The timing of his senior photos had me somewhat apprehensive.
The historically amiable and decidedly un-snarky Ethan would appear before my camera just hours after getting off an international flight. This portrait session required him to drive two hours (each way) to Flagstaff on an evening that was also hours before his first day of senior year.
I shouldn’t have underestimated this dedicated athlete. When he commits to something, he doesn’t just follow through. He does it with kindness and a fantastic sense of humor.
In fact, for two solid hours, I laughed until I had tears streaming down my cheeks.
Check out the smolder! 👆🏻
A Minor Snafu
Perhaps the jet lag may have affected one tiny thing… He forgot a belt. However, I somehow managed to procure one that worked perfectly. I felt pretty proud of myself. 🙂 Wouldn’t it be nice if all senior photo session wardrobe issues were so easily resolved?
It’s no surprise that his mom, Angela, is also dedicated and delightful. She worked hard to ensure Ethan had the necessary photographic support while letting him be the star. In return, he was an excellent hype man for his mom’s superlative qualities. Somewhere along the way, he dubbed her “Dr. Sparkle Maker.” A well-earned nickname on multiple levels!
We talked about Jurassic ants, red bees, and other giant bugs; NiMarco’s pepperoni pizza; his super cool London jacket; accents; strategies for balancing a basketball on your finger; jorts; staring into the sun; ferns; giving aura; and his flow.
Kristen Dacey Iwai of KDI Photography is a full-time professional portrait photographer based in Flagstaff, Arizona with decades of experience. Making portraits of families, pregnancy, newborns, babies, children, and high school seniors in her downtown studio and on location, she serves clients from Flagstaff, Sedona, Tuba City, Winslow, Payson, Page, Williams, Prescott, Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona
In February, our community lost a bright light, a beautiful soul, when Kristen Pearson passed away after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer.
Her husband, Talima Pearson, lost his beloved partner, and her three teenage children lost their amazing mom.
Myself and many others lost our sweet and cherished friend.
I’d made portraits with her from pregnancy, up until just a few months before her passing.
As her illness progressed, she made an intentional decision to make the most of every moment. She continued to inspire us all, even as the disease created pain, challenges, and disruptions to daily life.
One of Kristen’s posts in the weeks before her passing:
Relaxed and peaceful
winding journey
Open and ready
Small moments
Beauty everywhere
What follows is a profile I wrote when I asked her to participate in my personal portrait project: The Helpers. In it, I invite people who are doing good in our community to come to the studio to be photographed and interviewed.
I asked Kristen to participate because of her positive presence in our community. She helped women have babies in a safe, supported way, and then made it possible for many more doulas and expectant couples to continue benefiting from her mission.
I loved that she spread that positive goal in ripples emanating outward from herself. Her work is a legacy that will continue to live on.
Kristen Pearson – Supporting Women Through Birth
She was just three years old, playing with dolls and looking up to her mom, when they received devastating news of Kristen’s pediatric cancer diagnosis. Kristen was told that she would likely never be able to have her own children.
Reliving this moment can still bring fresh tears.
As a defense against this private, internal grief, her brain protected her by convincing her that pregnancy was somehow distasteful, something that made her nauseous to think about. She believed she was glad she couldn’t conceive.
Until she did.
Just after she and her husband finalized adoption of two beautiful toddlers, they discovered that the birth control they were using had failed and they were themselves, pregnant. She would need to shift her mindset – and quickly.
By the time I’d met her for pregnancy portraits, she’d come to love the growing baby boy inside her, cherishing the experience of pregnancy and birth.
She remembers thinking that the experience made her “feel so cool.” She felt proud that her body could do this. But she wasn’t seeing everyone around her have the same empowering experience.
She now describes feeling lucky to have become a parent in both of these extraordinary ways. The gift of perspective. However, finding herself home with 3 kids under 3, the thought of returning to her job as an NAU Biology professor was underwhelming.
Charting a New Path
As she contemplated her next move, she bumped into a friend at the grocery store who was loving her new role as a childbirth educator. Kristen knew she had discovered a new calling.
