Sweet Babies

We have seen lots and lots of new babies lately! This little bundle of joy is Ella; she is simply breathtakingly beautiful! When her mommy and daddy brought her in for her newborn portraits, she looked so perfect and healthy. What a miracle life is....

The hot weather has kept us to studio portraits during the last two weeks, but hopefully next week we will be back in nature for some high school senior, family, and children's photography sessions. July promises to be another great month at Harper Photography!!!

We are also looking forward to a few wedding consultations coming up, so if you know a bride and groom looking for terrific wedding images and albums - send them our way! We would love to meet them!

c-ya!

It's Time for 2011 Seniors!!!

We are now starting to book our 2011 senior sessions! Here are a few of the 2010 seniors we photographed this year. It has truly been my pleasure getting to know these clients!!! I have a special place in my heart for each one of them, and I wish them all the very best that life can offer. Go get 'em! The world is waiting for you to do great things!

The weather has been good lately and relatively mild, but things are starting to heat up for June. We have several appointments on the calendar; if you are interested in having a beautiful portrait created by Harper Photography, go ahead and give us a call at 615.444.6322! We are also starting to plan for our fair booth at the Wilson County Fair. It seems like 2010 just started, and here we are 1/2 over.

I hope all my clients had a terrific Memorial Day weekend! Congratulations to my sister, Sara, and her new husband, Torrey, as they return home from honeymooning. They just got married on May 22, and I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to assist Sara and mom with the wedding plans during spring. We had no glitches on the wedding day, and I have had several people comment on how gorgeous everything was. I wish them a beautiful, long life together! I love you!

Where in the World is Tara Harper?

What a great question since our poor little blog has been so neglected since last year!

After a very, very busy Fall and Christmas season, we are hoping to turn over a new leaf and keep up with our web presence better so our clients will know what in the world is going on at Harper Photography! Regardless of the blogging downfall, we do feel blessed to have such a terrific clientele and keeping up with our customer service is Goal #1!

It would be waaaayyyy too hard to tell you ALL the things we have done since the last entry, but we will give you a quick glimpse of what we did on top of the baby, children, and family sessions we do each week:

• Wilson County Fair in August


• 2 weddings in September PLUS I completed my professional Certification thru PPA


• Oktoberfest and outdoor fall sessions in October


• November spun out the Christmas Special plus another wedding (the image on this blog is from the 11/21 wedding of Ashley and Shane!)


• December was Christmas Rush fulfilling orders and getting all the loose ends tied together


• January was great with Imaging USA 2010 being right in our back door this year at Opryland Hotel


• Also, I am feeling awesome about being the President this year for the Professional Photographers of Middle TN. It has started off wonderfully, so I am looking forward to another busy, busy year in this career I have chosen!

I will be posting my blog entries to Facebook so everyone can keep up a little better with the entries and new images...so ENJOY! And Happy Valentines Day! LOL!

Summertime...and the Livin' Is Easy!

Does it really get any cuter? How adorable! We just wrapped up the proofing for little Judd's last session, and he really turned on the personality for us while he was here. These babies just make you want to take them home! Check out the sparkle in those baby blues...and the warm golden sun-kissed tone of his sweet smooth skin.

It's SUMMER, and things are still busy with weddings and portraits. We have unfortunately gone too long again without blogging. The studio is staying busy, and we are excited to present two brides with their wedding proofs this week and next. Maybe we will blog next time with some awesome wedding shots, so stay tuned!

What's coming up? A CRAZEEEE August is on the agenda. The TN Professional Photographer's Convention is this weekend and part of next week, then we will start to get ready for our fair display for this year. It is going to rock as always! Look for us in the Turner Evans building again this year...you never know what faces will be there on display! The dates are Aug 21-29...be there!

c-ya!

Believe It or Not!

What do you get when you photograph a one-year-old AND a nine-month-old at the same time? You get Carsyn and Cooper! And they were unbelievably fantastic the day their moms brought them in for portraits. When we were told initially that it would be nice to get images of these two cousins together, we have to admit that we really felt like it would be a huge challenge! As you can see, they were super that morning...and they are so, so comfortable with one another. Carsyn walked right over in the middle of Cooper's session and just started posing perfectly...a photographer's dream! We could not have asked for the morning to have gone any better; each mom has ordered a pink or blue mini-album from the sessions! Too much fun!!! We hope they decide to visit Harper Photography again as they continue to grow!

Fun with Bunnies went off so easily last week, and we had the best bunnies - AND kids - on the planet! Everyone looked beautiful in spring attire. As soon as some of the images are ready, we will post a few to the blog!

c ya!

It's time again for Fun with Bunnies! We are booking very quickly for this annual special just in time for Spring! We offer package pricing on Fun with Bunnies meaning there is NO sitting fee! Call 444.6322 today to book your session for March 19 - 21... It is so much fun seeing all of our clients dressed in their Sunday best!

