AN ENGAGEMENT SESSION I'LL NEVER FORGET |
Blue Angels Air Show, Thunderstorms, and a Beautiful Sunset at Fort Pickens
Sydney & Jude | engagement
Some photo sessions are memorable because of the people.
Others are memorable because of what you have to go through to make them happen.
This one was unforgettable for both reasons.
Sydney drove all the way from North Carolina to celebrate her engagement to Jude, a fellow enlisted Airman currently training at NAS Pensacola. While they were here, they decided to book an engagement session with me at beautiful Fort Pickens on Pensacola Beach.
The only catch?
She booked it on the same day as the Blue Angels Air Show.
For those who have never been to Pensacola Beach during Air Show weekend, let me paint a picture. Pensacola Beach is a relatively small barrier island with one main road leading on and off the island. Add thousands of Blue Angels fans, every hotel room, condo, Airbnb, and vacation rental completely booked, plus locals flocking to the beach, and you've got one giant traffic jam. The public parking lots were already full by 4:30 in the morning.
Our session was scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and the air show was expected to end around 2:45 p.m. I was a little nervous, but I had a plan. Since we were photographing at Fort Pickens, I knew we would avoid most of the crowds. If I could just get past the Casino Beach area near the pier, I figured the rest of the drive would be easy.
Sydney and Jude were staying in Perdido Key, so they actually left before I did because they had a longer drive. I decided to leave about 45 minutes earlier than I normally would, just to be safe.
Before I left, I sent Sydney a text.
In the two years I've been photographing professionally, I've never missed a session. Whenever storms are in the forecast, though, I always give my clients the option to reschedule. Florida weather can change in minutes, and I never want anyone to feel pressured if conditions look questionable.
Her response couldn't have been more determined.
"No way! I drove all the way from North Carolina. I am going to take pictures even if it rains."
Well... that settled it.
I grabbed my camera gear, climbed into my car, and headed toward the beach.
About ten minutes into my drive, the skies opened.
If you've never driven through a Florida summer thunderstorm, imagine someone dumping buckets of water onto your windshield all at once. Visibility disappears. Traffic slows to a crawl. You grip the steering wheel and hope everyone around you is doing the same.
It was one of those storms.
Eventually the rain stopped, and as I crossed toward Pensacola Beach, I drove right back into bright sunshine. Fort Pickens looked absolutely beautiful, glowing in the afternoon light. I smiled to myself and thought maybe everything was going to work out after all.
For about two minutes.
Then traffic stopped.
Completely.
The bridge onto Pensacola Beach wasn't moving in either direction.
As I sat there for nearly twenty minutes without moving an inch, I looked across Pensacola Bay and noticed a massive black cloud creeping toward the island. Boats were racing back toward the marina as people hurried off the water. The waves had become rough, lightning was flashing over the bay, and before long the entire sky turned almost black.
The storm was coming.
And I still wasn't moving.
When traffic finally started again, more than an hour had passed, and I was still about twenty minutes away from Fort Pickens.
Sydney was understandably wondering if I was ever going to make it.
I laughed and told her, "You're never getting off this island tonight anyway... you might as well wait for me."
Thankfully, she did.
By the time I finally arrived, it was pouring rain, but Fort Pickens gave us the perfect place to wait it out. We ducked into the historic brick tunnels while thunder rolled outside.
Instead of getting frustrated, we laughed.
We talked.
We wandered through the tunnels taking photos while we waited for Mother Nature to make up her mind.
I had been right. The storm eventually moved on.
We walked out onto the beach, and as if Florida wanted to apologize for everything it had just put us through, it gave us one of the most beautiful sunsets imaginable.
The sky exploded with color.
The beach emptied.
Sydney and Jude were absolutely adorable together, and every minute spent sitting in traffic suddenly became worth it.
Their gallery turned out beautifully, and I couldn't have been happier for them.
I wish I could tell you that's where the story ended.
Shortly after saying goodbye, I found myself sitting in yet another traffic jam, this time on one of the darkest stretches of road on Pensacola Beach.
Traffic wasn't moving.
Again.
Hours passed.
Eventually we learned that someone, frustrated by the standstill, had driven off the roadway and across the sand, struck a pedestrian, fled from law enforcement, and ultimately crashed into a utility pole.
The entire island was at a standstill for more than four hours.
Everyone around us was exhausted, frustrated, and sitting in hot, humid Florida weather. I even turned my car off several times because I was worried about running out of gas while we waited.
I finally pulled into my driveway around 10:15 that night. I was exhausted. I was starving. And honestly... I couldn't believe the day I'd just had.
Sydney kept saying, "This is insane," and she wasn't wrong. Looking back now, though, that's exactly why this session will always be one of my favorites.
It wasn't perfect.
It wasn't easy.
It certainly didn't go according to plan.
But sometimes the best memories come from the days that challenge us the most.
Sydney and Jude never gave up. I wasn't about to give up on them. Together, we waited out the storms, survived one of the busiest days Pensacola Beach sees all year, and created engagement photographs they'll have forever.
As for me? I've already made one promise to myself. Next year, during Blue Angels Air Show weekend...I'm taking the weekend off.
I promise.
