Tara Fry Photography

Summer has always been my favorite season. Something about the carefree, time-adjacent nature of the way we spend our days has always felt relaxing, in a way….
What day is it?
What time is it?
What are we doing?
Who knows! It’s summer.
Let’s find a body of water somewhere and get in it ;)

For 79 straight days, I was with my kids nearly every hour of every day. And you know what I learned?! I really, really like them 😊 like, a lot.

Sad to see this season end, but looking forward to what’s to come. It just keeps getting better ❤️

Snow day in Dallas!

It will likely be gone tomorrow, so we’ll make the most of it today, which I’m now realizing should be my motto for everyday, right?

Approaching the new year with all the sass and energy of these crazy kids.

Don’t be fooled, yall — the water was ICE but the sun was warm and I’m so glad I snagged a few photos from our time at the beach with friends.

2024 is looking bright and I am excited for all that is to come ✨

Merry Christmas from my family to yours! 🎄

Photos by my favorite 🥰

Finishing up my last sessions of the year this week and just feeling all the feels. It’s pretty amazing to think I get to do something I love with people I genuinely enjoy being around. God is good ✨

“One day you will pick your child up and you will set them down … and you won’t pick them up again. “

I remember someone telling me this when I had 4 kids under 5 … and rolling my eyes. I remember thinking what a relief it might be — to be able to set them down and not have to immediately pick them back up for a bit.

But something about it hits differently now that my kids are older. The soreness in my arms replaced by an ache in my soul… and gratitude for that season. I remember how hard it was, but I also remember how sweet it was too. The hard and the good often go hand in hand, it seems.

Motherhood is the most beautiful, heart wrenching journey. ✨

A family who plays together stays together - it’s a core belief of mine.

Y’all … with everything going on in the world right now, I’m more convinced than ever that the best thing we can do to make a lasting change is to love and serve the people around us. Our biggest impact is made in person, not online, so set the device down and get busy with the real work of change.

And maybe start with some play ✨

The best kind of before and after ✨

My most asked question leading up to a session … what do we wear?!

I sent out an email to my fall mini session families this afternoon to help get you started! Spoiler: it’s mostly about mom, with a side of no black and a dash of don’t be completely matching. But maybe that’s just me 😊

I love how this family is always mixing and matching all the prints, shapes and textures to create a balanced but pulled together combo.

It finally feels like fall in Texas … at least for the time being. I have enough experience in this state to know that things can change quickly, so I’m going to soak it up while I can!

I think I still have a few mini session spots available (link in profile) and I’m working on a little wardrobe guide to send out for all my fall clients, so be on the lookout for that if you have a session with me this fall!

I can’t believe we are half way through September already! So excited to see so many of you soon! ✨

It’s funny how photos mean something different to you as time moves on.

Truthfully, this wasn’t one of my favorite images when I’d first gotten them back. It’s a beautiful photo, don’t get me wrong — everything Hannah makes is beautiful—but looking at it now, knowing how far we’ve come over the last few years, it’s like I’m looking at it with new eyes.

I see growth and change and joy and laughter … a family, moving forward together with a tiny little trailblazer, leading the way in confidence and joy.

Rosie Bea has always had her own special spark. It’s fun to look back and see the kindling flames where I hadn’t noticed them before. ✨

Since it’s deaf awareness month, I thought I’d share something about our experience — but to be honest, I feel very unequipped to say anything remotely meaningful on the subject. I am not deaf and certainly not an expert on anything and before I met Rosie, I was completely unaware of the deaf community myself.

Before Rosie I would have never noticed that all emergency warnings are auditory in nature (fire alarm, tornado siren, announcements for flight changes, you name it).

Before Rosie I would have thought “baby signs” were cute — instead of mocking an entire population that by calling their (very full and complex language) “baby”

Before Rosie, I thought sign language was universal.

Before Rosie, I was thought that deafness was something that needed a cure.

If I am an expert at anything, it’s being ignorant about the deaf experience in America.

