Natural and Bohemian Photography Studio

I am in the process of renovating my photography studio. I have made some minor changes to the space to give the studio a more modern, beachy and bohemian look. I have added furnishings and decor that have a lot of texture and will provide visual interest to the images I take in the space.

Accent pieces such as my new rattan arm chair and velvet sofa, both provide a comfy space for my clients to relax, but I also incorporate these furnishings into my studio lifestyle newborn sessions, which are geared towards capturing families interacting with their baby.

Another key design element is the use of textures, such as macrame pillows, the chenille bedding, and faux fur side table and blankets. Not only do these items beautifully decorate the space, but they add dimension and depth to the photos I take in the studio.

I have always taken the safety of my clients very seriously, but now due to the recent findings of COVID-19, I have heightened my safety measures. I am a mom of two, so I know how nerve wracking it is to be a new parent. I always want my clients to feel comfortable, confident and, most importantly, safe during a session with me, so I have instituted new safety guidelines for my business. To see the new safety measures I am taking, you can click here to view my post on those guidelines.

Although I am primarily a family and newborn photographer, I also photograph events occasionally. When this bride contacted me about her wedding a few months ago, I knew that the day would be a special one and I was excited and honored to be a part of it. On the day of the wedding, we started at the Garden City Gazebo to capture some family photos.

In the midst of the “stay in” during the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been many moments of anxiety and fear. To helps assuage those fears, I have opted to focus on the positives during the last few weeks. For example, I am enjoying this relaxing time at home, nurturing bonds with my children, reading voraciously, creating art and catching up on some blogging. When I choose this perspective, the situation actually seems more like a vacation than a quarantine.

Speaking of vacations, we traveled to Florida in early February for our annual trip to the Florida Keys. This year, we spent a few nights in Orlando and visited Walt Disney World. Although we visited Disney in 2017 and 2018, this trip was extra special because our youngest is currently princess obsessed and both girls are now old enough to really appreciate the trip.

We are now almost through the second week of the quarantine in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. While we all want to do our part to flatten the curve, this time can be stressful and anxiety producing. Like most of you, I have felt a wide array of feelings over the last two weeks, including fear, anxiety and anger. The first few days of this situation awakened anxiety in me that I have not felt in many years. Thankfully, a conversation with my seven year old daughter changed my entire viewpoint.

At bedtime this past weekend, I asked my oldest how she was feeling in response to the stay in. She happily exclaimed, “I love it!” That night, I reflected on how our past week was going. My daughter is prone to explosive tantrums and meltdowns and in the last two weeks, she has experienced barely any. She is happy and does nothing but laugh and sing all day. When I asked her why she was so happy, she said simply, “because I am home with mommy.” It is that simple for a child and the moment truly put things in perspective for me.

In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, the last two weeks have been a whirlwind of uncertainty and fear. The media has been bombarding us with terrifying stories, the local grocery store shelves are bare and social media is filled with memes, articles and posts that further perpetuate the fear and madness.

In the midst of the hysteria, I had the privilege to witness what life is all about: love. I photographed an adorable couple as they embarked on a new stage of life together at the swanky TWA hotel. This couple’s love story is much like a storybook. The groom is from the Amalfi Coast in Italy. He met his bride while she was there visiting her father’s family, who also lives in Italy. The two began courting when he visited the states. Afterwards, they engaged in a long distance relationship that involved commuting between countries to see each other until he ultimately moved to the US.

I photographed this sweet man for his newborn session last year. Although I did see him for his holiday photos a few months ago, I was still so happy to see how much he has grown in the past year. I love that I am able to watch my clients’ families grow each year and I truly am always honored by the fact that they choose me to document their milestones.

Mom wanted a simple and uncluttered set for her son’s first birthday portraits, which is perfect for me because I always take a minimalist approach to my sets. Once she sent me his outfit, I knew exactly what type of set I would build for his birthday pictures.

I held several newborn sessions in my Long Beach studio over the last two months. I absolutely love working with each and every family. This recent session is no exception. I know I say it all the time, but I really do have the nicest clients. It is always a pleasure to chat with the family while I photograph their new bundle of joy and I truly love learning new things about each family I meet.

