Ben Drucker Photography » Short Hills

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.

Sara Winkler Bat Mitzvah Party | Montclair, New Jersey Bat Mitzvah Party Photographer

Ben — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:24:30 +0000

I recently photographed Sara Winkler’s Bat Mitzvah party at the Diva Lounge in Montclair, New Jersey. The venue was really incredible. Very large, and of course, very well stocked with food. Having been on my feet shooting for 3 hours made the few free minutes I had to stop by the chocolate fondue station even better. Here are a few images:

The family of honor entered, with everyone very dressed up for a daytime party

The tattoo artist airbrushed tattoos on, and was very popular

The dancing started to pick up about an hour into the party

A favorite photo of mine, in which some girls sang along to the music

Sara lit candles with her relatives

And of course was joined by some friends as well

Sara lit a candle with one of her best friends, whose birthday it was that day

Sara gets a Superman tattoo

Dancing with Dad

Sara’s Dad busts a move

Sara’s friends present her with some gifts and posters

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