A family with older children living in Portland. There are a few cute back stories to this session that I have to tell you.
When she booked, Mom told me that she had shared my Instagram feed with her son, to show him my work. He approved me for his senior photos, and THEN he redecorated his bedroom because the photos of my house inspired him. After I melted into a puddle and came back to life I was able to reply to her email. I MEAN – I have never felt so loved. I knew he must be a kindred spirit and as you can imagine, I was dying to meet him.
Two days before the session, Mom texts me about two things. One, her daughter had just dyed her hair hot pink and her son had bleached his. She was attempting to let it go. And two, they still weren’t positive what location they wanted for the shoot. I said “bring it on” about the hair, and pushed for the house, but she told me it looked like a garage sale and didn’t seem totally keen on the idea. I told her we could focus on her son’s room and see what happened from there. She agreed. I get there and I’m like, UM HELLO YOU ARE CRAZY AND YOUR HOUSE IS ADORABLE AND SO YOU. How could we NOT have shot here?!
BEGIN RANT**This just goes to show, your house may not seem photo ready to you, but what you consider photo ready and what I consider photo ready are dramatically different. There is always something interesting to find and being at home makes everyone relax and it is so important to add that dose of your family personality to your photos. Please, please let me come over.**END RANT
We start the session in the room inspired by my house (squeee) and I can’t stop smiling because it is such an unexpected connection and I feed off his sweet creativity and friendliness.
I ask about doing something in the daughter’s bedroom, and she says no, it’s okay, it’s too messy. I push a little harder but she isn’t budging so we go out back. After shooting a bit, I see pink walls and bright yellow curtains hanging in the window of a bedroom. The bedroom of the daughter with the hot pink hair, and I can instantly imagine her hair matching her curtains in a photo and I turn to her and say, “OH, you are taking me into your bedroom, RIGHT NOW.” And she laughs and she does and she is lovely and when I show her the back of the camera I know I was right to follow my gut.
Portland, OR.
TARA. These photos are So. Fucking. Killer.
Um. Perfection.
Unreal! Just amazing! What a gorgeous family–their home is absolutely dreamy. The way you see things, T, it’s just magical.
This. This. This. Speechless. You’ve got the goods, Tara W.
I think this just might bey favorite shoot of yours! I just love everything about it! Well done.
These are everything! LOVE!
This family is so incredibly fortunate to have these amazing images.
Oh my gosh. Just speechless.
Oh TARA!
I know Amy and was SO THRILLED when she booked you and then I was kicking myself for not booking you!
SUCH AMAZING SHOTS!!!!
And seriously….. so happy she let you in her daughters room! Dang!
OK….. when are you coming back to Portland? You’re all mine.
Love these! I think one of my favorite sessions you have ever posted. Now please come to Charleston SC so you can shoot my family. It’s been too long since our last session with you. :)
Love love LOVE THESE! (as always.)
Especially the one of mom and dad (waist down) holding hands behind the grown up kids… it really comes back to the two of us on the end….
These are great. Really great. That family has some great hair!
one if the most amazing shoots!!!! Stunning photos!!!! Truly amazing!!!
What an amazing series!! These make me want to meet the family, I love the hair and I love the one of them all hanging out the windows. I love them all!
I dream of a day that you can do our family pictures. Makes me want to wait until my kids are older. These are awesome! And talk about twins! I love her hair, she rocks hot pink!!
Those are beautiful. That bedspread pic with the pink hair is so lovely. One of my favorite sessions ever.
She should know that I’d love to live at her super cute darling garage sale house. 80’s new wave hair? Perfect. Tara inspired bedroom? Obvious and perfect. Pink hair and curtains? What if you missed that? Great family with teens photoshoot. Amazing!
Beautiful, just beautiful. Love how you captured this lovely and real family and totally agree with your rant.
Yeah! I see what you did there. Loved the pairings.. Dad looks like daughter. Son looks like mother. Even the way you present the images adds to the story! You, my dear, are gifted!!!
Wow, just wow! What a good call on your part, the photos in the house are fabulous, the house is fabulous. And the pink hair! Wow! You are so talented, the way you played her pink hair against the bed spread. And the B&W’s are amazing, the wild and crazy teenagers become tame in B&W. What a beautiful family, you captured them well!
OMG TARA! These are stunning!!!
Loved these photos. What a cool house, cool family and cool photographer. Favorite is the two kids and the silhouette of the tree. Stunning!
Unf@cking believable. These are insanely great. Soulful, gorgeous, and so damn authentic.
AH-Mazing! I love you so bad it hurts Tara Whitney!
I’ve been stalking your work for years and this is by far one of my all time favs. The bedroom with the pick hair -YES! I love that you have been posting more. Thanks for sharing with us!
What a beautiful family and what amazing photos! I’m so glad you insisted to take photos in their space — it’s awesome and creative and the perfect backdrop.
Wow! What a gorgeous family! Love, love, love these photographs Tara, come to New Zealand one day huh? x
I just know that one day it will be me and family in those fotos. Its my dream. You are amazing.
tara whitney, get out of town with these photos. i honestly just can’t even… you are incredible. these photos are beyond.
After all these years, you still inspire my photography. xo
Stunning photos and what a beautiful family…………LOVE this!!
Oh my i LOVE that one of the dad with the mom behind him hugging him. I want one like that of me and my hubby. Really I want you to come to my house in Canada and take pictures of us in our home. Ah it’s a dream!!! These are amazing!
Holy SH**********TTTTTT! I can’t even with your blog. I swear each time I stop by I’m like, ‘this is her best work’ EVERY.SINGLE. TIME!
Holy smokes. Every single shot was stunning, beautiful and outstanding. Wow!
These are just so amazing. My favourite sessions of yours yet.
Absolutely beautiful photos!! And so good you convinced her to shoot in her room – the curtains and that pink hair = perfection!!
But really, every single photo is just stunning!
This is my favourite shoot of yours. Your acceptance of this family for who they are has allowed their light to shine through, and what a light it is.
made me cry – such love, incredible, amazing, stunning photos. your photos say 10 zillion words
I die……any chance you coming to Boston next year?
IN LOVE with this session. Bravo!
Amazing! I love the stories you shared in the beginning!! I am so glad the daughter let you photograph her in her room!!! It’s soooo good!!! There’s nothing like having a photographer who makes you feel comfortable and it’s obvious you made them feel right at home (pun intended) Great work!!
Tara, you are ON FIRE! This family! This house! I’ve followed your blog for many years and I really love the direction your sessions have headed. You really capture the soul of those you photograph.
i love these. It’s so hard to find family sessions that aren’t pregnancy or young families. Love these.
These are amazing! I was so excited that they were in Portland since we will be there next summer so I was all set to email you to set something up, I almost cried when I saw it was a travel session!!! Any chance you’ll be there early next June… Or near Detroit any time soon?
Everything about this shoot is perfection. The house, teen rooms, their personalities at this moment, the closeness of their family. I can go on and on. Great work, as always.
Magic! In love with her pink hair!
Holy COW!! This is my favorite shoot I have seen by anyone in a long time. Absolutely amazing!! I love the B&W edits. I love the boy in his closet and the daughter with those curtains and the close up of the momma and daughter where the momma is looking at the camera and the dad and how the mom and son are twins and the daughter and dad are and…I could go on and on….WELL DONE!
Wow. ohmygodwow. The best ever! And that girls room, her hair, the boys room, the window shots? wow.
So fun! That would make me all melty/puddly, too! :)
This might be my favorite session of yours ever!