I got to know my recent client during our pre session consultation and I knew she and her family would be fun to work with. During the consult, mom told me that Dad is a police officer for NYPD and she wanted to incorporate a nod to his profession in the photo shoot. I was thrilled to accommodate this request, not only because I love to customize my studio sessions, but because I have tremendous respect for police officers. Even though mom was going to bring along Dad’s badge and hat, I decided to purchase a hand knit outfit for baby to wear for one or two photos. I always love incorporating the look of textures such as knits into photos.

My brother and sister in law recently gave birth to their first baby and she is an absolute cutie.. Our family is absolutely thrilled for them, but we are also super excited because it has been about five years since we had a newborn in the family. We are all eager to spend time and cuddle with the newest addition to the family. In fact, I recently had the opportunity to spend the morning with her and photograph her in my studio space.

My niece was born a few days after Christmas, so I knew we had to incorporate some type of subtle nod to the holiday in her session. I also have a wreath obsession, so as soon as she was delivered, I knew exactly what set up I would use for her portraits. She was a little over two weeks old on the date of her session, but we were still able to coax her to sleep and capture some beautiful polished portraits. What is great about the family studio newborn session is that baby only really needs to be asleep for those posed portraits. She can be awake for all of the family photos and even for swaddled photos. I love that this provides parents with a diverse gallery that includes those squishy sleepy images we all love, as well as awake and alert images in which you get to see a tiny bit of baby’s personality. Furthermore, it allows for the session to move a bit more quickly. Typically, a family session will run around 2 hours, sometimes 3 hours if the session includes toddler aged siblings.

The holidays have come and gone and we are now in the depth of Winter. Even though we still have quite a few weeks to go, I am choosing to look at the bright side of the situation; for example, the weather has been very mild lately, the days are getting longer and Spring is right around the corner.

I have added a Spring set to my studio that will be available on select days this Spring. The design is a gorgeous white rustic set with subtle accents of greens and florals. It is super versatile and will work for a multitude of occasions. The white and floral backdrop is perfect for Communions. The bright, modern and neutral look provides a great opportunity to simply update your photos of your children for Easter or to use as gifts for Mother’s Day. It is also large enough to accommodate maternity sessions and mother and child sessions.

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.

When mom originally contacted me to schedule her Fall family session, I knew we had to start the session at her gorgeous historic farm home; in particular, the breezeway entrance to the home. Although I love photographing families at scenic locations, it is always nice to capture them in their own home. It creates a more personal look for the session and it is another way to capture all of those precious memories. It is nice to have old photos that show how your home has evolved and changed over the years.

We started the session with some images of Mr P in his big brother shirt. Mom and Dad are expecting a baby boy in March, so they wanted to capture a few images to announce and share the great news and Mr P happily smiled for these photos. Like all toddlers, big brother was super active during the session and that is exactly what I want. I love images that capture children on the go because they are always the most natural images. Even though big brother was busy during the session, we were able to capture some cuddly and snuggly shots with mama and awesome family portraits too.

Most families who book me have younger children, but I do also photograph teenagers. In fact, prior to owning my business, I was a high school English teacher; so, I am very familiar with how to interact with this age group. Capturing family portraits is important to do at every stage of your child’s life, but I would argue that it is even more important to schedule a photo session when your children are in high school and before they head off to college.

Most families who book me have younger children, but I do also photograph teenagers. In fact, prior to owning my business, I was a high school English teacher; so, I am very familiar with how to interact with this age group. Capturing family portraits is important to do at every stage of your child’s life, but I would argue that it is even more important to schedule a photo session when your children are in high school and before they head off to college.

I know many of you moms with adolescents have some trepidation about scheduling a family session at this phase. You might be thinking, “my child would never smile for the camera” or “there is no time to schedule a session because of all of the sports/activities”. I implore you; please make the time to schedule a session; if not with me, with any photographer. If weekends are too hectic for you because of activities, you can schedule one on a weeknight or even a weekday when the kids have off from school.

