This winter Charlotte Family garden session celebrated a season of new beginnings. As a California photographer, I hadn’t really had the luxury of that many chilly days as the backdrop for my Family work. But here in the Southeast, the more defined seasons bring new opportunities! A fresh landscape (and brilliant new relationships) meets rich color palettes … cozy layered knits … and the best kinda bundled-up family hugs.
I was so excited to spend time with this wonderful family that crisp, blue-skied day. They are such an incredibly kind bunch ~ with the most sparkly, soulful eyes to match. We are both relatively new to the Charlotte area, so chatting about these fresh experiences was especially fun! It’s funny how all your senses seem to be heightened when experiencing a new place. Colors seem brighter and sounds somehow seem more distinct. There is always so much to take in ~ the weather, the food, the architecture, the music, people’s general demeanor, local traditions etc. Sharing these observations, and chatting about all of it together … was really so nice.
We began our session that day in the warmth of the side garden ~ sticking to those dappled, golden pockets of light. The little girls were so good natured and beyond happy to be with their Mom and Dad that day! My 12 year old niece Claire who had joined me for our session that afternoon, commented the exact same thing as soon as we hopped back in the car to drive home. She said “Wow Aunt Tara, they were such a nice family and the girls really have such a strong connection with their parents”. I couldn’t have agreed more. They had this sparkle of sorts that followed them around the garden that day! They were so happy to just be together as a family, which alone said so much. I am always grateful for these experiences and for such inspiring families that come into my life! ~ Kent Avenue Photography
Charlotte, NC
It is such a privilege to join families as they prepare for their little one. This San Francisco Bay Area Maternity session really left such a mark on my heart.
I always think about each family and how in such a short amount of time, their hearts will expand exponentially. It amazes me how a teeny tiny newborn is so incredibly powerful. Documenting the anticipation on the heels of their arrival is always so very exciting.
This spectacular, talented couple were such a joy. I loved hearing more about their commitment to their work, their passion projects, the way they found one another, and the beautiful road to becoming parents. Their incredibly calm and caring nature was beautiful on so many levels. There was a blanket of leaves throughout the garden property that warm autumn day. Many a time throughout our walk, those colorful remnants would work their way into the bottom of Megan’s lace dress. Her husband would quietly bend down each time, providing a stable hand for balance, as he carefully handpicked each piece from her dress and spread the lace back out on the ground. As the light danced around the property and we moved from location to location, those pretty leaves would find their way back … and each time (despite Megan insisting please not to worry as she softly smiled), he would take care of her. It was beyond the gesture … it was the way they looked at one another and the gravity of what was said, even in the quiet.
This little one was born into such love. What an honor it was to capture a piece of their story! ~ Kent Avenue Photography.
Take notice of what light does to everything. ~ Tess Guinery
Woodside, CA
My art drives me and my goal to deliver both an exceptional product and soul-stirring client experience is at the forefront of my business. For the past decade, I have worked tirelessly to refine my process, pouring my heart and soul into carefully crafting poetic imagery for families on film. Families who have become friends … and who continue to return year after year, graciously bringing their own friends.
I have developed an Education Program for like-minded photographers looking to serve with intention and elevate both their own client experience and product offerings. This layered content is based on the detailed session notes that I have been keeping close to my heart for the past 12 years. Join me in streamlining your workflow and enhancing your imagery!
Strengthen your skills, improve your client experience and elevate your growing brand with tips and tricks compiled into this series of clearly outlined ebooks found here.
Easily curate client mood boards with fresh, customizable design templates. Learn more about this series of Mood Board Templates designed to help simplify your session planning and create a clean, cohesive client presentation here.
I am sincerely grateful our paths have crossed and look forward to sharing in your Photography journey!
x,
Tara
Kent Avenue Education
When I see their car in the distance winding through the rolling hills, I instantly have a smile on my face. This family brings a kind of lightness that will move you to your core. Upon meeting them, you just feel it. Their kindness runs deep and the way they grip life with both hands and run with it, is next-level-beautiful. I was thrilled to spend time together that afternoon, give them lots of hugs, catch up, and celebrate that unique Hu magic for this Bay Area golden hillside Family session!
I have such a special place in my heart for this foursome. I was introduced to Amy over a decade ago by a dear friend of mine when the girls were very little and I had just begun photographing families. Documenting their family story throughout the years has been such a joy. I swear I must have blinked and the girls have grown up. They are such incredibly fun, silly and smart girls that are just a blast to hang out with! I couldn’t get over our conversations that afternoon and the amount of thoughtfulness and empathy they possess at such a young age.
Experiencing their sister bond is hard to articulate really ~ their magic goes beyond words. To watch them reach for one another, share secrets, hugs and laughs together was so moving. There’s this sparkle that surrounds them. When I was photographing Lucy, Lola would stand behind me and comment “Wow Lucy, you are so good at that“. And then when Lola would stand in front of me for pictures, Lucy would watch, echoing her sister’s kindness and building her up in the most beautiful ways. They really and truly have each others backs and are each others biggest supporters. I know first hand that this goes well beyond pictures. Such a blessed bond. I love them to pieces.