And I know I am not alone. And that’s okay. Because the first step in making a change is acknowledging there is a change that needs to be made, and there are so, so many.

Before Rosie, I would never have thought to try.

I used to bristle at the word “disability” because it just never felt right, attached to my wild, carefree, brilliant baby girl.

But here we are — 5 years into this wild adventure as the parents of a child with an “invisible disability” and here’s what I know to be true:

There is nothing “wrong” with this girl. She is not a “poor thing” and does not need to be improved or cured or fixed. Because she is not broken.

She was created to be exactly who she is, how she is, when she is — on purpose. And as her parent, I get the privilege of walking along side her, to help her along the way and see what the Lord has for her — spoiler: it’s gonna be good.

Today marks the beginning of deaf awareness month. If you don’t know a deaf person, meet one. Or at the very least, watch the movie Coda 🤟🏻

I’ve been lucky enough to know these people for more than a decade now and they’ve made my life immeasurably better by being in it.

I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to travel to Arkansas a few weeks ago to photograph their brand new baby book end ☺️ He’s absolute perfection.

Rosie’s first day of BIG school and y’all, I am underprepared for this journey… it feels like a lot to put her into a space that is not fully set up for her, but all my anxieties and fears over the last 5 years have been quieted this morning by a little girl who walks her path with a kind of confidence that can only come from the Lord. I am so thankful and pray that she will always be so bold and brave — for herself and for others like her.

SO — FIRST DAY — is officially in the books for the 2023/24 school year. We had 3 moderately excited 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade boys and 1 overly excited kindergarten girl. I could be more proud they are mine. Here’s to hoping the day ends as great as it started 🤞🏻

Story time because I don’t want to forget this moment …

The other day we were driving along the coast exploring the area and as we pass over a bridge, Rosie Bea sticks her head out the window and yells, “heeeeeyyyy fish!!” and then turns to me expectantly.

“Did the fish hear me?!” She asked excitedly. “I don’t think so,” I said, “the fish can’t hear us up here when they are in the water….”

“Oh,” she said.

I could see she was a bit disappointed …. and then the lightbulb moment …

“The fish need the hearin’ aids!!” she said.

It caught me so off guard, I couldn’t help but laugh! “yes, Rosie girl, yes the fish could use the hearin’ aids. Great idea!”

I’m grateful Rosie Bea has always loved using her hearing aids. I know that’s not always the case, but more importantly, I’m so glad we decided to learn ASL alongside her. She will always experience the world in a different way than I do and having a way to express herself using sign language has helped develop her spoken vocabulary as well. Not only can she SPEAK the word “fish” but she also understands what a fish is and where they live, even if she hasn’t quite figured out how they communicate ☺️

Having a baby never felt like this image to me in the moment, but it’s how I remember that time in my life and the little moments I treasure.

Finding little pockets of peace in my days has been a little more difficult lately, but summer has been so good to us so far. Aside from this insane heat wave, we’ve been riding the roller coaster of chaos and calm with a healthy balance of energy and exhaustion. We leave for our big adventure in the northeast next week and can’t wait for cooler temps and cousin time!!

Hoping the summer has been good to you too! 💛

Last minute trip to the beach? Yes, please!!

There’s so much about this image that I love, but mostly it’s working with wonderful the people in it.

I have the best clients. I really do☺️

All you need is 60 seconds of courage to change your life.

I don’t remember who told me this or where I heard it, but it has been a guiding force in my life since I was a teenager. Some of my most embarrassing moments and my proudest accomplishments were all somehow influenced by this is idea that one minute is all it takes.

As I’ve gotten older, I realize that underneath that courage was a willingness to fail … something my parents taught me as a child and something I am desperately trying to instill in my kids today.

When I look at the world, I see just how desperate we are for this kind of courage. The courage to try. The willingness to fail.

The acceptance of an outcome that is outside of our control, but worth the effort anyway.

