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earth mumma

**There is skin showing in this post. If you are at all uncomfortable with the pregnant female form look away now.**


As I referenced in the post about Emily‘s goodbye, the morning after the beach we hiked into the field near my house. Weeks before, she had sent me a link to an image of a pregnant woman, sitting topless and serene on a tree stump in the forest. This was what she wanted. Living here in Orange County, forests are in limited supply, so I never thought we could pull it off.

Until I stumbled upon the most amazing spot just days before during another maternity session. I had been to this field many, many times with my family and clients and had never seen the base of any of the large oak trees until that day. When I saw it, I almost peed my pants. You just don’t find things like this here. And to think golf balls pepper the thick leafy brush beneath the tree because the field is directly neighboring a golf course!

As we walked up with the girls and our stuff, we were both huffing and puffing in the heat. It was a very hot morning, already 85 degrees at 8am. The sun was high and bright, and I was not feeling the love for the light or the environment. I am usually in the field at sunset. The colors are dramatically different at sunset. I was shocked to find that during the brightness of the day my magical little field looked like crap.

We hoofed it over and through the weeds and came to the tree. It is hiding, you really have to look for it. We ducked under the scratchy branches and into the shade. I hoped that it was going to be as amazing for her as it was to me.

Guess what? It was.Untitled-1IMG_6540IMG_6542

xo

Tara

by Tara Whitney

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denise bovee - loving these! top left..my fave!

Rachel - Oh so beautiful.

~Kristina - wow. i'm sure babies could be birthed in those branches. there is such a tranquility that you've portrayed in these images. So loved.

Dana F. - GORGEOUS!! All of them are truly beautiful, as is Emily. ♥

Kayla - Gorgeous photos!!!! The very first one is my fav =)

deb - incredible. love them so. i know you miss her already. hugs, deb

robyn - These are beautiful. Tasteful and totally stunning.

corey civetta - These are stunning, Tara! Love them all!

Angie - Just beautiful-the photography and the subject!! Lovely and inspiring!

Heather M. - absolutely stunning photos - everything is perfect about them!

laura h. - beautiful

Lesley - These images are stunning. You really have captured the true beauty of pregnancy here. They are so lovely and serene.

michelle - Beautiful!! :) Not nearly as *scary* as your warning implied. ;) haha!!

corinne delis - seriously these are so perfect and they capture Emily so well, truly stunning! corinnexxx

jana - Breathtakingly beautiful.

Kristy - Beautiful...I think you have captured an essence of Emily that can't be put into words....but can be caught like a fleeting firefly..in a photo...rather than a jar.

amy boring - gorgeousness at it's finest. nice work friend!

MariaT - very tasteful and lovely!

suetreiber - wowza! She looks stunning, and that tree is truly magical. Great job!

Kayla Renckly - These are so beautiful!

Heather - Holy Cow! I wish I had looked this stunning when I was pregnant! Emily is so lucky to have a best friend who happens to be an amazing photographer. Bravo :)

alison - Beautiful! Your photographs of Emily are always such a reflection of the relationship you share. You can just feel it by looking at them.

Sierra - This is just so beautiful. Our bodies are the vessels of life and that was captured so lovingly. You can see the quiet pride in her at being a Mom. Blessings to your friend.

kathryn - amazingly beautiful! em looks gorgeous!!!

Heather Collins - These do look great.

Jaclyn Michele - These are amazing. So sad there will be snow on the ground here when my belly is big! *pout*

lisamcg - Beautiful.

kilipohi - Tara these pictures are amazing! Emily looks so beautiful!

Tammy Mellish - Far from provocative, these images are the essence of beauty and need no warning. What an amazing gift you have given to your friend.. I write this with tear filled eyes. I know you miss her so much.. lucky you to have so many of the beautiful images you have taken of Em & family over the years to resource when your heart is aching. I'm certain they will pamper your tender spirit.. it's what every photo is intended to do (remind us of each other and a treasured moment). xo

susan d. - beautiful!!! e, the tree, and the photo!!

ria - i am in love with the last picture. stunnning. her body is absolutely beautiful. smiles forever.

tara pollard pakosta - total earth mama! love them! they are so HER! perfect! tara

Tara Whitney - thank you everyone! as for the "disclaimer" at the top: rather than deal with a backlash of petty anonymous comments and emails from people slapping my hand for daring to put such an 'inappropriate' thing online, i put a teeny little warning. :) it is crazy that such a thing is necessary, but there you go.

