“It’s benign.”  Isn’t that such a great sentence? Who doesn’t want to hear that the issue they’re having is harmless, noncancerous?

Those two words are an excerpt from one of my earliest conversations with radiologist Ken Salce. I hope he gets to say that to patients every day but, for me, hearing it was remarkable. It was a long time ago, but ever since that day, seeing him has always been a happy reminder of his compassionately issued reassurance.

When I bumped into him at a fundraiser with his sweetie, Tara Cecil, she gave me reason to smile, too. She is a person who is filled with light and enthusiasm and love, all of which  radiate out of her face.  You can’t miss it, it’s contagious.

They are amazing together, sharing private jokes, finishing each other sentences. They share an easy confidence and it’s just a good feeling to be around them. When Tara finished her PhD and they set a date for their upcoming wedding, we made plans to create some overdue couples portraits. Their way of being together makes my job a breeze, I sometimes think they’ve forgotten I’m there, with my camera!

We made the first photographs in the bucolic summer in Flagstaff, with  abundant, saturated yellow flowers surrounding the happy couple.

For their second portrait session, the turning leaves of the golden aspens in Northern Arizona were in their fullest glory.

Despite the fact that both of them work at Flagstaff Medical Center, Ken and Tara met for the first time while skiing in Telluride, Colorado. They have made a beautiful life here in Flagstaff, but plan to celebrate their nuptials this fall in the place where it all started. If their Colorado wedding is anything like them, it will be lovely.

 

Kristen Dacey Iwai of KDI Photography is a full-time professional portrait photographer based in Flagstaff, Arizona with more than 2 decades of experience. Making portraits of families, pregnancy, newborns, babies, children, high school seniors and for businesses in her downtown studio and on location, she serves clients from Flagstaff, Sedona, Tuba City, Winslow, Payson, Page, Williams, Prescott, Mesa, Scottsdale, Phoenix, Arizona. Please visit KDI Photography’s website.

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