Chasing the Light

Back in August, when I set out my schedule for fall family sessions, I went heavy on dates in October. For one thing, my personal schedule already included a few family obligations prior to the holidays and I wanted to wrap up work well ahead of them. But an equally important consideration was the weather.

October is typically the most beautiful month on the Central Coast.

Beautiful weather = a fantastic backdrop for fall family sessions.

Only this year, the weather has been anything but typical. All year. (So you might say that I should've known...)

Anyway, I had three sessions lined up for this past weekend, including one that had been rescheduled due to a client's illness earlier in the month. And the early part of the week was warm and wonderful. But as the week wore on, the weather got wacky, and by Friday afternoon my Friday evening client and I were texting back and forth feverishly, speculating about the conditions and finally deciding to abandon the beach session she'd so wanted in favor of potentially nicer conditions at her house here in San Luis.

When I arrived, though, we'd both noticed a distinct glow above the ridgeline dividing San Luis from the coast. It was dismal and gloomy over most parts of town -- including her neighborhood -- and this was just too tempting:



The quick snap at the stoplight doesn't really do it justice, but there was a definite lure of light from the direction of the coast. So after a quick powwow we threw everything and everyone into the car and hurried as fast as 5:00 traffic and speed limits would allow.

And in the end, we were so glad that we chased the light. It was a bit chilly and there was some fog, but it was so pretty out on the beach, and we ended up getting some beautiful shots. To top it off, we got a couple of specific images that my client had in mind that could only be captured on the beach. (They're not posted here, because I generally like to keep potential Christmas card shots tucked away until they're used for that purpose.)

Anyway, doesn't this look so much more pleasant than the heavy gray sky at home?





And some pretty posed shots for good measure:







I've already started putting together their holiday card, and once again, I'm so glad that we abandoned our plans -- yet again -- and opted to chase the light.