Orange County photographer | Tara Whitney – Orange County's Leading Photographer. Family, Pregnancy, Maternity, infant, Newborn, Baby, engagement photography in Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego

You were born a daughter.

You looked up to your mother.

You looked up to your father.

You looked up at everyone.

You wanted to be a princess.

You thought you were a princess.

You wanted to own a horse.

You wanted to be a horse.

You wanted your brother to be a horse.

You wanted to wear pink.

You never wanted to wear pink.

You wanted to be a Veterinarian.

You wanted to be President.

You wanted to be the President’s Veterinarian.

You were picked last for the team.

You were the best one on the team.

You refused to be on the team.

You wanted to be good in algebra.

You hid during algebra.

You wanted the boys to notice you.

You were afraid the boys would notice you.

You started to get acne.

You started to get breasts.

You started to get acne that was bigger than your breasts.

You wouldn’t wear a bra.

You couldn’t wait to wear a bra.

You couldn’t fit into a bra.

You didn’t like the way you looked.

You didn’t like the way your parents looked.

You didn’t want to grow up.

You had your first best friend.

You had your first date.

You had your second best friend.

You had your second first date.

You spent hours on the telephone.

You got kissed.

You got to kiss back.

You went to the prom.

You didn’t go to the prom.

You went to the prom with the wrong person.

You spent hours on the telephone.

You fell in love.

You fell in love.

You fell in love.

You lost your best friend.

You lost your other best friend.

You really fell in love.

You became a steady girlfriend.

You became a significant other.

YOU BECAME SIGNIFICANT TO YOURSELF.

Sooner or later, you start taking yourself seriously. You know when you need a break. You know when you need a rest. You know what to get worked up about and what to get rid of. And you know when it’s time to take care of yourself, for yourself. To do something that makes you stronger, faster, more complete.

Because you know it’s never too late to have a life. And never too late to change one.

JUST DO IT

-Nike

***

This is a Nike print ad from the 90′s. I remember when I read it for the first time. How it was like a punch in the stomach. How it felt like I had written it – or how it felt written directly for me. At the time, I was only 13, maybe 14. I loved it so much that I ripped it out of whatever magazine I was reading and taped it to my wall. Where it stayed for a very long time.

Last night, I was reunited with it via Roger Ebert’s twitter feed, and this post on Keka’s blog.

I had completely forgotten about it – and coming across it again brought me to tears, the same way it did back then. It has been in my subconscious all these years, waiting to be noticed I think. Reading it again was like hugging a very old friend that I had lost and thought was gone forever.

It is hard to imagine where I was when I first read it compared to where I am now. I am so much the same, but also so very different. I never thought I would make it to the part where I became significant to myself….but here I am.

This is my version of taping it to my bedroom wall.

xo

Tara

This is my good friend Michel, and the love of his life Christa. They were driving me to a spot they found that had a view of Los Angeles – to help us live out my vision for their engagement shoot. As we drove through this tunnel I saw the way the light was going OFF at just the right angle, and I asked, “So. Are we down for doing something in the tunnel?” And I found out that Michel had wanted to shoot in the tunnel, but thought it might be weird to ask, and I had wanted to shoot in the tunnel, but thought it might be weird to ask. (I almost didn’t ask.)

Guess I just learned (again) – IF YOU ARE REALLY FEELING IT, whatever it is, IT IS NEVER WEIRD TO ASK.

xo

Tara

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