Tori | College Senior Portraits on Whitetop Mountain | Abingdon, Virginia

I am all for having portraits taken for fun. Whether it’s a milestone birthday, an annual present to yourself, a celebration of graduation from high school or college, or a freaking breakup. Portrait sessions are SO MUCH FUN. You can make it feel like an REI shoot for an ad or like your a winter goddess, or both like Tori did.

We (quite the group of us) met up by 5:30am, and drove an hour to this winter wonderland to make it JUST in time for sunrise. It was cold, we had blankets and coats and a nice warm car to run to inbetween shots and locations. The ice was a struggle (and a little terrifying), but it was all pretty freaking worth it.

Also, I love my mountains up here in the Shenandoah National Park, but Whitetop Mountain blew me away. I’ve been hearing and reading about this spot for quite some time now, but I didn’t realize just how magical it was. Look at those layers! I want them painted on my wall. I’ve decided I am now going to travel down to Abingdon as much as possible.

Thank you to Tori, Ali, Matt, and Johnny for being troopers (;

Kristina and Josh | Winter Engagement Session | Shenandoah National Park

Here is what this photo shoot was made of :

Laughing. A lot of it.
Black ice and some swearing.
Staring into the sun.
Cold breath.
Some more laughing.
Titanic impersonations.
Greatest Showman Soundtrack.
Disney Soundtracks.

And then to top it all off, we got stuck up on Skyline Drive and had to drive all the way back (about an hour) to another exit where Johnny picked me up.

And that’s how you make new best friends!

To be perfectly clear, I did listen to The Greatest Showman soundtrack over and over while editing these. It was important I did so.

Macy & Mark | Fall Sunrise Couple Session | Shenandoah National Park

I am up on the Shenandoah National Park nearly every week, sometimes multiple times a week, and every time I am there it is different. The sunrises are different within themselves, and they are very, very different from the sun sets. Sometimes the fog sits in this valley, sometimes it has engulfed the entire mountain, sometimes the sunrise is blue, and sometimes - though rarely - it is this clear, firey orange.

This was one of my mini sessions, and I am so very thankful that Macy and Mark traveled almost 2 hours and even got here on time so early in the morning so that we could witness this crazy sunrise together. Also, their style is on point.