Ben Drucker Photography » Portraits

“P” Family Portraits | South Orange, New Jersey Family Portrait Photographer

Ben — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 22:52:05 +0000

I’m glad I was around to shoot the “P” family’s annual fall portraits last Sunday in South Orange, New Jersey. I got a call on Sunday morning saying that the photographer they had hired this year hadn’t showed up and wasn’t answering his phone. While I normally don’t schedule sessions for Sunday morning, I was happy to do this one. The “P” family has a beautiful property and a beautiful family. Their portraits were a pleasure to photograph.

If there was ever an image that absolutely had to be made into a 24x36 canvas print, it's this one.

“R” Family Bat Mitzvah Portraits | Warren, New Jersey Family Portrait Photographer

Ben — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 03:06:34 +0000

In the week after Maxine’s Bar Mitzvah, we visited the Temple Har Shalom in Warren, New Jersey to take some formal Bat Mitzvah portraits since photography is not allowed during services. After, we went back to the “R” family’s home to take some regular family portraits. We had a great time and made some great images.

Benji Cooper Bar Mitzvah Portraits | South Orange, New Jersey Bar Mitzvah Photographer

Ben — Sun, 16 May 2010 21:16:08 +0000

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.

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.

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.

Israel | Maplewood, New Jersey Family Portrait Photographer

Ben — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:13:07 +0000

I just returned from Israel after being gone for over a week. I did a lot of photography for some of the families I was traveling with. I am selling the images I took of the families all over the country and donating all proceeds to three charities I selected. I haven’t made many sales yet, but many people are still jet lagged (including me). Hopefully I’m able to raise a lot of money! I’ll post an update later on how we’re doing.

Trisha M | Maplewood, New Jersey Portrait Photographer

Ben — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:52:56 +0000

I went down to the local park (Memorial Park) with Trisha M today for an outdoor portrait session. It was a little cloudy and started to drizzle as I was leaving, but the cloudiness made for very soft light. Trisha was a great subject: she always was very relaxed and picked up poses very quickly. Here’s a couple of images: