Check out some photos from Esther and Breandan’s lovely wedding out in the Hudson Valley in Rhinebeck, NY. What a beautiful day! They held a traditional Korean Paebak ceremony during the reception, followed by the Siege of Ennis, Irish dancing. The Rhinecliff, the reception venue, even flew the Irish and Korean flags in honor of their wedding. Congrats to Esther and Breandan!

Florist: Heather Forrest-Lundy of A Night in Bloom Event Floristry, 845.802.0750

Lovely family, and a beautiful day out in Long Island. Congrats to Perri and the Sheftels!

Philly reprezent! I went down to Philadelphia for the weekend last month for Marlena and Barry’s engagement session, and it was awesome. They’re awesome.

The Chestnut Hill neighborhood was perfect for our shoot b/c they’ve lived together there for years now. We got ice cream at Bredenbeck’s, who is also making their wedding cake, and even ended up in front of Barry’s barbershop. See you guys again for your wedding in October! Check out their engagement session slideshow for more photos.

Yay for catching up on blog posts! This bat mitzvah is from back in April. LOVE this family. You can also check out the slideshow of their event, and take a look at their family portrait session we did beforehand, one of my favorites ever.

Day-of-coordinator: Shira Citron
Venue: Pranna Restaurant
Decor: Stone Kelly
Entertainment: Untouchable Events
Transportation: Receptive Tours
Cake: Honeybee Cakes
Makeup: Bare Essentials
Hair: Jeffrey Stein Salon

I knew the sound of Breandan’s voice with its full-on Irish accent long before I ever met him in person. Last year I did a shoot at the swanky St Regis Hotel which thankfully took months to coordinate. I say thankfully b/c somewhere along the way, Breandan introduced himself to me as my new contact at the hotel. Then Breandan and Esther got engaged, and since then I’ve held the honor of being their wedding photographer.

Click on any of the photos to view the slideshow of the session with this sweet couple. I love that even in her highest heels, Esther was still about a foot shy of her fiance. She looks so cute in Breandan’s jacket.

Esther and Breandan, can’t wait to photograph your wedding this weekend.

View the slideshow:

Since my last post, the 2010-2011 bar mitzvah season has come and gone. Before my blog fills up with images from this summer’s weddings and travels, I’ll update you on the bar mitzvahs I had the privilege of photographing. Instead of event by event posts, though, I’m trying something new.

As usual, I can only write about winter from the safety of a warm summer day. But I will say now, sitting in shorts and a tank top, that the snow did look pretty by the entrance of Shaaray Tefila on that morning in January. And I can admit, after a lengthy string of June-green days, that there’s something wonderful about waiting for those bare branches to show their first buds.

But I still like warm weather most of all.

Enjoy this bar mitzvah progression from winter to spring.

1. Shaaray Tefila in January
2. Temple Israel in March
3. Pranna Lounge on 79 Madison Avenue, in April
Decor by Jen Stone of Stone Kelly
Day-of coordinator – Shira Citron

Hello 2011!

Way back in 2010, after a morning service and kiddush at Temple Israel, and hair and makeup appointments on the Upper East Side, Jessica blew out the candle on her three-tiered cake designed by her mom, surrounded by all her friends and family at Crimson. The cake matched the turquoise, fuchsia and orange colors that were the theme of the night.

And in between the dancing, photo booth picture taking, and airbrushed art making was my favorite moment of the night – after the speeches (including a poem) and the toasts, when Matthew, the smallest member of the Lipton family, sweetly introduced the night’s ‘future presentation.’ Sweeter even than the chocolate fountain at the dessert table, and the cookies, brownies and hot chocolate that ended the night.

Jessica, you looked beautiful in your fuschia dress. Congrats to Jessica, Randi, Jeff, Matthew and Evan!

Click here for the slideshow.

What a fun day. First, let me just say that the mother and son dance was the most touching I’ve ever photographed. And then we had: Zack rapping and breakdancing, his sister Sydney doing backbends on the dance floor, their dad Andrew singing into the mic with his friends, and their mom Melissa whirling around in her beautiful dress.

The party took place at the Bohemian National Hall, a newly renovated space that hosts New York’s Czech cultural center. The interior is modern, playful, thoughtfully designed, and a pleasure to photograph.

A big hug to Ava and everyone at Shine Events who made the day run so smoothly, especially photography wise – definitely look them up if you’re planning a party.

Congratulations to Zack and his family, and thanks for being awesome! Check out the slideshow below.

Melissa and Andrew tearing up while watching the montage:

Bohemian National Hall
321 E. 73rd Street
New York, NY 10021
646.422.3318

Shine Events
info@shineevents.com
845.535.3100

Ellen Gelb
Special Attention Caterers
325 E Houston
New York, NY 10002
ellen@special-attention.com
212.477.4805

Hey everyone! So, this blog entry started off as a photo post for Zack’s bar mitzvah. But because it’s winter and because it’s the end of the year, and that means more thinking time, this quickly took some detours and turned into something else and so I’m putting this up first.

Here’s how it started: I was remembering when I met Melissa, Zack’s mom, for the first time to talk about photography for Zack’s bar mitzvah. She was just so likable from the moment I met her. And then over our lunches in a diner booth (sitting in big diner booths, by the way, totally a bonus for a client meeting) she was describing to me how she’d been making all of her event planning decisions: “When it’s right, you just know.” I loved her instantly. I thought, with a mom like that, this family’s got to be awesome – and I was right.

In the past few years I’ve found myself working closely with families as more of my photography involves big life celebrations like weddings and bar mitzvahs. It’s great because, really, many of us just know one family really well (the one we were born into) – but from working with a family for even half an hour, I get a glimpse into their home life, the way they express their love to each other, and their priorities and values. The most fulfilling moments in my work have little to do with photography – when I meet a family that I’m so glad exists, a warm little nest that lights up the world, that inspires me to give more love wherever I go and to call my parents more often just to say hi.

I think a lot about the line “You become a better photographer as you become a better person.” But I think it works the other way around too, so a big thank you to all the wonderful clients, now friends, I’ve met over the years through my photography work who have inspired me by loving their families and friends easily and abundantly, by having their priorities straight, and by just being themselves.

Ethan and Allison are a year and a half apart, and they held a joint b’nai mitzvah earlier this month. It’s a little unusual, but it’s a lovely statement of the family’s closeness with one another, which I got a glimpse of when we went to Central Park in September for their family portrait session.

They had the service in the beautiful and modern temple inside Hebrew Union College on W 4th st, and then all the guests walked straight over to Manhattan Penthouse, an open and sunny venue with city skyline views all around.

So much loving thought went into the Noah’s ark theme – the rainbow colors of the Hebrew Union College temple and the Krugs’ dress clothes, and the lollipop trees and animal table cards, were all tied together by the edible table centerpieces: cakes made by Sonia Riviera that showed the earth, the ark, a rainbow and a different animal silhouette for each table. And the take home party favor: umbrellas! The detail I liked most, though, was a pair of framed portraits at the guestbook table, done by Ethan and Allison’s own grandfather.

Congrats to Ethan, Allison, Laura and Lee!

Click to watch the slideshow:

Manhattan Penthouse Catering Hall
80 5th ave btwn 14th St and Union Sq, Penthouse
New York, NY 10003
212.627.8838
www.manhattanpenthouse.com
info@greenmansionscatering.com

Hebrew Union College
1 West 4th Street
New York, NY 10003
212.674.5300

Cakes N Goodies
Sonia Rivera
www.cakesngoodies.blogspot.com