The beautiful weather is getting everyone excited about outdoor portraiture again; our Saturdays are filling fast with children and family sessions...and of course weddings! If you'd like to book an outdoor session, the best bet will be a week day afternoon.

As always - remember if you refer a friend, we will send you an awesome studio credit for your referral. We appreciate your referrals as they are the ultimate compliment!

c ya!

Isn't She Lovely?

Wow! Little Avery stole my heart from the first second! She has the sweetest disposition; this had to be the easiest 2-year-old studio session in history! Don't you love her dress? So beautiful and feminine...

Things are still jumping at Harper Photography! Yesterday we participated in a bridal fair at Belk in Providence. It was cool to meet some of the other vendors and say hello again to the ones we already knew. And - we have several studio sessions scheduled for this week plus we get to show a bride and her family wedding images on Thursday. It is always an exciting time during the first viewing; any bride knows how quickly her big day goes by...and many times the professional images are all that is left after the cake is gone.

Our spring Saturdays are booking fast for outdoor portaits. If you are interested in something outdoor and a weekday won't work, make sure you call early!

c ya!

It Had to Be You!

I was checking emails late one afternoon last week, and I noticed a message from Olivia Haley. I met Olivia last March during the Ms. Senior Tennessee pageant held in Lebanon at Cumberland University. Olivia's unbelievably kind heart, beautiful spirit, and gorgeous appearance quickly boosted her to the top of the group as she was crowned at the end of the evening. Two things about the night I met Olivia that I will never forget -1) the stunning evening dress she chose - black and ultra elegant on her slim figure (the photo above shows her cocktail dress she wore for the beginning number) and 2) the truly touching moment when her sweet granddaughters ran up to her giving hugs and kisses after she walked across the stage in her crown...

Anyway - the reason I am writing about Olivia goes back to the email. We have chatted here or there about photography and her granddaughters since then a few times, so it wasn't a big surprise to see a message from her. When I read the message, she had included a link from the national Ms. Senior America pageant - which was featured on CNN Headline. As I watched the clip, I was so proud to see Olivia Haley from Tennessee crowned as Ms. Senior America out of 48 contestants!!! How awesome!!! She is so deserving of this accolade; I wish her the very best year as she tours our beautiful country representing all the ladies! Congratulations, Olivia, on bringing it home to TENNESSEE!

c ya!

Ribbons and Lace

January has really flown by in 2009! We are trying to get proofing done for all the babies that have been coming into the studio this month, not to mention some wedding catch up work. Miss Mia came by a few weeks ago with her big brothers, and they were sure to entertain her while we got some terrific smiles in her beautiful, beautiful, beautiful white smocked dress and bonnet. Babies like Mia make it easy for us! LOL!

We just closed on our house last Friday, so right now our family is in a lot of transition/chaos and still trying to find the basics - like GLOVES! Brrrr - when is spring again?

c ya!

Giddy Up!

Right before Christmas we finished Luka's 6-month session, and he is such an adorable sweetie pie! He is always such a happy baby. Luka's parents were looking for something different in photography when they came upon us - Harper Photography! And we certainly hope that we have fulfilled their needs - we are heading toward finishing a panel that will feature darker and earthier tones for his first year. Another cool thing is that Luka is always decked out in the latest fashion trends for his casual outfits - usually something with a western edge like his blue-and-white print shirt, jeans, and COWBOY hat! We totally love, love, love when someone brings in something special for the photo sessions!

January has been steady with photo sessions - but there is more big news on the Harper homefront! Most of our clients know that we have been trying to sell our house for quite a while; it finally sold! This weekend and next week we will be moving. So thanks for all the well wishes and prayers that have been sent up for us. While we will take a short break next week from full concentration on studio sessions, we promise to do our very best to keep up with proofing and orders! Until next time...

c-ya!

Still Happily Ever After

We were recently honored to photograph the Marriage Renewal Ceremony of Claire and Kendall in Murfreesboro! Here you see a gorgeous image that we took before the activities and celebrations began - a beautiful couple who are obviously still in love after 20 years together! In today's society, these two are something to be admired and congratulated on for sticking it out during all the good times and the tough times and loving one another through it all. Claire did a fantastic job of coordinating all the details for the event...including her dress that happened to be made just for this! The floor-length deep green velvet with lace sleeves was so striking and appropriate for the occasion; the fresh ivory bouquet was exquisite just the same. After the church ceremony, their guests enjoyed cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing at B. McNeel's. Another really, really fun touch was the live band - Cissy Crutcher provided the vocals in front of a smoother than smooth jazz ensemble. Thanks, Claire and Kendall, for asking us to be a part of this celebration!

