About an hour before I was to meet Roxanne for our shoot I checked the weather once more; it was hot and drowningly humid, and the internets informed me of a 90% chance of thunderstorms. I texted Roxanne to make sure she wanted to brave both the heat and the elements. She sent back a resounding “YES” with multiple exclamation points. With this sort of energy, I knew I was in for some fun.

I decided to shoot Roxanne at the abandoned Coast Guard building in Cleveland at the northwest end of the Flats where the Cuyahoga River meets Lake Erie. We drove the short distance to the park and hiked about a mile through woods, a small open area filled with wild flowers with a fabulous view of downtown, and then turned north to walk the concrete pathway out over the lake to the building.

The structure is worse for the wear but charming nonetheless, featuring bold curves and stark white walls, which fit my concept for this shoot perfectly. Roxanne donned the gown we thrifted a few days before and we began just as the thunder started to clap and little droplets fell from the sky. The wind picked up and the duvet we bought as a prop was instantly transformed into a billowing fairy cape or playful giant white caterpillar – whatever suits your fancy.

About twenty minutes into our session it started to pour. Not just a downpour, but utterly fierce, like beestings on our skin. It was then that our friend Leia came to meet us, skipping down the concrete walkway with a laughably large umbrella in what looked like a monsoon, waves lapping up all around her. We laughed at how wet we were and trudged back to our cars with gear in tow (safe and sound and dry in my camera bag, of course).

It was magical, to say the least. The photos prove it.

Roxanne is a member of the band JJ Magazine and has recently released an album called “34″ with her solo project Blisse. If you would like more information regarding the purchase of a CD or upcoming shows, please send me an email via my contact page and I will pass the information along!