Blog - KDI Photography

You Could Win a Portrait Package While Supporting A GREAT Cause THIS Week

Friday, June 12, 2020

June 17th UPDATE: Arizona saw close to 2400 new virus cases yesterday, nearly double the previous daily record. Help us get PPE supplies to the Navajo, Hopi, and White Mountain Apache Nations and you might just win a session package for yourself to boot! Deadline has been EXTENDED to this FRIDAY. Please share – and give if you can.

Our neighbors up north from the Navajo Nation have had the highest per capita rate of COVID 19 infection in the US. Now, with state hospitals cumulatively listed at 84% capacity and a new surge happening, I know we all really want to help support frontline healthcare workers. A wonderful nonprofit organization in our community, Northern Arizona Volunteer Medical Corp NAVMC, has been helping the neediest folks in the most beautiful way for years. I’m so grateful that they have been directing their coordinated help to the Navajo nation, providing much-needed PPE and medical supplies. In hopes of supporting their funding so they can continue this good work, we are offering a WALL ART SESSION PACKAGE as a raffle prize for donating to their organization. (A location or studio portrait session for up to 5 people with a $500 wall art credit included.) Simply donate at the link below and email us at studio@kdiphotography.com a screenshot of your confirmation. For every $25 donated, you will be given one virtual raffle ticket for a chance to win the session package. For every $100, get 5 chances. We’re aiming to raise $5,000 by the deadline of Friday, June 19th. 🤞🏼

PLEASE SHARE this and contribute if you can!

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

Tim and Kim – Couples Portrait in Flagstaff

Friday, June 5, 2020

I don’t think either of them was looking to find new love but fate kept conspiring to push them together. They were both volunteering for a wonderful charity that Keiji and I love to support, Childhelp Flagstaff. With an assist from their sneaky friends, the fundraiser’s logistics repeatedly seemed to throw them together.

Couples Portrait in Flagstaff, AZ, Sunlight shines thought the ponderosa on a summer afternoon in Flagstaff

I think ultimately, they finally just gave in and decided that they should go out for one date. Thank goodness they did because they were married in 2015 and are pretty wonderful together! I got to make their acquaintance when a new magazine Highlands Living asked me to photograph them for the cover. The magazine showcases the beauty and residents of Forest Highlands here in Flagstaff.

Couples Portrait Summer on Location, Flagstaff AZ

Tim works for UPS and Kim is a respected realtor in town. During the session we took the opportunity to update her professional portraits, too. (Tim said he didn’t need a portrait of himself wearing brown. 🙂

It was one of the first portrait sessions I did after the social distance guidelines were put in place. How nice that, as I learned to navigate this new normal in my portrait process, I got to figure it out with two of the nicest people you can find!

Kelsey, Flagstaff High School, Class of 2020 – senior portraits

Thursday, June 4, 2020

I have the pleasure of working with Vicky fairly often, and she is relentlessly awesome – super organized, fun, and a phenomenal herder of cats. (You try corralling a bunch of very nice but super busy surgeons for photo shoots, working around their myriad clinic hours and surgery schedules!) She seems to manage all the components of whatever we’re collaborating on with total mastery and an easy going laugh. But, it had been 8 plus years since my last portraits with her daughter, so I was needless-to-say blown away by this tall, beautiful adult Kelsey. She stepped out from behind the wheel of her truck, with her beloved but sometimes crazy rescue dog, Candy, trailing her.

Flagstaff senior portrait, jeans, boots and her dog

Kelsey was a little kid the last time I’d photographed her with her toys and stuffed animals. Now, she’d somehow morphed into something along the lines of a country music maven or maybe just a nonchalantly glamorous movie star. She was still humble, sweet, and a total joy to make portraits with. She graduates from Flag High this week, after a very unique senior year. I’m so happy for her!

Hug a Member of the Class of 2020! Flagstaff senior portraits

Friday, May 29, 2020

Today wrapped up the last of several virtual high school graduations in Flagstaff, including a car parade today for three high schools!

We’ve been thinking about the class of 2020 a lot. They’re missing out on important milestones, like a traditional prom, an actual in-person graduation ceremony, as well as time with friends who may be heading off in different directions. Keiji and I made this 43 second video as a letter to the class of 2020, in hopes of celebrating them in another way.

Congratulations seniors!!!

BASIS Flagstaff
Coconino High School

Flagstaff Arts & Leadership Academy

Flagstaff High School
NPA (Northland Preparatory Academy)

The newly expanded Deacon Miller Family – Studio Portraits in Flagstaff

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

I LOVE photographing multiple generations. I think about where those portraits will be in 10, 30, or 100 years and how they’ll be such a precious part of a family’s history. So, I was especially excited Nicole and Andrew planned to bring 3 of Bohdi’s grandparents to his newborn session. They are among the lucky ones, with family living near by. I really enjoyed my time with them all, especially getting to witness the love that surrounds sweet Bohdi. His grandmothers were totally expert with him and his grandfather kept us all laughing.

newborn baby boy snuggled in his parents arms

He needed to eat and express himself but in between those pauses was an amazing portrait subject, clearly relishing the snuggles. Here we are, just a few weeks later and so much has changed. Many of us are distant from our families and to me, these types of portraits become sweeter in this current context. I’m thrilled that I’ll get to photograph this little guy again when he gets bigger, when hopefully there will be a lot more hugging again!

newborn baby smiles as his mother kisses him

Zinnia, Flagstaff High School, Class of 2020 – Senior Portraits

Thursday, May 7, 2020

I used to yell at her. Let me explain…It was when she was younger. Ok, wait. That sounded worse… I would yell loud at Zinnia and her brother, doing my best to seem frightening but it literally never had that effect. Instead of getting scared or alarmed, they just giggled til they fell off their chairs, which made for some great portrait moments. Rest assured that the practice of screaming at kids in front of my camera was limited to the Cooperrider children. They are just not easily ruffled people.

