***All images in this post are copyright  Tara Whitney.***

NEXT WEEK: Jessica Claire

{To nominate women you'd like to see in this series please list them in the comments-or if you have a question you'd like to see in the interviews--make sure to include your info in the comment fields so that I can get in touch with you- or write to me at: davina at davinafear dot com }

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You can check out the rest of the series by clicking here. Tell a friend!
 

Tara, You are a person who is amazingly soulful and beautiful in the way you approach family and life and love.  It seems that you had a time in your career that made you really rediscover that philosophy.  I think it's safe to say that your journey to this moment has immensely blessed so many women who are inspired by your ablility to find joy in family, life, and love. Thanks so much for being here on Women and Business!

You are a mom and wife.  How many kids do you have and what are their ages?  How long have you been married?

I have known my husband Jeff since the fourth grade, but we didn’t start dating until high school. This November we will have been together for seventeen years. We have four children. Mckenna (14), Drew (12), Nate (10), and Anna (7). One thing that makes our family different than most is that our daughter Mckenna was born with an undiagnosed neurological disorder that causes severe delays in speech and development. So, I don’t have a typical fourteen-year-old daughter. Hormones yes. Boys and unlimited texting no.

What is the best thing about being a mom for you?

Simply being in the presence of these four people every day and having the pleasure of knowing them for their entire lives. The joy of being able to train them and raise them up to be people that eventually go out into this world and continue on our life story is something that blows my mind on a regular basis. Talking to them and listening and learning about who they are. Being able to grab them and squeeze them in my arms and nuzzle right under their chins with kisses and smelling how good they smell. Yes, even my twelve year old son still smells good to me. 

What is the best thing about being a photographer/business owner?

Giving the end product, which is relative to giving happiness, and knowing a piece of me will be in their home.

Why photography?  And why have you chosen to focus on families rather than something like weddings?

I was drawn to photography in my early adolescence. I used to beg to be the photographer on family vacations. I love everything about it. I think a lot of my love is rooted in the freezing of time. Photographing a moment and being able to hold onto it forever.

I don’t like weddings. Not as a guest, not even as a bride. I would be miserable if I had to attend weddings every weekend! It is as simple as that. (I’m an introvert.)

Families were a natural draw because of my own. I started out photographing what I would want of my own children. Of our own interactions. I knew the moments that were special to me, and I set out to photograph them for other people.

What do you do to help your clients be so comfortable with you during a photo shoot?

I don’t really know! I don’t TRY to do anything, or set out to do anything specific. I just try to get to know them. I try to make them laugh at me, or at themselves. I try to have a genuinely good time. I think we do.

What do you recommend women do who are just getting started in the industry?

I don’t really like to tell other people what to do – but my best advice is to be yourself. You will only stand out from the crowd if you stay as unique as your fingerprint.

And, photograph whatever makes your heart sing.

How do you stay grounded and keep business/photography from taking over your life?

In my third year of business things really started heating up for me. And I got very swept up in all of it. I traveled all over the United States. I worked my butt off. I made a lot of money, but in the end, my personal life suffered. My family suffered. My marriage suffered. It didn’t take long for me to realize my mistake and to reign things in. I stopped traveling and limit the amount of sessions I do in a month. I want my focus in life to be on my family, and running our life together, with my business running smoothly in the background.

I recently changed how I schedule my sessions and work at home. I am using the first two weeks of the month for shooting, and the last two weeks of the month for editing, ordering, and other business miscellany. My first two weeks are very session focused, and I am out of the house quite a bit. My last two weeks are very home based, and I am strapped to the computer while the children are at school. It is working so much better for me this way. Instead of having everything going on all the time, I am able to focus much better on the task at hand.

What do you do for fun...that has nothing to do with photography?

I love to read. There are usually 3-4 books on my nightstand. I love to browse for music online and organize my iTunes playlists. I love to decorate and futz around my house. I love to thrift shop and could live in a flea market. I love to grab a drink and a meal with a friend. I love to watch tv in bed with my husband at night. I love laying at the pool in the afternoons while the kids play.

What are you most proud of as a businesswoman?

I am proud of being able to help support the way we live our life.

What do you do to keep your marriage fun?  

We are goofballs and have known each other a very long time. Our sense of humor is so synced that we almost don’t have to say anything to laugh. Most of the time we spend together is pretty fun. I am very lucky to have him in my everyday.

How do you keep your marriage safe from the stresses of your business?

We talk. A lot.

What is the best thing you've done to make your business successful?

My blog. 100,000 trillion percent. If I hadn’t started my blog I would not have this life. I started my blog as a way to connect with friends and family, before I had a business. Strangers started emailing me to ask if I ever photographed other people. Everything slowly snowballed from there into what I have today.

What do you do to keep your children from feeling like your business is more important than them or that you love your computer more than them?

I limit the amount of work that I do every month. I stay off the computer as much as possible after they are home from school. When I am with them, I am with them.

Being a photographer has made me a fuller person, and so a better mother.

We all know that portrait photography has it's seasons.  You can't really plan to shoot 2-4 sessions every single week because there are times of the year when that just doesn't happen.  What do you do to get through the slow times?  What do you do to get through October/November/December?

My slow season is actually Jan-March. After Christmas card season no one wants to think about family photo shoots. I consider it my vacation time. I love every second of it. We make sure we have savings to make it through those months.

It seems like you are excellent at enjoying every moment, staying in the moment with your kids and family.  How do you do that?

I’m not sure. It is just this grand desire within me to not let life pass me by. I want to LIVE. I want to EXPERIENCE. I want to LOVE and LAUGH and LEARN.

What do you do to keep from feeling overwhelmed?

Oh, I don’t do that very well. But I am learning. I am a professionally overwhelmed person. But I am changing that. I want to be done with that.

I am learning my limits. And I learning to set them strictly for myself to avoid burnout.

Your work is very organic.  How do you work with your clients to get that kind of feeling in your images?

I just talk to them like friends. I like to learn about who they are and what they like. I tease them, I make fun of myself. We connect on our commonalities.

What three products or things help you stay organized?

iCalendar, my iPhone, and my husband.

What five suggestions do you have for women who are trying to have a more

whole, content, and blissful life?

Slow down.

Learn your limits.
Take care of yourself first.

Make time to laugh with your husband/partner/family.

Surround yourself with things you find beautiful and meaningful.

To see more of Tara's Work:

***All images in this post are copyright  Tara Whitney.***