The weather in June has been spectacular! I am loving every second of this month and I am so excited that my session one beach sunset family photos sessions has begun. The beach truly is the perfect backdrop for any photo session; it provides a gorgeous natural backdrop and the ocean and sand seems to help facilitate the playful and interactive images that I love to capture.

I recently had the opportunity to work with this beautiful family again. I photographed them two and a half years ago in their home for a lifestyle newborn session when they first gave birth to their twins. I just love when families return for future sessions and I have the opportunity to see their children grow.; it truly is such an honor.  

I always feel honored when I am asked to photograph a surprise proposal. Not only does photographing this type of engagement session require the client to have faith in my ability to capture the moment, but he must also depend on my reliability during what is amongst the most intimate and joyous occasions that one can celebrate in life. Because I know how nerve wracking this process can be for a groom to be, my first priority for this type of session is to put the groom at ease and help him to feel confident in my ability to capture the moment. I do this by maintaining open communication throughout the planning process.

When I was contacted a few months ago by the groom to be, I knew that this engagement session was going to be really special. The groom concocted what just might be the most carefully thought out and intimate plan to propose to his girlfriend. The groom was planning his top secret proposal at Bailey Arboretum in Lattingtown, which is one of the best locations in the Long Island Region. As the arboretum is quiet, secluded and provides a wide array of botanicals, it would provide a perfect backdrop for the moment.

Did you know that you schedule a session for family portraits right in your own home? My style of photography is not really about the location, but rather, centered on capturing you having fun with your children. Your home is the perfect location because your children will feel at ease, you don’t have to waste time traveling and it allows me to capture your family authentically.

I was elated when this mom contacted me and said she wanted to schedule a lifestyle session in her Garden City home. The goal of her session was to capture her family playing in the yard in which they spend much of their time. These types of moments are exactly what I like to capture for families.

One of the best parts of my job is being able to watch my clients’ families grow. This is especially true when I capture newborn photos for a family and then have the opportunity to capture the first birthday milestone session for them as well. It is such a pleasure to be able to see how baby has grown over that past year and I also love getting the opportunity to work with the family again. The rapport that I develop with my repeat clients allows me to capture natural images of their family for them.

I had the pleasure of working with the Q family again last week. I photographed their son for his first birthday session a few years ago. I also had the honor of photographing their daughter, Miss H, last year when they came to my studio for a family newborn session. When mom contacted me in April to set up an appointment for birthday portraits, I could not believe that a year had already gone by. I was thrilled to be able to work with this awesome family again .

I had the pleasure of kicking off my Memorial Day weekend photographing this beautiful family, who recently welcomed baby number three into their family. Big brother and sister are active toddlers, both under the age of four, so mom wanted an in home session. The in home newborn session is perfect for any family; however, for families who have active young children, having baby photographed in the comfort of the client’s home will alleviate much of the pressure and stress of this type of session and will also help facilitate more natural and organic images.

Newborn sessions tend to take a long time to photograph, especially with larger families. Even though my studio is equipped to handle families with children, I find that when toddlers are in their own home, they tend to be more relaxed. When I photograph in the client’s home, I can give the children numerous breaks throughout the session. I do this in my studio too, but in a home, they can truly step away from the photographs, which provides them with the opportunity to recharge. Most of the time, they go to another room and either have a snack or play a game. When they return from their break, they are ready to smile for the camera.

Oh, how I wish more women would schedule maternity photo sessions during their pregnancy. The beauty of an expecting mother is simply unsurpassed. Sadly, so many women do not see themselves as beautiful during this momentous time in life. Many women tell me that they just don't feel their best during their pregnancy and, consequently, refuse to be in photos during those nine months. I completely understand and I too felt this way about myself during both of my pregnancies. Although I did not shy away from the camera and took monthly photos of my bump, I never scheduled a photo session with a photographer and I still regret it to this day because I don't have anything that really captures how special and miraculous that time was and believe it or not, I often miss being pregnant. 

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! I hope you are spending this weekend with your families, barbecuing, relaxing, and, most importantly, remembering those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

For most people, this weekend signifies the unofficial kick off for the Summer season. It is a time when we feel rejuvenated and refreshed by the first warm days of Spring and we are busy making plans to catch up with family and friends. This season is my favorite time of year. I love the warm weather and I try to soak up very last minute of the weather here in Long Beach. We spend almost every minute of the day outside whether it be at the park, the beach or simply just lounging on our deck.

Even though I love photographing newborns, the six month sitter milestone session is becoming a favorite of mine to photograph. It is amazing how much your little one grows, develops, and changes in those first six months of life and the half birthday is the perfect time to update your images of your bundle of joy. At six months old, babies have vibrant personalities that are evident; they can sit unassisted, clap, laugh and smile. It is such a pleasure to be able to document al of those precious moments for my clients. I always have so much fun during these photo sessions.

I have been busy photographing families this Summer on the beach and I love every second of it. There is no better way to spend the evening than on the beach watching the sunset and capturing the love and laughter of families.

I recently photographed these two cuties for a beach sunset session. These siblings were all smiles and did nothing but laugh, play and hug each other. It was really so sweet to watch and their laughter was contagious.  

My baby girl turns four on Saturday and I can hardly believe it. These last few years have gone by so quickly and this year has been the most fun yet. Like most three year old girls, this has been the year of the princess and my little one has princess fever. Miss V goes through several wardrobe changes a day all of which include shoes, tiara and matching accessories. She wears her dresses to school, on Trader Joe runs, to bed and even over her bathing suit. She forces daddy to play princess with her daily during which time she either loses a shoe, needs a kiss from a prince, is swimming under the water to save a prince, or marries the prince.

