Christiana ▌Sierra Vista Photographer, Arizona

I can easily say that I have never before had so much fun during a photo shoot! But let's back up. The day started with the sound of pouring rain, cats and dogs actually, and maybe some small cattle, pounding the rooftops. The shoot was scheduled for 6pm. My husband kept telling me to cancel the shoot (the man was facing an evening of cooking his own dinner AND putting The Boy and The Baby to bed, alone, gasp!) But the weather radar coupled with the fact that I could literally see lighter skies on the horizon had me reassuring the mother of this GORGEOUS girl that "yes, it may be very wet, but the light will be amazing and the scenery saturated with vibrant color from the rain and we should give it our best shot!" Meanwhile, my stomach is churning and I retreat to my bedroom to sulk and pray that I am not creating a nightmare for everyone involved. I'm not sure if it was the passing of the storm or the dazzling smile of this young woman that lightened the skies just enough to produce the most breathtaking portraits I have ever taken. Christiana, thank you to you and your mother for trusting in me, for following me everywhere I commanded, even when your ballet flats became heavily laden with 10lbs of Texas mud! Thank you for entertaining every idea and for following every instruction without the aid of M&M's and stickers... I have to say that as I edit these images I am laughing out loud at the moment when you very gracefully sat down on the rocky shoreline in your beautiful dress. After looking through my lens I jumped up to remove a very large and disgusting dirty tube sock and band aid from the foreground, right next to your feet, which had gone overlooked when we chose our sitting area! You took everything in stride and I have no doubt that you will continue to conquer life's challenges with nothing less than poise and grace. Good luck to you!