A little over five years ago, a group of compassionate, thoughtful friends learned of Brian Boyer’s terminal glioblastoma diagnosis and decided to get together to send the Davis Boyer family to see me for portraits. These caring friends had the heartbreaking foresight to realize that it would the last time this opportunity would present itself. One of them had come by that foresight the hard way – her family had made portraits with me 10 months before her own dear husband had passed away. And so it was that I met some of the most amazing people I have ever had the chance to photograph. If you are familiar with the Davis Boyer clan, you get it. Brian “Boze” Boyer lived by a poignant motto; “We’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time!” He lived his life full throttle, in alignment with that essential principle. On a cold evening, with tears in our eyes, we laughed and played, and sniffled through that session. Momentarily alone in my studio with Brian, he met my eye, thanking me. I thanked him back – for giving this evening to his family. He was gone 7 months later. He will not be forgotten by anyone who crossed his path, myself included.
Fast forward to 2020. His beautiful, strong, badass widow, Beth Davis called about a very different kind of session. This one, a celebration instead of a swan song. I didn’t need any convincing. In the intervening five years Beth has come to appreciate and savor whatever family configuration manifests in her home. If you stop by the Davis Boyer house, you will see that there are always people coming and going. It is a hive of activity, filled with humor and, most often, irreverent sass.
So we headed out to the forest with Beth’s mom, kids, niece and a host of significant others. Every last one of them could be a Boyer, because each of them is funny and smart and kind and beautiful and seems to have mastered the aforementioned sass! This session was a joyful celebration of exactly where this family is right now. I’m just the lucky woman who got to document it.
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
