back in june, i surprised emily with a photoshoot for her birthday. we dressed up, brought props, and met denise aka bohogirl at the beach early in the morning. meeting her after emailing for months in the planning stages was such a relief. she was exactly as she portrays herself online. open, warm, lovely, intuitive, gentle. my nerves on the car ride to the beach were running high, i was anxious about not being behind the camera mostly, nervous about my body, my chin, my profile…totally doing what i tell everyone NOT to do. where was my zen, my just be you?
as soon as we met, hugged, giggled nervously, and started talking all of those nerves left me completely. i let go completely, and we had the best time.
emily and i had a few ideas in our heads of things we would like to do, but mostly we just wanted denise to do what she does best. here are my favorite photos from our session with her.
am i perfect? no. but i look at these photos and they mean everything to me. it was a morning just for us. girls. friends. women. we connected with denise so deeply. she just gives of herself so freely. she has just restructured her photography business to focus purely on photographing other artists. models, painters, authors, photographers, musicians…such a lovely idea to be able to collaborate every session with another creative minded individual. i know she is going to blow our minds!
and this, (smile), was an idea emily had, i think? we wanted to show our differences. so she brought along a jar of lentils from her kitchen, and i saved a mcdonald’s drive-thru bag. definitely an exaggeration of sorts, but funny, so so funny. this is going big in my house somewhere!
just be us.
have a great weekend everyone! im off to the beach with the kiddos, jeff, my camera, and a surfboard. (our new friday after school ritual…)
xo
i think you and i are best friends, we’ve just never met… i have a HUGE respect for you, your talent, your biz, your open-ness, your everything. so for now, let’s just start as good friends and maybe soon we’ll be best friends. :) you’re amazing.
love it! you are beautiful! I love your style!
Awesome, Tara. Just be you. {hugs} And surely you jest, I see the adorable one right here! (Well adorable two… I want both of your hairs!) What a great way to share yet another memory together…
These are positively gorgeous, and I love how she captured your friendship, and you as individuals so perfectly. You and Em are beautiful from the inside out, and it shows in these images :)
I *LOVE* that you did this with Emily! What a fantastic idea! You are WAY too cute, Tara. I love these shots!!
WOW – love them…where did you get your super-posh clothes?? i want, i want, i want…remember josie’s closet??
oh goodness, these are amazing! you are both so beautiful, natural and fresh looking. love the clothes, love the props, and love the vintage feel to these. what a wonderful gift! and you rock the pony tails, wish i could look cute with my hair like that!
OH MY GOSH! These are so awesome. Holy Beautimus!!! I love Em’s idea of the different eating styles. HAHA! The two of you are absolutely stunning Tara! I love the one of the two of you leaning in seriously, with a tiny hint of a smirk. Love the pigtails. Wow! I love so much about these. So happy for you guys to have these.
Awww I love these. Dreamy! :-)
These are wonderful! I bet you are both SO tickled with these! Something you will both treasure forever!! And, Tara, you look absolutely wonderful!
too CUTE!
your hair is so cute in low pigtails!
you are beautiful tara!
MY Fave is the one of you and the camera!
tara pakosta
I love all these pics! My favourite is the T and E one…I love letters. Very cute.
Tara, I read your blog faithfully and am a lover of your photography. I love these pictures….I feel like lately you have become more and more beautiful….happy maybe in a way that shows…something….something that is great. I love the pictures of you and your “sister”. I know she isn’t really your sister, but having no true sisters myself I know that the relationship between a woman and her best pal is like sisterhood…maybe even better because there is no fighting! (wink!)
I love how the photo’s capture the essence of your friendship….both the things that are alike and the things that are so different. They are beautiful and both an amazing gift and a forever treasure all in one!
You guys are SO cute :)
P.S – I NEED that dress you’re wearing in the “T – E” pic. Where is that from??
I SO love this! I miss having close girlfriends, and this makes me so jealous! (I’m a military wife/mother and my best friends are in other parts of the world.) These photos are fabulous! I can tell how close your relationship is, and it’s fabulous! Awesome pics :) Thanks for sharing.
these photos are amazing! love it!
and, where did you get that dress, the pink, yellow, ,orange one in the top middle photo? I must have it! ( :
erin
you all are so cute!!!
