Dawn Tacker

Love these boys! Ryder and Kai braved the elements yesterday for a beautiful, solitary beach session with parents Keith and Letania. The negative low tide revealed some beautiful tidepools; the boys loved exploring them! You can see all the growing up that both boys have done since our first session together. Kai was so into following big brother Ryder all over the beach, and he has so much to say! Ryder is still the sweet, charming boy, with such beautiful manners and a true affection for his baby brother and parents. I love this family! Keith and Letania, as always it was a true pleasure. Thanks for braving the wind, cold, and threat of rain!

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Variety is the spice of life. From toddler to infant to young ladies, all in one day - that was last Sunday. Maddy, age 13, and Emma, nearly seven, explored Leo Carillo Ranch with their mom, Michelle. I love shooting here, and hope to encourage more families to do so in the future! It has such beautiful light and texture, acres to discover, and a resident herd of peacocks! Thank you to Michelle, Maddy and Emma for a fun session and for keeping my work well-rounded!

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Welcome, baby Aaron! Seriously one of the happiest babies I have met. Aaron is all smiles, almost all of the time. I just realized I picked some of his more quiet moments… but these are my favorites! He has those beautiful blue eyes, and rolls of baby fat. His parents are head over heels in love, and it’s easy to see why. Thank you Jeannine and Gregg for the sincere pleasure, and for supporting Boobs on the Move by winning this silent auction donation!

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When I was editing these images yesterday, Dave looked over my shoulder and said, “Wow - cute kid!” And I laughed because he didn’t recognize baby Nico, whom I have photographed both at six months old and one year old! His response - “He’s got hair!” Yes, among other major changes… he walks, he climbs, he talks, and has well-defined opinions. But he is also the same sweet boy I met a year ago as a baby, who is very attached to his parents and loves being outdoors. Heidi, Greg and Nico - many thanks for another wonderful session, I loved shooting at Quail Botanical Gardens with you!

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A very special delivery… Garry and Suzy have been dreaming of another child for a long time; we talked about their story a few months back. An incredibly brave and loving birth mother has blessed them, and baby Aubrey Taylor became a part of their family. Her new siblings Molly and Wesley are over the moon, and Garry and Suzy are in love with their new baby girl. Congratulations to all of you, and a warm welcome, baby Aubrey, to the world.

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Oh my… here’s Oscar! He was such a trooper during our end-of-the-day session last weekend. He has the fuzziest hair - I love how it defies gravity. Six months is one of my favorite ages to document - babies have that chubba-bubba thing going on, they are fascinated by the smallest things, and you can almost see their minds expand as they explore their world. Thank you to Vicki and Dan for a very enjoyable session!

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Please welcome Aidan and Mason back to the blog! We photographed their second session last weekend as we continue to document Mason’s first year. It is such a joy to watch them grow! Mason is not only crawling, but walks along furniture and pushes chairs around the house. Quite a difference from our first session together! I love the image below of the two brothers; we found a creative way to keep Mason in one place long enough to take this one. Dan and Amber’s house has so many wonderful architectural details, textures and fabulous light. It is always a pleasure to shoot there. Thanks for another terrific session!

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Many of you know that Meri, the owner of Magical Child, and Christine, one of her “Magical Gals,” have embarked today with their teammates from Boobs on the Move to walk the Breast Cancer 3-Day, benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

I would like you to join me in supporting their journey! I am offering three mini-portrait sessions, one for each day that Meri, Christine, and all these amazing participants will be walking. These sessions will be offered at $100 each, and I will donate the entire creative fee, plus a portion of print sales from each session, to the 3-Day via Boobs on the Move.

This is a very limited offer. The first three families to contact me will have the chance to book at this rate, which will end on Wednesday November 26th. Contact me for more details. Thanks for supporting the 3-Day!

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Please welcome Dave and Shelley and their children Max, Ryan, Gracie and Devin to the blog! We enjoyed the Santa Ana winds at the beach yesterday evening, and the tidepools exposed by the  negative tide. We saw huge starfish, teeny tiny hermit crabs, and shells of all shapes and sizes. Everyone left wet and sandy, but with huge smiles plastered on their faces - always a sign of a good time. Thank you all for the pleasure!

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Just in time for the holidays, here comes Madeline’s second session! Can you believe how much she has grown since her first session?! Craziness! She was adorable in her baby jeans and festive red sweater. I’ve already got some ideas for her holiday cards… but for now, it’s all about her! Thanks to Rob and Julie for another terrific session, once again ending in peaceful slumber.

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Little did we know, that in addition to being one of our happy places, Quail Botanical Gardens is the ultimate kids’ birthday place! Here are a few from Andrew’s fifth birthday. Thank you to everyone for helping us celebrate!

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A few favorites from our week in Olympic National Park. Truly an amazing place. The Fall weather and foliage, wild seashore, great hiking and abundant wildlife really helped recharge our batteries.It was good for the soul…
Hiking to Beach 3 along the wild seashore of the coast:

Ruby Beach:

Baby Roosevelt Elk in the Hoh Rain Forest:

Hiking near Sol Duc:

Spawning salmon! This one’s for you, Chris:

Sol Duc Falls:

Lake Crescent, where we enjoyed staying at Lake Crescent Lodge:

View from the trail up to Hurricane Hill, where Andrew saw his first snow!

