katrina and mike consider themselves incredibly blessed and incredibly lucky. their youngest daughter was born with only half of her heart. her prognosis at birth was very unstable and they have been through a lot this past year. surgeries, hospital stays, hope, and lots of prayers. when katrina contacted me several months ago, rylie had just come home from a surgery and was doing wonderfully. she was ready to celebrate and wanted a photo shoot so that their family could do just that. celebrate what they have, and remember this time in their lives forever.
from the moment she first emailed me, she stole my heart. which was fitting-for i would gladly share mine with miss rylie.
they are both surfers so they brought some of their boards to play with.
look at what twins these two are!
someone is ten, and bailed on us for awhile to try out the waves…
but he didnt stay away for long.
i adore everyones expressions in this one! adore.
two more i absolutely LOVE the expressions on…
and packing up and heading out…unplanned and a favorite.
i am personally so ecstatic it is friday. spending today catching up on some work, having lunch with a friend, and having more friends over tonight for a sleepover and drink off. NOW mommy gets her mcmargarita! 
edited sunday morning-katrina emailed me some information, here is a cut/paste of that email for everyone.
T,
I just saw the post of our family… thanks for telling our story!! I’d be honored to have people follow our story (category: Rylie Hope Update) on my blog… and/or give out the website for CHI Fund which is an organization that raises awareness and funds for Rady Children’s Hospital (where Rylie receives her care). www.chifund.org . (I’ll be adding Rylie’s bio soon… and it may have your picture attached to it)
We are getting ready for our annual Gala which will be in November in SD. The theme is “work of heart”… we are auctioning art and gift packages… and all proceeds benefit Children’s Heart Institute!! Know anyone who may be interested in a donation?? (it’s tax deductible)
I feel so blessed that we’ve come in contact with you. You are truly an exceptional person!
Oh… and enjoy your mcmargarita!! I’m so jealous!
Thanks again,
Katrina Vredevelt
www.katrinaelizabeth.typepad.com
44 Comments
You are so talented!
That is really sad that she was born with half a heart, but I hope all the surgeries and such will be successful so she can live a long and healthy life. Do you keep in contact with the people you photograph?
I am always amazed at your beautiful photography. If we lived within 1,000 miles of you, I’d be begging for a photo shoot. Keep on sharing your amazing portraits. You have a talent like none I’ve seen before.
these are amazing.
love them tara.
they stole my heart, the
whole familY!
tara
Oh Tara. Now I am balling over here. There are so sweet. Looks like baby Rylie now has many hearts.
Tara, I love and adore all your work, but these just give me goosebumps….
What an amazing story about that baby. The pictures are beautiful, as always, but I can’t get over how much the father and son look alike! That’s nuts.
McMargarita…I love that. Have fun with your party!
What a great story and photo shoot!
Your ability to capture peoples expressions of love and affection for one another is AMAZING!
Love the heart shot whose feetprints are those at the bottom? Too cute
I LOVE the shot of Miss Rylie in the heart! Such beautiful catchlights in her eyes, and I love that you can still see your footprints! Love the shallow depth of field too! What lens did you use on that one? These images are all WONDERFUL!You captured beautiful connections in this family!
that’s it. next lifetime I’m coming back as a hot blonde surfin’ Mama…
tara, there is just so much heart behind your photography. and it really shows.
Love these shots! And I am glad it is Friday as well.
it’s about freaking time mommy got her mcmargarita on!!! have one for me, wontcha?
absolutely love these, and the backstory just makes them even more poignant.
wow tara, this has to be my favorite session yet. you sure did nail it. i love the heart picture, especially considering the story behind her. enjoy your friday.
I love all of them, but esp the one with the little girl inside a heart on a beach:) Melts my heart!
so many wonderful shots…
another gorgeous session Tara!
someday - if i could be half the photographer you are, i would feel so fortunate. what a gift you have to catch people in “their” moment.
love the pictures- the last one is my favorite. Have a great time with your friends- have a drink for me!
WOW! Tara…you did such a fabulous work of art with this family! I loved ALL of the photos!
