How often do you meet up with people you’ve never met in the middle of nowhere with no cell service? For me, it’s more times than would normally be prudent.

I had never met the Wilcox family before, and I had no idea how they’d heard of me before booking. I didn’t even know what they looked like. It didn’t hit me how strange this was until I was driving through the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge and I lost cell service. I was alone and committed.

I passed over the last hill and my heart sank. The field I had scoped out a few weeks prior was a wasteland of ash.

Something I love about Oklahoma as a photographer is the wind; it creates so much movement in the photos. But a big downside to Oklahoma winds is the wildfires. Just a small spark can consume a landscape in minutes. To prevent potential destruction, the Wildlife Refuge implements controlled burns. And my favorite photoshoot location had just been burned to soot in a perfect square.

There are many other places to shoot at the Wildlife Refuge, but I was so excited to be shooting with these sweeping views and the perfect amount of wind to create just enough movement without freezing everyone. Not to mention the nightmare of re-coordinating without cell service.

Luckily, I was getting there early, and I had time to figure something else out.

Just before the parking lot I’d sent the couple to, the burn area ended. Maybe this location could still work, I thought. I pulled into the parking lot a few spaces away from the one other car. Was that them?

A tall man with taller boots got out of the other car and approached me.

“Hi!” I opened my door, “Are you Marshal?”

“Yes!” He grinned, “Tara’s in the car feeding the baby.”

I instantly felt at ease. This was going to work. The area wasn’t too burned and Tara and Marshal were not only a lovely couple, but they were so kind and interesting too! My kind of people!

As you browse the photos below, you can still see areas with the controlled burn in the background (but if you didn’t know, you’d never know). These winter family portraits ended up being my favorite winter shoot I’ve done yet, and I’d gladly photograph the Wilcox family any day of the week!