January continues to bloom with excitement...this week has oddly been the week for several 3 and 4-month-old sessions! Spring and summer brides are starting to wrap up their planning, and we look forward to discussing and finalizing plans with each one of them...

c-ya!

Early Christmas Delivery

Meet Holly Brooks Herndon - the newest addition to our family!!! My brother James, and his wife, Lynne, welcomed Holly in the wee hours of the morning on December 23. She weighed 7 pounds and 13 ounces! Big brother Crockett is excited to have his new little sister. He is really enjoying watching Thomas the Train in the comfort of the bouncy seat more than Holly is right now! LOL! This is one of the favorite images that we captured yesterday while Granddaddy was holding Holly during one of her many naps. She has started practicing her "smile for the camera" so she will have it down perfect when she gets a little older!

Christmas has been good this year for us! We started our celebrating on Christmas Eve and wrapped it up on Sunday with our extended families. Too much good food...but we aren't complaining. Our goals for the new year are probably the same as many of yours - take better care of our bodies, try to be healthier, and get more exercise. If we can just accomplish these few things, 2009 will be a huge success!

Today is the final day of 2008! It is hard to believe that January is about to roll around again! We wish everyone a safe, wonderful, and prosperous New Year!

c-ya!

It's The Most Wonderful Time

Hello again! It seems like it has been 100 years since we last blogged! Well honestly - it really does feel like we have stuffed about that much photography into that last 30 days! Alas, we are so thankful for everyone who has come to see us before the holidays to get Christmas cards, Christmas portraits, family portraits, babies and children's portraits, and (this brings us to this week's feature image) SENIOR portraits!

This is Shay - and she is a DOLL - as you can clearly see... Shay and I went all over the place scoping out only the coolest places to grab some quick outdoor shots for her senior session. The scarf was super cute not to mention WARM...and you won't believe this...she eventually changed into SHORTS!!! for another outdoor site we visited. We worked very fast...and then showers started so we moved it indoors. Congratulations to this special athlete - she will be attending an awesome university on a golf scholarship next year!!! Go Girl!

We are rounding out this week distributing photos and Christmas cards that we did for our holiday special...if you missed it, you missed out...they are simply beautiful again this year. All the moms that we'll see over the next couple of days are going to be delighted at how stunning the portraits look! We met some new folks which is always fun and exciting, and we hope they will come back soon!

C Ya!

Gosh! - Only 24 More Days!

It's Hard to Believe! Only 24 more days until Christmas! This fall and holiday season has been busy, busy, busy - and we are going to be playing a lot of catch up this week in order to get most of our proofing sessions done so orders can get back in plenty of time for frame selection and of course - WRAPPING! These wall portraits are going to be BIG surprises for some families...and I can't wait to hear about the responses!

We were proud to photograph a gorgeous marriage renewal ceremony in Murfreesboro this past Saturday; Claire and Kendall renewed their vows and partied the night away with all of their friends and loved ones! Claire is obviously a terrific planner...all of the details were superb...right down to the glittery white butterflies in the table centerpieces! You will definitely see an image from this event appear on the blog soon...

Above you see a photo that looks like it comes straight from a Gap ad...this is Sydney and Mason. Their mom (and Sydney, too!) came by last Wednesday before we closed for the holiday to view the proofs and check out our gallery. She had requested that we do some images that were "outside of the box" - and we believe they really are! There are many, many terrific images that preserve this neat time in their family's life!!!

C-ya!

Three of My Favorite Stooges

These three cutie pies are more fun than a barrel of monkeys! Notice the clown in the middle with his tongue out. I laughed so hard during our Christmas session on Tuesday that tears rolled out of my eyes and down my cheeks. We went with simple photos since the card will be a super-decorative foldover that holds FIVE different images. This image was early on and mild compared to some of the other hilarious shots I captured to be forever emblazed in the minds of me AND their mom. So much fun was had that we eventually had to rip off the last of the roll of white background paper!!! It had all it could take, so we swapped to another color mid-session.

Tuesday was indeed a great day as we finished up the very, very, very last outdoor session with a senior from FCS and headed inside for the winter. My fingers were numb on the shutter after only 45 minutes, but the images are spectacular. She is going to love, love,love her senior images!

The Holiday Special starts tomorrow and runs through Wednesday, and the appointment times are well-booked. If you are wanting to catch a great deal on holiday photos, give us a call at 615.444.6322 - and we will fit you in early next week. Thanks to everyone who will be coming in until Wednesday to experience the craziness as usual!

c-ya

Glistening Gold

Today I had the chance to drive up to Smithville for a portrait that will be used on a Christmas card very soon! If you know where Snow Hill is going through Dowelltown...man, it is breathtaking in nothing but gold right now...and I surely wasn't expecting to view something this magnificent after a day of rain. Our leaves in Lebanon are starting to hit the ground fast. As much as I had hoped the camera would see it like I did - this image still doesn't do the scene justice. I had always thought that the reds and oranges were my faves, but this was literally a sea of gold with the sun barely kissing the leaves making them even more luminant. WOW! I just wanted to share it with everyone who visits the blog...so enjoy! One verse of scripture that I think of often when I see something as breathtaking as this is I Corinthians 2:9 - "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him."

c-ya!