Appreciating the evergreen state:

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Sometimes my job is just too easy. Meet sisters Colleen and Megan! This shoot is their Christmas present to their mom. Isn’t that sweet?! Megan flew down from Seattle for this, and she was rewarded with a weekend of perfect San Diego weather. Colleen’s beau Justin humored us with his participation, and Colleen’s labbie girl, Sheila, made the evening complete. It was pure joy to watch Sheila body surf. Colleen has surrounded herself with terrific people - a smart girl indeed. Thanks to you all for a very pleasant beach session!

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My muse, my little love… Andrew turned five years old today. More images from his fun party soon, but here’s one from our trip to Olympic National Park. I love being Andrew’s mama. It’s more fun every year! Happy Birthday, Andrew!

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Meet Monica and Tom’s family! Jacob (age 11), Bree (age 9), Erica (age 7), Ryan (age 5), and Will (age 2.5) are a tight-knit set of siblings. New additions Chloe and Claire, Boston Terrier pups, make up the canine contingent! It should be mayhem. But it is far from it. I asked Tom and Monica what they’re feeding these kids, and if I could have some. They are such loving, attached, respectful, cooperative, FUN children - right down to Will the toddler. They are a credit to their parents. I enjoyed getting to know each of you, and I look forward to seeing you all again soon. Nine hugs! Thank you for a wonderful session.

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I’m a shy girl. Always have been, and being “out there” in the public eye is challenging for me. I’ll be the wallflower at any party, if you can force me to go in the first place. =) But on Friday night I put on my best smile and attended the opening reception for the Starfish Portrait exhibit at Dr. Robert Biter’s office. Thank you so much - to each and every person who attended - for being there, for being so nice, so easy to talk to, and so much fun. Part of why I decided to take on this portrait project was to bring together the community that Dr. B is an essential part of. We raised funds for Her Heart’s Wish, which was just icing on the cake. This won’t be the last of the Starfish Portraits… stay tuned for exciting stuff in 2009! It was an honor and a privilege to meet new friends, to reunite with old ones, and to be a part of this community.

Dr. Biter - in between delivering babies on Friday night!

Proud parents Keith and Angela with Koa’s canvas

Double Vision! Andrea and Lyla x 2!

A sign of a successful party…

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Please welcome three and a half year-old Basia to the blog! We played at Fletcher Cove this week on a very summer-like day. The more wet and sandy she became, the more delighted Basia was. It was wonderful to bask in her pure, unfettered joy. I know parents Erin and Farid are thinking that we probably didn’t get many worthwhile images from our session… here’s some evidence to the contrary.

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Please join us on Friday, October 17th from 7-9PM for the opening reception of the Starfish Portraits exhibit! This exhibit will be installed at the office of Robert M. Biter, M.D. It celebrates women and their families at all stages of life. We hope to see you there! His office is located at 499 N. El Camino Real, suite C-102 in Encinitas, on the corner of Garden View Road. RSVP if you can by 10/13.

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October is National Family Portrait Month. With our friends, the Jacksons, looking to adopt a child to expand their family, I thought it would be nice timing to put the spotlight on adopting families by gifting a free portrait session. If you are part of a family who has adopted a baby or child, or know of one that would enjoy an Eos portrait session, you can nominate them. Suzy J. has agreed to read through the nominations and choose one family who will receive a free portrait session. To nominate a family, simply send me an email, telling us why you want to nominate this family. Let’s make Suzy’s task easier and limit the email to one page. You can include a photo - we like those! =) Other fine print items…

• Nominations can be sent through October 31st 2008
• Session will take place in North County Coastal area
• Portrait session must be completed within 60 days
• One matted print will be included with the session
• Click on the logo at the top of the blog to go to the website for the email address; sorry for the hassle, but if I post it here I’ll be awash in a flood of spam!

Here is what we need from each nomination:

• Name of family being nominated
• Where they live
• Family’s phone number
• Family’s email address
• Name/age of adopted child/children
• Tell us why you would like to nominate this family! Please take a few paragraphs to tell us what makes them special, what their children are like, why you think they should be chosen for this gift. Photos are welcome and encouraged!

You can always email with questions! Feel free to forward this to anyone you know of that might be interested; and please don’t be shy about nominating your own family! You’ve got to be in it to win it, as they say. =) Thank you! We’ll announce the winner here in November.

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Please welcome little Madeline of Newport Beach to the blog! Madeline turned four months old today - hurray! She has a huge range of facial expressions, as you can tell from these few images - you can only imagine what she will be like once she starts talking! I so enjoyed our session with parents Carrie and Patrick, and their dog Dublin. Their home was such a pleasure to shoot in - flooded with light, and tons of gorgeous architectural elements. Thank you for asking me to photograph your family, can’t wait to share the rest with you!

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