All I can say is THANK YOU!! We absolutely LOVE our pictures… as I’ve already told you… you did such a fantastic job capturing the LOVE and JOY of our family! We have been on such a roller coaster of emotion this year… but by these photos you’d never know… we are truly blessed. We will cherish these photos and the moments they capture… FOREVER. I’m ordering my prints this weekend
I don’t know if it’s the story behind them or what, but those are some of the best shots you’ve ever put up here. ALL your photos are fantastic, but the emotion and personality that come through in these is indescribable!
Amazing! The heart in the sand brought tears to my eyes. God Bless little Rylie!!!
what a beautiful family
you can feel the love they share through the screen.
Wow - these are amazing. really i would have such a hard time picking a favorite. You are AMAZING! Bless little Rylie!
WOW- Beautiful photos, beautiful family!
Sounds like you are going to have A LOT of fun tonight! :O) Enjoy!
what beautiful pictures! i love them…
i have a sweet rylee that was also born with a “broken” heart…sadly, she has passed away. what i would have given to have pictures like these…
Tara-
Your photography is totally amazing. I love to drop in everyday to see what new pics you have blogged about. Thanks for being so creative. It’s inspiring.
April
http://www.suaviloquy.blogspot.com
these are beautiful…but then again they always are! i’m new to photography, and i get so much inspiration from you. i just thought i would drop you a line and let you know. hope you don’t mind, i posted your link on my blog. thanks for sharing your incredible talent!
Such a beautiful family. Tara, you do an incredible job of capturing people’s inner beauty. I don’t know how you do it. This family is just naturally beautiful, but you honestly can bring the beauty out of ANYONE. I love the lines on their faces on the B&Ws, showing their character, that they are living their lives. (Of course, I’m at the lines-on-the-face stage, too, so am looking to appreciate them.) What a lovely family. Do you realize that everytime you do this you are showing us yourself? Have you thought about that? For a self-proclaimed non-religious chick, that’s pretty heavy.
It gives me chills the way you are able to capture families. What a beautiful session. These are some of the mose beautiful images I think that I have ever seen. The light, the angles, the ‘moments’ the EXPRESSIONS…sure genius!!! You are so talented!!!
the baby in the heart…..soo perfect in soo many ways!!
xo
Tara, I absolutely love your work!! What program do you use to edit? I have watched your site for over a year now and it always makes me smile how you capture people! Have a blessed day!!
love, love, love these photos! Perfect!!
Your Photography is Truly Amazing. WoW… I Adore your blog and just soaking up the photos. Jamie
Your work is always breath-taking. Truly. These shots are some of my new favorites from you. I love the way you cleverly used backgrounds you found (like the “men” sign and the number 10 on the wall). I must remember to keep my eye out for such possibilities. Thanks for the inspiration and sharing your talent.
okay…. the heart in the sand photo is too too too divine.
love these… makes me cry.
Tara,
Great addition to your kiddo’s rooms!!
The Vinyl Art birdie in this give-away reminded me of the bird in the post you did of your office — and she’s offering a FREEBIE for all who blog about her site! Wanted to pass it along to you — thought you and your readers might enjoy the monkeys
Enjoy!
http://creatingcupcakes.blogspot.com/2008/06/everyone-can-win-giveaway.html
Love the baby in the center of the heart! lovely pics as usual.
I would LOVE to donate a painting or print to the benefit. I will contact her via her blog link!
Oh. I found your blog a few days ago. And i already like it!
So many beautiful pictures you take. Lovely!
Im a photographer from Sweden, and I traveled to Orange County in autum 2006.
And I liked it very much.
// Rebecca - http://www.bexs.se
WOW…these pictures are inspiring (once again) and their story is so encouraging! Thanks for posting! Have a great week…
I love these photos Tara! Oh my, I love this family!
Tara, I always love your photography but my fave this time is the baby inside the heart on the sand. It’s absolutely stunning!
Corinna http://www.myscrapbooklife.com
My son has a chronic health problem and it took many sleepless nights to learn that you can only handle it one day at a time. I see from your beautiful pictures that you have already learned that lesson. My son is now 40 years old and living a wonderful life on his own. Good Luck and keep up the good work!
I LOVE that first photo, and the one of her in the heart. Just gorgeous!