Love Made Tangible

The Garcia Family Welcomes Their Son – Newborn Photographer Flagstaff

Thursday, October 24, 2019

It was the day he was scheduled to have been born. They might have been waiting for him or even in labor on this day. But instead, when their due date arrived, Mariah and Ruben were at my cozy studio making portraits with their 17 day old newborn son. It just reminds us that babies have their own agendas about when they’ll arrive!

I’d met his parents but this was the first time I got to really focus on Kade’s amazing face. He was just as delightful as his mom and dad and we made lots of portraits of his sweet little baby fingers, toes, umbilicus, ears, nose, the swirling pattern of his hair. Kade was very kind to us, letting us photograph all those details without complaint, as long as he could drink some nutrition to fuel his excellent modeling.

*The custom birth announcement we designed around all those sweet little baby details. ©KDI Photography*

I loved seeing how he fit perfectly into each parent’s arms, snuggling skin to skin next to his mom’s and dad’s artful and meaningful tattoos.

Mariah and Ruben love to play full volume modern country music, and do so often at home, training Kade to get used to sleeping thorough sounds. So, the soundtrack to our session was some rockin’ country music, a fun change of pace from the usual soothing newborn portrait session background music. It made for a shoot that really felt like a celebration. It was perfect for such an auspicious day.

Flagstaff Family Portrait Photographer • Flagstaff Maternity Pregnancy Photographer • Flagstaff Newborn Photographer • Flagstaff Child Photographer • Flagstaff Senior Portrait Photographer • Flagstaff Couples Photography

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

1 Mom, 3 Kids & 2 Puppies – Family Portrait Photography

Friday, September 27, 2019

I think Tina‘s facial expressions should all be made into emoji. She never fails to crack me up with one of her signature looks. In fact, when I’m with her, I do that tremendous amount: laugh, hard. So, of course I was overjoyed when she told me that her kids would all be home briefly and she hoped that we could make family portraits with the puppies. One of the dogs has been having some health issues and it’s a never a good thing to procrastinate making real, lasting portraits with the fur babies you love, as well as the human ones.

It’s fair to say that before the session, not quite every single member of the crew that day was completely thrilled with spending that time taking pictures, but you’d never know it because each one was totally delightful. It was a blast catching up with everyone and even the dogs seemed to have fun. Love my time with these guys.

Summertime Portraits in Flagstaff with the Phillips Family

Friday, September 20, 2019

Surely, there must be times when she loses her cool. Times when maybe she doesn’t want to share her toys, doesn’t want to hold her little sisters hand, or refuses to diligently and gently hand over snacks to keep her happy. Probably, she just gets grumpy sometimes. But I’ve never seen it. Porter is so devoted and kind that she sets the bar for big-sisterhood very, very high.

And, perhaps there are other toddlers who are consistently agreeable, who have 100% compliance with all requests, including with the repeated question “How big is Piper?” (The answer, of course, is “So big!” – arms raised with a huge, beaming smile.) It’s like a magic trick. But developmentally, one-year-olds are not generally known for a their compliance.
Fun? Absolutely.
Adorable? Definitely.
Constantly learning and trying new things? Of course.
But 100% compliant? No. Not a quality I’ve ever associated with a one-year-old.

So, it was truly amazing to be with these two adorable girls out in a beautiful northern Arizona afternoon, with perfect light and a lovely temperature, getting to document this latest stage in this awesome family’s life. It was, like it always is when I spend times with the Phillips family: 100% wonderful.

MCKNIGHT FAMILY 2019 – FLAGSTAFF LOCATION PORTRAITS

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

It happens frequently. A son or daughter gets ready to head off for college and parents have the epiphany that family portraits are about to get a lot more challenging. It may be the last time the family is living together or in one place for a moment. One way or the other, the whole family dynamic is about to change – dramatically. So, it’s a conversation that I often end up having with parents in the process of senior portraits. “Wow, we haven’t had a ‘real” family portrait in ages and I don’t know when we’ll have the next opportunity.” That’s when we scheme to get everyone in front of my camera during that fleeting window.

