Lake Powell was our first real desert retreat, our first destination trip with multiple brand partners, and one of the biggest learning experiences in the history of Bikinis & Lace.

We road-tripped from Oregon to Lake Powell, where our crew met up with three additional Arizona models and spent several days living and creating from a houseboat anchored on the lake. The plan was ambitious: early-morning runs in the power boat to photograph different locations around the lake, afternoons around the houseboat, and sunset sessions each evening.

Lake Powell had other plans.

Major thunderstorms rolled through almost every night, bringing heavy wind, lightning and very little sleep for the crew. One night, a land anchor pulled loose and the houseboat began drifting sideways toward the beach before we were able to get it secured again. Evening shoots disappeared as the winds picked up, early mornings became harder after long nights managing the boat, and many of the locations we hoped to reach never made it onto the schedule.

But we still created. We worked with four models, put sponsored swimwear and lake products to use, explored when conditions allowed, and made the most of the environment right outside the houseboat.

The trip didn’t unfold the way we had imagined it would — and that became one of its biggest lessons. Lake Powell taught us a lot about planning destination shoots, working around weather, managing a larger group, and knowing when the adventure matters just as much as the original plan.

There’s a reason we started calling these trips adventures.