Dylan’s Sporty Mitzvah Pre Shoot

Dylan celebrated his Bar Mitzvah this past weekend, so now that these gorgeous photos have been revealed to his family and friends, I get to share them with you here!  Mom and I had put in some detailed strategizing prior to the session to ensure we’d have a location with all the right sports fields that wouldn’t be full of teams playing and would easily be able to represent the sports he most enjoys.  The skies even threatened rain a few hours before, and I said no, it’s Florida, let’s give it a go, and I’m so glad we did!  Dylan was relaxed in front of the camera and we took turns with him going along with my crazy ideas of how we could best capture his sports and me just capturing him doing his thing.  His smile comes easily and naturally, so I’m extra glad we waited the extra few weeks to show off those post-braces pearly whites! 

Jared’s Bar Mitzvah

If you are a follower of my blog, you know I love photographing Mitzvahs.  And every time, I seem to find a new thing I love about them.  One thing I love is that a current trend is for families to celebrate the occasion in whatever way is meaningful to them.  In this case, a lovely service, followed by a brunch, foregoing the typical big DJ dance party.  There was a montage playing in the background as guests enjoyed their meals (what’s not to like about waffles and eggs), and video games and 4-way ping pong for the mitzvah boy and his friends (what boys don’t love video and ball games).  Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and were, of course, proud of Jared’s achievement of this milestone!

Grant’s First Birthday Cake Smash and Splash

I’ve had the pleasure of photographing this family for their gender reveal when mama found out she was having a boy, Grant’s newborn session, and now his first birthday!  And they are always full of lots of energy and fun, and this session was no different.  We started off with some fun family photos, followed by a cake smash, and splashing both in the tub, and a spicket at the park.  And oh my gosh, how adorable is the balloon basket mom made?!!  Happy birthday Grant, and I hope to capture more of you and your family as you grow!

Jessica, Mike, Shoshana, and Samara welcome Mahalia!

This family is just awesome!  We had a great time at their maternity session this summer, and I looked forward to meeting their newest family member,  making them a family of five!  I love to capture real candid moments within a family, but it’s not as easy as it looks.  The family has to relax and enjoy each other and not really worry about me, while still listening to some of my guidance to make sure their play looks great in front of the camera.  And this family just has so much fun together and love for each other which looks beautiful no matter what kind of guidance I give!  I will be the luckiest photographer ever to see and photograph more of these girls as they grow!

Skylar’s Bat Mitzvah

I got into photography for the people, for the connections.  I love that it has allowed me to meet so many new people and re-connect with people from my past.  Like this mitzvah girl’s dad, who I was friends with in High School.  It’s always an honor when someone chooses me to capture their special day, and even more so when that someone trusts the businesswoman and photographer I’ve grown into since we last met.  And photographing Bar and Bat Mitzvahs is my absolute favorite.  I love my family photography, and I love my event photography.  I think that’s part of what I love so much about Mitzvah photography is that it combines the two. 

I love the symbolism of a child becoming an adult in the eyes of the Torah, and I love the parents’ and siblings’ pride in watching this milestone unfold.  And what’s not to love about the celebrations that follow?!  They’re always a blast, and really centered around rejoicing with the mitzvah teen, who is the center of the admiration of her family and friends. From a theme expressing her interests to speeches, dances, and presentations, it’s my favorite kind of party to experience and freeze in time.  Skylar’s Bat Mitzvah was all of this and more, and I share this perspective so as you view these images, you’ll not only see what I saw, but you’ll feel some of what I felt too.  Mazel Tov to Skylar and her family.  It was wonderful working with you, and I can’t wait to do it again for Logan before you know it! So You!