Orange County's Family Photographer, Tara Whitney

her

we've had a rough summer with this one.
its hormones or its something else, but whatever it is we need help.
she is mostly unhappy, whiney, and cantankerous. cantankerous is actually the most perfect word for her this summer.

cantankerous.

so we are going to see a neurologist, which we should have done 2 years ago, but other stuff came up and it was put on the back burner. (her burn injury and physical healing that was more important) i am hoping to learn more about what makes her brain work the way it does. we have no diagnosis for her, only the symptom of mental retardation. and that has been okay for a long time. but im wondering if there is more information out there for us now. seven years later.

if there is, awesome. bring it. something to fill the questions in my head. questions i dont let myself dwell on very often. just sometimes...ill see an 11 year old girl. and realize that this pre-teen gangly thing could have been my daughter. and it makes my heart ache. its the most empty feeling. we will never know her like most people know their children. most of her mind is locked up somewhere high on a shelf in a closet in the back room of her head. someplace we cant get to.

if there isnt a new answer, we will be okay. nothing will have changed. and as they are, things are pretty good. right where they need to be.

IM'ing with jeff, re: our new floor

Jeff: is the floor really everything you wanted and more?
Tara: why do you ask
Jeff: it is a big investment
Jeff: i saw the 1st couple boards going down
Jeff: it looked ok
Tara: we cant turn back now man
Jeff: but i wasnt blown away
Tara: it looks great
Jeff: i know we cant
Tara: i love it
Jeff: i just hope it is everything you wanted and more
Jeff: if not it is ok
Tara: you always make snap judgements about all decorating
Tara: paint colors
Jeff: OMG
Tara: old windows
Jeff: stop it
Tara: yellow chairs
Jeff: i dont care
Tara: :)
Jeff: i care about what YOU think
Jeff: i want YOU to be happy :)
Tara: yes, i think it is everything i wanted and more
Jeff: good
Tara: but i dont make snap judgements
Jeff: haha
Tara: so i will let you know when an entire room is done
Tara: it needs to soak in

Jeff: they are not snap
Jeff: they seem snap because i combine 32 years of experience into a finely tuned instant judgment.

for the record, the first room is done and its everything we BOTH wanted and more.

had a gas with the gassers

like they've never heard that before right?

we ran around huntington beach like we owned the joint. it was crowded. more crowded than ive ever seen it. taught me not to go back on a weekend evening in the summer. chaos!

how cute are they? i love how the oldest takes after mom, the youngest takes after dad, and the middle is a perfect mix of both.

i had fun with their oldest. love this age.

dreamers

wish makers
pretenders

little girls

(bigger is better-click to see full version)
anna and friend, bowie

we are going to play a little guessing game

what anniversary (in years) was this photo shoot in celebration of? THE ANSWER IS THIRTEEN!
you guys are making me crack up with your guesses of 25-they dont look a day OVER 25! i was shocked to find out it was thirteen. i thought one or two. :)

intense

is how he feels about them. i know. i've seen it.

taken about two weeks before yindi's arrival.

when polka-dots attack

we pretty much let the kids dress themselves-with some help here and there. i like seeing what they come up with. i think its whimsical, and how long can you get away with a number like this?

one of anna's recent concoctions.

little yindi

this was about four weeks ago-

look at how she has changed!

they say

drew is very into the phrase "certain someone" at the moment.
ie:
"a certain SOMEONE said i couldnt go in their room."
"a certain SOMEONE just hit anna."
"a certain SOMEONE would like a coke please."

cracks me up.

nathan came in behind me while i was shopping on urban outfitters dot com, i had the purses up on the screen. he said "WHY DO YOU like purses so much?!" and threw his hands up in the air. i said "have you been taking lessons from your daddy boy?!"

just in case you want to know, i bought this and this and these. almost bought this-almost too good to pass up. but not sure where to put it.

jefe (his long running nickname from me-jefe means "boss" en espanol) making me roll on the ground laughing last night after a slightly inebriated friend of my neighbor (who also happens to be about 60) hit on me in a sweet and not at all successfull manner. "you still got it tara! he may be drunk, and he may be sixty-but baby-you still got it!"

and we all say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my uncle mike. without whom i would not be blogging from my sweet iMac. we love you uncle michael!

a session i was nervous for

the family of miss audrey woulard.
audrey contacted me to see if i could shoot them while on vacation here in san diego - and let me tell you i still have her email saved in my "happy mail" folder.

its always an honor to me to be hired by a family. it sounds cheesy, but it really, really is. it means a lot to me that i am trusted to turn my camera on anyone! and allowed a piece of their life. its a different ballgame to be hired by another photographer. its being validated by my own peers. and its super fun to work with them because they always have great ideas.

i have been lucky to be able to shoot several other photographers i admire: barb, (now sporting a killer new website), carrie, kirsten, shannon, krista (in seattle, to be proofed), and todd.

check out their websites-maybe if they are in your area you can call them to turn their cameras on YOU!

so back to audrey. just a fun fun session. the above mentioned carrie met up with us, and brought her orange chair for me to use on the beach. thanks again carrie! i loved getting to meet audrey. she is so down to earth and cool. she is one of those people you immediately feel at ease with. like you can just plop down and have a drink and chat. and i LOVED HER BOYS. she had me all worried that they wouldnt warm up to me-but in the first two minutes i said the magic word "naruto!" and had them all eating out of my hand like baby tigers. haha!she actually has four, but one had no desire to be involved in a session and she didnt feel like forcing him.

her husband was happy to know she wasnt the only one who got excited about trashed couches in alleyways-he thought we were all crazy!