She initially got certified as a childbirth educator and soon saw that she wanted to do more. Working with interesting people, she found herself wanting to hear their stories, to keep the connection with them, to help them realize the experience of birth that they’d hoped to have. She wanted to empower birthing parents to have more of a voice.
The first birth she attended was with a family who had initially envisioned a home birth but instead needed an induction at the hospital. It was a long, difficult birth which ended with a Christmas morning baby.
Returning home to celebrate Christmas with her own family, she cemented her dedication to her new career path. Missing some of the holiday was worth it, knowing the contribution she was making.
She says “Birth work is a very giving kind of job, You give 200% of yourself.” She says that doulas provide a safe and judgement free space for birthing mothers, and want to help as many people as they can.
But sometimes, the people who need doula support the most are the very people who don’t have access to it. Cost is a barrier since insurance doesn’t yet cover it. A pregnant woman may have no partner or family that is able to help them through the process of birth and that crucial postpartum chapter.
For a while, Kristen’s doula practice responded to requests for trade or reduced cost, but she saw a greater need. So, years ago, she and another doula, Betsy Decker, co-founded The Flagstaff Birth Support Fund.
This non-profit not only provides low or no cost doula support and postpartum care for those in need, it also trains and supports new doulas, thereby widening the availability of certified doula support.
Kristen Dacey Iwai of KDI Photography is a full-time professional portrait photographer based in Flagstaff, Arizona with decades of experience. Making portraits of families, pregnancy, newborns, babies, children, and high school seniors in her downtown studio and on location, she serves clients from Flagstaff, Sedona, Tuba City, Winslow, Payson, Page, Williams, Prescott, Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona
I’d asked him about himself, his interests. His clear, simple answer told me a lot – about the commitment, sacrifice, and demands of a life dedicated to a sport that asks everything.
I wanted to make portraits for him and his family that would honor that dedication. It was February, so surely we could find some ice for him to be photographed on, right?
The Scout
Keiji and I searched high and low, and at one point scouted a pond that was high enough in elevation to potentially be frozen. When we got there, the weirdly warmer temps in town were trying to creep up the mountain and defrost the ice. Keiji tenderly stepped out onto the surface and promptly crunched through to the bottom, soaking his shoes and pants legs. Fortunately, we made it back to the warmth of the car before hypothermia could set in. It was a little uncomfortable!
The Session
When we met on location for his senior photo session, it was a 65-degree winter day, yet there were 6 people FISHING in the little lake! Not a problem I was anticipating. But Brody, for all his intensity on the ice, is a delightful guy who took it all in stride.
He was super sweet with his little brother, who came along to help his mom, Renee, carry clothes and be his brother’s stand-in. Renee was a positive, welcome presence. As hockey parents are, she’s a get-it-done mom. They drove up from Phoenix for the session and had to drive back down right after. But no whining, no rushing the end of the session.
As the sun got low, I started getting greedy with the stunning sunset light. I didn’t want to miss a second of it.
Kristen Dacey Iwai of KDI Photography is a full-time professional portrait photographer based in Flagstaff, Arizona with decades of experience. Making portraits of families, pregnancy, newborns, babies, children, and high school seniors in her downtown studio and on location, she serves clients from Flagstaff, Sedona, Tuba City, Winslow, Payson, Page, Williams, Prescott, Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona
Honestly, there is almost no photographic evidence that I was ever a child!
As the third child, photographic documentation wasn’t a priority by the time I came along. My mother jokes that I was destined to become a family portrait photographer. To right the wrongs of missing memories for other families!
While I’m incredibly grateful to have found my calling, I really wish every child could see themselves represented on their family’s walls.
Kristen Dacey Iwai of KDI Photography is a full-time professional portrait photographer based in Flagstaff, Arizona with decades of experience. Making portraits of families, pregnancy, newborns, babies, children, and high school seniors in her downtown studio and on location, she serves clients from Flagstaff, Sedona, Tuba City, Winslow, Payson, Page, Williams, Prescott, Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona
It was perfect timing. They saw my black and white matted & framed maternity and newborn portraits in the exam rooms of North Country HealthCare. They’d wanted to document their own family, as it was growing – with their second child, a daughter, on the way.
