Kianna

From The Archive: “Portrait Session In The Phoenix Desert”

Filed (captured) on November 16th, 2024 in MESA, Arizona

After a session fell through the day before it was supposed to happen, I found myself scrambling to find someone to step into the beauty of the desert sunrise. Being an East Coast photographer, I didn’t have a network there, and the thought of letting that golden morning light go to waste felt impossible. At 8pm the night before, I found Kianna’s profile on Instagram. On a whim, I sent her a message, not expecting much with such short notice. But instead of silence, she said yes.

By 6:50am, we met in the Mesa Mountains, the air still crisp, the first light stretching across the ridges. The desert was waking up around us—soft shadows on the sand, a quiet stillness in the air, the desert waking up around us. Here’s the magic we stumbled upon, and the moments we created.