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I am a Bergen County, New Jersey-based photographer serving the NY, NJ, CT Metro area. I’ve been photographing Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations since 2006.
I photograph Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations in much the same way that I photograph weddings: I focus on special moments, important details and family portraits. The portraits may take place at the Temple or at the family’s home. Each child and each family is different, and I try to capture some of their personality in the photos.
At the party, I photograph the candle lighting and speeches. If the party has a theme, I capture its elements. The DJ’s often organize games and activities that help me capture fun moments. I also photograph the fun dancing, including the hora.
I value authentic moments and authentic emotions above all. For me, the magic of photography is how it draws from reality and transports us to a time, place and feeling — more vividly than our memories do. Our memories of events sometimes even merge with our photos of those events. As a result, authentic documentary photos hold a special value for me. I enjoy creating the posed portraits, but I put at least as much effort into the photos of unposed moments.
Related to that, I value photos that authentically represent the way things looked and felt, without being over-stylized to match some trend. I hope you’ll see in my photos a natural style — creative but not forced. I may try new things from time to time, but my photos are generally meant to have a classic and lasting style.
I have a low-key, quiet personality that fits in easily at a special event. I do give some direction when needed, such as for some portraits, but for the most part I prefer to be an attentive observer — capturing genuine moments as they happen.
It’s always an honor to photograph this celebration of a child becoming a young adult, and to create lasting memories for a family. I’ve been gratified to photograph as many as three Bar / Bat Mitzvah celebrations for some families. Whether you’re planning a big party or a small and intimate celebration, please get in touch if I can be of service for your family!
