Oh, how I wish more women would schedule maternity photo sessions for themselves during their pregnancy. There is nothing that can surpass the beauty of an expecting mother; as cliche as it might sound, the natural glow of a pregnant women 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, shy away from the camera 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 my monthly photos of my bump, I never scheduled a photo session with a photographer and I still regret it to this day.

A first birthday is the perfect opportunity to update your family photos. Instead of scheduling a first birthday session in the studio, you can schedule an outdoor photo session and include the whole family. Whenever weather permits, I encourage families to go this route. I always leave a little time at the end of the session for either a cake smash or first birthday themed portraits. This recent family took my advice and scheduled their son’s first birthday session on the beach at sunset. They wanted a few photos of a cake smash and the rest of the session to focus on them interacting as a family.

Although I love to shoot at sunset, this is not the only time of day a family session can be scheduled. I know we all love that golden glow of sunset, but your images are not about capturing the scenery, they are meant to capture you and your love for one another. For many families, this is a welcome relief, especially those with toddler aged children, whose bedtime often coincides with sunset.

On the day of a special event, it can be difficult to get yourself and your family ready. Capturing polished portraits of your special day is important and it can be helpful to schedule your photo session ahead of time. Doing so alleviates some of the stress associated with hosting an event, eliminates the need to rush around on that day and it is nice to know that on the day of the party you can relax because you have already captured images of your family together. This is especially true when photographing babies. They can easily become overstimulated on the day of a party, which would mean that the baby could be cranky for those family photos you want captured.

Oh my goodness…the weather this Summer has been so whacky and unpredictable. We are experiencing a very cloudy and rainy Summer here on Long Island, which has caused me to reschedule multiple photo sessions. I have learned from past experiences that when I book a sunset beach session, I have to also include a rain date on the calendar. This means that when clients book, they have two dates already blocked out on my calendar. This gives me flexibility to pivot when the weather just doesn’t want to cooperate. This is also why I have such limited availability for beach family sessions. I try to book only one or two beach sessions a week, so that I can make sure to get your family photographed, no matter what the weather report calls for. We had to reschedule this family’s date twice, as it was a rainy and cloudy week. It was completely worth the wait because the light was perfect on the evening of their session and I just love their collection of images.

This recent family session was a special one. My client was born and raised in New York, but moved to England a few years ago with her husband. Her family resides in Long Beach and she was home for a visit for the first time since pre COVID for a visit with her mom. While here, she wanted to do a family session on the beach and include her mom, whom she does not see often, in the session.

When I get asked to do a family session that includes grandparents, I always know that the session will be special. I know how important the bond between grandparent and grandchild is and I love to photograph their special bond. A photo session that includes grandma and grandpa is a great gift for the holidays or any occasion and it is one that not only the grandparent will cherish, but you will too.

When my client told me she wanted a session that wasn’t too posed, I knew that this family photo session was going to be special. She said she wanted to document how much fun her children are at this age. After spending an evening with them on the beach for their sunset session, I can see why she feels this way.

The children, ages three and five, were not only fun, but super cooperative and engaged in the session. They were eager to participate in the fun games I had planned for them during the session and their laughter and happiness shines through in the images. This session really captures the essence of childhood and I think that is what I love best about it.

I first photographed this family when their oldest daughter was six months old. Since then, they have grown from a family of three to a family of five. I see them annually and I always look forward to working with them. It truly is such an honor to watch my clients’ families grow and to be able to document their special moments for them.

This particular session was scheduled to commemorate they youngest son’s first birthday. Mom scheduled a family session so that she could not only get photos of a cake smash, but also images of their entire family together. I love this idea and many of my clients choose to this type of session.

Is it me, or did this academic year fly by? It is so hard to believe that the end of June is nearly here, which means the end of the 2021-2021 school year for our children. What a wild ride the last ten months have been. It started in such a state of uncertainty and now things finally feel like they are back to normal.

June is such a great month; not only because the children are done with school, but because it is the kick off for my season of family photos on the beach at sunset. These are my most popular sessions and I understand why my clients love this location. The colors are beautiful, it allows for an uncluttered natural backdrop and there is something about being at the beach that inspires love and laughter.

This recent session was so much fun to photograph. I first photographed this family for an outdoor sitter session just a few years ago. Shortly after the holidays, my client messaged me inquiring about a photo session for her mother, who was about to turn 70. She and her brothers wanted to gift their mom a photo session of the entire family together. Like most families, the last time they had family photos taken was at a wedding and the photos did not include the grandchildren. Their mother’s birthday was the perfect opportunity to update their family photos.

It is so important to document your own relationship with your children, but also their relationship with their extended family. The bonds between grandparent and grandchild are precious and to capture that bond is a gift not only fro the grandparent, but for the whole family to treasure as well. I can’t think of a more meaningful gift to commemorate a special occasion.

