09/02/2026
I make it practically a full-time job to monitor the weather when I have mountain shoots — especially during the summer. I’m constantly watching for storms or anything that could make being high on a mountain potentially unsafe. A little rain? Fog? Moody clouds? We can absolutely work with that.
So, naturally, in the week leading up to my session with Lana and Eric, I did what I always do: obsessively checked the weather.
Partly cloudy. Mostly sunny. Clear skies. No real chance of rain. We were absolutely good to go.
I arrived at the mountain, met these two, and knew almost immediately we were going to have such a good time. They were an absolute delight from the very beginning.
About 20 minutes into shooting, some heavier clouds started rolling in. I was a little confused considering the forecast, but I certainly wasn’t complaining because the light they created was remarkable.
We climbed higher up the mountain, kept shooting, twirling through the fields and taking advantage of every bit of that beautiful light.
And then I turned around.
Behind us was quite literally a wall of black. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that combination of light before. It was unreal — and I was creating some of the dreamiest images with these two, trying to catch every second of it.
And then I felt it. A hailstone hit me on the head.
Almost immediately after came a bright flash of lightning followed by an instant crash of thunder.
Aaaaaand that was our cue…
We started making our way down the mountain just as the sky completely unleashed on us. Rain, hail, wind — all of it.
When I finally got enough service to check the radar, I realized it was the tiniest little red storm cell — and it had managed to position itself directly over us. Of course. 😂
I’ll never get over the fact that I get to work with incredible couples who are willing to embrace whatever their day gives them. Sometimes it’s sunshine. Sometimes it’s fog. And apparently sometimes it’s a rogue thunderstorm throwing hail at our heads!
