Interview with a Mom*tog – Tara Whitney

I am beyond excited for today’s interview!  Why?  Because it’s with my favorite all time family photography Tara Whitney!  

Besides being one of the best family photographers in the country, Tara is also a mom to 4 kids!  4!  And she happened to name one after me  So, that makes her even cooler!

I love Tara’s relaxed style of photography.  Besides being colorful and beautiful, what I love about her photographs is that they are so real and honest and I walk away feeling like I know her subjects.  I think her photographs are so genuine and true, because she’s very genuine and true.  And while I don’t know Tara personally (yet) we are Twitter friends.  Which pretty much means we’re BFF in real life and we just haven’t met yet  She speaks her mind and doesn’t hold back.  She’s funny, witty, creative and sarcastic and I love how I can see all of those qualities in her photographs.

I’ve always wanted a session with Tara and I am one lucky lady because when we get back from Hawaii she’s taking our family pictures!  I really wanted a shoot in our house and neighborhood before we move.  Just us being us.  And I couldn’t think of a better photographer to do it.

Not in Southern California, but want a a family session with Tara?  Guess what?  She travels!  Just contact her for more info!

THANK YOU, Tara for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer these questions!  You totally rock!  Now onto the interview!

How many kids do you have and what are their ages?

I have four kids aged 13, 11, 9, 6

How long have you been in business and how did you get started?

I have been in business for about four or five years now…My job kind of fell into my lap. I was posting images on my blog, and started getting inquiries from strangers asking if I could photograph their family. I went for it and its snowballed into what it is today.

You are busy with 4 kids!!!  How do you run such a successful business and be a great mom?  Do you have super powers?

Um, I wish. The first superpower i would acquire is the i-dont-need-any-stinking-sleep power. A close second would be can-get-here-to-there-by-twinkling-her-nose power.

What is a typical day like for you?

I wake up and get the kids off to school, then work for a few hours. I might go out to lunch with my husband (he works from home a few days a week), or run errands during this time as well. Once the kids get home, its snack time, homework time, hang out time, dinner time, and my favorite: bed time. My sessions usually take place while they are in school, or in the early evenings during the summer when the sun stays out to play.

What’s in your camera bag?

Canon 5d, 24-70l, 50L 1.2, 85 1.8

If you could pick one lens and one lens only, which would it be?

The 24-70L. Its a workhorse.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I really gain a lot of my inspiration from the families that I shoot. From each person I shoot. I also love to flip through magazines, watch movies, listen to music, and I try to pay attention to the little details of life that I want to record forever. 

I love how your images are so real.  How do you get your subjects to relax and let that realness come out?

This is nearly impossible for me to answer because I do not know what I do. I think I am just good at making people feel at ease in front of me, and then of course, my camera.

Do your kids get sick of having a camera in their face all of the time? Sometimes. But since I am generally not in their face about it they are pretty easy on me.

What is your favorite image you’ve taken of your kids recently?

A shot of Drew, my 11yo. Made me see how big he was getting.

Do you have any tips or secrets to share for all of the Mom*togs (nonpro photogs)?

Shoot what makes you feel giddy inside, no matter what anyone else says. Don’t try to emulate anyone else, just be YOU.

If you weren’t a photographer what would you be?

Bored.

If you could have any photographer photograph your family who would it be?

On the advice of my lawyer, I plead the 5th. Just kidding-but I can’t say that! I love and know of too many! 

If you could photograph one person who would it be?

I can’t think of just one person. There isn’t anyone in the front of my brain. I could say a celebrity, but really do I care about that? I could say my grandma, who has been gone since I was in fourth grade. Yes, her.

Where do you see yourself and your business in 5 years?

In five years I hope my business and I are both happy and healthy, and thriving.

