Dawn Tacker

Meet my newest friends - Ryden (age 10), Tavin (6.5), and Rumi (6 months). I was fortunate enough to meet them through the Sanderling Waldorf School. I could tell you all about them - but I think these portraits speak for themselves. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and Ryden will log in here to post a comment and tell us what he thinks. I will only add that spending time with each of them was simply joyful. Many thanks to Kari for the pleasure of photographing your family.

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The man behind the starfish portraits - Dr. Robert Biter. More on the plans for the portrait exhibit coming soon! We’ve been hoping to get Dr. B down to the beach for some portraits for a while; being a busy obstetrician has its obstacles! But it was worth the wait. I think we got some dreamy images shooting through the thick fog this evening at the beach. Special thanks to new parents Irma and Eric, and baby Max for joining us!

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Sad! Our starfish project is coming to an end. I loved meeting my two new families, baby Koa and parents Keith and Angela, and expectant parents Scott and Amy. The twins, Eden and Alex, I have had the pleasure of photographing since they were on the inside - I always love seeing them, each time they surprise me with how much they have grown and how their personalities shine through. They are seven months old now; you can see their newborn photos here; they also won top prize for our Best of 2007 contest!

I honestly can’t decide who gets the amazing family award - Koa’s parents, who let me put their infant in the kelp, Amy and Scott, who drove from the O.C. at 12 days past their due date, or Alex and Eden’s parents, who trusted me enough to attempt laying their babies on the sand with a quickly rising tide - sorry that one didn’t work out!! Big thanks and big hugs to all the families tonight - thank you so much for participating in this project, can’t wait to share the final results with everyone! In the meantime, here are a few sneak peeks.

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What a fun session this was! Meet brothers Aidan and Mason. They made it easy to create beautiful portraits. Many thanks to Amber and Dan for asking me to photograph your family.

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A few more families from the Starfish sessions… I met so many wonderful people tonight! Many thanks to all of the families who participated tonight, it was my pleasure.

First up - newborn baby girl! Meet Augustella, three weeks old, who was a champ during her very first visit to the beach:

So many gorgeous moms here tonight - meet Stephanie, and one year-old Nathan.

Here is Toni the Serene with family, eight months pregnant, and daughter Abigail, age five:

Last but certainly not least, meet Jessica and baby Ethan:

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A beautiful evening at the beach with a friendly, lovable dog - what more could a girl ask for? Thank you so much to Kyla and boon companion Baxter for a very fun session!

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More from the starfish project! This was a very special session for me; this big, warm, Italian extended family is very tight-knit. Mario is the youngest of the four generations pictured here. Many thanks to great-grandmother Mary, grandmother Dorotea, and new mom Maria for the great session, and to the dads too! It was wonderful to meet you all, and to hear your stories.

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Independent, on the go, fearless, and fun - three years old is such a great age. It’s probably one of the most challenging ages for me to photograph, and I’ve had it too easy lately so I was so glad that Sydney and her family could join me for a beach session tonight. This is the second of the starfish portraits. Many thanks to Ollie, Justin, Sydney, and baby brother Maddox for the pleasure.

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Double the pleasure! Please join me in welcoming babies Connor and Tanner to the world. Congratulations to Liz and Ken and big brother Warren - we love you guys and look forward to getting into all sorts of trouble with your newest boys.

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Meet sweet Lyla - a true baby rockstar. Not many infants will tolerate a stiff ocean breeze at sunset, much less naked baby photos as the sun goes down! Lyla was amazing. This is the first of a special series… more details in a few weeks! In the meantime, look for the starfish. Many thanks to Dan & Andrea, and of course to baby Lyla. It was wonderful to spend some beach time with you!

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Meet my newest Eos baby - Logan! He is nine months old, and we had so much fun together. Actually it was mostly mom and dad, Jennifer and Darren, that entertained him. But wow does the camera love this boy. And I am pretty smitten, too. He has the most expressive face and blue eyes that captivate - a gift from his mom. He read books, explored his food, took a shower with dad - we photographed it all. He was so tired that he completely crashed in dad’s arms at the end. So of course we had to create some sleeping baby photos. Jennifer and Darren - thank you for the pleasure, hugs to Logan, can’t wait to show you the rest!

