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.

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.

I can’t believe that today is Labor Day. I have to say that this was the fastest Summer season of my life. I was busy working with tons of families and children, but also got a lot of quality time in with my family, friends, and neighbors. I am truly sad to say goodbye to Summer, but I lam looking forward to the Fall season too.

I can’t believe that today is Labor Day. I have to say that this was the fastest Summer season of my life. I was busy working with tons of families and children, but I also got a lot of quality time in with my family, friends, and neighbors. I am truly sad to say goodbye to Summer, but I lam looking forward to the Fall season too.

The majority of my sessions took place on the beach this season and I have no complaints about the location. I completely understand why so many families choose the shore as the location for family photos. It is beautiful, serene and families tend to laugh and play readily at the beach. Plus, a sunset not only provides the most flattering light, but provides gorgeous hues and tones for photos.

I love that so many of my clients have been opting to do family sessions in place of the traditional cake smash photo session. A first birthday is the perfect milestone to update those family photos. I often encourage my clients to get into the frame with their children and this is especially true when a client opts to do an outdoor session in place of the studio.

I recently photographed this family, whom I first met 11 months ago when I photographed them in their home for a lifestyle newborn session. I loved that I was able to see how much baby M has grown over the year and she was an absolute delight to photograph. She was all smiles and giggles throughout the session. I usually schedule my sessions an hour before sunset, but in the Summer months this time of day can be problematic for children because sunset coincides with bedtime. I can work around that time of day and shoot an hour or even an hour and a half earlier by scheduling the session at an outdoor location that provides lots of trees to filter the light. I am glad we moved the start time for this session because our birthday girl was so happy and I was able to capture some really sweet moments.

To bring some vibrancy and color to the photos, we opted for a garden location for their birthday/family session. The night of the session was absolutely gorgeous and the sunset was beautiful. We started the session with a few posed family portraits and then continued with some birthday photos of the twins. Thankfully, there was an array of flowers that were in bloom that allowed me to capture this family with a variety of colors and textures in the background.

Pinch me, am I dreaming? Is this awesome Summer weather for real? I have been embracing every second of this weather and much of that involves spending time down by the shore. My favorite time to go to the beach is late afternoon into the evening hours. I love how serene the beach is at this time of day and I love to watch the colors of the sky, sun and ocean change as sunset approaches. These gorgeous soft colors are what make it the perfect location for photos.

My favorite type of session to photograph is the family session. I am always honored when families entrust me to document their family for them. For many families with young children, this is the first time they are having photos taken together as a family. Many of them have not had professional photos taken since their wedding. I also know that for families with young children, parents worry about whether or not their children will cooperate for the session. Fortunately, I have two young children of my own and I know a few tricks to keep the kids engaged in the session and I like to keep things fun for the kids.

Many of my clients have been opting to do family sessions in place of the traditional first birthday sessions. I love this idea for so many reasons. Opting for this type of session allows you to update your family portraits and get birthday portraits of your little one as well. It allows me to capture all of those fun and cozy moments with baby and with the full family session, we still have time to do a cake smash.

Summer is now in full swing and I have been busy photographing children and families down at the beach. I feel so blessed to be able to work in such a gorgeous and serene location. Regardless of the amount of families I photograph and the amount of sunsets I watch, I am always humbled and amazed at the beauty of the ocean.

I truly believe the the beach is the perfect backdrop for any family session. The clean and muted colors of the sand and ocean provides the perfect backdrop for your photos and allows me to focus one the love and bond in each family. The golden glow of the sunset provides ultra flattering light, but also enhances and highlights the love and bond of each family.

Mom contacted me about a first birthday session for her youngest son, but did not want a session filled with props or a cake smash; instead, she wanted natural images of her son, which is the exact type of session I like to shoot. In the warmer months, I always suggest outdoor sessions to my clients for children’s photos. Shooting outdoors allows me to get the most authentic and natural looking images possible; additionally, these type of images are classic and can hang on your walls for years to come.

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.  

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.

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.  

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 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.