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A couple of weeks ago we received an email out of the blue from two very enthusiastic, fun girls running a photography studio based in North Carolina. They claimed to have become "blog stalkers" of ours and wanted to meet up for lunch in Atlanta while they were in town for Susan Stripling and Nate Kaiser's workshop. So Mark and I and our studio manager Melissa met them at one of our favorite Atlanta lunch spots, Stone Soup Kitchen.

Sara and Melanie of Whitebox Weddings are adorable, spunky photographers who are also business partners and best friends. They won Mark's heart when they told us their husbands are members of the N.C. Beard and Moustache Club.

Their work is just beautiful. Their brides are fortunate to get such fun, spirited images from their wedding day.

If you need an excuse to not work today, I have a great one. Go visit www.shorpy.com. This photo blog features tons of old photos that are simply amazing to look through. The site actually let's visitors create accounts and upload their own vintage photos. It looks like multiple photos are posted each day, so this site will be sure to give you plenty of new... er, old.. content to look at all the time. I love old photos. I love being able to just look all through the image and imagine what it must have felt like to live in that moment. And I love the thought that the photos we are creating now will elicit that same excitement generations from now.

Most of the LaCour team is in Chicago for the next two days. We'll be showing demos of ShootQ, our studio management software to attendees of Pictage's PartnerCon. If your'e attending, be sure to say Hi to us!

Dear Gary and Missy,

What can we say? You guys are just plain awesome. You're humble. You're sincere. You're real.

We laughed with you. We shared funny stories about mutual friends. And to top it all off, you invested in us. You mentored us.

We believe the most important business principle is to love people without any expectations. When we don’t expect anything in return, we understand what it means to love unconditionally. And when we understand what it means to love unconditionally, we discover the true meaning of community.

Thank you both for exemplifying this principle. You shared your lives and experiences with us. We feel blessed to know you, and we look forward to many more evenings of laughter and shared ideas!

Rachel at the Leonard Freed exhibit at New York's Leica Gallery.

We're in New York for a few days, meeting with friends and colleagues. Last night, we were hanging out with our colleagues at Leica Camera. Their superlative service and commitment to photojournalism have always encouraged and inspired us, plus their cameras are so quiet we're practically invisible while shooting. They are hosting an exhibit for the late Leonard Freed, one of our favorite photographers. Freed's work from the Civil Rights movement is incredible and he was the youngest photographer selected for the seminal exhibition and book, 'The Concerned Photographer' in 1967.

Tonight, we're having dinner with Gary and Missy at a great sushi place. Look for more photos of our NY trip soon!
I love the energy of the city, so it will be hard to leave tomorrow. But we're looking forward to seeing many of you in Chicago next week at Pictage PartnerCon!