I love stained glass. And I live in a part of the country that has homes old enough to have stained glass windows as part of their design. These are homes built in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
I’m drawn to the light and colors and how no two are alike even if the design is the same.
People are celebrating life’s moments. As they should. At this point, we really have every reason to celebrate anything we want to…
I was honored to be chosen to capture a wonderful family’s daughter becoming a bat mitzvah this past weekend.
A perfect day for a wonderful girl!
The weather was perfect and the location was excellent. Their party was at Forest Lodge in Warren NJ. Plenty of space to spread out. Kids had jenga, corn hole and pingpong. Adults also took part in all the kid activities, since we’re all kids at heart! The bat mitzvah girl was welcomed into the party with ‘forest’ of friends!
Mitzvahs, more than weddings, I think, bring more of the family in the celebration. There are so many opportunities for family members to be a part of the day.
From cutting the challah and saying the ‘motzi to getting lifted up in the air in a chair for the hora!
It was a wonderful day and everyone had a great time. I can’t wait to deliver the gallery for my clients. This may not have been on the day they planned, but they planned and had a wonderful day!
When M & E contacted me about their wedding, I was excited!
Not only were they were fun and laid back, their wedding location was one I had never been to and looked absolutely fabulous! The Queens Botanical Garden!
Not only am I a photographer. I’m a gardener too. So to be able to photograph in a garden and be allowed to use the any part of the garden as our ‘studio’ was wonderful.
The wedding took place in the aptly named “Wedding Garden”. It’s beautiful private spot and perfect for this intimate wedding.
The bride’s bouquet of pink roses.
The weather was iffy, but held off. While everyone loves a blue sky, the cloud cover actually is great for photos by providing an even soft light.
The bridge by the pond and the gazebo towards the back offered so many different looks in a very small area. I loved this setup because we spent very little time walking to the various locations and more time photographing.
In the rose garden.
And the rose garden was in full bloom. And again, it was a small space that allowed for many different photo ops with very little effort. However, one this day, it had rained the day before – so we did have to do some puddle avoidance. I love this image because they are surrounded by flowers!
Details, details, details.
The reception was at a local restaurant – they had the garden room to tie into the garden theme. I borrowed the bride’s shoes, the rings and the bouquet for this detail image. The rings will be forever, but the bouquet will fade and the shoes will wear. I make sure I get these images because of the fleeting nature of the flowers and to a lesser extent, the shoes. It’s nice to have them preserved artistically.
On looking back on the past year and see the families that I worked with to help them remember the moments. Yes, last year was a year full of moments…it wasn’t the year we wanted but it was the one we got and we tried to make the best of it. And sometimes, we did make the best of it and even found joy.
Here’s a small selection of the families that asked me to help them remember the bright parts of 2020.
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Kids are predictable in their unpredictability.
Every parent and every photographer knows this.
The benefit of being a photographer instead of being the parent is the kids may just listen to me over the parents. Not all the time, but most times. This takes into account that it’s generally a good day for the kid. That no teeth are coming in or a cold coming on or no monsters were found under the bed the night before. If the parents ‘accept’ me asking the kid to do something silly, generally the kids go along with it and we have fun. But even if they are having a bad day and can’t tell you why, this isn’t my first rodeo and plus, I’m a parent too! BTDT.
The most common thing I run into is kids wondering what is going on, who am I, and why is everyone here. And it’s all good. I get goofy. I play peekaboo. I make funny sounds. Get the kids to say funny things. And the kid warms up and we have a great session!
Here we have a sweet boo! He is adorable! Look at those eyes!
I start making a fool of myself. Making silly noises and hiding behind the tree, and slowly he gives me a small smile. It also helps that his parents are super chill. Kids are smart – they can pick up stress. They were great – nice and relaxed so their kid was too!
And then we had some fun with non posed time. Here I only want to capture the unguarded interactions – the joy of the parent and child relationship. The stuff you want to remember. Not the all the other stuff – sleepless nights, cranky kids, the they will only eat beige food phase…
No pun intended, it really is a joy to capture these moments for my clients. These images will be printed and hung on walls, given to grandparents, used in slideshows at graduation, and hopefully, shown to their children and their children’s children. Because we are in a golden age. There are less than a handful of photos of my parents when they were very young and only a few of them up and thru high school. Most of the photos are from when they were adults. And they are precious. But wouldn’t have been great to see my mom at 8, 14 or 18? My dad at 5, 12 and 23? But here – here is a moment in time, captured for this child. One he will be able to see when he’s older. And one, that if he has children, he can show them.
I’ve upped my hiking game. New Jersey is actually a stunningly beautiful state! I know! Not the first thing you think of when you think of NJ! This trip was to Dismal Harmony Natural Area. The state may have beautiful spaces, but names…I’m told it’s because it’s where the Dismal and Harmony streams meet. OK…
It is stunning beautiful even in the winter. The structure of the bare trees in the late afternoon sunlight.
And the reflection of those trees and that sunlight reflected in the stream along with the afternoon blue sky.
There is something peaceful and scared here.
I love the woods. It’s a place where there is quite. Especially now. When we are working from home, schooling from home, everything from home, getting out and in nature, is needed and good for one’s mental health..
One of the greatest honors of photographing families year after year is that you get to see the kids grow up. This is awesome for a couple reasons. First, this is an honor reserved mainly for family. Second, the kids recognize me and and are more relaxed. More relaxed equals great photos!
