Maxine’s Party took place at Maggiano’s Little Italy in Bridgewater, New Jersey on May 15th. I was really surprised to see what a great job Maggiano’s and the decorator Howard Goldberg did–the room looked amazing. On top of that, it was a pleasure to work with the best entertainment company I’ve worked with, Pure Energy Entertainment. They did an incredible job creating energy in the room and made my job so much easier. The party was a great success and the images show it. Congratulations to Maxine and the entire “R” family; it was a pleasure to be part of the event.

Maxine shares a hug with a friend

Maxine poses with Jared, the emcee

Maxine sings with her friends

Maxine cuts the challah with a close family friend

Maxine lights a candle with her friends

The "R" family blows out the candles on the cake

Maxine kicks off the hora

I think they may have had the most fun with the emcee/dancers...

Maxine dances with her father

Maxine poses with Jared, the emcee

Stefan, Maxine's brother, does his best to steal the show

I had the pleasure of photographing Benji Cooper, son of Rabbi Mark Cooper and Amy Skopp Cooper, this Friday at Oheb Shalom Congregation before his Bar Mitzvah. The Coopers are an amazing family. They have 5 sons and are truly dedicated to Judaism and Israel. I’ve known Benji for a long time and I could tell that his Bar Mitzvah meant something to him; he was genuinely excited to become a Jewish adult. Mazel Tov to Benji and the entire Cooper family.

The Coopers will be the first recipient of one of my brand new slideshows. I’m really excited to be offering these starting today. I couldn’t ask for a better way to show off my images. Click the play button below to take a look.

I photographed Jessi’s Bat Mitzvah at Temple Emanu-El‎ in Livingston, New Jersey. We shot some great family portraits with the whole Zabrowsky family and then moved into the sanctuary to make some portraits on the bimah. Jessica’s party was held at the Highlawn Pavillion in West Orange. The Highlawn is one of my favorite venues to photograph. It’s beautifully decorated and features panoramic views of New York City.

Jessi and her mom share a special moment before the service

Jessi reads from the Torah

Jessi and her grandfather cut the challah together

The Zabrowskys blow out the candles

I had a great time with the Zabrowskys and congratulate Jessi on becoming a Bat Mitzvah.

I haven’t been updating the blog recently, but I will be posting a bunch of shoots I’ve done over the past two months this weekend.