🏈 Authentic, driven, and determined Northern York senior, Keith, doesn’t let cerebral palsy stand in the way of his dreams and aspirations! He is kind, dedicated, down-to-earth and living his best life. He is involved on high school football team as a coach. With CP affecting his right side, he plays a left-handed instrument, the French horn, in the concert band. He also enjoys the outdoors.
I love playing with silhouettes and vibrant colors like this blue sky. Here his French horn shows up so dramatically in silhouette.I love this stonewall and the incredible view– for me, it shows his strength, determination, and the mountains he has climbed in his lifeI enjoyed being able to meet at the Northern York High School football stadium. The backgrounds of the players and the field goalpost along with him, and his coaching attire and whistle are such a perfect tribute to this moment in his life.
Why Rhinehart Photography?
Keith smiles, “I chose Lisa as my photographer because I liked her creativity in using the environment around us. I knew she could capture my interests in a unique way.She made me feel comfortable and I actually enjoyed having my pictures taken.”
I love playing with the reflections. To have the beautiful fall backdrop, and all the lovely oranges and greens, accompanied by the gold of Keith’s French horn and the green-yellow of his sweatshirt–so much to work with!Here I was getting creative and seeing if I could capture the reflection of the colorful leaves in the sky and bring it down to Keith’s level with a prism. I enjoy thinking creatively to bring unique photography to my clients.Even from our initial meeting, I knew I wanted to do something like this for this Northern York senior portrait session. Shooting through the French horn brought the French horn into the photo without being completely on the nose… I used it as a frame, and again those gold colors were music to my eyes 😉I actually shot this one through the French horn as well but with a much more shallow depth of field… You can see it just vaguely, and it’s a very subtle reference, more of a feeling.
Why the French Horn?
Keith shares, “I chose to play the French Horn because it’s the only truly left-handed instrument. Since my Cerebral Palsyaffects the right side of my body, it is hard for me to use my right hand for fine motor skills. When playing the French Horn, I can use my right hand to hold onto it and play the keys with my left hand. I have been playing since 4th grade, this was the first year students could sign up to play an instrument. For many years, I took music lessons to help improve my ability to read music.”
I like that you can see the detailing of the French horn here along with Keith’s bit nails… Sometimes it’s the little things that make us human and our loved ones want to remember… It makes me curious if it’s caused by the game, stress, or a challenging math test, sometimes little things can say a lot…
Cerebral Palsy & Epilepsy: A Challenging Journey
Keith’s mom shares, “Keith has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and developmental delays. School has not come easy to him, and has often been a very big struggle, but he has pushed through. I want his pictures to be a reflection of his (often) difficult journey.”
She adds, “Keith is a very determined person who has pursued interests without letting physical limitations slow him down. He has adapted his life to fit him. He is very polite, and positive, and makes the best out of any situation.”
More reflection, this time I lined up his beard, hair, and clothing with the leaves of a tree him being against the bark of the tree… It’s a photo that’s pretty out there, and really shows his natural side, haha!While I post my more creative photos on my blog, of course, take nice smiling shots as well. Here is one of those as he holds his instrument.Haha, this one was really hard to achieve. It required a very narrow aperture, maybe F 16 or so, to get his full reflection and focus. I love the contrast of the blue sky and his yellow sweatshirt in the golden instrument. You probably have to look pretty closely to see him!I love his attitude here! I was trying to bring out his inner supermodel and dang I believe it showed up! Helping my seniors feel comfortable in front of the camera is something I really love to do! Check out those beautiful trees in the background, and leaves in the foreground!I wanted to give him something that was timeless. Something that could’ve been taken in 1960 or today and this is that shot. I love how this light hits his cheekbones and brightens his eyes!
Why the Stadium & Kings Gap?
Keith says, “I wanted to have pictures taken at the football stadium where I help coach and have had a lot of good memories over the past two years.I also wanted to have pictures taken with my French Horn, since I have been playing it since I was in 4th grade.King’s Gap is very scenic and my French Horn fit in nicely with the fall colors.”
I could not get over the colors! The same tree had this neon green and neon orange that gave me flashbacks to the 1990s! Just unreal!I really think his confidence and kindness come across in this photo. It also has that symbolism of climbing mountains, and reaching a beautiful view!Again that traditional 1960s vibe… I could see his grandfather having this photo or something like that. There’s something so traditional about the instruments and his luck. If you look very closely, you can also see his reflection 🙂I usually try to get something that would work on family members’ mantles or in the yearbook (if you’re allowed to bring in your own photos). I really like this classic photo of him.Playing with a French horn as a frame again– I love the glistening and gold it brings to the foregroundAn epic landscape shot is something I also usually aim for, in this case, I wanted to show off the mountain. Keith is framed by waving strands of tall grass and anchored by a large rock. This would make a gorgeous canvas! A piece of art that Keith could bring with him throughout his life to remind him of the beauty of his home and his accomplishments as a Northern York senior.
Why Coach Football?
Keith says, “I have been coaching since 11th grade, and I wish I would have gotten into it sooner. I’ve made great friendships and have learned all the hard work and dedication it takes to develop a winning team.”
Coaching brings out a different side of Keith that I really wanted to capture… Here we have the team and goalposts subtly behind him and he’s wearing his coaching gearHere, you can see the school stadium suddenly in the background with players and the yard lines as well as the headset that he wears during gamesThe scoreboard, headphones, and whistle, along with his bright smile, and the green field in the background say so much about this central Pennsylvania senior and his passionsI wanted to show a bit of grit and struggle here. The black-and-white photo brought that out, as well as the chain-link fence that provides texture in the foreground.
Dreams and Aspirations
Keith continues, “I would like to continue coaching at Northern in the future and have been welcomed back after graduation. I have learned so much from my fellow coaches, and they have taken the time to help me succeed with my own plays and ideas.”
Drive and Determination
Determination and drive are something this Northern York senior definitely has. At this point in the shoot, I told him to stare me down like I was the coach on the other team!
Here I am using my off-camera flash as a rim light. I wanted it to be edgy, high contrast, and just be something outside of the box and an iconic profile for him. I could totally see him using that simple outline as a logo or something in the future ;). Maybe even for his YouTube channel!
It was such a pleasure for me to photograph Keith’s football coaching dreams coming true. Excited to see what the future holds for this kind, honest, down-to-earth Northern York senior!
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