As much as I love to control the background and lighting for a maternity session in my studio, nothing is quite as beautiful as a pregnant mom and family in their own surroundings. The apartment offered wonderful available light and an assortmant of locations which allowed me to be both an observer and a participant.
These two are my favorite identical twins, I feature them alot on my sibling page. Photographing them since they were one! Mom has the most incredible clothing for them, each session there is a minimum of 5 changes, accessories as well!
The bride requested the rose garden, but with the weather colder than usual the roses weren’t ready so we went to the Azalea Garden which was magical! The New York Botanical Garden is 250 acres and they provided a guide and golf cart to take us to different locations. It was a breath taking experience and a pleasure to work with this amazing couple in such a setting!
As a photographer and as a guest I have been to many many mitzvahs. This was the first one at home - it was simple and a class act. Warmth and affection from close relatives really made this mitzvah so wonderfully unique and special!
When I knock on the doors on the post delivery floor of the hosptials, it always a different experience. Some parents are exhuberant, others exhausted and overwhelmed. These families were excited and one family was prepared, the others happily surpirsed at what this Gaga photographer, me, had to offer! I’ve been called the baby whisperer by many new families!
All the super valuable cars had been removed except for the DeLorean was which equipped with car karaoki. It was an amazing over the top Mitzvah with basketball players, dancers, insane passed treats and an awesome DJ!
Fresh 48 is a series of images artistically captured just 24 - 48 hours after the trauma of birth. Parents and siblings are at their most vulnerable. It’s an honor to be able to be there to bear witness to these precious moments. I find myself comforting and reassuring parents and easing some siblings into acceptance.
Two locations for the cost of one! We started at home to get the initial images pre wind, humidity and lolly pop bribes materializing too soon… I was almost sure the beach would’nt work, it was also dinner time, but we were all pleasantly surprised! The very last image was from two years ago.
I went to a studio sale in Brooklyn for MONDAYS, wonderful organic formed ceramics, and stumbled into the studio of Jane D’Arensbourg. I was dazzled by her huge aray of handmade unique jewelry. Left with some rings and returned a few weeks later to photograph the artist in her studio working.
The mom had found me from a recommendation on Facebook. When I arrived early at the Church of St. Josepth in Greenwich Village I met the baby's grandfather. He told me the guests were arriving from around the world that day for this special ceremony. One daughter was arriving from Australia, he and his wife came in from India, another daughter from London, relatives from the mom's side were coming from San Francisco etc.
Needless to say the pressure was on to document this special event in the baby's life surrounded by tons of loving relatives.
When incorporating a toddler into a maternity photo shoot, its all about the toddler....Battery Park City was a perfection backdrop but the weekend crowd proved challenging. It was a hot late afternoon and the tour buses kept letting off more people to view this awesome area in Manhattan. We escaped to the Irish Hunger Memorial for some shade and short lived moments of respite from the sun. Between swarms of tourists I was able to capture these special moments....
With the New York Times photo deadline approaching....weekends of terrible weather drove the session indoors to my studio. Always planning for an outdoor engagement session, East Hampton made sense as the bride, my future daughter in law, spent almost every summer there since she was small. Since Paddy, the family's adorable golden doodle, isn't invited to walk down the isle, we needed him in these engagement images. Yes, snacks were involved for this pooch as seen in his profile after devouring his biscuit...
Next the beach, which at 8:30 am was too bright so the parking lot served as the backdrop here.
The only mom to date who said to me giving birth was easy! This was her second, so usually a bit easier however she claimed the first was easy as well. After knocking on hundreds of doors to see new moms, this mom was a first in claiming natural childbirth wasn't so painful! The first baby slept through the entire session with another photographer years ago, this one was adorable but not easy.
More from "Under 48 Hours" The family had another photographer the day before but the baby was too fussy..It was check out day so I had to work quickly.. I came straight to the room which was too dark and small and took the family out to the hall where there was space and beautiful window light.
Two big brothers were goofing around so I had to wrangle them in while the baby was being "topped off" with an additional feeding. I worked with them and they loved the attention, so when the baby was ready, so were they. The boys rose to the occasion and couldn't be more amazing!
New hospital for me lots of new babies! The parents of this little beauty work here at the hospital and had a wonderful new private room in the new addition on this floor. What a head of hair! She was all cheeks and hair, a true delight to photograph!
A "huge" treat to find this chubby little baby born at 10.5 pounds and 36 hours old! He was an adorable sleepy bundle of baby and the only boy in a family with four girls all under the age of 6! The fifth child and according to mom, maybe not the last as he will need a brother....Oh those cheeks!
All my props worked with this big guy. He was so sturdy and content. This session was on the hospital bed using 6:30 pm soft window light.
Arthur was born on a Tuesday at Weill Cornell Hospital and on Wednesday he had his first photo shoot with his big brother and family right there on the hospital bed! As soon as I walked into the hospital room I met his big brother who was somewhat hesitant and losing patience...had to work quick, Arthur was calm and quiet but his brother needed coaxing. Need less to say this family took away wonderful images of Arthur and a bonus of Arthur and his older brother and parents! Birth announcement image DONE!
When did 10 become the new 15? I came to photograph this small gathering of cousins celebrating a tenth birthday. The goal was fashion images of each girl. We started inside but we ended up outdoors - mid February and the birthday girl had on shorts! We were all surprised by the unusual weather that afternoon but no one was disappointed. Plenty of great backdrops.
After photographing and attending so many mitzvah's, this one was simple and classic! The bar mitzvah boy is even barefoot during a hora in his own apartment! The temple was stunning, the tallis was the same color as the torahs in the ark, a perfect combination coincidently... What would I have done without the gentleman that works at Central Synagogue? He positioned the tallit perfectly after grandpa had put it on and was full of ideas for the images. Needless to say a little hairspray, a gorgeous tallit and a beautiful family make a great combination for perfect photography.
A few hours later everyone headed to the apartment for good food, magic tricks, mind reading and a hora! Followed by a spectacular birthday cake, carrot, and quite melted by then.
Its a day everyone dreads, portrait day like in school! Once I was done, they couldn't wait for me to return to take more! I did two looks, one classic studio and the other a bit more current or cutting edge. They chose both! For different purposes and each person now owns a two perfect retouched portraits to use for social media as well!
The important part of photographing in a corporate environment is being quick and efficient. Give direction on positioning and tell them where to look. It is also beneficial to have a decent sense of humor, especially when the other co workers are observing and teasing!
