Sonora, CA Senior Portrait Photographer | Lake Tahoe Emerald Bay Sunset Session | Christine Dibble Photography

Last summer, at our annual Bear Camp Family Reunion, I figured it would be fun to use some of the models and scenery I would have on hand to play around a little bit. Since my cousins have girls, and I don’t, I use any excuse I can to get them in front of the camera for a little change from my very male life. I really wanted some dramatic shots of someone in a fancy dress on the cliffs at Emerald Bay at sunset, so I packed a dress and some lighting equipment and asked Bailey if she was willing to model. The day we planned the shoot, we had a hailstorm like only the Sierras can produce. It lasted for a long time, banging the metal roof, setting off alarms, and covering the ground with ping pong ball sized ice balls. It looked like a major snowstorm had blown through. Then it turned to rain. We were not sure if the weather was going to cooperate for us or not. But it did stop raining at the last minute, and the storm made the clouds and sunset absolutely amazing for the scene. It also kept a lot of people away from the cliffs, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. And then at the end, we had to jump in the car and vacate the parking lot in a hurry so a helicopter could land for an emergency. For a last minute, rushed shoot, Bailey sure made it look easy!