Tag Archive for 'beauty'

BeYOUtiful Becky

I (Cristi) had to take an unexpected break from taking pictures when I “badly mangled” (doctor’s words, not mine!) my foot a few weeks ago. So Jessi has stepped in (once again! She’s my photography lifesaver/hero!) as the full time Hiyapapaya shooter for a few weeks until I can heal and get off crutches. I’m thankful to Jessi for always being willing to step in when my health isn’t top-notch. I’m especially grateful that she was able to do this particular photo shoot because it needed to be carefully planned around Becky’s cancer treatments.

Do you remember Stephanie’s beYOUtiful statement? Well, Stephanie lives out of state and is expecting a baby (YAY! Congratulations, Stephanie!), and couldn’t make it here for a photo shoot. So she generously gifted her beYOUtiful shoot to her sister-in-law Becky who is in the middle of a courageous battle with cancer and going through chemotherapy right now. Becky actually had to schedule her shoot with us in between her rounds of chemo, radiation and surgery. Talk about an amazing and brave and strong woman! It actually makes me teary-eyed writing about it. I watched both of my parents go through cancer. We lost my dad to colon cancer 21 years ago when I was 12 years old. And just this past December, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has just finished radiation and will (hopefully!) be receiving a clean bill of health in the next few months. I know the affects that cancer has on the body. And I know what a brave fight those who are battling it put up.

As I was putting this blog post together, I asked Stephanie if she’d like to say a few words about Becky. Here’s what she told us:

“I will never forget the day I met Becky. I was having a bad day, or rather a tough time in life, and she noticed. She stopped to talk to me and took the time to try to understand my needs, to comfort me, and quickly offered up her love and friendship. Little did I know that 13 years later I would be be trying to comfort and help her through a rough patch in her life. Through these 13 years we have been friends, we have been roommates, and now she is my sister-in-law (and we jokingly call each other “fristermates” to sum it all up).

I have seen her happy, sad, troubled, angry, silly, laughing, crying, and through it all she has remained so graceful and beautiful. Becky is one of the most courageous women I know. Her strength and her faith are only a few of the many qualities about her that make her beautiful and I have always admired that in her. Having her a part of my life and my family has been a blessing. Although Becky may not feel at her most beautiful right now in her life, I hope that she knows that she remains one of the most beautiful women in the world to me because she knows who she is and who she can become.”

What is always most amazing to me is the real happiness and joy and – I sincerely think – true BEAUTY that cancer patients radiate. Can’t you just see it jumping off the page in these pictures of Becky? I didn’t even get to meet her in person, but I can just FEEL her spirit in the photos. And, after all, a woman’s heart – her courage and her fight and her SPIRIT … THAT is REAL beauty.

Published on April 9, 2012 in Portrait and Uncategorized. 2 Comments Tags: beautiful, beauty, beYOUtiful, cancer, courage, hiyapapaya, strong, survivor, utah photographers, women.

beYOUtiful Sadie

Sadie is a stunning natural beauty. What I wouldn’t give to have her gorgeous skin tone and stunning brown eyes! We were super excited to meet Sadie after reading her beYOUtiful statement. And communicating back and forth with her to set her shoot up, I knew she’d be fun. But I think what I loved most about her is her down-to-earthness. (Is earthness a word? Probably not, but I’m leaving it.) She is genuine. And I LOVE that quality in a person!

She grew up in Alaska and met her husband while working for a catering company in an oil drilling camp in Wyoming (seriously, can her story get ANY better?!). She said she had no intention of dating a “roughneck” so when he asked her out, she turned him down. A couple of weeks later, she had a change of heart and asked HIM out. She said dinner was awesome and they’ve been together ever since!

When I asked her why she chose her specific beYOUtiful statement, she said that she just went hunting for the first time this past year and she loved it. I kind of wish she would have worn camo and orange to the photo shoot – and I DEFINITELY wish she would have brought a gun! (Other than those biceps of hers!)

This is what she said about writing what she did: “I really felt so strong when I was up on that mountain with my gun on my shoulder. I usually have my nails painted and for the hunt I kept them painted red because it just seemed right! I think sometimes being a lady gets put under the rug because it seems ‘old fashioned’ or ‘out of date’ but I was always taught to be a lady no matter what. Have manors, be polite and always stand up straight! So old school or not, I’m a believer of always being a lady! Even in orange with a gun slug over my shoulder!”

And I just realized – Sadie rhymes with lady! PERFECT!

Published on February 22, 2012 in Portrait. 2 Comments Tags: beautiful, beauty, beYOUtiful, women.

beYOUtiful Raylynn

We had a very beYOUtiful afternoon photographing campaign winner Raylynn! It was so fun. Raylynn is super cute, spunky and – just as her statement says – TRUE to who she is. She is a breath of fresh air!

Raylynn’s beYOUtiful statement resonated with a lot of you. I think that we, as women, really understand the idea of trying to stay true to who we are and not fitting into the “mold” that society seems to be constantly trying to create for us.

When we decided to do a photo shoot for every woman in the top 15, we knew that we wanted to make Raylynn’s shoot a bit *extra* special – since she was the actual winner! So instead of doing just a 30 minute shoot, we spent an entire afternoon with her. Raylynn hadn’t had pictures taken in 13 years – since she was a senior in high school. A travesty, right?! Every woman needs to be pampered with a photo shoot at LEAST once a year! :)

Raylynn is a TRUE fashionista. AND she’s a pro at changing in a car – the back seat of a Honda Civic, no less. It was impressive!

She wanted us to mention that every outfit she wore told a story. The yellow and blue outfit represented color and her love of life. She wore the black and white dress with the purple cardigan when she turned 30 and “conquered the world.” Hot pink is just that – sassy hot pink. The peach sweater and polka-dot scarf showed her hat side. And the Utes shirt was a must for this avid fan. When we asked Raylynn what she wanted to say for this blog post, she told us, ”I am who I am and love deeply even though that has meant some have been intimidated. But I say it how I know it and move forward in spite of my own insecurity and the nay sayers.”

You go, girl!

And with that, we present Raylynn’s winning beYOUtiful shoot: