A canoe, 4-wheeler, pottery wheel, pup, beer, and the great outdoors— Lindsey and Alex are up for anything and super high-energy which makes my job as a Creative Engagement Photographer so much fun!
Why Rhinehart Photography?
Lindsey shares, “I remember first seeing Rhinehart Photography as some of my friends were having senior photos taken during high school, and I’ve followed her work ever since. After getting engaged, the choice of photographer was instantaneous–no reservations. So instantaneous in fact, that Rhinehart Photography was booked prior to booking the wedding venue!”
She continues, “We love that every album is as completely unique as the couple themselves. The angles, reflections, and lighting make the captured moments even more exciting. We are hoping that our engagement and wedding photos capture candidly the moments that make us… us! Feeling confident and comfortable is a plus of course!”
Puppy Time!
Lindsey says, “We very much appreciated being able to have our dog, Belle, included in the photos. It was great to be in a location where Belle could be off leash and show some of her spunky personality as well!”
Including your dog in your session can be so much fun! Lindsey and Alex followed some of my tips as a Creative Engagement Photographer to include their dog in their engagement session! (yes I did add in a few of Lindsey & Alex’s session, so now they and Belle are officially models :).
Adventure– Canoeing on the Pond!
Lindsey says, “Before our photoshoot, we were talking about how we weren’t sure how we would spend 2 hours taking photos but, man, we could’ve stayed all night. We had some of our favorite things like our dog, I.C. Light Mango (a Pittsburgh staple in our eyes), a campfire with s’mores,” and Lindsey laughs, “each other too, I guess.”
She smiles, “Alex makes me feel like I can do anything which has helped me to have more of an ‘up for anything and go with the flow’ attitude as he has. As in our life together, our shoot led us to try some things that were new to one or both of us. I enjoy kayaking but our shoot was the first time I was ever in a canoe. During the shoot, we laughed that if we can survive canoeing together without going in the water we don’t need marriage counseling before the wedding. (I’m very proud to say that we didn’t end up in the water!).”
Choosing a Creative Engagement Session Location
Alex reflects, “Although we live outside of Pittsburgh, we frequently return to Shippensburg to visit Lindsey’s family. With Lisa being located in Shippensburg, we asked her for location recommendations.”
Lindsey added, “We completely trust Lisa with our photos. We really didn’t have a clue where to have our engagement session, so we figured, why not let the creative engagement photographer herself suggest the location, haha!”
Alex added, “Lisa’s friend, who was also a teacher of Lindsey’s, Mr. Z, was brought up as having an cool option. Mr. Z has a property in the mountains outside of town with a pond. In true Mr. Z’s fashion, he went above and beyond in offering his property, side by side, a pottery studio, and a campfire for the photos. He is so kind!”
A Friend’s Pottery Wheel
Lindsey says, “Mr. Z also shared his pottery wheel with us! I have taken a ceramics class before so it was really fun to show Alex what I remembered about using the pottery wheel.”
Being a Creative Engagement Photographer means both being up for anything and helping my couple with creative ideas too. As Lindsey shared I suggested this location and I also went with the flow as Mr Z suggested the four wheeler and pottery studio. I have akit that is ready to go, 2 cameras on my hips and a backpack with all the things. I love opportunities like this!
Worth mentioning is “Mr Z” has been a true friend of mine for many years. I was surprised the first time I walked in his kitchen to see several of my photography pieces on display– now there are even more! One of my favorite afternoon activities is throwing pottery with him in his studio. If you’ve seen me doing that at all on Instagram, this is exactly where I am!
Ring Pop Proposal Story
Lindsey laughs, “I was less than subtle about my desire to get married. For over a year, Alex had been “proposing” with Ring Pops. Especially any time I was being extra persistent about getting engaged. September 1st was the day of the Backyard Brawl (Pitt vs. WVU). As a Pitt alum, this was like a holiday to my friends and me. We went to our friend’s house after work to watch the big game. Prior to the game starting, Alex asked if I wanted to take pictures in our Pitt gear. (Alex went to Penn State so I often make a big deal out of him wearing his one and only Pitt shirt). I said yes because I am often the one bugging him to take pictures.”
She continues, “As we posed in our friends’ backyard, Alex turned to face me and he got down on one knee…and he pulled out a RING POP (Out of all of the Ring Pop proposals, this was by far the most realistic). Although I was not as amused, Alex requested that we take more pictures with the Ring Pop like it was an engagement ring because he assured me “it will be funny later”. As we posed for pictures, one of our friends shouted from the patio, “How long are you going to keep this up, man?” I laughed and looked at Alex and said, “What, is the real one in your pocket?” He started to back away and he reached into his other pocket and took out a small blue box. My mouth dropped as he opened it to show the real ring that was inside. He returned to one knee, and after a couple of “no’s” of disbelief, I said yes!!”
Lindsey smiles, “My Ring Pop got the upgrade of a lifetime because the real engagement ring belonged to Alex’s Grandmother. Alex’s Grandfather had given him the ring about 2 years ago and I learned that although it had several different hiding spots, it spent most of its time in one of the drawers of Alex’s desk. I think Alex is proud of the fact that every time I tried to show him “ring inspiration” he knew he already had the ring of my dreams.”
Alex says, “Carma Stafford is a steel trap, (someone who you can really trust to keep a secret). Lindsey frequently calls her mom every day, well actually multiple times a day. Unbeknownst to Lindsey, for weeks, every time Lindsey called, Carma was patiently waiting to hear some news. On September 1st, 2022, Lindsey called and said ‘MOM!!!! I got engaged! You have to see this ring!’. To which Carma replied, ‘I’ve already seen it!‘. A couple of weeks prior, I had shown her parents the ring and asked for their blessing to ask Lindsey to marry me.”
The University of Pittsburgh Grads Tinder Sucess Story
Alex shares, “A swipe-right happily ever after love story. Through seemingly endless swiping, we matched on Tinder in 2019. With such wit and charm, the conversation began “Is that Hailee Kulich in your photo?”. Lindsey saved the screenshots of the question and immediately forwarded them to Hailee to confirm that she knew me. The existence of a mutual friend was the easiest validation of a stranger on the internet. Our first date was at a bar called the Urban Tap. We joke that the date went so well that we had our second date the same night during a bar crawl to Mad Mex, right next door to Urban Tap.”
Lindsey says, “There has never once been a time where I felt like I couldn’t be myself around Alex. I think that is one of the things that make us work so well together. He is a true shirt off of his back friend and he will help someone whether he has known them for his entire life or if he has never met them before. He is warm, encouraging, smart, and loving. We also have a similar sense of humor which is good because we pick on each other quite a bit.”
Alex smiles, “I have to tell you about the longest two weeks of my life. At the beginning of COVID, a two-week lockdown was announced. At the time, Lindsey was living alone in an apartment in Shadyside, and I was living in my house in Murrysville. I invited Lindsey to stay in suburbia for two weeks until the lockdown was lifted. Those two weeks never ended, and I couldn’t be happier. I found the person that I want to spend the rest of my life with. When I tell Lindsey that it will be ‘till death do us part‘, and she responds ‘that’s too soon. FOREVER!’.”
As a creative engagement photographer, my very favorite thing is to work with couples who are authentic and true to themselves. Lindsey & Alex were so fun to work with and as they said, they were willing to try anything! This gave them unique and creative photos from their session. They will be getting married at Oak Lodge in September of this year– you’ll have to stay tuned to see their wedding photos 🙂
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