You must be my lucky star

Nita - I can't believe how grown up Anna looks! All of her baby chubby is gone! These are beautiful pictures! And, I love the Madonna song! Funny you should blog about this today, when I was actually teasing a co-worker of mine that I was going to list my favorite song (on SIS TV) as "Like a Virgin"....1)because my father absolutely HATED that song and wouldn't let me listen to it growing up and 2)just to see if anyone was paying attention. Glad to know I wasn't the only Madonna nut :D

deniseb - so love these! these need to be blown up! i kid you not, my little stella has that exact same dress...got it in downtown S.D : )

erin - Unbelievably beautiful. The girl and the photos. Stunning as always.

haley lamb - oh my gosh!! these are some of my favorites. She's so innocent and carefree! I could totally frame this and remember that this is what "i don't have a care in this world" feels like!! please, please share what lens you used?? at least on pic # 4?

Tara Whitney - haley-24-70 :)

Christina - Cute pictures! You get props for quoting one of my favorite artists :-)

rachel - Ok I seriously just had to wipe away tears from my face because Anna is so beautiful and I love her so much and I am so lucky to be a part of her life! Any one of these on Canvas would be marvelous, which one I wonder...The first two are my favs but you know they are all fantastic. What a muse!!! Muah!

Julie - Those are gorgeous! I want a hill full of weeds where I live, too!

alison - These are just beautiful!! You captured her perfectly. That looks like it was so fun!

Dawn - My goodness...I remember her baby photos on 2peas!!! Just beautiful!

MsB - OMG, you must have ESP or something because -- I kid you not! -- I was just reminiscing about this song to my sister over dim sum this past Saturday morning. No, REALLY! I was telling her about the little girl we both once knew who totally screwed up the lyrics because she said "blow" instead of "glow;" and, I remember arguing with this little girl about that part. Gosh, it's so nice to know that I was much smarter than her! haha!

kathryn - These are SO gorgeous! She is growing up, that is for sure! I love the 4th one, and that 3rd one...oh I love them ALL. = )

alison conklin - oh my goodness - she is just so beautiful. what wonderful photos.

Jennifer Disney - Oh my gosh! Those are beautiful!

C yndi Michener - SECOND GRADE? I was in high school, working at my first job, in a record store. My best friend and I loaded up with black jelly bracelets, star earrings, and huge hairbows and made a roadtrip to see Madonna in concert. Good times. :) LOVE those photos of Anna.

Heather - These photos are to be CHERISHED!!!!! (Get it?) 1st grade - Material Girl Video, dancing to it, lost my first tooth. Madonna was my IDOL since I was so young! I still have all of my records, then tapes and now CDs of hers. She rocks, as does your beautiful daughter in these photos!

Christine - Are you kidding me? These are the most darling EVER!!! So glad you didn't miss the opportunity. And I loved this song too! Cracking that you wanted to be her though. By the way, thanks for being there for me today! Words can't express how much that means to me. LOVE YOU!!!

AmyG - so precious!

ria - oh. my. wow. these are beautiful. please come to georgia.

jamie v - OMGosh Tara... i think these just might be my most fave photos of yours- ever, so far, to date!!

elsie - these photos are AMAZING! in love.

Jen Harr - Gorgeous photos Tara!! You're such an inspiration! Ahhh, the video brings back memories of the lace gloves & mesh tops!! Thanks!

Lisa Damrosch - Second grade? Wow...way to make a chick feel old!! Love those photos!!

Trina - What amazingly beautiful photos! Your daughter is soooo beautiful and you can totally see her personality in those photos! You must put one of them in you OPAM frames! Loved that song...still HAVE to sing along when I hear it! hehehe

Steph Carty - OMG!! I am old!!! That song came out when I was in high school!! Wahhhhhhhhh!

liz - these are just beautiful, just beautiful!

Kristen - The 3 close ups of your daughter are wonderful.

Lisa - My oldest is Anna too!! Your daughter is gorgeous and that star idea was perfect! Gorgeous pictures!!

meg duerksen - still love that song...but that video is hilarious! wow. the mesh shirt and the eyeliner! i remember layering all my clothes and socks and bracelets. in my mind i looked just like her. :) the photos you took are beautiful.

Kim - Perfectly perfect Tara. On the radio RIGHT NOW, the song, "Good morning Star Shine" is playing....do you remember that one? Now evertime I hear that I am going to picture Anna twirling in the golden field.....

Joanna - Wow these pictures are just beautiful! I bet your kids will appreciate all the wonderful family photos they get to cherish when they're older!

Miz Booshay - These are so delightful and beautiful and perfect, Tara!!! You are very young. I'm sure I was married with children when this song was popular. Shoot.