I’m glad they reached out to me because I’ve been so enjoying getting to know these kind, good-natured people. (And I’m not just saying that because we all have a weakness for donuts and are willing to share!)
You see their gentleness and patience with their adorable son, who happens to be a pretty big fan of Hershey’s kisses.
I loved hearing them speak to each other in their native Korean and trying to somehow understand them! I’d love to hang out with them more. I might actually learn Korean! Happily, I get to see them again soon for our next session, so I can keep trying. 🙂
Kristen Dacey Iwai of KDI Photography is a full-time professional portrait photographer based in Flagstaff, Arizona with decades of experience. Making portraits of families, pregnancy, newborns, babies, children, and high school seniors in her downtown studio and on location, she serves clients from Flagstaff, Sedona, Tuba City, Winslow, Payson, Page, Williams, Prescott, Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona
It all started in 2012 when my dear friend Kristen Dick was diagnosed with cancer. As the mom of 5-year-old and 2-year-old boys, she feared she might leave them motherless.
Over lunch one day, I asked her to picture something in the future, when her oldest graduated high school, where everything was OK. I asked her to describe it in detail – something she could visualize for a minute every day.
Her answer?
You need to hear about it in her own words, because it was her dream, her manifested miracle.
Get ready to laugh, cry, and be inspired. Listen to the KDI Photography INNER POTRAIT PODCAST interview HERE.
Later, she told me she took my suggestion, and thought about it every day. She told me that visual got her through some very hard times, not just her own cancer, but her son’s and other really painful challenges. (Read his story HERE.)
Fast forward to 2025. Kristen reached out.
“It’s time. Let’s do this.”
The framed wall art grouping installed on the family walls. 👇🏻
Kristen Dacey Iwai of KDI Photography is a full-time professional portrait photographer based in Flagstaff, Arizona with decades of experience. Making portraits of families, pregnancy, newborns, babies, children, and high school seniors in her downtown studio and on location, she serves clients from Flagstaff, Sedona, Tuba City, Winslow, Payson, Page, Williams, Prescott, Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona
I crouched down, balanced awkwardly on a collection of boulders. Trying to get low enough to see, I was trying to take myself out of the frame – or at least my shadow.
I was struck in the moment by what I was witnessing.
Seeing him up high, perched on a rocky outcrop at the top of the peak, appearing totally at ease, felt RIGHT. Like, he belonged up there, balancing effortlessly in the wind.
The clouds and sunset light played out a symphony of color in the sky, beyond where the breeze ruffled his blond hair and white shirt. A gift, hand-made decades ago by his grandmother for his grandfather.
Looking Back
The first time I photographed him, as a toddler, his dad calmly held him with one hand high above his head. He looked utterly at home. In some ways, he was born to climb.
After a quick “buggy” ride in the family ATV, we stepped into the aspen forest where he grew up, playing. We crunched over fallen yellow leaves. The recent storm had deposited them on the forest floor, photogenically. I heard stories about a childhood lived in the wild, building forts, with time to climb, sit, ponder, and dream.
It gave him the space to cultivate a wide variety of interests, like watercolors, making clothes, geology, history, travel, writing, and mythology.
He doesn’t spend much time here anymore. Ever since he gained hard-won acceptance into the World Class Academy: The Climbing Academy, he spends most of his time traveling the world. His classrooms now are climbing routes in Africa, Europe, and Australia, among other locales.
As we made our way back from our last portrait of the day, I asked him about how seeing so much beauty around the world has impacted his perspective. Did this stunning place where he grew up seem less remarkable? “That’s not how that works,” he assured me. He holds it all in his heart, appreciating the entirety of it.
