i cant believe i am just now blogging these beauties! back in august 08 i traveled to seattle to be the guest teacher for cheryl’s workshop. i had a wonderful time and made several new friends. on my last day, just before hopping on the plane home, i drove around with cheryl and todd and the girls looking for fun places to stop and take photos.
we started just outside of the hotel. out my hotel window, i saw a line of taxi’s sitting and waiting. always sitting and waiting. so we went there first. FUNNY thing happened. the first cab driver we asked permission to borrow his cab for a second got super suspicious and asked me what the pictures were for. who the people were. etc etc. he was just about to say yes when he said “NO! I AM SORRY! I CANNOT DO THIS!” and shuffled us away. we were like “okaaaaaaaay?” luckily with about eight cabs the chances were still good, so we walked up to the next cab in line. he kindly invited their family in and even had some ideas of his own-like to have little averi poking her head out the window.
i love this series of three-baby on the loose!
it was back in the car after this and back on the hunt. we found a great old firestation (shot above) and as i was shooting them in front of the garage a fire-fighter came out to talk to us. we heard all about his sister who was coming with her children and he was like “oh, you should photograph them on a rig!” (so helpful!) and he opened the doors so we could go inside.
back to the car when…AH! stop right there!
the weather was getting worse, so we decided to hop on the freeway and get closer to the airport, hoping for some dryer locations. just before we did that though, i changed my mind when i saw this place. time to get wet people! out we go!
okay now, really, onto the freeway. where it looked hopeless. i was worried the rain wasnt going to clear. worried i wouldnt find a location. worried i was going to totally let her down….when suddenly….STOP! PULL IN HERE! YES! RIGHT HERE! (by the way, a great way to include a toddler or baby who doesnt want to be included is to back off, but place them in the frame still, while focusing on someone else.)
i wanted to get as many of cheryl with her girls as i could. LOVE LOVE LOVE this momma shot. momma and her ducklings…
and a new building at the same location-i was really hoping the number 16 would have some significance to them, but other than me begging them to go ahead and have 14 more children so we could come back to this spot…they came up blank.
a few more favorites
cheryl and her family are so warm and so real and it was wonderful spending the weekend with them.
xo
i love these so much…makes me smile
I’m beyond thrilled that you’re back to posting regularly and we’re back to admiring and soaking up your beautiful imagery. Love it all.
Photographing in Seattle can be tough… it makes me so thankful for our SoCal light! Cheryl picked some great outfits and colors for her family and you did a fantastic job of getting the family comfortable and able to have fun in front of the lens. That last series of photos looks like so much fun!
We lived in Seattle for several years. I am impressed by your escape from the rain. I love the soda pop eyes, also, I can never get enough of feetsy shots! Beautiful.
oh, these are perfect….classic Tara-rocks-out-thefamily sessions!! Please let me come stay with you for about a week so I can see how you do what you do! :)
I really really love and appreciate when you explain more about the shoot. I am sooo like that— you guys HAVE to stop here because look at that WALL. So thanks for adding in a little bit of how you take on the city!
xo
YAY YAY YAY! We Secret attendees have been waiting to see some of Cheryl’s session. How fun! These images have LIFE.
love it.
that #16 shot…every child should feel like that, Like their who family is ready and smiling, waiting with arms open for them to fly into. that photo will lift her up when she is older.
and you are astounding
wow. so beautiful! i love the fresh, natural way about your photography. rock on!
oh vicky-my heart just went all aflutter-now i know exactly why that picture makes me feel the way it does.
having met cheryl in person i have to say i just love her! it’s impossible not too. and having seen you online for the last three years, i have to say i adore you! so seeing the two of you together like this is really wonderful. you did such a great job of capturing the joy and love that family has.
i adore the very last black and white…it’s the type of photo you want to have as a worn piece by your bedside when your girls are grown and gone to remind you of those really special days when you could just scoop them up and love them. you’re amazing tara!
it’s always so weird for me when I see photographers whose blogs I read meeting other photographers whose blogs I read in real life. and taking pictures of them. seriously, it’s such a small world.
these came out FANTASTIC. you have mad skills.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!! tara every session is just better and better. i cannot begin to say how much i love these. everyone is so good and bright and colorful. i just love them all. you are just too good!
love the colors in these photos!
oh I love what you do! You seem to find some amazing places to shoot…
Beautiful as always! Love the duckling shot.
Ah dang! You were in my neck of the woods and I missed it!
Great shots of that family…as always!
OMG #16 is so fabulous. CHERYL!!! That needs to be huge in your house. AND, was it only in August??? Man, that seems so long ago ;) beatuiful families make our jobs so much easier don’t they?
LOVE the taxi series!! Great shots! :)
OK I have been following your blog forever Tara, it is part of my daily routine, wake up, meditate, doggie walk, coffee and Tara, and, in fact, that is how I discovered Cheryl and her wonderfulness, through your blog, yes indeed, and I immediately signed up for her workshop. YaY Cheryl!
