Insane Weather at Elopements

This photo was taken as an associate for Brit Nicole Photography.
We interviewed Jenny about this once in a lifetime photo.

What was the couple’s elopement like?
They chose Big Bend National Park and this hike specifically because it was their first trip together and their first hike together. We were so excited to have the last half of their day to include some back country camping vibes; camp fire dinner, s’mores, cool truck in the background. Those pictures were going to be epic! But mother nature had much different plans. A crazy monsoon rain storm rolled in and they had to evacuate the campground. We sheltered in my hotel room and watched the storm pass. Luckily they had a new Lego set in their truck so they cracked open a couple beers and started working on the Lego set while the storm raged on. It was putting down rivers of water and golf ball size hail. We watched the radar from the grooms phone.  After the storm passed we decided to take a short hike to a viewpoint not far from my hotel. We could see the lighting and sunset off in the distance. It was so beautiful and such an amazing experience. 

What were the weather conditions like leading up to when you took this photo?
The morning and afternoon were as perfect as a couple would want. Absolutely beautiful. Then about 5:00pm the sky turned black, and the campground was evacuated.  It all happened so fast! 

Were you trying to get a shot with lightning, or was this a happy accident?
It was an epic accident! This shot was actually a test shot to make sure my settings we right. But I definitely tried to get another lighting shot after this one, to no avail. 

Was did the couple think of this image?
They were so excited! Right after the lightning hit, I screamed to them that I got the lighting in the photo. They jumped and screamed with me! We were all so excited! We are so lucky to capture this photograph, a lightning strike that framed them so perfectly.