These lovely sisters were so much fun to work with at their Mitzvah Pre-Shoot, I was excited to capture them on mitzvah day! We met in the morning to capture some portraits of them before their ceremony at the synagogue with the Torahs, and again in the evening when they celebrated with mostly their friends at a vibrant DJ dance party. They are both beautiful, poised young ladies who are adored by their friends, and I wish them and their family lots of mazel!
I started this session as I usually do, by greeting the family. When Brody and I first met, he was enjoying the A/C in his car seat, and I went over and said hello. And I guess we bonded, because he took my hand as we were walking to and from our photo spot, and he gave me lots of camera eye contact! I had so much fun spending the morning with this lovely family, and just as much fun reliving our time together when I was editing the photos. And as I always say, when you relax and enjoy yourselves and each other in front of my camera, it gives me many 'so you' moments to capture! I think in this case, it's obvious that Brody was given the space to be himself, and that's exactly who I captured!
In-home lifestyle photo sessions are always a good idea. It's special to capture your family in the environment where you spend the most time, and are most comfortable. To document the memories you create there every day. It's especially special when you live in South Florida. That means we are subject to Hurricane season. And since this year was a pretty active one, when I scheduled post-Irma family sessions, I suggested to some of my families who've never done photography in their homes to schedule an in-home family lifestyle session this year.
Because honestly, if we had gotten a direct hit by a Category 5 storm, none of our homes would look the same. And wouldn't it be nice if you had those photos in a worst-case scenario? Because while many people stayed for the storm, many didn't. And we all thought about what we'd take with us or protect. And family photos were one of the first things on everyone's list!
So, without further adieu, here's one of my favorite families whose kids have grown up in front of my camera. I love how we always create some fun 'so you' moments together! And don't you love the spontaneous cookies and milk?! It was totally unplanned and based on a pantry raid for a snack when the kids were starting to lose it!
This lovely lady celebrated her Bat Mitzvah on a Shabbat Evening. I especially loved seeing 3 generations of women light the Shabbat candles together. I also really enjoyed their involvement in the kiddush. Gillian's grandparents, parents, and sister all gave their blessings to her over small cups of wine, which were then poured into a larger cup for her to say the prayer for. The celebration continued with dinner, dancing, and partying with family and friends. Mazal Tov on your special day!
It's so amazing to get to freeze time for families as they grow. I've been photographing these guys since before baby was born, and now she's 2! She's walking and talking, and her big brother and sister adore her so, and she adores them right back! Mom and dad are smitten with these kiddos too, and they're pretty chill as a family and in front of the camera, which means lots of 'so you' moments for me to capture!