Like every other working mom, my life revolves around schedules and routines. Additonally, because of the nature of my business, I spend a lot of time attached to my computer and phone. I am fortunate enough to make my own schedule, but I do work from home and I often feel guilty that I am distracted by work and not able to focus all of my attention on my children. Part of the reason why I look forward to my annual family vacation is because it provides me with an opportunity to unplug, relax and simply enjoy time with my family.

Those of you who follow me know that I often stress the importance of having your family photos taken. I don’t say this only because I want you to hire me, but I say it because I truly believe it. Our children grow so quickly and as they do, the nature of our family evolves as well. It is is important to document that change for your children and for yourself. Even though I take tons of professional images of my children, there are very few that show the dynamic of our family interacting as a whole and even fewer that include me, which is why I hire a photographer annually to capture our family.

I met this little birthday boy when I photographed him for his holiday photos at The Little Gym . I was so excited to be able to photograph him again for his first birthday portrait session. When mom said the theme for his birthday party was going to be Sesame Street themed, I just knew that I had to incorporate that into the session somehow. To do so, I opted for my signature bright white brick backdrop and dressed it with very bright and cheerful primary colors. To icorporate the Sesame Street theme, I went with plush animals. This little boy was an absolute dream to photograph. He did not cry at all during the session. Instead, he happily played with the plush animals on the set.

As I am typing this blog post, it is snowing steadily outside. At this moment it does not quite feel like, it but we are only twenty days away from the official start of Spring. It has been a long winter and I am looking forward to the warmth and beauty of Spring. I am also looking forward to all of the exciting sessions I have planned for the season, including an Easter mini session, which I am offering for the first time ever.

As many of you know, I offer mother and child sessions each year. These are my favorite sessions to offer because I personally know how hard it is to get out from behind our cameras and get into those photos with our children. As mothers, one of our many roles is to be the documentarian for the family and, consequently, we become an invisible presence in the annals of our children’s lives. I offer the motherhood sessions because I want every mom to have an opportunity to be photographed with her children. I know that having photos taken of you with your children is something you will never regret doing and years from now, you and your children will both be thankful to have these photos. After all, they are only little once.

I absolutely love when I get the opportunity to photograph my previous newborn clients for first birthday sessions. It truly is such an honor to be able to document these milestone moments for my families and I feel blessed to also be able to watch their children grow. When my client contacted me about first birthday photos for her little one, I was shocked. I really could not believe that a year had already gone by since I photographed Miss S and her family for newborn photos in the studio. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time goes by.

Some of you may recall my blog post from last Summer about our newly purchased 1969 Playmor canned ham style camper. Although I have not posted in quite some time about the camper, we actually began renovations in the Fall and are nearly done with the interior of the camper.

Tim did all of the renovations himself. He added a hot water heater and rewired the camper to add electric so that we could utilize the hook up services available at most campgrounds or a generator. As far as structural repairs, we were fortunate enough that most of what we needed to do to the camper was cosmetic. Tim had to fix some rot at the back of the camper and reseal the windows, but other than that, the camper was in great shape.

I have just packed away the last of my holiday decorations and I can hardly believe that the holidays have come and gone. The holidays are a whirlwind of family gatherings, activities, preparations, and, of course, shopping. Although I enjoy the festivities, I also like the few weeks afterwards, during which time I can decompress and get my wits about me again. Now that I finally have my head above water again, I am focusing on the Spring. Yes, I know, we are still in the clutches of Winter, but just remember, with each passing day, the days get longer and bring us one step closer to those beautiful Spring blossoms and mild weather.

For many of you, this Spring is particularly special because your little ones will be receiving their First Holy Communion , a special milestone that I know you want to document. I love photographing this special moment because it is the perfect time for me to capture a wide array of classic portraits of your child. My communion portrait sessions are centered on capturing candid and natural images of your child, as well as beautiful and artistic images that encapsulate this very special rite of passage for your child. Some of my most favorite photos I have ever captured are those of children on their Communion day. I just love the dramatic natural light that a church provides for portraits, but it also seems that this special day allows for a child's whimsical nature to shine through and I love capturing that silly and relaxed side of children too. Scheduling the photos before the communion day ensures that you capture beautiful portraits of your child in a natural and relaxed way, without the stress of rushing around on the day of the ceremony.

I had a wonderful Fall season photographing families and children for their holiday photos. Although I loved every second of this time, I had very little time to keep up with blogging. Now that the dust has settled, I am finally catching up on blogging some of the newborns and birthdays that I photographed recently.

I love photographing first birthdays, especially when they involve cake smashes. My studio birthday portrait packages include two sets. Because a lot of what I do involves lifestyle photography, I usually encourage clients to utilize one of the more natural set ups that my studio provides, such as my bed or teal velvet couch. I find that these set ups allow for more natural images, as opposed to children being posed on a rigid backdrop. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the clean and classic look that my backdrops provide, but I find that you will be more likely to hang an image in your home of your child on a bed or seated on a couch.

I recently photographed a beautiful baby boy in my Long Beach studio for his newborn photos. This little man happens to share the same birth date as my eldest daughter. Now, I know some people fear that the holidays can overshadow December birthdays, but as a parent of a child born in this special month, I actually think it just enhances the festive spirit of the birthday celebrations. When mom booked the session, I knew I had to incorporate something to commemorate Christmas. I found an adorable handmade knit Santa suit to use and I just love the sweet images I captured of him seeping in the suit.