Vibrant, fun and eclectic– Alyssa’s senior portrait included a UK style phone booth, bright yellow wildflowers, and this eye-catching mural, you won’t want to miss it!
Why Rhinehart Photography?
Alyssa smiled “From the beginning, I knew I wanted to hire a senior portrait photographer who was talented really knew what they were doing. When my mom told me to check out Lisa Rhinehart’s work, I was amazed by her style and scrolled through so many of her photos on Instagram.”
She added, “I was so nervous at the start of the shoot and Lisa really helped me to get more comfortable and really open up. She had so many unique ideas and knew just how to use the many locations and outfits that we had to work with. I’m hoping to see a wide variety of photos that really capture me, my personality and all the places I love, before I head off to college.”
Medaling in Track
Alyssa shared, “I have been involved in several different sports throughout high school and have lettered in soccer, basketball and track. In track, during my sophomore year, my 4×8 team and I have broken the school record multiple times, which has been really exciting and humbling, receiving personal records throughout.” (more about that experience later)
Love for Shopping
Alyssa laughed, “I am hands down obsessed with shopping, and I blame my mother for that, haha! Dressing up is very fun for me and I really enjoy trying new looks. Even if I’m not buying anything I just really enjoy going to a mall and walking around with some friends or my mom. I’m a fan of the little black dress for sure.”
You Belong Among the Wildflowers…
She smiled, “I absolutely love the color yellow. It reminds me of sunshine, happiness, friendship, it just makes me think happy thoughts. When we first started talking about locations I really wanted a wildflower field with yellow flowers. I didn’t know at the time that we would find one but I’m really glad we did!”
Color & Creativity
Alyssa, “For this part of the session we went in front of this beautiful stain glass mural. I love how creative and funky this part of the session felt.”
Reminiscing About Track Memories…
She shared, “My sophomore year of high school, my 4×8 relay team and I broke the school record multiple times. We were determined to get faster, stronger, and better as the season progressed. Towards the end of the season, I actually got shin splints and had to go through a recovery process the week of our district competition. I was still participating in the mile warm-up, but then I would ice my shins and do a lot of stretching for the remainder of the time. I truly thought that with my shins being in bad shape I wouldn’t be able to perform at my highest level for the meet.”
She continued, “My team ended up receiving all new personal records, including me, and we also beat our previous school record in that race. When we beat the record the first time I remember everyone screaming and cheering as I crossed the line at the end of the race. I fell to the ground in pain and my 3 teammates came over screaming and hugging me. We had worked so hard that season and I was so happy and proud of the team that we had become.”
Sweet memories, Alyssa…
That 70’s Vibe
Alyssa smiled, “I love playing with different looks and clothes. When we went to Laurel Lake, I wore bootcut jeans with a tight white tank top and one of my favorite pairs of heels. This outfit was very down to earth and had a 70’s vibe to it which I loved!”
Old World Downtown Feel
Alyssa explained, “Shooting in downtown Chambersburg was so much fun! There was something about it that reminded us of Europe with the cute downtown. I really want to go to Paris someday. I love traveling and I think traveling to Europe and touring through Paris would be an amazing experience. This felt like a little taste of that for me.”
Beach Vibes
Alyssa shared, “I absolutely love going to the beach. I love the hot sun touching my skin, the breeze blowing through my sandy hair. My most memorable vacation to the beach was the Bahamas. I’m so glad Lisa found a way to incorporate a beachy look even though we were so close to home.”
Retro Phone Booth
An old-school phone booth– anyone remembers these? I love that this was both retro and had a definite UK vibe being painted bright red, such a fun item to play with!
When I traveled to the UK a few years ago, I was surprised to find that many of the old red phone booths now housed wifi hot spots!
Classic Headshots
While I love to capture elements of people’s personalities, interests, style, favorite places, etc throughout each senior portrait session, I also make sure to capture a few traditional portraits, too. Something that would work well for a wallet-sized print, headshot online or just look great on grandma’s wall.
She was all-in and up for Anything!