In Elisa’s case, she had just two days when all 3 of her three children would be home and available. The family confluence was in honor of her daughter’s graduation from high school. We blocked out two session times and the weather was a heck of lot more cooperative during the first. We jumped on it and after a minor health crisis with their dog, everyone arrived at the location.

The three adult “kids” plus one awesome girlfriend joined Elisa and Ken while we laughed the evening away in the breeze, with the peaks rising in the distance. Elisa felt like an old friend from the minute I met her to plan Anneliese’s senior portraits, so spending time with the whole family gave me even more of those good vibes.

Finding the right fit at Around The Mountain Pediatric Dentistry – Flagstaff-Kid-Photographer

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

The dentist we were taking our kids to wasn’t a pediatric practice and just wasn’t a fit for us. When we met Dr. Jessica at Around the Mountain Pediatric Dentistry and saw how she totally puts kids at ease, we knew we were in the right place. Since then, we’ve been so pleased with the staff and doctors. They’re patient and understanding with both kids and parents. When we were asked to make some new wall art for their two offices and portraits for their website, it was a pleasure to collaborate with them. Now, when we’re at the offices for appointments, it always makes us smile to see the happy galleries on the walls. My hope is that it makes their kid patients feel welcome and relaxed, too. Recently, the busy Dr. Jessica and Dr. Kirk were finally able to carve out a few minutes to update their own portraits as well. Through the years and various projects, I have just loved getting to know the staff and other ATMPD folks better, like the awesome Dr. David Ho and his amazing family. I’ve also started to notice how the practice consistently and generously give back to our community. I think we’re really lucky to have them in our town.

Amazing Artist Darcy Falk – Portrait Photography in Flagstaff

Monday, July 8, 2019

I was so excited to pick up the paper yesterday and see a profile of my beautiful, talented friend, artist Darcy Falk! We’ve been talking for years about making her some updated professional portraits but recently, with a new impetus and deadline, we were finally able to pull it together. Darcy had applied for a grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts and she wanted to submit her application with an updated portrait. Her works is exquisite so the grant proposal was a success! You can read about it for yourself here in the Sunday Arizona Daily Sun article.

Congrats, Darcy! I’m not surprised. You are amazing!

This is a little gallery of Darcy’s favorite portraits from our session together. In the first two, we used her work as a background.

Which one is your favorite?

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Happy 4th of July!! Got any good plans?

I hope you get some downtime to relax and enjoy the holiday. Whether you’re melting at the Independence Day parade or lounging by the pool, please don’t forget to think about sun protection, especially here in sun-soaked Arizona. I really like this website and think it’s a super helpful resource when looking for the best (least toxic, most effective and affordable) sunscreen products to keep you and your family covered. Literally. :)🌞

Check it out before you head out : EWG Sunscreen Guide

One Awesome Mama + Four Cuties – Flagstaff Studio Portraits

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Sometimes you meet somebody and it’s kind of humbling. When I first talked to Hannah, it was that way. A single mom to 4 young kids, she seems to make balancing work, life, and motherhood look totally manageable. Although I know it’s not easy. She seems to succeed by keeping her priorities straight, even while holding down a demanding job as a nurse.

When I first spoke with her, she was in her kitchen, balancing the phone on her shoulder, laughing and making cookies with her kids. When I ask her about how she finds the time to tickle, play and bake with her kids she tells me her philosophy, “I would much rather play outside with my children then clean my house.” She even prioritizes having pictures that her kids could look back on, where SHE actually made an appearance, something we mom’s are notorious for neglecting.

When the crew arrives for the session, she is totally prepared; double outfits for the kids, just in case, snacks, everything they might need. She has a talent for going with the flow of her children, each of her adorable kiddos possessing the same endearing ability to giggle and snuggle. It’s clear where they get it from.

Happy Spring!!!!

