Ava, Slip Bluff Lake

There was a promising mixture of sunlight with a smattering of clouds to the west, which could turn into a real nice golden backdrop for lake portraits.  To the east there was a dense cloud cover with dark blue light underneath. It was heading our way. We decided to go for it. But by the time we arrived at the lake the dark blue cloud bank had taken over. The sun and hopes of golden light were gone. We were left with dark clouds and a sea of blue light.  Blue or not, we decided to shoot anyway. Besides, the blue light had charms of its own.

Ava, Slip Bluff Lake

Then the light began to change. Some pinkish colors began to appear in the west. Somehow a bit of light from the sun was getting through the clouds.  We changed shooting directions so the growing pink light would be behind Ava. This light turned out to be quite nice too.

There are no guarantees, of course. The light can just turn bad and stay that way. There are a lot of times I waited as the light got worse and then faded to darkness. But you never know unless you hang around and keep shooting. You might be pleasantly surprised.