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Outdoor Lifestyle Photographer: Amber & Josh

I feel so lucky to be an outdoor lifestyle photographer!  Here I climbed the ridgeline of the tallest Mountain in Vermont with these two!  Seeing the first photo I bet you are thinking this is an engagement session because these two are so in love and adventurous.

Actually, this is my third time working with Amber & Josh!   I photographed their engagement, wedding, and now, they wanted to take me back to their roots, where they met, at  Vermont Law School in Burlington, Vermont.  They are calling this, their “origin story” and oh my goodness was it fun to photograph!!

I set out to capture the lifestyle of these two, including their relationship, key places, and all the real-life emotion that comes with it.

outdoor lifestyle photographer Burlington vermont best hiking photographer pa couple silhouetted against sky on top of mountain with purple and blue ombre sunset behind them

Why Rhinehart Photography?

Josh smiles, “No one can tell a story through photographs like Lisa! Lisa is an artist, and we wanted her unique perspective on capturing our roots.”

Amber adds, “Our origin story is complex, and we needed an experienced, vibrant, and creative photographer like Lisa to fully capture the emotion behind our story. After working with Lisa for our engagement photoshoot and wedding, we never even considered asking anyone else to travel to Vermont with us.”

couple sitting on rock on top of mount Mansfield in vermont with trees surrounding and sunset in background best central pa outdoor photographer

Being an Outdoor Lifestyle Photographer

As an outdoor lifestyle photographer, I capture all sorts of people, and not just what they look like all polished up smiling directly at the camera.  I go out with them, to the places that mean the most to them, and capture them doing life together.

In this case, I hiked Mount Mansfield with Amber & Josh.  My goal was not just to show what it *looked like* (though that was stunning), but what it *felt like*, too.  Here is one of those “felt like” images, you can almost feel the sticky pine sap and see Amber’s nimble movements through the Green Mountains of Vermont.

couple hiking through the woods in vermont surrounded by trees wearing athletic clothes

Capturing Emotion

As an outdoor lifestyle photographer, capturing what a relationship feels like requires me to be on my toes, capturing the love, laughter, and all of the little things that come together to capture the whole vibe of the people I’m with.  Here Amber and Josh laugh together:

couple laughing and smiling while looking at each other on top of mountain with blue sky in the background and pine tree in foreground best outdoor lifestyle photographer natural candid vibrant

Yaaas, girl…  Spider Crawl!!

Amber you are a boss– not only are you an incredible lawyer and strong woman, but you are also physically strong– you go!!!

This seems to be perfect for their “Origin Story” the name just gives me Marvel vibes.  😉

couple crossing gap in between mountain by crawling girl with red hair wearing backpack Burlington vt

Blue Skies & Layers, yes, please!

I know a lot of photographers prefer overcast days.  While calculating exposure is much easier on a cloudy day, I love the variety of light I’m presented with as an outdoor lifestyle photographer.  Harsh light brings dramatic shadows and bright blue skies, we were lucky though to have a real treat in this session to end with golden hour and sunset… more on that to come soon!

couple on top of mount Mansfield in Burlington vermont looking at each other with blue sky in background and mountains in the distance unique creative artistic photographer award winning pa

Shadow Play

On a bright blue sky day like this, dramatic shadows are abundant!  I like to play with light and shadows, here if you look closely you can see…

couple holding hands shadow displayed on mountain rocks below with blue mountains in the distance creative angle best artistic photographer central pa

Natural Emotion

Having the chance to capture candid emotions like this is one of my favorite things:

black and white photo of couple hugging while laughing outside in middle of woods surrounded by trees best emotional candid natural outdoor lifestyle photographer

Water, My Favorite Element!

I love how it reflects and makes ripples underneath Josh’s boots.  Amber totally reminded me of Ariel here, Disney fan, you know who I mean!

girl sitting on rock with reflection in puddle while boy wearing hiking boots walks toward her with blue sky in the background

Lots of Reflections!

Here’s another reason why water is my favorite element! It gave me creative options for this shot:

couple kissing reflected into water puddle while hiking creative artistic unique perspective best award winning photographer central pa

Little People, Big World

Sometimes perspective is everything and the landscape is actually a key part of this story…

couple hiking on mount Mansfield in Burlington vermont with blue mountains in the background wide angle photo unique perspective

Goosebumps & Wedding Bands

I can practically feel the temperature looking back at this photo seeing the goosebumps on their arms. I love the glimpse of Amber’s wedding bands here as well.

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Why Vermont?

Amber shares “We chose the Appalachian Trail because hiking a part of that trail was one of our first dates.”

She laughed, “When Josh asked me to go hiking with him, I decided that I would bring pepper spray just in case, haha!  It turns out that I did NOT need the pepper spray, and we had a memorable, romantic date. Hiking the trail with him again reminded me of why we fell in love.”

Josh adds, “For the hike, my wife wore the same shorts that she wore 8 years ago for our date, love her rockin’ body! We also shared a meal along our journey just like we did on our date.”couple walking down mountain in burlington vt along path surrounded by greenery trees and mountains in the distance

Hiking Fun!

Amber shares, “Josh and I have always enjoyed hiking and to make this hike even more fun, we decided to bring a brew for the journey!”

guy hugging girl from behind smiling at each other wearing black tank tops on top of mountain with trees in the background

A Helping Hand

Josh shares, “Amber and I work together to solve life’s everyday problems, and just like any other married couple, we have had our fair share of storms. Marriage is not perfect, but we love each other so we are willing to recognize our faults and grow together.”