Thursday, March 28, 2019

We’ve changed the portrait on our studio sign in the hopes that we get the divine spring tree blossoms that Mother Nature blessed us with last April!

Featured now are the awesome Holmes family, who are full of love and hilarious humor. Kimberly and Kip grew up together here, both attended U of A but never really met. Finally, after living far away for years, they each returned to Flag to care for parents, met in a shared taxi, fell in love and the rest is beautiful history. They’ve been thriving ever since, with Kip’s successful Holmes Construction and Kimberly leaving her high powered work life to pause and care for their remarkably charming cherubs.

Precocious Ella writes a monthly ‘Ella’s Corner’ column for Country Club Magazine. It’s easy to see that she’s wise beyond her years. As the family was dividing into the vehicles to leave after the session, trying to decide which one. I teased: “Isabella’s truck is the best one.” Ella replied: “What? I’m only 5, you know!!” Okean rocked out on his ukulele (he also plays guitar) until a big distraction occurred. You couldn’t miss his visceral, contagious enthusiasm when a front loader drove by. Just as entertaining as his delight at making music.

Kimberly wanted some black and white studio portraits too, so we left the breathtaking flowering trees for my studio and finished up inside.

Here’s hoping the trees put on a fantastic show for us again this year!

Especially for February: The Harts – Location Portraits Flagstaff

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

For the past year, I’ve been shooing for Country Club Living Magazine. Every month, Publisher @Brooke Hirschy introduces me to my subjects and then, to my delight, allows me creative freedom. For the February cover, my subjects couldn’t have been more perfectly fitting. Between their family name and their history, they were destined to be on the cover of a magazine during the month that celebrates love. When we sat down to plan our session, they told me their story and I adored them immediately. It’s pretty impossible not to! Bob and Kim Hart had their first date on Valentine’s Day, 1975 and ultimately tied the knot on February 15th, 1978. They’ve lived in Flagstaff for more than 30 years, giving birth to the very first set of triplets born at Flagstaff Medical Center in 1991. When they mentioned that they’d recently purchased and restored a 1967 Airstream, I could visualize the cover image I wanted to make. On the day of the session, they arrived in the blasting wind with sunny dispositions and dog Dakota in tow. It’s a wonder I was able to make portraits with so many tears of laughter streaming down my face in the gale.

Kim has decades of culinary expertise – teaching, owning her own cookie company – and she is the Resident Recipe Writer for the magazine. She brought along some cookies that couldn’t have been more delicious if they’d been conjured from a dream. She plated them with expert precision, and afterwards sent me home with a pile, along with the amazing recipe. I’ve tried to make them twice. Neither attempt compared but I will keep trying! Down the road, I hope to meet their daughters and continue to have fun with these love-ly folks.

You can find Country Club Living Magazine on Instagram @flagstaffcountryclubliving.

One Month That’s a Little More Popular With The Ladies

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Every year, my brother-in-law who owns a printing company, prints a calendar of KDI portraits with a particular theme. For this year’s edition, we focused on twins. (If you want a copy of the calendar, let me know, we have more!) I’ve noticed that one portrait in particular has kind of made a splash. I keep hearing from happy female viewers of all ages that they’re enjoying the portrait of “Mr February”. Some, in their late 80’s and early 90’s, referred to this dad as a “stud muffin.”

Here’s to the beauty of fatherhood and all the loving dads out there.

A new home for the practice – Flagstaff Bone and Joint

Monday, February 25, 2019

They were likely fairly miserable but warm thoughts of the future home of their practice and surgery center kept everyone’s mood at a lovely temperature. We’d beckoned the physicians at Flagstaff Bone and Joint to join us after a full day of patients and surgeries, “Come on outside in 23° with the wind blowing 17 miles an hour for a photoshoot!” They arrived in good cheer and we celebrated the groundbreaking of construction on their new ambulatory surgical center and medical office building, scheduled to open in 2020. I’ve had the pleasure of photographing all these good humored folks for their practice and several with their own families. It’s always great fun to conspire with Marketing Director Vicky Rowell to bring them together.