoying time away from work.A few days later I was back at the studio with dogs (!!) which you'll see soon enough, but for now, you can enjoy a few images from the weekend. I don't have that many still photos because I spent a lot of time on another video, which I'm super excited about! It's below, if you're interested.For your internet shares of the day:+ This is heartbreaking and important.+ This enrages me. Profit over babies' health. Of course.+ The photos of the story about the soccer players trapped in the cave are fabulous. Even the prayers, offerings, rain gear etc. are captivating!I feel like I must apologize about how depressing my links are these days. But that said, I think burying our heads in the sand and ignoring the state of our country and what this administration is up to is flat out dangerous. Thank you for sticking with me.