Jenny & Nate’s Jeep joyride took us to the farmland he grew up on as a child and the most incredible sunset!  Is it just me or does anyone else have Jeep envy???

Why Rhinehart Photography?

Jenny shared, “We chose Lisa because she took the time to know us as a couple. She wanted to know about our story and background and really cared about the personal touches we wanted to add to our wedding.”
So glad to hear it, lady!  Yes, customization is my thang, and I really love how you both are so true to yourselves, I loved exploring Nate’s roots with you!

They Felt Comfortable in Front of My Camera

She continued, “We have had our photos taken before, but didn’t feel like they were natural, they didn’t properly show ‘us.’ Lisa’s willingness to personalize our location and activities not only shows who we are, but also made us more comfortable in front of the camera, too.  We felt like we were able to really be ourselves this time.”
They look pretty comfortable to me 😉

Grandma’s view, one of his favorites…

Jenny and Nate took the Jeep up to one of his favorite views, the sunset from his grandma’s property that overlooks the land his grandfather farmed when Nate was a boy.  The sunset couldn’t have been prettier.

Amber Waves of Grain

I love to capture pretty shots of the engagement ring when time allows.  This was a tricky one, as the wheat was literally swaying in the wind.  With expert spotters Jenny and Nate by my side, I was able to pull off this shot:

Love at First Sight

Nate shared, “Jenny and I met Freshman year in college.  She walked into history class and I told my football buddies, ‘I’m going to marry that girl.’
He continued, “We had so many classes together, athlete study hall, we kept seeing each other all over campus.  I was persistent.”

A Cheesy (Literally) Pick-up Line

Jenny smiled, “We had friends that also worked really hard to get us together. Nate was working at a pizza shop for his college job. When he asked me to be his girlfriend we ordered pizza and his friend he worked with delivered it and written on the box was “I know this is cheesy but will you be my girlfriend.’ Who could turn down Pizza!?”

Long-Distance Relationship

Jenny continued, “We spent 2 years making our long-distance relationship work, then I uprooted and made the move to Shippensburg to join Nate.  We were excited to have photos taken here because we spent a lot of time in this area together, and it’s obviously a very sentimental location for Nate.”
For those of you who don’t know where Shippensburg is, it is a small town in South Central Pennsylvania.  Nate, Jenny and I all live there.  Isn’t it beautiful?

Jenny explained, “We were able to take photos in his grandparents’ yard that overlooks his late grandfather’s old farm.  I think that meant a lot, especially to Nate.”

Traditional Photos

Lots of couples ask if I take traditional, smile-and-look-at-the-camera type photos, of course!  I just really like to capture people interacting and in their element, showing all that authentic emotion.  I want to capture not just what people look like, but who they are, the activities and places that are important to them.

Jeep Rides

Jenny shared, “We love to pack the Jeep up and go for a Sunday ride through the mountains.  It’s kind of our thing.”
I used a special panning technique with a slow shutter to capture the movement of the vehicle and pick up the color of the fields and sunset.
Jeep. Envy.  Am I right?  Mine will be white :).

What They Love Most

Jenn shared, “What I love most about Nate is that he’s super easy going, and deals with my day to day craziness, haha!”
Nate smiled, “What I love most about Jenny is her smile and laugh– and that I can jump out and scare her every time, haha!”
Two peas in a pod, equals, balanced, there for each other and ready to tease a bit, too.  For me, this photo captures some of that balance along with the stunning Shippensburg countryside.

Getting Creative

I like to play with fun angles and reflections, this has both!

Their Engagement Story

Jenny began, “Everywhere Nate and I go we are always surrounded by friends or family. Late December my friend came to me asking me to plan her birthday party. After many ideas, we decided to go tubing at ski liberty. The weekend finally came and we were all driving down together, we rented a place to stay and had an amazing weekend planned to celebrate.”

She laughed, “I was walking out of the house in sweatpants, and Nate said  ‘THAT IS NOT WHAT YOU WEAR TO GO TUBING! YOU HAVE TO WEAR NICE CLOTHES!’  At that time I had no idea I would be picking out the outfit that I would be getting proposed to in!”

Jenny continued, “We arrived at the rental and everyone was stalling with ‘one more glass of wine’ waiting for Nate’s parents to arrive at Liberty Mountain Resort.  As we are walking through the parking lot we pass Nates dad’s truck, I had still had no idea.  After we arrive at THE location that my friends set up and made perfect for us,  Nate popped the question!”
Yep, Nate had it all planned out, even the fact that she wouldn’t want sweatpants on in her engagement photos, now that is a *keeper*, well played, sir!

Jenny shared “The most meaningful part was that the second I said yes, I turned around and saw my entire family and home town friends all running towards me. I loved that Nate had my family and friends from home come and his family and our friends from Shippensburg all together for this moment!”

Jenny concluded, “This is such a perfect illustration of ‘us’ because it was still low key, it wasn’t over the top. We had all the people we loved the most surrounding us and they were there to support and celebrate with us.”

His Neighbor’s Stone Foundation

Nate led the way down to this old stone foundation.  He explained that it was his neighbor’s barn growing up.  It burned down in a fire, but might look cool in pictures and be fun to explore a little.  He told me not to worry, he got permission first.  😉

Idyllic Country Setting

Nate grew up scouting the surrounding land with his dad, brother, and friends. He spent his young life running after his dogs through the cornfields as they chased birds. He and his brother would ride through the lane in the cornfield up to his grandfather’s farm.

You Are My Sunshine

I love to play with different creative elements in my photograph.  I think lighting is one of the main things that can add emotion to a photograph.  I don’t know if you are a movie fan, but JJ Abrams does this all the time and I love it– playing with intense light and allowing that to play in the lens.
I’m not gonna lie, it is tough on the eyes, and my camera hates it (refuses to focus, etc) but take my time and squint and try to do it if I have an opportunity.  I think it really shows that intense warm, loving feeling…

Sunset From Grandma’s Hill

Jenny & Nate, thank you so much for sharing your story with me, and giving me the pleasure of capturing it at this important time in your lives!  Sunset from your grandma’s hill, meeting grandma herself, guys, you are the best!

Jenny and Nate, I’m excited to capture your Heritage Restored wedding next year and meeting all of your family and friends.  Being that we live in the same small town, I bet I’ll even already know some of them :).