Hope you all find some opportunities to fail this week. I know I will, and I’ll be the better for it. ✨

I find myself at a loss for words but also too many things to say...

Remember when January was FOOORRRREEEVVVEEERRRRR long and then we hit February and now it’s basically summer? Yep.

It’s spring break over here and there has been so much going on in our house lately with school, work, sports, family … so much good, and all at warp speed. Whew! Check out my stories to see some of the fun and a few new 🐶🐶

40 feels like 25, just wrapped in a few more wrinkles, some gray hair and the knowledge that neither of those things really matter. We are the lucky ones, to grow old.
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I'm so thankful for the friends and family that -- quite literally -- pulled together a last minute beach birthday bash for me, complete with a custom logo (thank you ) sweatshirts, banners, balloons, a bonfire and 24 of us all together to play and bike and belly laugh all weekend.
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So, so grateful. ❤️ (Photos in my stories)

me, looking at the weekend like ...

I had some unexpected downtime between studio sessions last week, so I thought I'd try a few self-portraits....
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My favorite part is how in focus they are. Like, clearly I nailed the self-timer method here and know all the right angles, can keep my eyes open, do the "smeyes" and feel completely comfortable in front of the camera ... LOL -- y'all -- these are the "keepers"
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I can't stop laughing at myself.
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Also, thinking about offering some classes on how to do self-portraits, who's in?

Spent snow day #2 celebrating my favorite 7-year-old. Cooper Jack, you are the most delightfully unpredictable little boy. Your wit and your charm are 2 of your best assets and they are a complement to your sweet disposition and naturally happy demeanor. You are a joy. And it is a privilege to be your mom. Love you buddy. Happy Birthday! 🥳

Something happened over the holidays that made me rethink my current path. We were sitting at the big round table at my parents house -- all of us, mom, dad, kids, cousins, aunts, uncles -- the whole lively bunch. Somewhere during that dinner (or breakfast or lunch, or whatever reason we were sitting at the table) my sweet, little, feisty Rosie Bea grabbed my face with both her hands, turned it to hers and signed, "Why you talking?!"
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And it hit me like a ton of bricks.
She's not in on the conversation.
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I spent the rest of the time at the table and most meals after that attempting to translate in ASL as best I could what was going on around her. It broke my heart and also woke me up to the reality that is my daughter's future, unless something changes.
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I've posted this statistic before, but MORE THAN 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents and LESS THAN 10% of those families learn ASL. I still can't wrap my mind around that last part, but I know this to be true: This world is not set up for my daughter's success. She will be treated as less than her whole life. Less capable, less qualified, less interesting, less intelligent, less, less, less..... simply because she hears … less.
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So, I need to do MORE.
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I’ve decided to take a step back from the busy-ness of my business – FOR NOW – to make room for other things in my life that need my attention MORE. Good things, like becoming fluent in ASL, going on field trips with my kids, investing more time with the people I love, and better serving those around me.

I want to spend more time honing my craft and creating more meaningful work … I want to tell stories, make art, create lasting images that become the legacies of your families,
and mine.
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Doing less. Making MORE of what I've already been given. Seems like a good fit for me right now.

Being together is the greatest adventure ✨
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I feel like that should be Winnie the Pooh or something, but it's not.

When I was younger, I wanted to be a writer.
My first book was called "If you give a dog some chow..." after the famous Laura Numeroff series. It was a real ringer.
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Quite the poetic masterpiece, if I remember correctly, with all kinds of drama and an unexpected plot twist toward the end --really just kept its readers on the edge of their seats.
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Just kidding. It was a book about a dog and his snack habits.
My parents still have it somewhere, I'm sure.
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But I think about that book a lot and the little 9 year old girl who wrote it. Buried beneath three additional decades of living, she still loves to tell stories. She still has stories to tell.
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THis year, I'm focusing on storytelling and I'd love to tell yours too. I'll be emailing my spring/summer availability this week, so keep an eye on your spam folder just in case.
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Starting a new season with the sweetest baby snuggles