Gabriel's Bar Mitzvah | Washington, D.C. Bar Mitzvah Photographer

Gabriel had his Bar Mitzvah at Temple Sinai in Washington, D.C, with family photos before the ceremony.  There is something that just shines through a boy on the morning of his Bar Mitzvah.  I really do get the feeling that this boy is becoming a man.  Gabriel had a calm confidence about him, which sometimes surprises me, because I know if I had to get up on the bimah in front of the congregation and chant the Torah and even give a speech, I know I would appear very nervous in the hour before the ceremony!!  

     The party was held at a super hip place nearby called Comet Ping Pong.  The kids had so much fun playing ping pong, fussball, and dressing up for the photo booth.  There was food for days...wings, pizza, all sorts of delicious things.  I just LOVED the light in this restaurant.  There were skylights all along the front of the building which allowed for gorgeous natural light photos, and the lighting by the ping pong tables was quite dramatic with hanging farmhouse pendant lights.  All of the balloons, and hanging beads for decor, with an industrial-hip backdrop made for some really cool party pictures!  

     I just love photographing kids this age.  They love a good party, and are not overly self conscious, so it is so easy to get great candid photos of the fun/mayhem!  I just love to see them having the time of their lives with all their friends around them.  I hope I get the chance to shoot many more Bar and Bat Mitzvahs in the future!!

Isaiah | Bar Mitzvah Photographer

I had the great honor to shoot an amazing young man's bar mitzvah last weekend at Temple Sinai in Washington, DC.  It was a beautiful day.  I could feel so much love from all of Isaiah's family and friends, supporting him, and so proud of him, as he came into his own as a contributing and accountable member of his faith.  The speech he gave, thanking his dads, was enough to bring a tear to anyone's eye, mine definitely not excluded!  Of course, it made me think of my own two-year-old son, imagining how I would feel as his parent on that day, as he stood in front of the congregation, realizing that he is becoming a man.  I couldn't say enough good things about Isaiah - his heart showed through from the start that day.  He was humble, sweet and funny, with an easy confidence about him.

We took a bunch of family photos before the service, in the sanctuary, but Isaiah's dads were even more interested in capturing the day in a documentary / photojournalistic style, which I loved.  Some of the best photos are always those in-between moments.  

No photos were allowed during the service, so I was able to sit and really take in the ceremony in a non-distracted way, which was neat for me, as I haven't sat in on a bar or bat mitzvah service since I was twelve or thirteen myself, at a friend's bat mitzvah.  I have been a bar mitzvah photographer before, but haven't had the chance to sit and observe the service, so I appreciated the opportunity.  I can see why photos are not allowed, and I think that is appropriate, so everyone can concentrate fully and be in the moment.  As long as you get to do photos before the service, you get all the photos you need at that point!

As I sat through the service, listening to the Rabbi and the Cantor, as well as to Isaiah, singing and reading from the Torah, there were a few texts the congregation read aloud together, that really spoke to me.  I want to record them here.  Need I say that people of all faiths and even non-faiths can appreciate these words?

O God, Inspiration and Guide for all,
You have spoken in a thousand tongues for us to hear.
In every land and every age,
Your children have heard You and imagined You in separate ways.
And yet, O God, You are One, Unifier of humanity.

SOURCE OF ALL BEING, we turn to You as did our people in ancient days.
They beheld you in the heavens, they felt You in their hearts,
they sought You in their lives.  Their quest is ours.
Help us to see the wonder of being.
Give us the courage to search for truth.
Teach us the path to a better life.
So shall we, by our lives and our labors,
bring nearer the world we envision,
one of justice, freedom and peace.

...I found my questions:
waiting to be posed,
they filled me with wonder.
Sit with me, Eternal Teacher,
encourage my seeking:
as I fill my hours with Your mitzvot,
so shall I be filled.
Send me through Your door
stretching up to honor Your Name,
sharing out this wonder,
enriching myself in the giving.

NYC Bat Mizvah | Virginia Bar and Bat Mitzvah Photographer

Samantha's Bat Mitzvah service was at historic Central Synagogue in Manhattan, one of the oldest standing synagogues in the United States, with a kiddish (brunch) afterward in their downstairs party area.  It was a joyous celebration with family and friends with all of the requisite NYC/Jewish brunch foods like bagels, lox, whitefish, etc., loving family speeches, and blessing over the beautiful, giant braided challah.  Then later that night, she had a big party in the Dohoyo Room at Yotel.  They went all out, with a great DJ, game room, dancers, club lighting, and family video presentations.  It was all about the dance floor, though!  There's almost nothing more fun than photographing the Hora dance and Hava Nagila!  I love how all ages participate, and I love that look of surprise, fear and glee on the face of the person being lifted up on the chair!  Mazel Tov, Samantha!!!