Carrie H. - What a beautiful Momma Miss Emily is!!!

elizabeth - While I dont know Emily very well at all.. only through her blog and yours this seems SO HER to me.. so beautiful Tara.. and I am like you typically a later in the day type of gal for shooting.

Nita - Oh, Tara! These are beautiful!!! I love the one where she is just lying there with her eyes closed. Truly peaceful...at one with nature and her baby. Stunning! Now, if I could have looked that good during my pregnancies, I might have decided to have another one! In no way, did I look like that! :D

michelle - lovely

Tonya - Beautiful...tasteful...befitting of your subject. Sometimes a little shade is all we need for a great photo. BRAVO!

Denise in MN - She seems to be at peace and in her element! NICE work, and such great talent.

Suz - wow wow wow! I like them all but the top left is so amazingly beautiful in every way. Her headband, her dreads, her incredible pregnant figure....SUCH a beautiful woman! You captured her!

Goddess Leonie @ GoddessGuidebook.com - oh my goddess! she looks like the most beautiful, perfect fairy nymph!

Kimberly - Simply breathtaking. Thank you for sharing these images of Emily with us.

Carolyn Egerszegi - Emily is just so ZEN and gorgeous. You've captured your friend beautifully. Sigh. So perfect.

mary - so serene, so lovely. how i wish i could have had just one beautiful portrait of myself when pregnant...........how i wish i could have been that comfortable in my own skin.......

Julie Mitchell from Canada - I am so jealous. I have no photos of me pregnant. One of the few regrets I have in my life. She is gorgeous. The tree is fabulous!!

wren - Amazing. Simply amazing.

Sheridan - She looks beautiful! I am sure you are missing her. Hugs.

jamiev - She couldn't BE any more beautiful!!!!!

Crystal Chick - Loving that last one. She looks so peaceful and beautiful.

Isabel - Ahhhhhhhh.... You did it again !!! INCREDIBLE IMAGES !!! You make me feel soo emotive with this photos of Emily and her lovely belly !!! Who can be disapointed by looking a bared pregnant belly???? Kisses from Bs As

Sherri - tara, these photos are simply gorgeous! I wish I had gotten photos taken when I was pregnant with my boys.

Robin - beautiful photos! They are so pretty! :-)

Naomi - Love it!!!!! And that tree too. Can you pretty, pretty please share where that is? I am near you and I must go there if only to see the tree in person :)

cheiron - Gorgeous momma, gorgeous photos.

annie bellamy - SO beautiful. x

Abby Todd - she looks so wonderful - definitely worth the heat and the walk.

Betsy - Beautiful images!!! Makes me want to be pregnant again and have YOU photograph me!! No trees like that by me in Dallas though!

tanyawebster - *sigh* so so so beautiful.... really irks me that you would need a disclaimer for beauty such as this.....people are crazy rude sometimes :(

Marilee - Wow! Beautiful!

Evy Raven - So beautiful!!! Greetings from Aruba!

lori t in az - I am typically the one that is critical of prego flesh. her photo is so beautiful. her skin is a beautiful color. it looks natural and not set up in a studio. well done. not that you need my approval!

DIxie - She looks beautiful in these pictures. They are awesome!

Melissa Summers - Tara- These are the most stunning pictures I have ever seen. I have been following your blog(through RSS) for over a year now and I am in love with your work, your style, your family, your LIFE! Thank you for all you share. My husband and I are taking road trip out of our po-dunk town(Brownwood, Tx) and heading through Colorado, Yellowstone up to Seattle, down through Portland, on Highway 1, and eventually we will be passing through Orange County....any tips on boho places to eat, drive, take pictures, shop? We haven't traveled much but we are young with no kids and are taking are first GRAND adventure together and sleeping along the way in the back of our vehicle.....we wanna do this right so any suggestions anyone may have would be so appreciated. -Mel

leigh ann - Gorgeous--oh how I wish I had just one beautiful photo like these from on of my pregnancies. You have such a gift for capturing beauty and love and joy with your camera.

Jane Eaton Hamilton - Ah, but they're beautiful, and so is she. Fun story.

Lizett Esparza - Absolutely gorgeous!!!! I love stopping by your blog :) you always inspire me. Now we need to know where the heck is this awesome location!!! please..Please.. Share.. Oh kind Tara ;)

Samara - These are uh-maze-ing!!

Claudinha Antunes - Absolutely lovely! Thank you for share... Kisses

Kelley WC - Absolutely beautiful :) You have such a gift and Emily is stunning!

pocahontas fauss - HA HA! That's not showing any skin!! You're cute. These images are awesome!!

Valerie - Amazingly beautiful and unique !

tabitha - magic.

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