Lightning turns engagement photo into viral hit

A Regina couple's unique engagement photo — featuring a huge bolt of lightning behind them — has turned into a social media hit.

For days, Twitter and Facebook comments and congratulations have been streaming in to wedding photographer Chris Graham, who captured a one-of-a-kind shot on a gravel road northwest of Regina on Canada Day.

'As soon as I got that photo, I went to them with the camera. Look at this! We got it! Here it is!' —Chris Graham

In the image, a casually dressed Lindsay Richardson and her fiancé Dane Stennes embrace in a traditional pose. Behind them, churning clouds, a shimmering orange sunset and, just to the right of Stennes, a humongous lightning bolt.

"It took 30 or 40 photos, but we finally caught one," Graham said. "It was a pretty bright bolt. As soon as I got that photo, I went to them with the camera. Look at this! We got it! Here it is!"

"They were pretty excited."

Outdoorsy couple wanted something different

Richardson noted that Graham phoned her twice about the weather before the shoot, asking if she wanted to cancel. But she and Stennes are both outdoorsy people and were keen to go ahead.

"It was such an amazing sky, we had to get the shot," she said. "We stood there without moving for about 15 minutes. The mosquitoes were ridiculous. Chris kept saying 10 more frames, just 10 more..."

Then the lightning struck.

Since Sunday, the picture has been retweeted numerous times, with one commenter dubbing Richardson and Stennes "the wizard couple."

"There's been just an insane number of comments and views," Richardson said.

The couple is getting married in the fall and is hoping for some calm skies that day.

But they're glad that for one evening, Saskatchewan's wild weather lived up to its reputation.