Favorites

Place to shop for kids clothes: Naartje, thrift shops, Surf outlets, Boden

Place to shop for your clothes: Old Navy, thrift shops, surf outlets, alight.com, alloy.com

Blog to stalk: dooce.com

Vacation spot: anywhere 

Activity to do with the kids on a random weekday: go to the pool, ride bikes, play video games, head to the beach

Food to cook: Tacos

Thing about your job: Making people feel beautiful

Interview with a Mom*tog – Brenda Acuncius

I am SO excited about this weeks interview! I’ve admired her work for some time now and I really think she’s an inspiration and proof that you don’t have to have the fanciest camera and the fanciest lens to be a really, really, really good photographer. Well, I lie. Now she has the fancy camera (she just purchased the Canon 5D Mark II), but when I fell in love with her work she was shooting with the Canon 20D.

Okay, without further ado, this weeks interview is with… Brenda Acuncius!

I love Brenda’s relaxed portraits of her kids. Have I mentioned that she has the CUTEST kids? You’ll love Brenda’s at home “fake” studio and be inspired with what she can do with it. It’s so easy anyone can do it!

Besides being a photographer Brenda also has her own set of awesome actions. You MUST check them out. And, guess what? Because Brenda is so rad, she’s offering Mom*tog readers a 20% discount on your purchase! Wow! To get that discount do not purchase through the actions page. Instead send your payment directly to gdann@centurytel.net through Paypal and enter the code “Mom*tog” in the instruction box to receive the discount.  You can either deduct the 20% yourself or Brenda will refund you the difference after you pay.  Whatever is easier for you!

Now, onto the interview! Enjoy!

How many kids do you have and how old are they?
I have 2 wonderful children. Gracie is my oldest and probably the one you see the most on my blog… she is my original muse when I started out. She’s going to be 8 years old in less than a month. Grant (aka Bubba) is a few weeks shy of being 9 months old. He already seems to have Photographer’s Kid Syndrome and looks everywhere but me when I have my camera.

How long have you been in business and how did you get started?
Gosh, everything seems to run together these days…I think it’s a little past three years now…give or take a few months. I totally got started on a fluke…I didn’t plan on going into business but I had a link posted on my blog to a site that made some really cool baby blankets and bibs. She saw in her stats that she was getting hits from my blog and contacted me to take some product photos. That’s how it started and I’ve never looked back since….I LOVE what I’m doing and so thankful that I’m blessed with wonderful friends and family that supports me.

How do you balance mommy time and work time and still find time for you? Do you limit the number of shoots you take per week?

It’s really tough these days with the Bloom Workshop, sessions, school activities and all the fun stuff in between. I try to tell myself to stay off the computer after 5:00 p.m. and usually I can do it but sometimes I break the rules. I do limit myself to sessions I take…except for Sept-Nov which is my busiest time of the year. That’s the time of year I have holiday sessions and a lot of repeat clients and I want to squeeze them in. I really don’t have time for myself…unless you count computer time!! LOL!!

What is a typical day like for you?
It varies from day to day…depending if Grant was good to me the night before and didn’t get up! LOL!! I wake up about 5:30-6:00 and get everyone feed, dressed, happy and off to school. I come home, answer some emails, check to see if I need to send actions and then get Grant is breakfast. I play with him some and get him ready for his nap. While he’s asleep, I will get on the Workshop forum and answer questions, give cc or post info. Then he usually gets up after about 2 hours, so I get him lunch, feed myself and just relax a bit. The photos you see of Grant are taken about this time of the day…he’s the happiest and I get a chance to mess around with my camera. Then it’s about time to pick Gracie up from school, come home, get her a snack and start her homework. If I’m lucky, Grant takes another nap (about an hour), I try to get back on the computer and work. After that, I get lunches packed for the next day, the kids in the tub and start dinner. Gracie goes to bed at 8:00 and then I sit with Grant and usually fight with him to go to sleep. If I’m lucky, I get to watch my favorite TV show Lost and not have to Tivo it. LOL!! Then it’s usually 9:00 or 10:00 and I’m off to bed. =)

What’s in your camera bag? If you could pick one lens and one lens only, which would it be?
I wish I had a bag full of lenses but I’m still using the same ones I’ve had forever. I have the 85mm 1.8, 30mm 1.4, 50mm 1.8 and my friend surprised me with a 50mm 1.4…I’m sure she got tired of me lusting over it. LOL!! I just got a Canon 5D markII but I have been using my Canon 20D. Since the 5D is full frame, I would have to say my favorite lens right now is my 85mm 1.8 but I do LOVE shooting wide open with my 50mm 1.4. That baby produces some sweet bohek!!

