While photographing a slack lining event at Smith Rock during a long weekend in August, I experienced one of the more dramatic shifts in weather I’ve seen in a quite awhile. What started as a pleasant, sunny day turned to ever more menacing clouds, then an afternoon filled with pounding rain, hail, and lightning. I was completely unprepared for all the excitement, but while ducking under rocks to avoid the elements, I couldn’t help but marvel at being in the middle of, and overlooking the sheer power of natural forces.