These images of Cheryl and her family are just wonderful intimate, tender, silly, and delightful moments.
You are just a master at capturing the essence of family love and life and connection. Visiting with you and all the lovelies that you capture with your unique perspective feels like I have received a gift.
Jacey
i was too busy oogling over the photos to realize my baby had stopped nursing…she had milk all over her face and everything.
you’re just that good.
jamie HAHAHHAHAHHAA
thanks so much everyone! lovely comments.
these pictures just made me smile. i went to one of cheryl’s workshops and staffed another and can’t get enough of her infectious personality! gorgeous family and pictures!
I’ve been waiting to see these pictures for so long!! Cheryl, you are a beautiful woman with a beautiful family. Tara, you captured them perfectly!
tara, these are SOOOOOOOOO wonderful. i went to cheryl’s workshop in phoenix and it’s neat to see you shoot her family. i LOVE the duckling one… oh, and the black and white one right above… heck, i love them all… lucky cheryl…
I was at that workshop with you and Cheryl and I’ve been HOPING you would post some of the shots you got. (Actually, I’d pretty much given up hope at this point.) So after a snowy gray day here in Seattle this was a nice fresh change. Even if it rained you you guys. (The ironic thing the whole week before you took those pictures had been 95 degrees and sunny!) Thanks for sharing!
SHE’S BACK!! So good to see your beautiful work in action. Gorgeous shots.
Best family portraits EVER!
anyone who has met Cheryl and her family knows how beautiful they are, inside and out. You have captured them so so well Tara. And we all know how very much those two sweet girls are loved…..and for those of you who don’t….it’s in the images.
Awesome.
Ohhh Tara! Pleeease tell me where that location with the big garage door and 16 number by it is…?? I am desperately looking for locations out here in Seattle and I would LOVE to go there!
BTW- All your pictures came out amazing as usual. Did you like Seattle? You coming back?:)
Love, love, LOVE!!
jessica, i honestly could not tell you where that is-i wish i could. all i know is, we took a street out of downtown, towards the airport! i wish i could tell you where exactly-if i think of any details ill let you know.
Oh, what a gorgeous family, and such lovely, fun photos. I especially love the close up of the hands of the girl in green, and the one of the girl with bottlecaps on her eyes. But my fave is the black and white of the kids hugging in the foreground while mom and dad nuzzle in the back. Very special! Don’t you just love Seattle? That’s my hometown! Wish I could’ve been at that seminar. Maybe just an ounce of you or Cheryl’s talent might have rubbed off on me, LOL! Great portraits!
AWWWW those are so great! You were in my neck of the woods! I love your work!!
that one where their daughter is running to them super pulled back… LOVE.
green dress. chubby fingers. magic. just magic.
does your camera button actually make a click sound like mine? or does yours say alakazam?
Hey- I know these folks! Cheryl used to live in our neck of the woods- she’s awesome! LOVE this shoot!!
Love, love, love the image of bottle cap-eye girl (I know, but how do you describe?). It is such genuine FUN; I can FEEL it. Here’s my take on the #16…August is the 8th month, 8 times 2 is 16,and so that means you have to go back to that exact spot next (this) August for an update! A bit of a goofy stretch, but it works and Cheryl knows I’m all about signs! Great work Tara, as usual; uh doesn’t hurt to have fabulous clients either. :)
These are incredible. I love the life and joy you captured. AMAZING!
love the green dress one. kinda like it’s saying “wait a minute…don’t miss this little moment and my adorable chubby fingers.”
these are all so beautiful and full of magic!
This are to.die.for.gorgeous! You have amazing talent.
dang girl.. I want you to come shoot my family.. these are amazing.
Tara, these are so AWESOME. You really are fabulous and captured Cheryl and her special family so well. My dream is to one day to have a sesion with TARA WHITNEY in California (just have to cnovince the hubby!). Unless you are planning a trip to Paris sometime soon … pretty plase!!
Oops that should have been pretty PLEASE!
Hey Tara! I just wanted to mention (since I know you’ve been having a few problems with the blog)…I can’t see all the pictures :( sometimes I can see more than others if I refresh the page. But I haven’t been able to see them all at the same time. I had this same problem with my blog and found it was an easy fix…under the “Advanced” option I turned the “lazyloader” OFF. Then my pictures would be there immediately.
…I’d love to see the rest of them. ;)
totally freaking awesome!
two of my favorite photographers in one place. happy, happy pictures…love them. I also really appreciate the little comments about what caught your eye, why you stopped…just little glimpses into the creative process…it just makes you think about looking around, everywhere you go, with a fresh eye!
cheryl is just gorgeous!!!!! what fun!
Good gracious woman! You are so flippin-floppin amazing!(I don’t know what that means but it is good!) These are simply fantastic!
This shoot is AMAZING. By far probably one of my fav EVER. Wow!!! I want to save these to look through daily that is how much I love them. Great great work!! The colors, the shots, the scenes just everything speaks happiness and pure perfection.