Honoring Areanah Preston

You know those people who have the most captivating personalities? Areanah had it. From our initial conversation in February, I enjoyed talking to her and getting to know her. She was so excited about graduating and having pictures for her graduation, and I couldn’t help but match her energy! We kept in touch to make sure she was ready to go for her session. April 16th was a cold, rainy and windy day. We still decided to meet and I’m so glad we did! Meeting Areanah in person was awesome. She was smiling and ready to conquer the weather. She trusted me with this and it meant a lot to me. Her mom even came to check out what was going on. I had to show her a few images behind the camera for her peace of mind lol. After mom’s approval, we kept shooting.

We went to our second location at The Wrigley Building. One of my favorite memories was actually the champagne popping. I try to coach people through this because it’s a little challenging. The first attempt was a fail lol. Areanah said, “I’m just going to go buy another bottle so we can get the shot.” I’m like cool, let’s do it! Second attempt was a success! I could tell even then that she was the type of person that never gave up. She had such a sweet spirit!

Finding out she was gone, shook me. My heart hurts so much for so many different reasons. Knowing how excited she was to graduate, preparing for her graduation party, getting ready to make even more of a difference in her community, only being 24, and the list goes on.

I am praying for her family during this time and will continue to do so for as long as I need to. I’m so honored that God assigned me to her. I’m blessed to have documented these moments for her and I’m thankful that this is how people get to remember her. Go ahead and check out some images from her session. Rest well Areanah! 🕊