A Summer Senior Portrait Session With a Horse in Lancaster, PA

I have always wanted the opportunity to do a photo session with a horse and this beautiful summer senior session was my moment! Sydney loves animals and she wanted to find a way to incorporate both her dog and her horse into photos. We found the perfect creek location at Drumore Park just a few minutes away from Silvertop Stables where the horse stables are located. We started with some photos at the park in the stream and then ended at the farm. I love this particular spot in the creek because it is easy for wading and has these huge giant boulder rocks on either side of the stream. There is also a native pollinator garden at this park where we took some photos in the flowers with her dog.

I was blown away by the beauty of the light on the farm as Sydney walked with her horse up in the open pasture on a hill. We lucked out with the most beautiful sunset too! As we drove away I had us pull over on the side of the road just so I could grab some photos of Sydney as the sun went down.

Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait, family and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, York and Harrisburg PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!

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Lancaster Senior Photography: A Winter Downtown Lancaster City Portrait Session with Mekai

Most of my photo sessions these days revolve around growing families, but every now and then I get requests for senior portraits. My approach to senior portrait photography is a little different than documenting families because I get to focus on just one person instead of multiple people interacting together. I think the thing I like most about senior sessions is that I get to incorporate the senior’s personality and get to know them a bit since the session is one on one. They also allow for a little more creative experimentation whereas with families and young kids there is a lot more action and movement and fewer patience and attention spans.

Because Mekai’s senior portrait session happened in December, we chose Lancaster City as the location for the shoot. As you know, winter landscapes can be pretty sparse and the colors and textures of the city are fabulous year round. There is a lot of beauty to be found in the historic architecture, murals and roof tops around Lancaster City. And as a bonus, I’m just a 10 minute walk from the center of town. For this session we met at the Lancaster Central Market, a classic Lancaster City icon, and then headed up West King Street to one of my favorite roof top parking garages. I really wanted to sneak a mural in somewhere so we stopped at one of the newly painted murals sponsored by Music For Everyone, painted by local artist Keisha Finnie.

I think my favorite image of Mekai has to be him sitting on the concrete ledge of the rooftop parking garage with the stark sunlight and perfect blue sky with puffy clouds behind him. Which one is your favorite?

Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait, family and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, York and Harrisburg PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!

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Lancaster Senior Photography: Lexi's Snowy Winter Narnia Senior Session at Tucquan Glen

When I think of the Chronicles of Narnia, I definitely imagine the snowy winter scenes in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. When I first spoke with Lexi over the phone about what she envisioned for her senior session, I knew it was going to be good. She is interested in film and she loves Lord of the Rings and Narnia so she had several ideas for how to incorporate her interests into this session. She wanted a wooded, forest setting with rocks and water and I knew right away that Tucquan Glen would be the perfect location for her senior session. I am pretty sure this was the first time I did a senior session in the snow and it could not have been more perfect for creating that Narnia vibe. She even brought a sword and her bow and arrow along!

Another unique addition to this session were some of Lexi’s closest friends. I loved having them along because they made her laugh and it made the cold a little more bearable. On my drive home I went by a sign that read, “Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face” and I thought it was the perfect sentiment for the day. I got to experiment with some double exposures and my new get fractals prisms as well on this shoot and I am happy with the results. Hope you enjoy the photos from this snowy, winter senior session at Tucquan Glen!

Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!