Alyssa was all-in and up for any of my ideas, even if they were a little crazy, haha. Her mom found these beautiful yellow wildflowers, so perfect for Alyssa’s love of all things yellow, and I had her climb in and sit on the ground looking off into the distance and I love the results… her body language is so confident and it really shows off her style and killer cheekbones!
Her Inner-Child
Awww, the beach definitely brought out the kid in her… I can totally imagine her having a similarly sweet photo from elementary school.
Chic, Modern, Confident
Alyssa explained, “Lisa was a great help with my outfits and suggested I wear this striped crop top and black flowy pants because they looked so modern and would pop against the colorful mural in downtown Chambersburg. I totally agree!”
*Reflecting* on her American Heritage
The reflection in this downtown storefront seemed to be a perfect fit for Alyssa. The American flag was perfectly illuminated in the sunlight against a backdrop that said, “They tried to bury us, but didn’t realize we were seeds.” It’s a plant store :). It seemed fitting for her, and her beliefs, too.
Alyssa explained, “We also tied in an American flag to a few of my pictures. I am very proud to be an American. This year, as being a senior, marks the year of my application processes for college. I have fully committed and decided that Liberty University in Virginia is the college for me.”
I have your Back! (and hair, too) haha!
Alyssa shared, “I really enjoyed working with Lisa throughout, and she had my back, helping me with ideas of where to stand or what to do. She was kind and helpful, too, especially when it came to hair or make-up fixes, haha!”
She is Fierce!
She shared, “I believe that my strengths include devotion to my education, athletics, and being loving towards all my family and friends. I believe that I am determined to succeed and be the best at everything I do while remaining humble and determined.”
People are Key and Her Family is Her Heart
Alyssa explained, “I really enjoy spending time with my friends. I believe community is a very important thing. There isn’t a day in my life where I’m not checking on my friends, asking how they are doing, showing up randomly to say hello, or just going out for a coffee and some girl time. Now don’t get me wrong, friendship and community is very important to me, especially through my faith, but I would have to say, hands down, that I love my family with my whole heart.”
Small Town Girl
Alyssa shared, “My whole life I grew up in a small town, Shippensburg Pennsylvania, constantly surrounded by fields. I thought that getting pictures in a grassy field with flowers would be the perfect setting to catch that small-town vibe.”
She added, “It reminded me of playing in fields with my cousins when I was a little girl.”
Even when she wasn’t surrounded by yellow flowers, she was wearing a sunflower bracelet!
Brick by Brick!
Alyssa shared, “I wanted something a little more chic and modern, too as I really enjoy the modeling type of look with things such as brick walls, buildings, windows, etc.”
I loved this gray brick wall, I thought it felt really modern and chic for sure! This shows off her grown woman side…
I found this classic red brick one, too, I love her sweet expression here. I think it really shows off her inner child. This is such an interesting time in life to photograph someone, as they are in between the two!
Peace Out
Alyssa laughed, “Ever since I was a little girl I always loved showing peace signs. My friends and I would always have fun with that so I thought it would be a great this to tie into my senior photos.”
The Water at Sunset
Alyssa shared, “For my last outfit, I wore a long light blue dress with black flowers and a slit at the knee. I thought Lisa came up with some really fun and creative ideas for getting pictures at laurel lake to show off my love of the water.”
And we hit the beach just at sunset! This allowed us to play with some of the yellow tones in the reflection…
And in no time, the sun sank below the clouds leaving a bit of pink and purple as day turned to night.
Alyssa concluded, “All of the locations and outfits that I chose are important to me because I want to be able to look at them and have them remind me of my childhood and of my high school experiences. I know that I will never forget the amazing memories I made here, but these pictures will be a great reminder of the locations and the styles that I had throughout high school and my teenage years. I still can’t believe I will be an adult, starting college in the fall, but here I am!”
Alyssa, I’d like to thank you and your family for choosing me to capture such an important time in your life and to bring out not just who you are on the outside, but who you are on the inside, too– your passions, interests, personality. I hope you like these as much as I do! 🙂