Thank you Hu family for sharing the pages of your story with me. I look forward to each chapter. As the seasons pass, the depth to your love and the brilliance of your reach only grows. I celebrate your climb ~ every beautiful twist and turn! ~ Kent Avenue Photography
San Francisco Bay Area
I made my way up the coast that beautifully sunny, late afternoon and pulled into the large gravel lot that sat atop the sprawling, magnificent beach below. I always enjoy arriving early to sessions ~ it’s pretty therapeutic actually. I crave the fresh air and looking out onto that shimmering Pacific. It’s peaceful and really such a nice opportunity to clear my head. I like to take some time and walk around to see how the landscape has changed since my last visit. The seasons and the tide always seem to bring surprises. I am beyond grateful for my time in such awe-inspiring locations … and also for this wonderful family that was en route to meet me for this California Family Beach session!
I love them all so much. They are such a tight bunch. And while they are growing up so quickly, the one thing that remains constant year-to-year, is the way they treat one another. They are so present and so very good to one another. Little Perrie remains (understandably) completely smitten with her doting big brothers. She keeps up just fine. The little ones told me about their great love for Pokemon … and forts … and the little Mermaid. There was that excitement and those challenges of a first year of Kindergarten (without a best friend/cousin at their side) … and a wild visit from the tooth fairy (who so generously left double the amount she usually does after unintentionally passing by the house the first night).
I was thrilled that their beloved big sister popped over to the beach to join everyone as well! I have had the pleasure of photographing her and her husband (with their own young family) and was so excited to see her again. She’s pure kindness personified and is such great energy. Her brothers and sisters just gravitate to her. We all chatted in the cove, taking pictures and playing games as the ocean lapped at the shore.
It’s funny, when we first arrived, I noticed several other people along the beach; some with their boards who slipped into the chilly water with their wet-suits … and some who sat comfortably on oversized blankets at the base of the bluffs. But when the Fanoe family arrived, the other beach-goers completely disappeared into my periphery. Through my eyes, we could have been on a private beach. They are a family that just draw you in, in the most beautiful of ways. We stayed on the sand that afternoon until that last sliver of light disappeared behind the rocks. And when I looked up, we were really and truly the only people left. It’s always hard to leave the beach … but it’s especially hard to leave the Fanoes. ~ Kent Avenue Photography
Santa Cruz, CA
I had the pleasure of photographing this beautiful mother and her incredible children earlier this Summer so to see them later this Fall as a family, was such an added gift. They are a powerful bunch … so kind, so resilient and their love? Well, let’s just say, they are bound closer than you could ever imagine. The opportunity to document this season in their lives for this Bay Area garden-style Family session, was really very meaningful.
We met under the afternoon sun at Filoli Gardens , spending hours enjoying the vibrant gardens and one another’s company. There was this beautiful swirl of emotion as we moved about the landscape … the kind of energy that any mother of three children under seven would well understand. The little ones eagerly bounded ahead as we looked for flowers and trellises … and that sparking jewel-box of a pool in the distance. We played games and chatted as we captured so many wonderful moments on film! So many in fact, that it was near impossible to narrow down this small selection shared here on the journal. What a challenge to have, right? Too many love-filled moments. The Heneghan Family will leave you with just that and so much more. They live …. and they love …. with every fiber of their being.
I will forever be grateful for both a job that introduces me to so many inspiring people and for the opportunity to collaborate and create art together … moments that I hope will live in their families, and their hearts, for a very (very) long time. ~ Kent Avenue Photography
Woodside, CA
It seems as though throughout the States, we have had an unusually warm Autumn this year. In a perfect twist of events however, the day before I was scheduled to hop on a plane to head to St.Louis for this Fall Family session, that brisk air blew in from the North. We couldn’t have timed it more perfectly if we tried!
I was thrilled to head back to Missouri this year to spend time celebrating the Miller Family on the heels of their recent home remodel. It was so wonderful to see them again and hear all that has transpired the past year as they settle into their lives in St.Louis. I loved hearing from the kiddos about life at school, friends (and maybe a crush a two) … and from Mom and Dad about what they appreciate about the Midwest and all the kind people that have come into their lives over the past couple years.
I was also eager to explore the new spaces that they have worked so hard to design for their new home. Melissa graciously led me throughout, as I took in all the thoughtful and beautiful touches to each reconfigured, light-filled room. She really has such a gift. It was clear that the beautiful walls are meant to both hold their family close … and to share meaningful experiences with all their visiting friends and family!
As those final interior spaces were coming together, we decided to step outside for our pictures that day, enjoying the brisk Fall chill and the changing foliage in the neighboring meadow. It was like a little wonderland back there! I could just imagine the children slipping through the low-lying trees (with their curled, gnarled branches) and berry-dotted bushes that framed the property, and popping up on the other side to play and explore this magical, Narnia-like hidden space together. Rather than perform some sort of army crawl as the little ones most likely do … we drove around to the back entrance that day and used the handsome wooden gate. Both entrances were equally awe-inspiring. It was peaceful and quiet … and that colorful blanket of falling leaves was just so beautiful. And so was their family ~ on so many levels. Thank you Millers for such a meaningful afternoon together. I am so happy for your family and all that you have created together in St.Louis. ~ Kent Avenue Photography
St.Louis, MO
When I land back in California, there is always a comfortable exhale. The landscape, the light, the energy; there’s just a deeply-rooted magic of sorts found in all the nooks and crannies. We all have those places in our hearts ~ those places that light us up . I live for the romance and nostalgia of it all. So to be back … and to meet up with this incredibly wonderful family for this sun-soaked, California bluffside Family session was such a happy place to be!