I Wish You Many More

Today is John's birthday!!! We have had good times and lots of fun around our house last week and over the weekend. For those of you who don't know John, he is an awesome husband and father. I know that sounds cliche, but if you could hear me say it - I would shout it from the mountain tops. Peyton and I wouldn't know what to do without him; we both love him so much and know we are so blessed to have him! John has been a tremendous support to me as a husband and a friend since I started Harper Photography three years ago. He is my behind-the-scenes right & left-hand man. He is the one who builds displays, paints those same displays, fixes broken toys that I use for props, loads and unloads, mends easels, helps me dream, keeps my checklist checked before I head out the door to meet a client, the list never ends. He really is the very BEST. And I will readily admit that I couldn't do it without him. I tell him all the time I hope he lives to be 100. Happy Birthday, Sweetheart - I love you! And I wish you many, many, many more wonderful birthdays.

Speaking of a special day - it is also my parents' 35th wedding anniversary today! Isn't that such a coincidence that my husband's birthday and parents' anniversary is on the same day? Congratulations on 35 years, 4 kids, 1 grandson and a granddaughter expected in December, plus a step-grandson, too! Happy Anniversary to Mom and Dad - We love ya'll!!! Thank you so much for all you are to ALL of us...

One more week of Fall Family sessions...and what a bummer for this week's appointments - rain is sadly forecasted...we are hoping for an hour of no rain every afternoon to get everyone finished. Is that wishful thinking or what with Wednesday being a 70% chance? Every year we cram as many sessions we can into a couple of tight weeks; the leaves are already starting to disappear from the tops of the trees now...winter will soon be here. Especially after 33 degree weather this morning. Thank goodness the sun is shining brightly so maybe it will warm us up today!

c-ya!

Make New Friends...But Keep The Old...

I had a connection with these two before I ever set eyes on them for the first time; I went to high school and graduated with both of their parents! It seems like forever ago now, but when we all got together again...the friendships rekindled so easily. These are the Davenport kids, and I had a fantastic time with the entire family in October. They make my job so nice and easy! Even though I am sure there may be some sibling rivalry at home, they got along so well during our Fall Family session. We had fun even though we all thought the mosquitos were literally going to carry us off! Thank goodness someone invented bug spray!

We have more Fall sessions this week and next week before we conclude for the season. It is a real blessing to have such warm weather this late; the first year I ever did outdoor sessions it was cold and miserable by November 17. The sky was gray and the trees were bare. I am keeping my fingers crossed that everything will hold out for all of you who still have appointments booked before then!

Our Holiday Christmas Special starts November 21 - everyone who books before this Saturday, November 8 will get a studio upgrade as an early bird bonus. Call 615.444.6322 for an appointment!

c ya!

Baby, Baby

This is little Judd! His mom & dad just got to take a peek at their newborn and family proof session... Judd is their first baby, and it was such a pleasure meeting all 3 of them for the first time and being able to record just how tiny and precious he is right now. After all, time goes by quickly & it is easy to forget how little they once were...he did fantastic during the session and gave us time to get some images sleeping PLUS some awake. A special thanks to Judd's parents for selecting us! We simply adore all of the beautiful newborns!

This week is our Halloween Spooktacular, and we are looking forward to seeing everyone's costumes! There are a few slots still open in case you have been thinking about bringing your trick-or-treaters - this is the best special we offer all year - don't miss it!

c-ya

Good Time

Alan Jackson's latest hit goes something like this...G with an O, O with a D, T with an I, and M and an E... And what a GOOD TIME I have every time I get together with two of my newest friends! Sunny and her mom came in over the weekend to view the proofing from their extended portrait session that we did to celebrate her senior year in high school at DCA. These photos were so stunningly beautiful that they knocked my socks off, so I was beyond excited to see how they responded! Of course, they LOVED them!!! This was as much fun for me as it was for them the day of the session...we went out to a horse farm that belongs to one of their family friends...and we were all over the place catching all kinds of fabulous shots! We all had our favorites, and all of them were different... so thank you so much to Sunny and her mom for giving Harper Photography the awesome opportunity to participate in this much FUN!

This weekend we will be having a vendor booth at Oktoberfest plus a display inside the bank to celebrate this year's theme! We are looking forward to seeing all of you there; our location has moved to the football/soccer field behind the bank. Bundle up first and then come on out to see us!

c-ya!