I have photographed this family since the children were infants! To see how they change from year to year is a treat! The siblings are a close knit team, they actually don’t mind sitting close and even hugging each other! The funniest part was at the end when the parents were sneaking in a kiss and youngest stood there wondering why I shifted focus on them and not her!
Dogs are a must for family photos! Sometimes they are more work, but mostly they are the easiest subjects....this is a case of a dog walking a boy!
The traffic was ridiculous and I arrived late. The mom was anxiously texting me to hurry as all three were losing patience. The lighting was soft and beautiful but all were upset and not into the shoot. Slowly but surely as we scouted for locations in Central Park, we came across an amazing tree, then rocks that lined up and more. So with the perfect backdrop and lighting, I needed to work on the adolescents. I resorted to politics and sure enough, it worked!
The traffic was ridiculous and I arrived late. The mom was anxiously texting me to hurry as all three were losing patience. The lighting was soft and beautiful but all were upset and not into the shoot. Slowly but surely as we scouted for locations in Central Park, we came across an amazing tree, then rocks that lined up and more. So with the perfect backdrop and lighting, I needed to work on the adolescents. I resorted to politics and sure enough, it worked!
They met when she was a student and he the professor many years ago. There was an instant intellectual connection. Keeping in touch over the years she would visit his family and, on occasion, babysit for his children. With the passing of his wife he reached out and she was there. Life events brought them full circle. Without wasting time, he proposed. Some of the images were captured at Convent of The Sacred Heart where she went to elementary school many years before they met. It was meant to be.
Baby number two, two years old and very serious. The only trick that worked for a fleeting smile was the Dad toss. I photographed this little one in his mom's belly, as a newborn and now a toddler with his handsome older brother. The shoot came after they both consumed Grom strawberry gelato, thank goodness for photoshop! Evidence erased!
Many years ago I photographed Bridgette and her classmates at her nursery school. A year later her mom contacted me to do communion portraits of her eldest daughter. The bright red tulips on Park Ave were in full bloom, creating the perfect backdrop. A few years later I was contacted to photograph Bridget for her communion. The tulips were wilted but the Loeb Boathouse Lakeside was another ideal setting! Water, some boats even a turtle appeared in the water! Yes, found some red flowers to match her sister's portraits as well! The last image is Bridgette on her sister's communion day.
My good friend Michael's fiance recommended my photography to her good friends visiting from Germany. They were married a year ago, but this was their honeymoon. I met them at the entrance to the park, her in a wedding gown, him in a stylish outfit. We were ready to explore east to west of the park, one of us in heels!
I found myself discovering new areas to photograph along the way. How the bride literally hiked, climbed rocks and walked miles in the heels, I dont know! A beautiful couple so in love! I left smiling the rest of the day!
Some solace by weeks end. With all the shock of the week, it was comforting to experience nature in NYC as its finest.
When the mom asked to meet her in front of Central Park, we were losing light. We had 15 minutes to take photographs before the light was gone. Hence we didn't have a chance to go behind the museum, but in fact made a great discovery on this crowded late afternoon! What better a backdrop for the perfect holiday card, two happy boys and an iconic fountain!
I found a few more favorites from this newborn session as I was meeting with the mom to go through the images together. House calls are an integral part of the process. When I post galleries of over 300 images to choose from its much easier to narrow down the best when I swing by with my laptop loaded with Adobe Photoshop. This program allows us to place similar images side by side to compare details as well as toggle back and forth in Camera Raw with a magnification tool to see minute details.
Its hard to remember that we had 60 degree days in late December. Brrr.... I had the pleasure of meeting this wonderful family a week before Christmas. Such a relaxed and fun photo shoot, we took pictures until it was dark!
As much as I love the changing colors of the leaves, I do love warmer weather while photographing. The children however, enjoy being active outside with no regard to the temperature. These beautiful children had a blast! 
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I love seeing the dynamics of siblings. These two brothers were great! Whatever and however silly the older brother was being the little one, just three, tried to emulate even if it meant climbing to the highest rock!
Fun fall weekend shoot with these sibs at the gardens. What a gorgeous place to photograph - its best at 9:30 am or on an overcast day. 
Pregnant women glow! Such a short time in a woman's life as her body changes to accommodate baby, a time to capture with memorable images! I've been photographing this beautiful boy since he was 4 months old. Soon to be a big brother.
It was "Family Night" at the Bridgehampton Tennis and Surf Club. I was lucky to photograph a bunch of families on the beach in gorgeous warm light
...these were cousins
The day before braces and the last chance for portraits for awhile. The horse stepped on her toe about a half an hour into the shoot. Session over too quickly but luckily I captured these beautiful memories of a summer of riding!href="https://ninadrapaczblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/gen.jpg">
A beautiful Brooklyn baby comes to Manhattan for an amazing photo shoot. Her mom was concerned she missed her baby photos as she is is 11 months old. Luckily there were still no teeth and she still had the baby cheeks ! Lots of clothing changes and different locations provide a wonderful variety of images.
The marriage of the perfect subject and the perfect setting can be magical! This was a wonderful collaboration between subject and artist. Its marks the beginning of my forage back into my roots as a fine art photographer.