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All about Josh

Amber smiles, “I would describe Josh as adventurous, inquisitive, and funny. He always makes me laugh, and our personalities complement each other very well.”

guy kissing girl on cheek while they hold on to each other outside as golden hour shows through the trees with pine trees behind them

Amber continues, “When I got to know Josh, I realized that he is an incredibly loyal and kind person. I knew that I had a keeper in more ways than one.  When I first started dating Josh, I was hoping to find a partner and ended up finding so much more. When Josh and I are together, life isn’t so stressful and I see more of the comical side.”

girl kissing guy on cheek while sitting on top of mountain with pine trees in front of them and vibrant blue cloudless sky behind them

Traditional portraits, too

For this I loved how the yellow-green plants were illuminated by the setting sun and reflecting in their eyes, totally drawing out the color.  I looked for that mixed with shade (to avoid squinting) I found the perfect place and love this shot of them!

traditional portrait of couple smiling and looking at camera from top of mountain in vermont traditional portrait photographer central pa

Symmetry & More Shadow Play

Having the chance to be creative with a unique perspective and shadows is something I really enjoy. I also love the symmetry created here with Amber & Josh’s hands in each other’s pockets.

The shadows appear to be completely different than the originals thanks to a pair of builders behind us.  I thought that was interesting.

couple with hands in each others back pockets with shadow in front of them standing on top of mountain with sky and mountains in the distance creative unique perspective

All About Amber

Josh says, “Describing Amber is hard to put in words. Amber is not just my wife but my life partner, my best friend, my ally, my love. Amber is the most independent, intelligent, and creative person that I have ever met.”

couple holding hands walking on mountain wearing backpacks with more blue mountains in the distance best award winning outdoor lifestyle photographer

Exploring the World Together

He continues, “Vermont brought us together, so it will always have a special place in my heart. I am looking forward to continuing to explore the world with Amber and enjoy the simple pleasures.”

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They did it! The summit!

Here they are standing in the highest point in Vermont.  I love how Amber’s auburn hair is blowing in the breeze!

couple holding hands up in the air at the top of the summit of mount Mansfield in Burlington vt with trees and ground in the distance

All the Lenses

I brought 5 different lenses along on this trip.  I really thought about it ahead of time, with needing nearly a gallon of water to keep hydrated, plus food, a back up camera… I definitely needed help!

The fish-eye was one I almost didn’t bring, but it was so light, I figured why not?  I’m so glad I had it for these “top of the world” moments, you really get that rounded “top of the world” vibe here!

couple sitting down hugging each other on top of summit of mount Mansfield in Burlington with more mountains in the distance fish eye lens wide angle creative vibrant photo

On Top of the World

This is everything.  As an outdoor lifestyle photographer, I’m really trying to capture the authenticity of this couple and what it feels like in this moment for them.

To be kissing on the top of the tallest mountain, windblown, goosebumped, salty, with scruff forming after hours of hiking.  This is the closest I can bring you to what it feels like.

black and white fish eye lens photo of couple kissing on top of mount Mansfield with nature in background best award winning outdoor lifestyle photographer

Story Time

Amber laughs, “I was coming out of the house for my morning run, and there was Josh!!   I almost didn’t believe it!!  At first, I was confused and was like ‘Is this guy stalking me?’ Then I realized that he was working!”

She explains, “You see, Right after we met, Josh was working as a mason and happened to be rebuilding the chimney on the house across the street from where I was living.  It was a crazy, incredible coincidence. Or perhaps it was fate.”

Josh says, “When I saw Amber on that day, I was excited to run into her. She seemed to be confused. I remember my co-worker saying, ‘Man, I don’t think she likes you.’ Luckily, she did like me and here we are 8 years later doing an origin story!”

couple walking on top of mountain with more mountains in the background natural candid photographer central pa

Golden Hour

I first saw the glow on Amber’s skin as rock and trees were obstructing my view, and I knew this would be *killer* color to work with!

couple standing on top of mountains holding hands smiling at each other while golden hour light shines on them pine trees in the distance

A Rainbow of Colors

As the sunset, the blue-green of the mountains became a rainbow of colors like this orange combo below.  It makes me think of a creamsicle!

couple looking at each other with orange vibrant sunset in the background and solar flare

Adventures

Josh shares, “When we got to the top of the mountain, I thought about how far Amber and I have come and all of our accomplishments that we have achieved as a couple. Although we have been together for eight years, I still feel that our adventure is only beginning.”

This photo totally shows their adventurous side and how much they truly love each other:

guy picking up girl on top of mountain while girls hair blows in the wind with orange sunset in the background

The Only One

Amber shares, “Standing at the top of that mountain reminded me of just how wondrous and enchanting the world can be. Life is not always easy, but at that moment everything seemed right. I would not want anyone other than Josh by my side for such a moment.”

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Purple Mountain Sunset

As the sunset, the color dominating the landscape was purple.  I’m guessing it’s a combo of the setting sun and the blue mountains. This ombre look is my absolute favorite, and this so captures them.  The purple (like their wedding color pallette), combined with this post that really shows their personalities and their relationship.

This shot brings it all together:

couple walking silhouetted against blue and purple ombre twilight background on top of mountain best award winning outdoor lifestyle photographer on east coast

Amber & Josh’s Slideshow

See more adventurous photos from Amber & Josh’s outdoor lifestyle session below.

Hungry for More?

2 thoughts on “Outdoor Lifestyle Photographer: Amber & Josh”

  1. The photos are absolutely stunning and so incredibly natural! They capture spirit, heart and beauty! The music to the slideshow brought some tears to my eyes as well. A wonderful experience. Thank you Lisa for sharing your talent with us!

    1. Thank you so much!! Their relationship is authentic and just beautiful, I feel so honored to have captured that and am so happy that they found each other!!

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