Sonora Senior Portraits | Ralyssa | Christine Dibble Photography

The busiest part of the Sonora senior portrait season is usually in summer, when things are very dry and hot. This past summer was no exception…until the day of Ralyssa’s session arrived. Ralyssa had chosen to go to Jenness Park, a place close to her heart with a lot of special memories. The day started out as any other summer day, hot and dry. But as we drove down into the camp, the sky turned black. So black I had to use my lights from the first shot. So black it was as if we were shooting at midnight and not late afternoon. And then the rain came. Sheets of rain and booming thunder made us run for cover. During the rainstorm, Ralyssa’s mom commented that Ralyssa’s dad loved rain storms. He passed away a few years ago, and I really think the storm was his way of being a part of her senior portraits. So we went with a few dark, moody images and scheduled another date to capture some cheerful, sunny photos as well down at Knight’s Ferry. The double shoot fit Ralyssa perfectly…she has seen some dark, stormy times, but her inner light shines through in spite of it, and she is even stronger and more beautiful because of the storms.