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.
Flagstaff Family Portrait Photography • 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