Grandparents are an integral part of your children’s life. For most children, the bond between grandparent and grandchild is strong and like no other. The love a grandparent has for a grandchild is unparalleled and it is unbiased. It is so very important to capture that bond and preserve those memories for your children. An extended family session is the perfect way to do so because you get images that capture the connection between your parents and your children.

I recently photographed this sweet group on Veteran’s Day. It was an unseasonably warm day and I was thankful for it because the days preceding this session were bitterly cold. Mom chose a location close to her home and I was happy to oblige her because I absolutely love to photograph families in new and unique locations.

I think the greatest gift that you can give to any grandparent is the gift of a large group family session. This gift is one that the grandparent will cherish for a lifetime and so will the entire family. My client contacted me in the early Spring inquiring about a group family session. She and her sister wanted to gift the session to her mother as a Mother’s Day gift. The session was to include her parents, both of their spouses and their toddler aged children. Although they are from Nassau County and the surrounding areas, they chose Westhampton beach as their location because they spend a lot of time as a family out there.

The weather this September has been AMAZING! I have been loving every second of it and I have been busy doing as much outdoors as possible. I want to soak up every last second of the remainder of the this good weather, which includes lots of outdoor photoshoots. I spent a good deal of the Summer photographing families and children on the beach and I am happy to start shooting some Fall sessions at my favorite park location.

Many families have been scheduling family sessions in place of the traditional first birthday portrait session. I love this trend because you not only get images that commemorate your little one’s first birthday, but you also will have images of you interacting with your child that you will treasure forever.

When my client first contacted me she said she was looking for a newborn session with a focus on mostly natural images. Because she already had a toddler, she wanted to schedule the session in the comfort of her own home. I knew right away that she was the right client for me because the goal of my newborn sessions is to always capture phots that appear natural and organic. I was thrilled when she decided to book the in home session.

On the day of the session, when I first arrived to her beautiful home, I was thrilled to see the abundance of natural light she had available. This allowed me to capture images in numerous locations of her home. I like to do this because it makes each session unique and personal. I especially love to photograph families in the baby’s nursery, living room, and master bedroom. All of these locations are areas in which you spend the most time as a family, so it is important to document them. Although most of what I focus on during this type of session is the family interacting with baby, I do make sure to capture some polished portraits of baby during my newborn sessions, whether it be in the studio or in the home. These are perfect for hanging on walls, gifting to family members and using for birth announcements.

I am excited to announce the first of my series of holiday sessions for the 2018 season.  Not only am I offering a beach holiday session, but for the first time ever, I am offering a  family mini session. Although this session works for just children, I always encourage my clients to get into the frame with their children and this session is the perfect opportunity to get some fun family images.  

The campfire holiday session is not only unique, but it will be an interactive and fun experience for everyone. As a family photographer, my goal is to always provide you with an experience that allows you to connect and have fun with your children.  I chose this particular theme because a camping expedition provides the perfect opportunity for parents to have uninterrupted and quality bonding time with their children.  

To make sure that I can capture the gorgeous soft glow of the sun, I only photograph on the beach during golden hour. Most of the time, I meet families one hour before sunset, but because that time of day can be a challenge for families with young children, I also offer the option to schedule the session at sunrise and I can photograph families in the hour that follows sunrise. I absolutely love this time slot for photo sessions. The beach is peaceful and serene at that time of day and there is nothing quite like watching the sun rise over the horizon.

I photographed this adorable family the day after Labor Day weekend. We met at the beach for a sunrise session. Even though we started in the wee hours of the morning, there was an abundance of love, energy and vitality in this session. I don’t think I have ever seen a family laugh as much as this one and their love shines through int her gallery of images.

As a mom, I love to buy my girls new holiday pjs to commemorate the Christmas season. These garments are as much of a tradition in our household as putting up the Christmas tree and I always make sure to photograph the girls together in those pjs.

There is something so classic about the holiday pajamas photo, which is why I offer a holiday themed pajamas in bed session each year. The images always have a warm and cozy look to them and the photos are perfect for holiday cards or to simply document the holiday season. The aesthetic for this year will be very bright and modern. Kids will get to snuggle up on the bed in their pjs, read holiday books and eat milk and cookies.