What’s in your diaper bag?
Funny you should ask this because I’m a diaper bag FREAK!! I LOVE diaper bags and have a closet full of them!! I now have an excuse to carry one for a couple years! I change them out about once a week…it’s a sad addiction! =) Right now, I have the absolute necessities…diapers, wipes, formula, changing pad, Destin, chew toys, extra set of clothes, extra bib and burpie. A few hats, snack ball, my wallet, cell phone, Carmex, rubber bands for Gracie’s hair, random receipts, and sunglasses.

Where do you get your inspiration?
EVERYWHERE! From friends and other Pro Photographers. I find it in magazines and on TV. I watch movies totally different now then before…I love the cinematic of it and the angles they shoot at. Flickr is a fantastic place to find all sorts of inspiration even if it’s not your style or how you shoot…it’s just cool to see all sorts of different stuff.

I love how your daughter models for different designers. How did you make those initial connections?
It’s basically how I started in the business. My niece Sam did most of the product shots for Baby Dry Goods, while Gracie did a few. Then another designer (Wiggy Studio) contacted me and Gracie modeled for her. Then I posted a photo on Flickr of Gracie wearing a dress I bought from Baby Sera Bella and she emailed me and asked if Gracie could model some of her pieces too. I LOVE doing it…it’s so much fun and it’s on my time and in my element and I know how to work my little model. =)

Do your kids get sick of having a camera in their face?
OMG yes!! Gracie will still appease me but only if she gets something in return. We recently went to the Botanical Gardens in Ft. Worth and she was sooooo good for me. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop but it didn’t, but most of the time she wants to make a deal. Grant is a toughie already…he will look everywhere else but at me. Now if I move the camera away from my face, he will give me a few seconds so that’s why you see some crazy crops of him…I’m just winging it and praying I get something.

What is your favorite image you’ve taken of your kids recently?
OH my…this is a tough one. I tried to get some of them together but that was a no-go…lots of hair pulling going on. I just took some of Grant today to show the workshop group my side-lighting set-up. He’s sitting in a basket wearing a hat….the fact that he kept the hat on is a miracle itself…he yanks them off the second I grab my camera.

Do you have any tips or secrets to share for all of the Mom*togs (nonpro photogs)?

Interview with a Mom*tog – Blue Lily Photography

I am SO excited for the very first interview here on Mom*tog!  For the most part I am going to be interviewing photographers who I love who are also moms.  But, from time to time, I will also be interviewing moms who love photography who also happen to be great business women or who have an inspirational story.  All of the photographers who I will be interviewing are people who I would love to shoot my family someday.  I look up to them for not only their talent, but also their devotion to their kids and for being cool people.

And the first interview is with (drumroll please!) Wendy from Blue Lily Photography.  

I first found Wendy’s photography when I came across the story of Stephanie Nielson, from the Nie Nie Dialogues (if you don’t know the Nielson’s story you need to go read her blog, NOW).  Wendy took the Nielson’s family pictures last summer and it is one of the most gorgeous family sessions I’ve ever seen.  Perfect in every way.  It totally captured the essense of their family.  After the tragic plane crash, Wendy did countless auctions to help Stephanie and Christian and she inspired me to hold my own auction.  Besides being an amazing photographer she’s also a great person with a huge heart.  And that’s rad.

Wendy’s a super busy Mom*tog who is based in Temecula, California, but she travels all over the country (check her schedule to see if she’s coming to you!).  I love her fresh, colorful, and fun approach to every session she does.  She’s funny and honest and has cool giveaways on her blog from time to time.  Someday I would love for her to do a family session for my family because I just love her work so much.

Without further ado, here’s the very first Mom*tog interview!!!