Kristen Dacey Iwai of KDI Photography is a full-time professional portrait photographer based in Flagstaff, Arizona with decades of experience. Making portraits of families, pregnancy, newborns, babies, children, and high school seniors in her downtown studio and on location, she serves clients from Flagstaff, Sedona, Tuba City, Winslow, Payson, Page, Williams, Prescott, Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona
She grew up skiing these slopes with her late father and their wonderful family. Later, her future husband proposed to her, and they even got married, all within view of this spot. Layers of history -memories, and meaning.
In other words, it was the perfect location to document this auspicious moment.
When we arrived, the wind paused & the god rays streamed down over the hills and dormant volcanoes dotting the horizon. The clouds came and went, bathing her belly in soft, beautiful light. But eventually the wind whipped up and blew the rain overhead. We stayed under the trees, letting it sprinkle down, grateful for the long-overdue moisture.
We talked about babies, told stories, and watched as the light shifted.
When the brief squall passed, the sun flared around her growing baby bump. I couldn’t help but blurt out a “Wow,” seeing the beauty in the back of my camera.
This pregnancy portrait was my third session with this dear couple. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t elated about the next one… when their baby boy makes his appearance on the outside.
SIX WEEKS LATER…
We all needed to be flexible with the timing of his photographic debut. When baby Knox arrived, he needed to spend a few days with the lovely folks at Flagstaff’s Special Care Nursery.
When I finally got this adorable little guy in front of my camera for his newborn session, he couldn’t stop smiling. Maybe it was the inherent joy of being “sprung from the joint!” 😂
At one point, we put the naked and decidedly AWAKE Knox on his stomach. (Something that rarely works well, I might add.) Our jaws dropped as he proceeded to start swimming!
Each time Colton reached in to stabilize his baby son, Knox would immediately kick his arms and legs out, then do a stomach crunch to pull all his limbs back in. Then, kick, crunch, kick, crunch.
It was absolutely hilarious!
His mom, Charlie, dad Colton, and I couldn’t stop laughing. In all my years of photographing newborns, I’ve never seen such a good “swimmer!”
This little boy certainly inherited his late grandfather Brian’s joie de vivre. I’m 100% “Boz” would approve.
You can see and read about an earlier family session HERE.
Kristen Dacey Iwai of KDI Photography is a full-time professional portrait photographer based in Flagstaff, Arizona with decades of experience. Making portraits of families, pregnancy, newborns, babies, children, and high school seniors in her downtown studio and on location, she serves clients from Flagstaff, Sedona, Tuba City, Winslow, Payson, Page, Williams, Prescott, Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona
They all had other things to do, places to be. And I think it’s fair to say that none of them wanted to think about coordinating the family wardrobe beforehand!
But everyone carved out time for this and once our family portrait session got going, this crew snuggled freely and cracked each other up, like they always do. These guys know how to make it FUN!
The three girls helped each other with clothing changes and hair fixes, offering sisterly support. They laughed among the fragrant flowers and effortlessly climbed on rocks with the creek rushing by. We needed patience with some breezy conditions, yet they all looked beautiful together.
Their youngest daughter’s senior photos put the idea of a family photo update on their radar, because it had been too long. So we scheduled this session during the brief window of time when mom Annie could corral everyone in one place. (To hear this family’s dramatic backstory and see her senior session, visit the KDI blog here.)
Being with them was like old times. I don’t know when we’ll all be here in one place again, since most of them will be spending a lot more time in Texas soon. I was lucky to have this reunion with them.
(You can read about this family’s dramatic story, HERE.)
Kristen Dacey Iwai of KDI Photography is a full-time professional portrait photographer based in Flagstaff, Arizona with decades of experience. Making portraits of families, pregnancy, newborns, babies, children, and high school seniors in her downtown studio and on location, she serves clients from Flagstaff, Sedona, Tuba City, Winslow, Payson, Page, Williams, Prescott, Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona
After all, these guys have done much more daunting things than tackling a maternity portrait session along a canyon edge near a rushing creek. They don’t shy away from challenges.
Like the time they signed up to foster a rescue mama and her ten puppies in their 1200 sq ft home, for one thing.
