Ben Drucker Photography » South Orange

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.

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

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.

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.