Ben Drucker Photography

Jessi Zabrowsky Bat Mitzvah | Livingston, West Orange Bat Mitzvah Photographer

Ben — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 22:59:31 +0000

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.

Newsletter and Facebook Fan Page

Ben — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 01:48:21 +0000

In the never ending battle to offer our customers the best service in the world, Ben Drucker Photography now has an email newsletter. We won’t bombard you with emails; an email will probably go out once every month at most, unless we have something really important to tell you. Newsletter subscribers will be the first ones to know about new offers and special deals, as well as the occasional subscriber-only discount. If you’d like to receive our newsletter, you can head over to the signup page.

We also have a Facebook page, where you can go over and become a fan of Ben Drucker Photography. You’ll get a lot of the same benefits as the newsletters: free stuff, discounts, and early notice of new offers.

Ben Drucker Photography on Facebook

We look forward to communicating with you!

New Website!

Ben — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:00:50 +0000

Well, it’s finally here. After months of work, the new website has arrived! And it took a while for a reason. Take a look around the new site. Here’s some things you’ll notice.

Speed. I can’t even say how much time I’ve spent tweaking things on this site so it gets to your computer as fast as possible. Despite all the images, my site loads in just 2 seconds on a cable broadband connection. Plus, it’s fully standards compliant, meaning you get the content you want with no errors, and no formatting problems.
Design. Simply put, the new site is so much prettier than the old one. And who doesn’t like pretty websites?
Blog. For the first time, I now have a blog. While most of the posts will feature images from a recent shoot, some posts will announce things like discounts and new offerings from Ben Drucker Photography. You can stay up to date by subscribing via the RSS link, or by signing up for email updates.
Photos. And big ones at that. My new site features more photos and bigger sizes. Whether at the blog or the portfolios, my images are displayed in high resolution. Might as well take advantage of the broadband internet connection you pay for, right?
Clients. Until you become a Ben Drucker Photography customers, you won’t see one of the best new aspects of the new website. All future clients will receive a free personal client page, where they can view important dates, an event checklist, click over to their proof gallery, or even pay their deposits and final payments. It’s a one-stop-shop for all the info you need as a Ben Drucker Photography client.

There’s so much that’s been added, I don’t even have the time to list all the additions. We’ve looked at what clients and potential clients wanted in a photographer’s website and designed our site around what our customers want.

Comments, feedback, or problems with the new site? Contact us and let us know. Or leave feedback by commenting on this post. Either way, we’d love to hear what you think!

Antiles Family Portraits | South Orange and Maplewood, New Jersey Family Portrait Photographer

Ben — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:03:16 +0000

Early Sunday morning, I headed over to the Antiles’ house in South Orange, New Jersey, to go shoot some family portraits since a lot of their extended family was in town for Jessica’s Bat Mitzvah. I expected maybe 15 people or so, but boy was I surprised. It seemed like there was another uncle or cousin arriving every minute. By the time everyone was there, there might have been more than 30 people in the house. Nevertheless, with the help and cooperation of the Antiles, everything went perfectly. To my amazement, we were done in just under hour, despite all the combinations of family members we were constantly arranging. Thanks to the family for all their help and cooperation, and of course, congratulations to Jessica on becoming a Bat Mitzvah!

Jessica and family

Jessica and her cousins had a great time posing and arranging themselves

Jessica Antiles Bat Mitzvah Portraits | South Orange, New Jersey Bat Mitzvah Photographer

Ben — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 01:37:33 +0000

This past Tuesday I did another Bat Mitzvah portrait session with Jessica Antiles and her family at Oheb Shalom Congregation in South Orange, New Jersey. The Antiles were great to work with. They were really excited about their session, which really showed through in their images. Jessica becomes a Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, so good luck to her!

Jessica and her mom stand in front of the ark

Rabbi Cooper joking with Jessica before I started shooting. They didn’t know I was there and getting this shot until it had already been taken!

I really love this image of Jessica reading from the Torah

Jessica stands at the Torah with her two younger brothers. Her brothers were not exactly excited to be there, but we finished their shots quickly much to their delight.

Jessica’s parents watch their daughter with pride as she reads from the Torah

Josh Harmon Bar Mitzvah Party | Short Hills, New Jersey Bar Mitzvah Party Photographer

Ben — Mon, 25 May 2009 18:42:55 +0000

I shot Josh Harmon’s Bar Mitzvah Party last Saturday night at The Warehouse in East Hanover, New Jersey. What an incredible venue. The place is set up with retro 60’s decor, ping-pong and foosball tables, and lots of food. They really packed a lot of stuff into a small space. Everyone had a great time.

