As I drove up Highway 1 for Kylie and Kevin's engagement shoot, I was so captivated by the stormy clouds I was seeing over the ocean that I pulled over multiple times to take photos – something I almost never do, as I'm not really much into shooting landscapes.

As it was, the storm followed me from Santa Cruz all the way up to Gray Whale Cove State Beach in Montara, California. I met Kylie and Kevin in the parking lot around 6pm, with ominous gray clouds building overhead. I told them it was unlikely we'd get to see any kind of sunset, but we were really doing this for the practice above all else. So we wasted no time and ran across the street to the ocean side of the highway to grab a couple shots and check out the view.

Since the parking lot is a couple hundred feet above the beach, we decided to spend a few minutes exploring the trees around the bluff. The sun decided to peek out for a few minutes, so we took advantage. 

 

We started down the stairs, and of course I had to find a couple places for the couple to snuggle along the way (they didn't complain).

 

At the bottom, at beach-level, we found some running water coming from the cliffs that formed a creek of sorts – the source was questionable, but I was more interested in reflection possibilities than drinking it. 

 

Next I had Kylie and Kevin sit on a log bisecting the "creek" – at this point the errant drops overhead turned into full-on rain, accompanied by flashes of lightning and rolling thunder. I had them give me the obligatory hands-out-I-can't-believe-it's-raining-in-september-pose.