Wind Mountain Ranch Wedding Photography

Meghan and Zach’s wedding at Wind Mountain Ranch was on an unforgettable day. On my way to the wedding, as I drove along the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge a grey haze was accumulating on the Oregon side and slowly drifting across the river. When I arrived at Wind Mountain Ranch to begin scouting, the wedding coordinator confirmed that a fire had just broken out in the Eagle Creek area. By late morning, the smoke had almost entirely obscured Wind Mountain, which is saying something because the ranch literally sits at the base of the mountain. It was clear that the fire must have been big, but at that point I didn’t realize how bad it would later get in the days and weeks that followed. So in addition to my concern for the fire, I was extremely disappointed that I likely wouldn’t be able to incorporate Wind Mountain into the documentation of the wedding, and I was also worried that this turn of events could be a downer for Meghan and Zach on their wedding day. But looking back on the photos, you would hardly know that a fire was raging nearby casting plumes of smoke into the air. Meghan and Zach were so positive and gracious through the whole day. As cheesy is it might be to say, it was as if their attitudes transformed the foreboding smoke into a mystical moodiness that lent a surreal feeling to the day’s events. And as luck would have it, the smoke did clear for the most part in the latter half of the afternoon and we were able to incorporate Wind Mountain into the photos after all. Photographing weddings like Meghan and Zach’s reminds me that you should draw out the positives and find the beauty in whatever circumstance you’re given. 🙂 — KC