woody & penelope

Loving this portrait of Woody Allen and Penelope Cruz by Annie Leibovitz

and this one, too.
Photo credit unknown.

happy friday!

I love these laughing eyes of a true New Yorker, Robert de Niro. via The Steward

tips for paying student loans (I have to start thinking about that now...)

 a glass for one who's ever the optimist

feeling free with these cliff-diving images

remember "Back to the Future" from Irina Werning? Here's a behind-the-secnes look at her work (watch the video; it's great), and part of her latest project with pro athletes

I want this easy-breezy little pink dress so badly!

a genius way to get closer to nature

sometimes you just have to laugh... it's just too easy. thank you, mr. vice president, for having such good intentions. but also for being so entertaining.

happy friday!

Photo by Shanti Knight

Austin, Texas, March 2011 (SXSW)

These are the gorgeous blonde locks of Casey of Bits of Yum

What a big day!! I'm on my way back to America, and just in time. Southern Japan had delightfully light, breezy, perfectly warm and perfectly cool weather for the past month, until yesterday, when without warning it switched to outrageously sticky hot and humid weather. In Japan they call it mushi mushi! (Which is different from moshi moshi. That's what they say when they answer the phone.) Today I'll be making a trippy time zone jump when I cross the International Dateline. I will arrive six hours before I left! How wild. Here's some fun from around the Web for a Friday afternoon.

a fantastic fun art blog via my university

ideas for beach reads (I adore this writer's description of trying to read David Foster Wallace's The Pale King as "jogging backward in sand while drunk")

girl power via the great Susan Hyatt

Since I'll have access to a kitchen again, I'm wanting to make these yummy-looking popsicles.

thoughts on valuing children, by my friend JoAnn

I'd love to get this face cream for my papa

I really love Pink and Carey Hart's first family photo with their newborn daughter

welcome, summer. by my pal Chelsea Sanders

john krasinski, b&w

Well isn't that just darling?

via Scotch and Scones

happy friday!

Photo of Oprah and puppy courtesy of Examiner


Hope your weekends are filled with joy! I intend to make this one festive, though I'll also be making some time for taking some portraits. I also must do lots of studying. Any tips for staying focused? Delve into some of my personal favorite finds from this week here:


Karina has been writing for The Examiner in Albany, NY. Check out her work here!


A blog about how dads were the first hipsters? Yes, please.


Fun striped tablecloths at this Connecticut wedding!


Piccsy.com is filled with beautiful, off-beat, ironic and fun images for your browsing.


This week, I simply can't get enough of MGMT's "Electric Feel"


Captivating kitty eyes, via my friend Clare's blog exez&ohhz


Joanna expresses her sympathy to Prince William (no, nothing to do with his brand-new marriage!)

to be a fairy princess

a spring dream.

Image of Emma Watson courtesy of Style Frizz

happy friday!

Portrait of Barbra Streisand courtesy of Last.fm

What are your weekend plans? I'm making a special trip to see my family for Easter. I'm excited to wear a spring dress!

Here are some little nuggets of artistry from around the Web:

enthusiasm + high activity levels + loose skin = cute basset hounds

1 year ago: Tina Fey's big night out, via Esquire

an almost outdoor shower

young and old, preserved in crazy life-like sculpture

a farm journal, for when you need a break

musings on living your best life

reese witherspoon in may vogue

Is Reese Witherspoon not the most endearing woman in Hollywood? She is so genuinely sweet and she has that lovely accent. And then there's her gorgeous face.

Now, she takes Vogue to promote Water for Elephants. I love how these images (by Peter Lindbergh) feel so old-worldy, like The Fantasticks. Will you be seeing Water for Elephants? I'm hoping I get a chance. It looks romantic and beautiful.

trouser snake

oh me, oh my.

Normally, snakes creep me out in a big way. leave it to (the incredible) Elizabeth Messina to make a photo of a snake that doesn't give me nightmares.

via kiss the groom


On second thought— I am creeped out. This photo is just super cool anyway.


hilarious euphemism (headline) via the brilliant Louise Rennison

plus two more of katie...

... because I love these!

Photos by Shanti Knight

katie, brandon & jackson

My dear friend Katie and her boyfriend Brandon asked me recently to take some photos of them and their 4-year-old son Jackson for some of their first hired family photos. I was honored and so excited to oblige! This week, we were finally able to make it happen. It was a bitingly cold January 2, but we toughed it out and had some fun in Downtown Evansville, starting at Haney's Corner and wandering south, along First Street and then finishing in Sunset Park as, in fact, the sun set.