Kelli - Such BEAUTIFUL and AMAZING photos! I LOOOOOVE the star one! I'm such a blog stalker of yours! Love your work!

blair - SERIOUSLy, LOVE. Where is that star from?

stacey woods - these are GLORIOUS, tara. the color, the angles, her sweet smile and outstretched arms. i love it all. and i have to tell you... i am dying over these BIG fat juicy photos on your blog lately. i so need to figure out how to make my blog photos humongous too. ;)

melly~ - OMG that second shot is just perfection. do you sometimes amaze yourself? you amaze me all. the. time. :)

tara pollard pakosta - tara!!!!! these are STUNNNING!!!!!!! i am so happy you got those shots of miss anna! they are just GORGEOUS! and so is SHE! love that star!!!!!! i am so happy you are taking the time to get these beautiful photos that will always make you smile! tara

Kris Noorman - TARA!!!! These are so AWESOME!!!!! I love them so much!

suetreiber - this may be my favorite series of yours. just simply awesome photos. I was fifteen and actively spent many hours trying to be Madonna. Still jamming to her tunes-her new CD is pretty good.

Tara Whitney - thanks you guys-i will say that i was DYING inside as i was taking these. she was just so glorious to me this day. blair-i bought the star at home goods many years ago.

cherie - glorious is just the word i would use to describe these, tara! absolutely glorious!

annie - After seeing your pictures, I love the look of the fields now.......I have been driving by missing the green but now I see that there is beauty in those dead fields.......awesome photos!!

RHONDA ROBBINS - this pics are sooo amazing!! Your child is enchanting! I luv her look!

jenniferL - ahh... your little anna is so cute!! great pictures.

Christine Campbell - Oh, now Tara, you're dating yourself with that song. LOL. we must be the same age because I was in grade one or two when that was out too. FABULOUS pics of Anna - Oh, I love the second one - what lenses did you use on these? (if you don't mind me asking)

Jennifer - Those shots are simply beautiful. I love the one with the wooden star...great idea to snag it before you left!

Brenda - Your daughter is beautiful!! Actually all your kids are! I totally loved this entire album of Madonna's. I still think that it's my favorite out of all her music! Loved your pictures in the wheat field.

Kate - Tara, I love your photographic style, it's beautiful. I have a question. I don't know what camera you use, but I own a Canon 20D and am having problems with it. Every shot I take is pretty much too dark and too red. I have to manually edit every single shot, almost every single time I use this camera. Is there something I am doing wrong? Even when I "restore factory settings" and then just shoot in automatic it still gives me trouble. Sometimes I wonder if it's how I upload them, I use a little card reader that plugs into our usb port. Any bit of advice would be much appreciated. I know you get a lot of emails and comments, but I really would appreciate any suggestions or thoughts, thanks so much!!!!! Kate

cathy - Yeah. I was in the TENTH grade. Thank you very much. And i believe i danced in my garage, too. So don't go thinking you did something that NO ONE thought of.

Jana - the colors all together---those wheat browns & blue sky---along with the lovely model and soft lighting just totally make these photos masterpieces! Great eye Tara!

Carla - Love your photos of Anna, she is such a precious little girl!! So full of life and wonder and she looks just like you!! Saw your post from months ago of the old photos of you and your husband in the photo booth as teenagers or early 20's (before kids)? Anyway, Anna is you made all over..... She reminds me of my daughter, except I have a beautiful red head with blue eyes :> Keep up the awesome work as your photos are so imspirational to me and my work as a professional photographer. Can't wait to make my way to CA to meet you and have a photo session!! Take it easy......

Heather - Wowza! Love the Anna shots. And I love the monochromatic, hippiness of the weed field. You caught the DIVINE of her glorious little spirit. She does shine! ------ I can still remember the tingly feeling I would get when I heard the intro to "Lucky Star". I was a sophmore in High School when this song came out. - Meaning, I actually had some boobies to fill out my Madonna wannabe clothes. And-- I rocked out on actual dance floors to this music. I Flirted and bewitched a few boys with my Madonna dance moves. You've seen some pictures of my 80's hair - and know that I like totally rocked the bleached teased hairdo. I know you are a tad envious-and well, you should be. :)

kristen - oh goodness...that brings back memories! and those photos...wow. you continue to amaze me!!!!

Liz - Absolutely STUNNING!!!!! You are talented beyond belief. I wish I had a quarter of your vision. I just thought I'd let you know how much of a fan I am.

kelli :) - oh absolutely looove these pictures! Im glad you grabbed that star too....very cool!

denise - man i wish you took wedding photography. and/or were located in florida. i love your photos and am having SUCH a hard time finding photographers that I like. do you have any fellow, like-minded photographers in the Florida panhandle area? pretty please say yes. ~denise

Jen - Love these! The dress especially! Where did you find it??

Lauren - These pictures are TRULY amazing. For some reason, she reminds me of a little Native American princess...how completely cool. The field was a find (and the model, well, she's worth her weight in gold...)