I’ve known Zinnia since she was in utero and therefore have photographed her about a bazillion times. In other words, she’s heard me yell more than most people! 😉

Now, as an 18 year old, she is still not easily ruffled. In fact, she’s so cool. She has awesome, diverse musical tastes, is a master board gamer, committed swimmer, voracious reader and is brilliant. I could sit and talk to her for hours, trading inside jokes and discussing pretty much anything.

Soon, she will graduate from Flag High (virtually) and is headed to Stanford University this fall (or whenever they open back up). It should go without saying but I will say it anyway – I utterly adore her.

And Baby Makes Five – Newborn Photography in Flagstaff

Friday, April 3, 2020

I try to be a nice person but Brian and Katherine take it to another level. Compared to them, I seem grumpy and mean! They are just lovely and so, so kind. Katherine regularly says something to me that makes my day. They moved here to Flagstaff about a year ago from Utah and of course, we have a million connections in common already. I mean, it is Flagstaff we’re talking about, after all. Or as I think of it, Home of the One Degree of Separation!

Newborn photography, Flagstaff. Studio portrait of newborn baby girl.

When I met them, they were expecting their third child, with a 6 year old and 4 year old soon-to-be big brother and sister. When newborn baby Eliza arrived, her active, talkative big brother and smart, confident big sister seemed to fall into their roles like second nature. Both kids are sweet to their baby sibling and they happen to be adept conversationalists to boot. I LOVE being around kids that can engage with adults. Happily, both of these cuties can chat with me for unlimited amounts of time! I just always worry that I’m neglecting their nice parents. 🙂

I’m overjoyed that I’ll get to see all the growth among these 3 when we reconvene for our next session this fall.

Anders, BASIS Flagstaff, Class of 2020 – Senior Photos

Thursday, March 12, 2020

I have always enjoyed being around Anders. Witnessing his quick wit, fierce intelligence and easy-going nature just puts a smile on my face. He has a fast, quirky sense of humor and some really cool, unusual interests. So, I guess the challenge for me was, would I be able to show the real, authentic uniqueness of Anders in the limitations of the 2 dimensional format of a photograph? You know what I mean? Really ‘get’ him.

I’d like to think I was successful, but I can’t take the credit. He really showed up and was totally present during our session. He brought his A game. He also brought along some great props and his phenomenal dance moves.

He loves travel and hanging out in his impressive selection of Hawaiian shirts. He’s also is a Speech and Debate champion so I was thrilled that he lugged his oversized gavel to the session.

He’s a guy who seems to really invest in all his endeavors but the way he commits to the dancing is truly remarkable. Literally every time I see his “Elaine Dance” portrait, I crack up. I cant think of anyone who could do it better, not even J L-D herself.

Lily, Flagstaff High School Senior, Class of 2020 – Senior Portraits in Flagstaff

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

The plan appeared to be threatened. A logistical snafu had postponed our senior portrait shoot by a week and now, on our rescheduled day it was looking quite gloomy. The plan was for Lily to ride her chic red Vespa to the location, as I hoped to make a portrait that compounds Lily’s inherent coolness with her favorite mode of transportation.

The rain was trying to deter us but we didn’t let it. I had a vision of clearing skies and a beautiful sunset, though I imagine that vision wasn’t apparent when Lily jumped on her dripping scooter to ride through Flagstaff’s damp streets to her session.

She somehow managed to arrive dry enough to be photographed, and sure enough, the clouds parted, became perfect photo background clouds and THEN the skies produced a rainbow for us! YES!!!

It was extra sweet for me to photograph her in this momentous chapter since I’ve gotten to watch her grow up in front of me – and my camera. As a senior in high school, she seems composed and poised beyond her years, yet she’s so perfectly playful – always ready with a beaming smile and a huge hug.

Like her parents before her, she currently intends to pursue medicine. I can already see that she’d be amazing in that field. A wonderful blend of warm, personable, decisive, and joyful.

Valentine’s Day – Family Portrait Studio in Flagstaff

Friday, February 14, 2020

I’m a big fan of flowers and chocolates, but here’s a thought for the day:

When you’re not here, what evidence will your children, or other important people in your life, have that you loved them?

Write it down. Say it out loud. Make it known.

And please, get IN the pictures! Make sure they know.

Flagstaff studio family portrait photography 02-20

Love Made Tangible

You Could Win a Portrait Package While Supporting A GREAT Cause THIS Week

Tim and Kim – Couples Portrait in Flagstaff

Kelsey, Flagstaff High School, Class of 2020 – senior portraits

Hug a Member of the Class of 2020! Flagstaff senior portraits

The newly expanded Deacon Miller Family – Studio Portraits in Flagstaff

Zinnia, Flagstaff High School, Class of 2020 – Senior Portraits

And Baby Makes Five – Newborn Photography in Flagstaff

Anders, BASIS Flagstaff, Class of 2020 – Senior Photos

Lily, Flagstaff High School Senior, Class of 2020 – Senior Portraits in Flagstaff

Valentine’s Day – Family Portrait Studio in Flagstaff

Keiji Iwai & Kristen Dacey Iwai

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KDI PHOTOGRAPHY

724 N. Humphreys St

Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Phone

(928) 779-4151

Hours:

M - F 9 - 5 by appointment