Joey's Bar Mitzvah

There are many things I love about photographing mitzvahs.  I love to capture the love and connection in families, and parental pride in reaching this milestone, and the bittersweet realization that their babies are now teens.  It's such an honor to be able to freeze those moments in time.  My favorite part of a mitzvah to capture is the service.  I just love the spirituality of it. Joey's service was held on a weekday morning at his family's home, where they and their family and friends gathered to celebrate this occasion.

Jordan's Bar Mitzvah

You know, I might be a bit sad when they finish construction at Chabad of Parkland.  This was my second time getting to photograph on the property, and it's really fun and lets me be creative.  Plus, it'll be a cool memory for the family years from now, when the building is complete, to say, "remember when we took my Bar Mitzvah photos on the construction site?!"

After our mock mitzvah photo session (photography isn't allowed on Shabbat), Jordan enjoyed a sports themed celebration.  I just loved the authenticity of his logo!  I especially enjoyed capturing an intense game of Coke and Pepsi, with some extra actions for other fun beverages, like Gatorade.  Mazel Tov to Jordan and family!

Coby's Bar Mitzvah

I had the pleasure of photographing my first Bar Mitzvah at Temple Judea in Palm Beach Gardens, FL this fall.  I absolutely fell in love with the spirituality of their Rabbi and Cantor and the service they lead, and couldn't wait until the service was over to gush over it to them.  So I was very excited when Cantor Alicia contacted me shortly after to see if I would be able to photograph her son's Bar Mitzvah.  Um, yes please!!!  The morning was filled with music and energy and Torah and positive words, followed by a kiddush brunch and some sweet treats.  Mazel Tov to this family, and I hope to share more musical Shabbats with you all!

Desi's Bat Mitzvah

This was a very special mitzvah for me to photograph, since the Bat Mitzvah girl is my first cousin!  That also means I got to be the photographer, and a guest.  To help me do both, I had the lovely Amber Sycz Photo shooting with me.  Desi rocked her service, and had a blast dancing the night away with friends and family.  There was a hora, a candle lighting, a slide show, and a fun dance set with inflatable instruments and microphones.  The celebration concluded with one of the most extensive ice cream sundae bars I've seen (and tasted, it was delicious).  A perfectly sweet ending for a sweet girl!

Brandon's Bar Mitzvah

Brandon celebrated his Bar Mitzvah with a Shabbat morning service at Beth Emet in Cooper CIty, FL.  We were able to capture some lovely portraits of him and his family before the service, which they then observed, camera-free.  We met-up again at the Pembroke Lakes Golf and Raquet Club for a continuation of this celebration with brunch (which looked amazing), dancing, a photo booth, slide show, and a desert table!  Brandon also had a really unique sign-in idea, which I'd never seen before.  Guests signed blocks for the game 'Jenga', and were told they were 'building memories for Brandon'!  Enjoy some of these So You memories I was able to capture!