Tara Whitney - jen-www.soul-flower.com

Kristy - truely breathtaking pictures!!!! The colors are AMAZING and of course the adorable girl makes the whole picture ;) I'm so glad you grabbed the star!!!!!!!! WOW!

valerie - gaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!! second grade!!!!! i feel even older than i did when i drug my arthritic creaking bones outta bed this a.m. LOVE those shots of Miss Anna....so amazing, your talent is!

Sarah Fordyce - Oh my gosh, that second picture of her...STUNNING.

Kirsten - Happy. And did I ever tell you Eric and I went to Madonna's first ever concert - the Virgin Tour - in the Paramount? We took my little sister and her friend, and they dressed up.

stacymeyers - I AM SPEECHLESS!!!! OK...MAYBE NOT..........GORGEOUS GIRL...GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anne - You are so funny with your "wanted to be madonna more than i wanted to wear a bra" comment! What fantastic pictures. You don't know me, but I lurk on your blog daily. Anna is so beautiful.

Jen - Love these, especially the one where you are looking down on her.

Michelle - You are amazing.. I'm so bummed I can't take advantage of your Utah visit... she looks like a little angel!!!

courtney - glorious! The pictures of your daughter are wonderful, glorious, beautiful......and any other descriptive adjective I can think of. I hope one of these goes on your new photo wall!

leigh ann - first--those pictures are amazing--she is beautiful! second--you were in SECOND GRADE?!--I feel old! I was at least 13 'cause i had that record(yes, RECORD)and i played it on my stereo that i got for my 13th birthday--and i wanted a "boy toy" belt so bad(i was so naive i didn't understand what that really meant)--ahh, the good old days when MTV actually played music videos! :)

karen - those have to be some of the most beautiful and happy photos i've ever seen :) karen

stephanie - that is still such an awesome song. love the photos!

Corey - I love everything about these! She is beautiful, Tara!

Alison - I love these pictures. You are amazingly talented. I also think your blog is one of the nicest looking I have ever seen - and I spend a fair amount of time each evening reading blogs! I wish I lived closer so I could hire you to photograph my family. Thanks for sharing!

Candice - Just perfection. Love them!!

Rachael - She is stunning! What a lovely little girl!

Jess Niles - The photos, the smile, the gap, it's sublime. Love, love, love your work.

Barbara - Love the pics of Anna - had a question though - if you could so kindly answer. How did you get your angles on some of the shots? Are you standing on something? do you bring a ladder to the shoot? Thanks in advance for settling my curiosity. Barbara

Tara Whitney - barbara-no i wasnt standing on anything but my feet. i am six feet tall, so that in combination with a wide angle lens (24-70L) does the trick. :)

Danielle - Gorgeous photos, Tara! They're great. :)

laura - omg - those pictures are amazing. i am in awe. and i LOVE the dead golden weeds - just perfection, tara! :)

Shanna - Oh my goodness these are amazing! STUNNING! Thank you for inspiring me daily!

Andrea* - Tara... this photo shoot has been in my mind's eye all day... I truly believe its some of your best work! Just Lovely!

carin - these images leave me speechless!

Meredith - Oh my goodness, your photos took my breath away ... absolutely stunning. I would love to be able to take photos of my 4 children in our crops (wheat, barley, canola here in Australia) like those but I think I'm dreaming!!

Shelly - OH TARA, these pictures are beautiful! Gotta love Madonna... suddenly I feel really old because I was a junior in high school when Lucky Star was released ;-)

Shan - WOW! these images are breathtaking! i just found you.... and i think you ROCK! i will be a "regular" visitor to your blog!

angie - haha....ooooooohhhhh,Madonna! I was in the 6th grade(my first year in middle school)when Madonna rose to the level of a god for girls like me.Hearing old Madonna,VINTAGE Madonna,takes me back to those awkward gangly years of my first boy/girl parties,mixers after the basketball games at school,wearing Gloria Vanderbilt cologne for a year straight(now it turns my stomach!),layering our shirts with the collars turned up,those jelly shoes that hurt like hell,and saying gag me with a spoon!! Thanks for taking me back to a familiar carefree place:)

Bonnie Berry - Simply perfect.

Suezi - oh my that makes me feel old. i was 20 when that song came out! ugh! i saw you in Target in Rancho the other day and wanted so badly to introduce myself but did not want to intrude. maybe next time!

emily (justem) - My students do a dance with yardsticks that make a star...I never thought about making one with rulers! I might have to steal this idea!!

lucy - I love these photos! The one of her holding up the star is INCREDIBLE! I want to grow up to be just like you! Come to alabama......please!

Karen Buckle - Hi! These are Beautiful!!! What a fantastic spot, your work is amazing and your blog's looking really cool too