The girls are just beyond. I could see those smiles right away, as they hopped out of the car in their white eyelet dresses, walking hand-in-hand with their parents across that rocky, grass-lined parking lot atop the beach. I was so excited to see them!
We caught up a bit as we meandered through the tall grasses, along the windy gravel pathways and down the rocky hill until our feet felt the soft sand. I had initially thought perhaps there was a surfing event down below after spotting all the parked white Mercedes sprinter vans that have become so synonymous with west coast surf culture. We soon found however, that while there wasn’t an event per-see, and the surf seemed calm where we were, there was a break around the corner of the bluff where the waves were epic … and the surfers were taking it all in! More magic, thank you.
We tucked ourselves back around the corner, enjoying those Pacific views and the dreamiest light that sliced through those special places in the rocks. The girls collected seashells to fill their sweet sand-pails and climbed on the large boulders. Ella filled me in her first year of kindergarten and Lily told me all about her wonderful best friend at school who seems to have been a constant from year-to-year. Mom and Dad are really just the kindest souls; people that I could speak to forever. Can you believe, they even have the same birthday? Born just hours apart! I love stories like that and hearing about all those twists and turns of life, and how your stories become intertwined … I become so invested. I absolutely love it. I was eager to hear more, but alas the setting sun. There never (ever) seems to be enough time!
Thank you Zahedis for sharing your magic with me ~ an afternoon that is truly ingrained in my memory! ~ Kent Avenue Photography
Santa Cruz, CA
This sunny, creekside California family session was a memorable one for so many reasons! Chelsey and Stephen are a true force. I was so humbled for the opportunity to spend the afternoon with their family and celebrate this season in their lives.
You know those people that leave such an indelible impression on your heart? Chelsey and Stephen are those people. They are so kind. To hear their story, and see the love they share, was a real blessing.
We took a walk to the creek that sunny afternoon ~ a place that I quickly learned held a very special place in their hearts. Chelsey mentioned that they had spent time here almost every day that summer. When I saw the happiness in the boy’s eyes as they teetered barefoot along the rocks to the water’s edge, I could understand why. The light in that sweet spot was just magical. It danced through the tall trees and sparkled on the surface of the water … the way gold glistens in the sun. It was quiet and powerful all at the same time.
I followed the boys in and out of the water that afternoon as they splashed and tossed pebbles, like little ones do. It was perfect. And Chelsey and Stephen? Well, they encouraged and enjoyed, every playful (muddy) bit. I was so enamored by how patient they were. And how present they were. What a beautiful quality ~ a quality that wholeheartedly aligns with their entire business model as founders of The Rainmaker Family.
I learned that they made the decision to concentrate on abundance over lack a long time ago. What a powerful shift! They focus on helping their community buy back their time and have the freedom to spend more with their own families. They do this by helping people create online passive income, focusing on e-commerce & digital products. Their uplifting ideals and steadfast commitment have led to well-deserved, personal success!
Thank you Chelsey and Stephen for sharing your family with me, and for working so hard to put such goodness into the world! What a beautiful example for your boys. And for all of us. ~ Kent Avenue Photography
Chico, CA
Sometimes life gets ahead of me. I am currently working on some exciting new projects and while I was gathering material, I had the pleasure of uncovering so many Family sessions from over the years that I have yet to blog! Like this early Fall session at beautiful Gamble Gardens; a session that came at such an extraordinary time.
I experienced such a wave of emotions even just revisiting these images with this incredible family. Our time together was special for so many reasons as we were still feeling the repercussions of that emotionally-charged 2020. Like many of us, I craved human connection so very much. I missed exchanging smiles, and conversation … and hugs. So seeing those kind faces, and experiencing their love for one another from behind the lens was moving on another level.
You could tell they had been through so much that year together. And with that stress and tension that a pandemic year can impose, came almost this silent group exhale of sorts ~ they appeared to just effortlessly fall into one another. There was that unique kind of comfortability and intense love that can be a blissful byproduct from emerging out the other side from a challenging situation. They are strong. They are resilient. And they feel such a deep love for one another.
And this is why I love Family sessions. Each year is different. Life is unpredictable. There can be bumps in the road that may send us off the path a bit, and others that may launch us into moments of complete bliss. I think that each piece deserves to be recognized and celebrated. These are the chapters of your family’s story. And there is no other story like it. Thank you Blacks, for spending the afternoon with me on the heels of such a trying time. Your love and light were not only such a pleasure to capture … but honestly healing in so many ways! ~ Kent Avenue Photography
Palo Alto, CA
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