It was supposed to be a planned shoot. There was an assignment; there were props. There was anxiety about expectations & meeting said expectations; especially since my camera has (for many reasons) mostly been collecting dust this summer. But there was also determination and an open evening schedule, so we collected all the necessary equipment, props, & personnel, and headed for a pretty place in the mountains. Halfway there, rain started pouring from a mostly clear sky. Giant rain drops in a sparkling sun shower came so fast little rivulets started racing down the canyon road carrying with them any plans of an organized shoot, as well as the pressure to execute said shoot. We decided to pull over—not wanting to go home yet, but also not keen on getting stuck in a flash flood. We turned off the car, ate some snacks, and listened to the rain pound on the windows & the roof. And I don’t know what happened next—maybe we got bored, or maybe it was pent up stress transformed into curiosity or maybe it was just the magic of kids turned loose to do what they want, but the fact is, before long we hopped out of the car & turned into a bunch of loonie toons playing in the rain and getting soaked. Dan showed the boys how to collect water in leaves and drink it down; we chased rainbows (which look like they are right in front of you in a sun shower!); we learned where all the moose hang out from other adventurous rain-loving weirdos; we hopped back in the car when we got cold & we pulled over whenever we found a spot that looked remotely magical, & it was always better than we expected. *** It was supposed to be this great organized perfect thing. It became this great, unraveled, messy, MAGICAL thing. And I don’t know why but I just can’t escape it, and I fall head over heels in love with that dang authentic; throw the plan to the wind; to the core of your soul deep; messy; essence of life magic every stinkin’ time.
Every. Time.
