Sufana found me on Google. She inquired about planning a family session with her parents and brother, who live in the area. Sufana really enjoyed my photos from the Engagement session with Tori and Ian, also at Thacher. Although Sufana had never been to the location before, she was very interested and intrigued by my recommendation that we go there.
I know the area since I grew up in Altamont and had been to the park many times before, but I took the time, especially sinc the location is in my backyard, and scouted the best spots for lighting at this particular time of year. I was excited to try and capture the amazing waterfall that I remembered on the popular Indian Ladder Trail path. However, when I arrived at the waterfall spot, there was no water flowing. After I thought about it, it made sense. Even after the recent rain, the water had dried from the ice melting winter months. The images would not be of the epic waterfall, instead, they would be of the dry rock formations exposed to visitors walking the trail down the side of the cliff. In addition, the Indian Ladder trail is a steep walk down a few flights of stairs, which I wanted Sufana to consider for her parent’s comfort.
The day of the session came, and as I drove up the mountain to Thacher, the sky looked grey and cloudy with threat of rain in the air. When Sufana and her family arrived, it started to sprinkle as I unpacked my camera gear. We both expressed the hope that any rain would just be passing through and began our session. The weather gods must have heard our thoughts and the rain held back. The stormy clouds plus the setting sun, gave us some beautiful backgrounds and colorful skies for our session.
I couldn’t wait to see the photos on my computer and start editing. On my drive down the hill into Altamont, I looked out the drivers side window at the sky. I saw a pond over the road barrier where the blue clouds reflected off the surface of the water. I couldn’t bare to waste an opportunity to capture what I was seeing. I pulled over to the side of the road, got my camera back out, and took some landscape photos during the beautiful blue hour, right after sunset. It was a magical end to a magical session.
Sufana,
It is amazing to me when I meet people like yourself from a virtual application like Google. I formed an instant bond with your family during our session and I look forward to future interactions with all of you. I enjoyed learning about your family history and culture. Thank you for making me a part of your visit to NY.
Rachel
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