Photographing Dayna and Justin’s Tucson fall family photos is a moment that I am so grateful I was able to participate in. Back in 2018 I was about to board a plane to Iceland when Randi emailed me.  She needed a wedding photographer! I happily agreed. Photographing Randi and Weston’s wedding would be a turning point in my career although I didn’t know it yet.

Since meeting the bridesmaids Randi chose to support her on her wedding day I’ve had the privilege of being hired by several of them to photograph their weddings. One of those bridesmaids was Dayna! She and Justin were already together at Randi’s wedding and they looked so cute together that I had to get a photo. They seriously couldn’t stop smiling at each other! That lead to me photographing their engagement and then their wedding. Then Randi and Dayna had the cutest joint maternity session. That session has been one of my favorites ever!

A few months later Dayna was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. She had just given birth to their beautiful son Wyatt and would need to spend the duration of her treatment in the hospital. It was objectively a “shitty situation” (Dayna’s word choice). But oh my goodness she stayed so incredibly positive. Her energy is so radiant that she’s made amazing friends with her nurses and connected with her family more deeply. Cancer took so much away from her but she is choosing to appreciate what she still has.

Dayna is officially in remission, and we couldn’t be more grateful, but she is still missing her hair. We’ve talked so much about her hair and what it means to her. Literally since 2019 when we went to happy hour at Blancos before her wedding and talked about extensions. On her wedding day her hair went down past her waist (amazing work by HVH artists with previously mentioned extensions). But during these Tucson fall family photos she embraced herself both ways. As a woman who is beautiful with a wig and beautiful bald. Knowing Dayna for almost 5 years I know that her beauty radiates from within. Her soul is so beautiful that it literally doesn’t matter what she is wearing or anything else – she is beautiful.

HUGE thank you to Hannah who did Dayna’s makeup and making her feel so beautiful

 

 

*Photographing Dayna’s family was a gift – if you know anyone who would benefit from a gifted session please reach out to me. Regardless of your situation you deserve to have the legacy of photos.*