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Julie and Eric are taking the plunge! We met at sunset yesterday to document their engagement. Beautiful weather, an almost-empty beach, and a sunset that will always evoke a San Diego evening for them. I could not have asked for more. Their wedding will be July 5th in Virginia. Please join me in raising a virtual glass to wish this wonderful couple all the best! Congratulations to you both on your engagement, I wish you a lifetime of happiness.

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These fashion shoots are always such a treat for me. If you haven’t been to Magical Child lately, you should run in and check out the incredible clothes that Meri has picked out for the season. I kept asking “Do they make that in adult sizes?” I had the most amazing group of kids to work with - really cooperative, happy, creative, and fun. Thank you all - Salina, Cypress, Emma, Drew, Lilah, Jordan, Nathan, Grayson, Brynn and Taryn. You are all superstars!

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Partners in adventure, intrepid explorers, brothers - meet Ryder and Kai. And another family to add to my collection of nicest families in the world. What melted my heart during today’s session… Ryder singing to his little brother, and baby Kai answering him in his lullaby singsong voice. It was not only perfectly adorable, but seemed to center Kai and brought them both into their own little world of harmony. Thank you Keith and Letania for the pleasure.

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We carved out some family time this weekend to drive out to Anza Borrego State Park. The wildflowers were just passing their peak. It truly was amazing to see such color coming out of the sand. My favorite part was the silence. So very very quiet, you can hear yourself think there. At dusk we had a picnic on the sand before driving back home. I’m very grateful there are wild places like this to enjoy, and for Andrew to explore. There is nothing quite like watching a child run through the wildflowers, laughing at the sheer joy of it.

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I think I have a new favorite age! Meet Drew and Emma. I loved working with them, their parents, and their big chocolate lab, Moose. It was a beautiful evening at the beach yesterday, with the kind of sunset that makes you glad to live here. Many thanks to Loren and Roberta for asking me to photograph your family, and to Drew and Emma especially for the pleasure. You were both a lot of fun to talk to, and I think we made some amazing images together. Let me know what you think!

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Running a business is just chock full of choices. There are easy ones, but of course there are plenty of hard ones, too. Managing a greener photography business comprises a little of both types! On the one hand, doing what I can in my little corner of the world to tread lightly is a no-brainer for me - easy. But then all of the little choices under that broader heading can be a little more challenging to implement. My approach has always been to create archival, heirloom-quality work that stands out in a world of disposable and temporary things. Finding green alternatives in the high-tech field of photography has been challenging; but not impossible! I am proud to back up my commitment to running a green business with environmentally-friendly offerings for clients - including mats, framing, and albums. Here is where you can read more about my approach to greener photography.

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Wow… tempus fugit my friends. Let’s take a little stroll down memory lane. Here is baby Jet at one month old…

…and here he is at six months old!

How great is my job? I mean seriously! To see a little guy like this grow so much, and to get to document that… I just love what I do. But enough mushiness, here are a few more of Jet in all his cuteness.

Brooklyn and Tim, thanks for a great morning. But most of all - thank you for trusting me to document Jet’s first year. It is such an honor and a pleasure.

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Meet my newest family! Vanessa, Loren and their adorable kiddos came to me through Boobs on the Move. And I’m so glad they did! I don’t know how I get so lucky, but I keep saying this because it’s true - I get to photograph the nicest families. Working at their home was a perfect fit. The kids were able to run wild on their beautiful property, full of amazing landscaping. I even got to meet the newest family members - baby chicks! Many thanks to Loren, Vanessa, Myles and Ginger for a very fun morning.

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Congratulations to all of the Eos Best of 2007 nominees. The people have spoken! Here are the winning images, determined by the top numbers of votes. Thank you all so much for voting, and for all of the great feedback. This has been a really fun way to kick off the new year; I’ll definitely make this an annual event!

First Place: Eden and Alex - Newborn Twins. Taken on the day they turned two weeks old, this image is also currently hanging in my exhibit at The Perfect Frame. It is a visual testament to why I love photographing newborns right around this age! I have photographed this pair both “on the inside” and as newborns, which is so gratifying.

Second Place: Nico & Blue - A Boy and His Dog. This image received a ton of comments, lots of fun to read through! Nico was six months old in this image, and his “big sister” Blue is a wonderful companion. I will be photographing this family over the next year, so look for more from this pair soon!

Third Place: Reflective Kat. Definitely one of my all-time personal favorites, “Reflective Kat” will be entered in more formal competitions this year. For a contrast, see the blog entry following this; Katherine is growing up so quickly! I really do have the nicest families.

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