Victoria Dosch Photography: The D Family together in Dennis

When beautiful Annie first contacted me in the early Spring with the idea to capture her gorgeous family in a part of the world so beloved to them, we had never met. I think she told me she never expected me to say yes, and quite frankly neither did I, but given it was one of my only summer weekends not yet booked and that I had been asked several times over to shoot on the Cape and always said no, I decided this time would be different and I seized the opportunity. Right from the start, though just over email, I could tell I would like her. She was cheerful. She was kind. She was full of gratitude. We exchanged dozens of messages fine-tuning the details. We crossed our fingers and toes for good weather. And separately we packed our families up for a Cape Cod adventure. I decided to bring my crew down with me and enjoy a couple of days away, scheduled around my ever so fab sidekick, Señor Canon. Excitement was mounting in both of our families. Thursday arrived and the forecast had been stellar all week. We were smiling. I snapped this shot on my iphone as we arrived that day. Perfection.

But an hour before our sunset session, the skies darkened. A few sprinkles fell as I packed my cameras and lenses into the car but I called Annie on her cell and we decided I would head out anyway. We had been planning for months and extended family portraits are not usually flexible sessions. With so many people's schedules aligning and all of us being away from our homes, there wasn't much wiggle room. The D family was nearing the end of their trip and I knew, sprinkles or no sprinkles, the shoot should go on. My drive to their beautiful home in Dennis was one of the roughest of my life. Lightning bolts darting across the sky and sea to start with...

Rain so hard I barely trusted by ususally very trusty Odyssey to make it. Once or twice even dear Siri couldn't find her way through the abyss of this hail and rain storm. Fortunately, with a few prayers, I did. I hovered in the car long enough for a small lull in the monsoon to come and bolted inside with my gear only to find a family so radiant and gorgeous, you could almost forget the darkness outside. Outfits were on. Make-up was perfect. Babies were bouncing with delight. Evening cocktails were setting the scene for something spectacular, but the rain just wouldn't stop.

So, we did what we had to do. We Doppler radar checked it. We waited. We watched. But nothing. Truly this time there was no choice. A cancellation or a reschedule, but how? Folks this fabulous deserve the latter. I made the drive home with no cheery pictures but the promise of a better tomorrow. Just after the crack of dawn on Friday morning we would try again. You can't do that for everyone, and thank goodness you don't usually have to, but if you met the D fam, if you'd seen the sparkle and loveliness in them that I saw as they welcomed me into their shelter from the storm that night, you would have done the same. These guys, who radiated sunshine and warmth deserved at least a smattering of it for themselves. This had been no shy storm. Who knew if the forecast would really be better in the morning given how great the forecast for our session had been but it sure couldn't be worse. The D crew was more than happy to get up and ready so early on their last day of vacation if it meant we'd have a chance to step onto the stunning property they'd been calling home that week. And the beach, oh the beach... We longed for the beach!

Friday morning, bright and early, they were up, they were ready, and boy was that sun a welcome sight. The rest of the proof of our wonderful time together is in the pictures. But first, let me just say, delightful D fam, thanks for your patience, your loveliness, your golden smiles, even under the darkest skies. I am so glad you got the session you deserved! It was such a privilege to meet you all and see you being lovely, beautiful, warm souls together.

Enjoy your sneak peek...

Our very first shot of the morning! I'd say it was worth the wait!