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Meet Tara Arseven, Dallas Wedding Photographer

I was born in California, but most of my childhood and adulthood was spent in Türkiye after we moved there when I was seven. Life was chaotic between two parents who couldn't hold it together, but despite everything, I had an amazing dad. He taught me how to cook, clean, and care for myself. How to love people fully and show up for others, especially those going through hard times. He had the biggest heart, and I carry so much of who I am today because of him.

I lost him when I was 14.

After that, I had to grow up fast. I learned to rely on myself, find my own footing, and figure out the world without a map. It wasn't always graceful, but it shaped me into someone who doesn't take connection lightly.

After high school, I went through some things that shook my trust in people and left me feeling untethered. I stopped dreaming. I stopped believing in myself. But then my friend Irem, a soprano at the conservatory, dragged me out of my room to tag along on her portrait session with a well-known Turkish photographer. I didn't want to go, but I'm so glad she didn't take no for an answer.

After the shoot, the photographer looked at me and asked if I wanted to model for him. A few weeks later, after our session, I asked if I could assist him on shoots, free of charge. I just needed something to pull me out of the fog. Instead, he told me I didn't have a bone in my body to be a photographer.

**CUE THE LEO RAGE**

I took that as a challenge. (PSA: Never tell a Leo they can't do something, lol.) And I've spent the last two decades proving him very, very wrong. What started as a random "why not?" became the foundation of a life I built entirely from scratch. Photography turned into the thing I'd been missing. A way to pay attention to people. To give them the kind of care I didn't always get growing up.

I didn't follow a dream. I created one.

Fast forward to today...

I live in Dallas in my loft that feels like a metaphysical shop collided with a camera gear store. Palo santo in the air, cords under every piece of furniture, art leaning against the wall waiting to be hung, and my cats, Nyx and Aeolus, and my rats, Orion and Odin, running the whole operation while I pay the bills and keep the snack drawer stocked.

Most nights, I'm deep in edits with a horror movie on in the background, or three hours into Diablo and forgetting to eat. I collect books faster than I can read them and throw game nights with my fRamily that always end in deep conversations and too much laughter.

Photography is how I hold space for others. It's how I connect, love, and heal. And after all these years, I still get the same rush every single time someone tells me how much their photos mean to them.

So that's me. Doing life my way and pouring all of it into the work I create. If you're still reading this, we're probably meant to work together. 🤭

"It was like being photographed by a friend and there were no awkward moments at all."

— Alina M.

Some numbers, a lot of happy tears,
and one too many Cupid Shuffles.

Years behind the camera

Weddings

Images delivered

Cupid Shuffles survived against my will

and, for the record:

Tissues handed to crying grooms

Cups of coffee (estimate, almost certainly low)

Miles driven chasing golden hour

Times I loop ‘Strange’ while editing

Proof I have a life outside of weddings 😆

"She connected with my family and guests as if she knew them from a past life."

— Shay S.

THE PLOT TWIST:

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER

(You didn't ask for)

Random talent: I can roar like a lion.

Deadpool is my celebrity crush. Nope, not Ryan. Deadpool 🖤

If we're going out and alcohol is involved, French 75 is how I roll

Video games & horror movies > reality TV
any day

Coffee is non-negotiable

If I had a superpower, it would be teleporting (Dallas traffic, I'm looking at you 👀)

My karaoke go-to: "One Way or Another" by Blondie

I have this quirky "happy tappy dance" I do that has my clients call me "Human version of Nala Stomp" LOL

Bugs are my kryptonite
(staappphh - it's not funny!)

I never dreamed of my own wedding and I definitely never planned on photographing other people's. I was deep in the dark making horror-inspired fine art portraits, lots of emotion and mystery and a little bit of blood (okay, sometimes a lot). Then a friend asked me to shoot her brother's wedding. I told her straight up: I have zero experience with weddings. She said, "You'll figure it out." So I did. Somewhere between the first look and the dance floor, I got hooked. Not on weddings exactly. On people. The way they fall apart and put each other back together in one day.

And no, I will not show you the photos from that very first wedding. Maybe in a year or so, when I've hit 20 years in business. Maybe.

I collect magnets, pins, and hateRS

Some people collect stamps. Others collect sneakers. Me? I collect magnets, enamel pins, and the occasional love tokens from keyboard warriors who think leaving a 1-star review or a fake inquiry will make me suddenly stop supporting human rights.

(Spoiler alert: It won't.)

See, not everyone will clap for you when you stand for love, inclusivity, and equality. And that's fine, I'm not here to please everyone. I'm here for life, love, and people who refuse to make themselves smaller for someone else's comfort. So, for your entertainment, I've gathered a little gallery of my greatest hits from the haters. I must be doing something right if they spent this much time being mad about my existence.

Enjoy. 😘

hall of fame