I have to believe that it prepared them for the obstacles that lay ahead – surgery, visits to specialists, and treatments to arrive at a healthy pregnancy. Even then, it was a pregnancy with complications that required management, patience, and worry mitigation strategies.
Yet, here they were, breezily jumping over creeks and hovering precipitously on the edge of 50-foot canyon cliffs like it was no big deal.
Their sweet dog Cooper clearly got the memo about the family culture. He blazed around, often circling to plop at his parents’ feet to pose. With paws in perfect model position, he’d look back at my camera like, “OK, here I am!” Never once chasing after the many fun creatures that caught his eye, he listened attentively to his mom and dad with loving compliance.
He must know how lucky he is to be part of such a fantastic family. When the time comes, he’ll be a gentle, protective big brother.
I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to make art that celebrates this transformation. Watching them blossom into a family with a toddler has seriously warmed my heart.
From the start, Brittany would put her daughter in my arms and laugh while I stared, entranced by this newborn miracle. To be around her sweetness is a blessing.
And can I just tell you? How right I was about their dog, Cooper? He HAS been the best big brother to his little sister. I called it! 🙂
His little sister, in turn, has been a ball of sunshine right back at him.
One thing I’ve learned about this baby?
She seems to know her mission: to shine her light. ☀️
So, how did all this happen? We can credit this mom and dad with lovingly raising a fur baby and a human baby to be as delightful as anyone is allowed to be.
Kristen Dacey Iwai of KDI Photography is a full-time professional portrait photographer based in Flagstaff, Arizona with decades of experience. Making portraits of families, pregnancy, newborns, babies, children, and high school seniors in her downtown studio and on location, she serves clients from Flagstaff, Sedona, Tuba City, Winslow, Payson, Page, Williams, Prescott, Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona
I’ve known & loved his wonderful family since Theron’s parents took excellent care of our kids when they were little, at Around The Mountain Pediatric Dentistry. There have been lots of portraits and great memories made with them in the intervening years.
When we met to plan his senior session, there was a lot to catch up on. For one thing, Theron had switched from Flag High to Mingus High School when his family moved to Cornville. Between that and choosing to graduate early, he had to miss out on playing football his senior year.
Turns out that’s very on-brand for this focused guy. He’s willing to do the hard work and choose the more challenging road, if it advances his personal goals.
He always seems to have a lot of irons in the fire. He plays football as a long snapper, is a golfer, a reader of super-interesting, unexpected books, a sharp dresser, and an engaging conversationalist. And those are just some of the highlights!
Even with all that he has going on, he makes time to prioritize his faith. Hence, his personal, meaningful choice of location for his senior session.
We even paid homage to a younger portrait of him, “The Wink”. 😀👇🏻 See more here.
Since this session, even more has happened. Now, Theron is a starter at Adams State and hopes to eventually go into orthopedics. I’m excited to see where his path will lead him next.
Look at how the wall art of his senior portraits pairs beautifully with his older sister’s!
Kristen Dacey Iwai of KDI Photography is a full-time professional portrait photographer based in Flagstaff, Arizona with decades of experience. Making portraits of families, pregnancy, newborns, babies, children, and high school seniors in her downtown studio and on location, she serves clients from Flagstaff, Sedona, Tuba City, Winslow, Payson, Page, Williams, Prescott, Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona
Wondering when you need to submit your senior photo to the yearbook?
Did you know that when you work with us, we submit the yearbook photo for you? One less thing on your to-do list during senior year. 🙂 We can also help with senior tribute ads in the yearbook, if needed.
We reach out in the new year to design epic graduation cards for you! We aim to be a partner to help keep you on track during a super busy chapter.
Here are some high school-specific deadlines for the Flagstaff Class of 2026.
Kristen Dacey Iwai of KDI Photography is a full-time professional portrait photographer based in Flagstaff, Arizona with decades of experience. Making portraits of families, pregnancy, newborns, babies, children, and high school seniors in her downtown studio and on location, she serves clients from Flagstaff, Sedona, Tuba City, Winslow, Payson, Page, Williams, Prescott, Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona
