one is growing | one is shrinking

two of my very good lifelong friends were in one place at one time a few weeks ago, so i took them on a session. one to celebrate her growing tummy. and one to celebrate her shrinking one!

sharla is due with little clark in a few weeks. i was only on day two of antibiotics when i shot these, but i am ever so glad i made the effort to drive out and meet her. we drove down one of my favorite streets in downtown riverside. we were not in the best of areas, and we were getting honked at pretty consistently, which made us all feel like rock stars. but the texture and color and lighting was paradise to me.

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i posted awhile back about christine’s successful weight loss last year. i am really inspired by her and wanted to do something to help her celebrate her accomplishment.

i think that feeling pretty shouldnt stop when you graduate from high school. i am tossing around the idea of offering a mini session for women and mothers of all ages. one on one with clothing changes and a fun story to tell…

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how is it that i am the baby of the group and she is the one who looks 18?

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25 Comments

  1. Tara,

    I love your photos of women. So real, so beautiful! How did Christine lose the weight? She looks amazing. I am currently on weight watchers, so I’m curious.

    Hope you are feeling better!

    -Sarah

  2. Sarah, My diet was Slim Fast and STRESS!!! LOL

    Thank you so much Tara for taking the time to come out while sickie and take our pictures. It really is a marvel to watch you at work. These ones of Sharla are just gorgeous for sure. Thanks for making me feel pretty too. LOVE YOU TONS BELLE!

    I totally love the idea of the mini-sessions for women. Sounds like a lot of others are loving it too.

  3. LOVE your photos as always!

    I was so happy when I read this: “i think that feeling pretty shouldnt stop when you graduate from high school. i am tossing around the idea of offering a mini session for women and mothers of all ages. one on one with clothing changes and a fun story to tell…”
    I adore that you have these thoughts – I think they are splendid! I know that I’d soooooo go for it, if only I didn’t live across the big puddle.

    Good luck on pursuing this – it’ll be a huge success, I am sure! :D

  4. Love these 2 beautiful girls – of course I am partial. Tara you have captured their beauty and that glow of a woman who is so secure in who she is. Sharla congratulations I just found out!! and my Chris you are truly my beautiful child.

  5. Beautiful. I love the idea of mini sessions. It has been my goal to lose weight and once I do my reward will be a session with you!!! I hope to book sometime this year so with me luck! :) Christine is inspiration for us all.

  6. well TARA if you fancy tripping over here to Africa I would GLADY offer my bod for a photo shoot ! hahahah from one photographer to another I would happily shoot you in all your glory in the African Sun ..

    Sound like a good idea ?
    x

    sam ellis

  7. Ugh, I so wish you were coming anywhere near charleston, sc. I would love to see what you could do with me in photographs. I am pretty unphotogenic and I hate the way I look in pictures. Plus, I turned 40 this year and it has been the hardest birthday year ever! Where did the last 20 years go? I just feel OLD and UGLY! It is why I am always BEHIND the camera and not in front of it! LOL!

    Your blog (your life both as a photographer AND a MOTHER) always inspires me. Thanks for posting.

  8. “i think that feeling pretty shouldnt stop when you graduate from high school. i am tossing around the idea of offering a mini session for women and mothers of all ages. one on one with clothing changes and a fun story to tell…”
    That really spoke to me… Absolutely! I recently attended a funeral for a mom. She was always behind the camera taking pics of the kids, so the picture they put on the program was an AWFUL shot of her. They had only a few pics of her. We need to get out from BEHIND the camera and start being photographed.
    Have you ever thought about taking pics of friends. I think of my four best friends, and totally want to do a session with them. A classically posed pic, just isn’t going to capture the fact that these women have held me together when my world has been unglued. I have often thought about how awesome it would be to be the First Lady of our nation, only for the fact that I would love to have a live-in photography staff!

  9. Those pregnant belly photos almost make me look forward to the next 8 months as my own grows. =) They almost make me want to actually have photos of myself while I’m pregnant too. SOmething I haven’t done in all 5 of my other pregnancies. I think it’s more the photographer though, than my belly. SO we’ll see. =) Thanks as always for celebrating people, fun, and beauty…in all shapes and sizes!

  10. simply gorgegous. I must confess tho—I first read the title of the post “one is growing–one is shrinking” and I scrolled down through the photos real quick before reading the rest (because I can never WAIT to see all your beautiful shots!) and I thought “oh–I get it! her belly is growing with her pregnancy—thus her shirt is ‘shrinking'” — clever you!! But I like the REAL story, too! You remain on my 100 things to do in this life — I want a photo session with TARA THE TERRIFIC!

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