I started photographing this lovely family when the oldest was less than a year old. We had such a great first session! Over the years they have entrusted me with remembering the small moments. You see, I’m a parent too. And when I look at my college aged child, I sometimes take a step back and wonder where the time went. Really, even if my kid, with a photographer as a mom, was very well documented, it still catches me off guard that she is all grown up.
This is one of the reasons I do what I do. To save the moments you think you will always remember.
What also makes for a great session – trust. Having worked with the family for years – they know what to expect from me. They trust me.
One of the things I love to do is have fun! And fun can be running around or making silly faces!
I work hard to get you great images. Here are a few tips I’ve come up with over the years.
1 – Remember really young kids have an undeveloped sense of time – so those bribes of going somewhere or a reward AFTER the session mean nothing to them. They will want them NOW or 3 minutes from now. AKA, they don’t work or don’t work well. Slip the photog a few small and non messy food/candy treat out of sight of the kids. Offer the treats when needed. COVID UPDATE: During the time of COVID, this won’t work as planned. Parents will need to hide the bribe and work with me on timing.
2 – Let me set the pace and tone. Stress over not smiling is infectious and your kids will become stressed and that makes for poor pix.
3 – Let me let you know when I need your help. Don’t tell your kids to smile. Please. You’ll be looking at them, telling them to smile and they will and there will be a great shot of them smiling and you with clenched teeth looking at them.
4- Manage expectations. Do they listen to you all the time? Someone of the time? None of the time? Why expect different in a situation they may never have been in. They are kids. Let them be kids and reveal in the craziness that is your life right at this moment. The days are long and the years are short. You will miss these days. you will laugh at these moments… probably not for years, but one day…
5 – Well fed and rested make for happy kids. This goes for adults too. Get coffee and some carbs before the shoot for yourself.
6 – Trust the photog. They have done this before. What you see as a hot mess, isn’t.
Carefully and with long lenses. Outdoors.
Details.
For this cute family, we went to the park and found a shady spot.
I asked the family to bring a blanket and any small props they may want to include. Due to COVID, I ask the family to supply anything that they would come in contact with. It’s not worth the risk bringing anything athat may be shared between clients.
And then we start. With a mix of posed and candids. Starting with posed helps to break the ice and get everyone relaxed. This little one was less than a month old! So cute!
And then we go with the flow. Generally, the youngest member of the group sets the pace. In this case, she was so chill! She must have gotten that from her parents. The session was so easy and fun and we were able to get great images!
Don’t let the milestones slip by. There is a way to mark them, to remember them, to keep them. It may not be the way it was in the past. “The art of life is a constant readjustment to our surroundings.” ~Kakuzo Okakaura
Means you find yourself with free time you wouldn’t normally have in the fall. Mostly during the week.
Fall is my most favorite time of the year. The fall leaves! The trees that look like they are lit from within. The leaves are nature’s stained glass!
In late November, I took a break and visited the NY Botanical Garden. Had bought a membership pre-pandemic with full intent to use it and then have dinner on Arthur Ave in the Bronx after. And take home fresh pasta, mozz and Italian pastries…yeah, that didn’t happen.
But I was able to go one Tuesday. With COVID precautions firmly in place, it was a safe day out. And a beautiful one too!
This is in the Thain Forest. This late in the fall, the majority of trees that still have leaves are the beeches. Their rich golds and yellows play off the deep blue sky fabulously.
Beech leaves against the deep blue sky.
I pretty much had the place to myself. While being alone has been what many of us have had a bit too much…being alone in nature is healing.
I walked around and let my mind wander. I gave it time off and and gave myself permission to take whatever photos I wanted. Whatever made me happy.
Here are a few of my favs.
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It was a nice break from the outside world.
Shock. Disbelief. Fear. Numbness. Second guessing your entire career. You know, normal thoughts…
Here we are nine months in and welcome to sort of normal.
Being an event and family photographer, the closures hit my industry hard. While many of my events have moved to next year, a few figured out a way to have at least the service this year.
Outdoor service at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, Short Hills NJ
One way is to hold the service outside – as J’s family did. They lucked out with a warm November day in the 60s. But what would have happened if it rained? I believe they would have moved inside. Outside was preferred by all. And the temple even had great heaters at ready if needed. The total number of guests and support staff, myself included, was under the state’s limit for indoor gatherings. Additionally, the sanctuary is a huge open space with several doors to the outside that could be opened.
All of this is important. Because no one wants anyone to get sick.
Another ‘plus’? I get the opportunity to photograph the service. Normally I don’t. It’s mostly not allowed. But because of the pandemic, some temples have been making adjustments. This means that the family receives photos they wouldn’t normally get.
Mom putting the tallis on her son.
The weather was good. The light was nice. The bimah was shaded from most of the direct sun by a sail shade. But since it’s late fall, the sun isn’t rising as high as it does – we get more of a side lighting situation. Which can work well with a bit of fill flash.
All I needed was a small bit of fill flash to lift the shadows.
We were able to get a few family photos, some just with J by himself. And many of the ceremony.
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While it wasn’t what was planned, it turned out to be just right for this moment for this time. Life is what happens when you make other (many, many other) plans. This family did a great job rolling with it.
maplewoodcg.org 