This recent session at the arboretum made me giddy with glee. Not only did this session take place on the first truly warm day of the Spring, but it was with one of my favorite families and it was scheduled in the most gorgeous location.

Although I am a family and newborn photographer, I am well versed in photographing couples for not only proposals, but also intimate wedding ceremonies. I don’t photograph large elaborate weddings, but focus more on smaller intimate gatherings. I absolutely love being able to document this special moment for couples. Often times, these weddings move me to tears because the love the couples have for one another is so evident. I think that is the benefit of doing small scale weddings. Everyone in attendance really can share in the happy emotions of the day.

Halloween has come and gone and the Summer seems like a distant memory. As I sit bundled up in my winter attire, I find myself longing for those warm nights on the beach. Although I love the Fall and the holiday season, I am partial to the warm weather of Summer and my busy nights photographing families on the beach. I am finally catching up on some of the blogging from those sessions.

This family is a local Long Beach family and I photographed them on a cloudy, but warm evening in July. I know most people prefer a sunset beach session, but cloudy evenings can provide a beautiful and soft backdrop for photos and the light is always super flattering. Mom chose the perfect attire for a cloudy day session. Her bright and cheery color palette provided the perfect pop fo color for these photos.

We had a stretch of warm weather this past week here in the Northeast and it perfectly coincided with the gorgeous peak of the foliage in the area. November truly is such a perfect time to photograph families. The hues of the foliage are gorgeous and the warm November light adds such beauty to the captures. Images from a Fall session are timeless and can adorn your walls for years to come and be used for holiday cards.

I recently photographed this beautiful family during my annual Fall mini sessions. Their 11 month old daughter is so adorable and was mesmerized by the fallen leaves. Mom dressed her in the most adorable pink skirtall from Zara, which is a favorite vendor of mine for children’s attire. I love the way the pink pops agains the orange and brown tones of the foliage. This sweet baby is already walking and a quick game of peek a boo with her helped me to capture the adorable images of her with a big smile on her face.

I have been photographing so many families with six month olds lately and I absolutely love it. This is the perfect age to capture photos of your child. Babies have so much personality at this age. They can sit up, laugh, play and really interact with the family. Although I love photographing newborns, I have to say that this stage is probably my favorite to capture.

Many of the families that I have been photographing had babies during the COVID quarantine and, therefore, were unable to have newborn photos taken. For many of them, their Fall family photo session is the first time they are capturing photos of their child. I have been making sure to capture plenty of photos of the family together, as well as portraits of the baby as well. Some of my clients will finally be sending out birth announcements using photos from their session.

I first met this family five years ago when I photographed their oldest daughter for a six month old sitter session. Since that time, I have photographed them annually and it has been a joy to watch their family expand and their children grow. I always have a great time with this family and I look forward to seeing them each year.

In the past, I have photographed the family in my studio and outdoors, so this year Mom wanted to schedule the session in a different location an opted for The Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay. This location is magnificent. It has paths, foliage, florals, several houses and a wide array of locations that work as the perfect backdrop for family photos. Although there is a permit fee required for this location, it is well worth the additional cost.

When this client contacted me, I knew I was going to love her and her family. She was hoping to book a family session with her four month old daughter, who was unable to have her newborn photos taken due to COVID. So, she wanted to book a Fall family session to finally capture images of her beautiful daughter. I personally love photographing babies at this stage. They have such adorable personalities and you can really capture sweet moments of connection between parent and child.

It has been a busy Fall season for me and I have been photographing many beautiful families for their Fall and holiday photos. I am loving every single one of these sessions. It has been a blast! One of my favorite locations to photograph families is at the tree farm. I schedule a day of mini sessions at the farm annually and the captures from this location are always my favorite photos from the season. This location is not one a perfect and gorgeous backdrop, but there is something about the tree farm that facilitates natural connection and emotion within a family. The photos have a timeless look and can be used for holiday cards and hang on your walls year round.

I spent the day last week photographing many sweet families at a tree farm out east. My last session of the day took place during Golden Hour, which is my absolute favorite time of day to capture family images. The light was simply spectacular that night and I was able to capture some gorgeous images.

I originally met this family when mom was pregnant with her second child. She scheduled a maternity session with me in my studio and then we were scheduled for newborn photos in the Spring. Unfortunately, we had to postpone her newborn session because of COVID.

Now that the baby is near six months old, Mom decided that she wanted to schedule a Fall family session. She chose one of my favorite locations for her session, which is at a vintage train museum. Although I use this location mostly for holiday photos, it is also perfect for family photos. The train allows for adorable and classic images of the children and the lush foliage is perfect for family photos. I love when families are open to unique locations. Parks, beaches and gardens are all awesome locations at which to schedule a family session, but there are many other options from which you can choose as well. I was so happy mom chose this particular spot.