You are both very beautiful. Amazing photography.
Thanks for sharing these. I am always so touched by your close relationship with Emily. I really have no close female friends (outside of my sisters, of course) and your posts always inspire me to give more of myself. Thanks!
those Fridays will live in the minds and hearts of your kids forever!!!
The photos are beautiful, you are beautiful, your relationship is beautiful. Wow.
I love the beautiful connection that you have. This inspires me so much to seek out those I have the same connection with and document it!
Thanks for making me smile! Love the mcd’s one!
um, wow. yep wow, that’s all i got….
you guys rock :)
michelle
these are sooooo awesome. I love them all.
Love!
I so want to know where I can get that shirt (dress?) in the top left pic. Love it. You girls are too cute.
I’d rather have McD’s too. Sorry, Em. You’re way cool, though. These photos are just amazing. Tara, I don’t understand why you have issues….you’re beautiful!
Absolutely beautiful!
Love these shots of you two.
Love it!
Oh wow – these photos are gorgeous. I so love how much you both tresure the fantastic friendship you have – it shows. Awesome.
gosh you two are gorgeous! i miss and love my older sisters too much! yes em you too haha
i find you both so inspiring as moms, women, artists and friends…thank you!
lizz
you guys are making me excited for these all over again-thank you. :)
dresses-red/white/green was purchased at alight.com two years ago. the longer purple, pink number i got at target last spring.
SO amazing-ly wonderful! Love that you celebrated your friendship in this way! Such a cool idea!!! Love all the pictures. (And you look beautiful!)
Beautiful in every sense of the word.
Absolutely love, LOVE the pics. Every girl should have a great gal pal!
BTW, where did you get those cool letters?
You silly, you are TOO perfect! I’m so glad you let go – you shine!
Tara those are great! They show both of your personalities so well.
Love the last one and the one with the huge letters!
so fun, tara! you guys are too cute, i’m so glad you did this! and i agree, there is a certain sense of happiness that is radiating from you right now…and it’s just lovely.
is that a vintage polaroid? check that out. wow!
oh tara…
i’m so teary that i can hardly type this.
that morning on the beach (and in the chair and leaping on the benches and twirling under the trees) meant the world to me. i often go back there in my mind when i need to feel filled up.
you and emily are the real deal.
totally cool chicks with huge, genuine hearts.
i was honored that you chose me to capture what you share together.
you both take my breath away.
when life calms down for each of us,
lets have another love fest on a blanket with lots of tasty food. ; )
thank you for this.
*sigh*
love you,
d
what fun! this is so neat that you and emily took time to celebrate your friendship. those pictures are a gift and a real treasure to keep forever… along with the super fun memories you now have i am sure! love the McD’s bag:) too funny!
:) :) :)
the red letters, oddly enough, were gifts given to us by different people at different times! mine came from the dumpster behind a 99 cent store and was found by lisa mcgarvey. she took the S for her son seamus, and the T for meeeeeeeeeee!!
patrina-would you believe, i found that polaroid IN ITS CASE with its original paperwork, flashbulb, and some film for TEN DOLLARS at a garage sale in utah???
wow, my favorite pics ever!!!
love love love these shots!! youre the one that led me to bohogirl and im so loving her blog!!
the lentils vs mcdonalds just cracked me up…such a cool representation of your amazing friendship…youre both so lucky to have found each other
All of them stunning and creative!
You look great Tara!!!!!!!!!!!! and I have that same off white sweater Emily is wearing, lol!!!
Looking gorgeous.. glowing in friendship… beautiful images to capture 2 beautiful spirits. LOVING Denise’s work.. Thank you so much for sharing this session!
The second photo in the set makes me think of pics you have posted of Anna and Ivy…the carefree poses and the twirly dresses. Did you plan on the parallel?
Wonderful, wonderful pics.
these are beautiful. i love the lentils and micky d’s one. funny. you are both beautiful.
smiles. ria