Hamptons in the early Fall. Nina Drapacz Photography.

I love to travel to the Hamptons for family sessions when the crowds are gone and its still warm but not hot. This day started out rainy and dark. When I arrived it had just stopped raining and there were overcast skies. They were concerned the images would look gloomy. I guarenteed everyone they would be bright and cheerful, which they were! The wind really kicked upon on the beach and as soon as I finished the rain returned in a torrential way! This was the ONLY hour that day it did not pour! We were lucky! The goal at the end was to capture an image of their youngest dog jumping in the water while the kids posed…

Family Portraits with Elie Tahari and Family. Nina Drapacz Photography

I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing the famous designer, Elie Tahari, with his family in the Hamptons. They were relaxed and alot of fun to work with! There were some family visitors who we incorporated in our session on this wonderful property which provided for the best backdrops!

Newborn Session at home by Nina Drapacz Photography

The family’s second baby. Mom wanted beautiful sleeping baby portraits like she had for her first son, which were done a day after birth at the hospital. Since Covid, hospitals were not allowing photographers so this session was done a week later at home. The baby was about 4 days old, his cord was still intact. He would not sleep. Mom had a list of images she wanted and they all invloved a sleeping baby…

After 2 hours, dad was able to get him to sleep and finally, we got those images. I like both the awake ones and the sleeping ones!

Photography in an Apartment's Common Room. Nina Drapacz Photography

Initally I was asked to photograph this beautiful toddler with her parents in their apartment. We felt the common room was more spacious and according to mom, more organized and clean. I went up to see it first. It was perfect except for some very orange over head spot lights. We tried everything to turn them off without success. Working around this I took the family closer to the window as much as I could but the layout of the room and the furnishings were so tempting I had to use them! Look at the reflection on the conference table! Photoshop and some black and white conversions helped with the ambient light issue and allowed me to be creative with the space..

A Newborn Session at Home and Outside. Nina Drapacz Photography

A week after birth I was contacted by this lovely family who had newborn photos done at the hosptial with their first child. Due to Covid they were unable to do the same two years later with their second son. I brought a basket and some of the same letter blocks that were used at the hospital and recreated similar images for this family as they requested. They lived across from the park and the light was fading but we trudged the gang out. It was mom’s first time out since she came home from the hospital!

Newborn Session at Home. Nina Drapacz Photography

When I came into the family’s home, her parent’s were trying everything they could to get this big sister to wear something that wasn’t the gift for her newborn brother she had put on right before I arrived. Somehow she squeezed into an outfit their nanny had just brought for the new baby. Nothing could be done at this point to persude her to change so we went with it…trucks and all.

The images from that morning are truly fun and interactive. Posing wasn’t an option and much to my delight, not desired. When a family wants me to capture their dynamic, the photographs become part of their personal narrative and more creative which is not only a gift for them but a gift for me as a photographer.

Newborn Brother to These Two Boys. Nina Drapacz Photography

This family has had newborn sessions at Mount Sinai Hospital for their first two sons but Covid made this impossible with the third. It’s a family who had always lived in New York City until Covid made it impossible to function with their growing family. Both parents have high power jobs and were forced to work remotely with two young boys at home. Childcare was closed so their only work option was to take turns working and caring for the kids. This schedule began to take its toll and they decided they needed to move out. Comfortable in Dobbs Ferry now, the new addition arrived. Everyone is satisfied with their decision.

This outdoor socially distant session with the masked photographer was relaxed and fun. Fighting over who was going to hold the baby was the big deal.

Socially Distant BEACH SESSION IN EAST HAMPTON, NY. NINA DRAPACZ PHOTOGRAPHY

A few years ago I photographed this gorgeous family on the beach when mom was pregnant with her second daughter. She wasn’t afraid to schedule this session at my favorite time, 7pm. It was cold and rainy all day. The sun came out as predicted by the weather app at 5 pm. It was a bit stressful to trust the weather app as it was a 2 1/2 hour drive from NYC and I was driving out in the rain for a beach session!

Three outfit changes, gorgeous subjects, great pre/post sunset light and a masked photographer were the recipe for these images…

Socially Distant Newborn Session in Central Park. Nina Drapacz Photography

Two years ago I photographed this newborn’s older brother in his home. The parents had given birth mid pandemic so the same indoor session was not safe with their second son. They met me with their toddler and two week old baby at the entrance to the park. The entire session was in the cool shade. We able to get his older brother to hold his little hand… apparently a first!

Staple Street Location Shoot by Nina Drapacz Photography

It was a hot August day with an amazing family I have had the privilege of photographing since the girls were babies! The heat made it hard for everyone including the photographer. Eventually “we” all began to relax and enjoy this session, which shows in the images. Love the mom and older daughter too deep in conversation to notice dad and the younger one jumping off the ledge…


A Family in Central Park by Nina Drapacz Photography

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!


Baby with His Parents in Tribecca. Nina Drapacz Photography

Four months old and quite adorable. This little one with his perfect round head and sturdy body didnt cry once until the very end, he was tired of all the entertainment! Dad had a walrus stuffed animal when he was the same age that he had saved all these years to give to his child….yep he inisited on includingit! The baby loves it!

Baby on The Way, Toddler Waits...Nina Drapacz Photography

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....

Hamptons in September. Nina Drapacz Photography

When I arrived, this gorgeous girl was watching her father and brother playing basketball. She was dressed to go and they ran into the house to change. I met this the family when the kids went to Bridgehampton Tennis and Surf Club Camp a few years back and they all keep getting more beautiful each year.

Twins Photography up in Tuxedo, New York by Nina Drapacz Photography

Finally a day with little humidity. The twins, whom I have photographed since they were babies, were almost ready to go when I arrived. They just needed a quick outfit change, a puppy on a leash and a few jokes......The setting was spectacular to say the least, the girls were beaming with joy- my job was to freeze these beautiful moments for posterity.