Mother Nature, Friend or Foe?

As I sit here drinking my morning coffee and writing this post, the screen doors are open, birds are chirping, and the morning sun is casting long shadows on the fence posts right outside my office door. It is definitely springtime along the Texas Gulf Coast. The flowers in our yard are blooming like crazy. Bulbs we planted last fall are emerging and new growth is all around us. This type of day, one filled with blue skies and puffy clouds, has been extremely rare around here recently.

It seems like our weeks have been plagued by rain, time and time again. For Cat and I, this is both a blessing and a curse. Since we live on a working cattle ranch, heavy rains yield lush green pastures, the cattle get a nice bath, and it gives a sense of peace and calm over the ranch. With wet and muddy roads, not much can be done around the ranch. In a way, it brings us together as a family. No one is being pulled in different directions simply because traveling around the ranch isn't possible. It is familiar to us. When the radar shows showers and thunderstorms, I have to admit, we get a little excited. In a way, it reminds me of the snow days we used to have in Indiana.

Early on in our photography business, Cat and I made the decision that we wanted to shoot primarily on the ranch. Looking back, it was on of the best decisions we could have made. We're blessed to have thousands of acres of nature right outside our backdoor - fields, streams, ponds, forest - it's all there. Because we spend every day exploring this land, we know where the sun travels, where the best trees are, which spots are sheltered from strong winds, and where it's too muddy to shoot if we've recently had rain.

Usually, light showers and wet weather don't throw a wrench in our plans. However, last week, we had to reschedule ALL of our sessions. Weeks and weeks of rain have made ranch travel nearly impossible. Boats and surfboards are currently being used to herd cattle. (Ok, I'm kidding about that part, but it was a possibility!) It seems that even when we got a break from the rain, the days were grey and gloomy. Not the type of backdrop perfect for showcasing authentic emotion and love between two lovebirds!

So what did we do?

I called our couples and let them know that we needed to reschedule. The portfolio that they were familiar with, one filled with sun drenched photos, the type of portraits that they hired us for, just weren't possible. I was so nervous having to call each couple and share the news. I know I cannot control the weather, but it is still hard to deliver the news.

Each bride I talked to was so sweet, they completely understood and sometimes even beat me to the point of the call. Even with muddy roads and gloomy weather, our brides were the rays of sunlight that we needed! So to them, I want to publicly say THANK YOU! Thank you for making our "job" easy. Thank you for trusting us! Thank you for being you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Lightning & Cheap Rainboots,

Luke & Cat