Josh plays doubles ping-pong with his friend. What’s really incredible is who he’s playing against.

Yes, that’s a Converse shoe in his hand. This guy was incredible. He’s a professional ping-pong player, who the Harmons hired to play against all the partygoers. And wow, was this guy good. When he used a paddle, he used one half the normal size. He used shoes, small frying pans, you name it, he could play ping-pong with it without breaking a sweat. It was truly incredible.

You can find the images from the Harmon’s family portrait session in honor of Josh’s Bar Mitzvah on my blog.

Sarah Nelson Bat Mitzvah Portraits | Short Hills, New Jersey Bat Mitzvah Portrait Photographer

Ben — Sat, 23 May 2009 17:58:55 +0000

The Nelsons brought a lot of family to their Bat Mitzvah synagogue portrait session for Sarah Nelson’s Bat Mitzvah at Oheb Shalom Congregation in South Orange, New Jersey. Lots of people in a portrait session tends to mean rushing, difficult logistics, and a less enjoyable experience. Not with the Nelsons. Not only were they cooperative and excited subjects, but they were willing to invest extra time to make sure they had every image they wanted. After over an hour of shooting, we left the synagogue with everyone enjoying themselves and images that showed it sitting on my memory card. Thank you to the Nelsons for being so enthusiastic and willing to experiment, and congratulations to Sarah on becoming a Bat Mitzvah!

Sarah looks up at Rabbi Mark Cooper as he speaks to her about becoming a Bat Mitzvah

Sarah and her younger sister Eva get their favorite shot where they’re both wrapped in Sarah’s tallit

Sarah stands in front of the ark with her grandmother

Sarah reads from the tour as Cantor Erica Lippitz watches and smiles

Everyone smiles as Sarah reads from the Torah in front of her parents

Sarah and her parents stand with the sanctuary in the background

A unique and modern looking shot, in which Sarah and her parents stand in front of one of Oheb Shalom’s beautiful stand glass windows

You can also find the images from Sarah’s Bat Mitzvah Party on my blog.

Harmon Family Portraits | Short Hills, New Jersey Family Portrait Photographer

Ben — Sat, 16 May 2009 09:34:14 +0000

I shot some family portraits in honor of Josh Harmon’s Bar Mitzvah this afternoon. The Harmons are friends of mine, and it was a pleasure to work with them. We did the shoot in their backyard, where, on the beautiful day it was, we had great light. Congratulations Josh on becoming a Bar Mitzvah!

Josh stands with two of his grandparents

In a family tradition, Josh’s grandfather adjusts his tie

The men of the family pose for a portrait

The entire family poses together

You can find the images from Josh Harmon’s Bar Mitzvah Party on my blog.

Sarah Nelson Bat Mitzvah Party | Morristown, New Jersey Bat Mitzvah Photographer

Ben — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:33:17 +0000

This past Sunday, I went to the Morris Museum in Morristown, New Jersey to photograph Sarah Nelson’s Bat Mitzvah party. It was a very unique party, definitely a departure from the dark rooms and loud music I’m used to. Sarah and her family planned a scavenger hunt through the museum, with the attendees picking up clues along the way, trying to win a prize at the end. The kids split into teams, and searched the museum, counting beads on necklaces, reading articles, and scouring the pieces for clues. Everyone got really engrossed in the scavenger hunt, and the very unique idea ended up being a great success. Congratulations to Sarah on becoming a Bat Mitzvah!

Sarah receives a memento from a family friend

Some partygoers write down clues

Discussing a clue

Sarah’s sister write down clues

Sarah and her friends in a group hug, after her friends sang the song they wrote for her

You can also find the images from Sarah’s Bat Mitzvah portrait session on my blog.

Sara Winkler Bat Mitzvah Portraits | Short Hills, New Jersey Bat Mitzvah Photographer

Ben — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:57:30 +0000

I recently shot a synagogue portrait session for Sara Winkler’s Bat Mitzvah with the Winkler/Banner family at Oheb Shalom Congregation in South Orange, New Jersey. We’d had a lot of scheduling difficulties and the session had been pushed back by almost a month. Nevertheless, I worked with the Winklers and we finally fit it in their schedule. And it was worth the wait. The images really say it all. Also, congratulations to Sarah on becoming a Bat Mitzvah!

Sara’s parents decided to sneak a quick portrait while everyone else was preparing

Cantor Erica Lippitz shows Sara a parshah in the Torah

You can really say how proud Sara’s parents are of everything she’s achieved and prepared for

Rabbi Mark Cooper points to the siddur as Sarah reads

You can also find the images from Sara’s Bat Mitzvah Party on my blog.