Halloween has come and gone and the Summer seems like a distant memory. As I sit bundled up in my winter attire, I find myself longing for those warm nights on the beach. Although I love the Fall and the holiday season, I am partial to the warm weather of Summer and my busy nights photographing families on the beach. I am finally catching up on some of the blogging from those sessions.

This family is a local Long Beach family and I photographed them on a cloudy, but warm evening in July. I know most people prefer a sunset beach session, but cloudy evenings can provide a beautiful and soft backdrop for photos and the light is always super flattering. Mom chose the perfect attire for a cloudy day session. Her bright and cheery color palette provided the perfect pop fo color for these photos.

We had a stretch of warm weather this past week here in the Northeast and it perfectly coincided with the gorgeous peak of the foliage in the area. November truly is such a perfect time to photograph families. The hues of the foliage are gorgeous and the warm November light adds such beauty to the captures. Images from a Fall session are timeless and can adorn your walls for years to come and be used for holiday cards.

I recently photographed this beautiful family during my annual Fall mini sessions. Their 11 month old daughter is so adorable and was mesmerized by the fallen leaves. Mom dressed her in the most adorable pink skirtall from Zara, which is a favorite vendor of mine for children’s attire. I love the way the pink pops agains the orange and brown tones of the foliage. This sweet baby is already walking and a quick game of peek a boo with her helped me to capture the adorable images of her with a big smile on her face.

I have been photographing so many families with six month olds lately and I absolutely love it. This is the perfect age to capture photos of your child. Babies have so much personality at this age. They can sit up, laugh, play and really interact with the family. Although I love photographing newborns, I have to say that this stage is probably my favorite to capture.

Many of the families that I have been photographing had babies during the COVID quarantine and, therefore, were unable to have newborn photos taken. For many of them, their Fall family photo session is the first time they are capturing photos of their child. I have been making sure to capture plenty of photos of the family together, as well as portraits of the baby as well. Some of my clients will finally be sending out birth announcements using photos from their session.

I first met this family five years ago when I photographed their oldest daughter for a six month old sitter session. Since that time, I have photographed them annually and it has been a joy to watch their family expand and their children grow. I always have a great time with this family and I look forward to seeing them each year.

In the past, I have photographed the family in my studio and outdoors, so this year Mom wanted to schedule the session in a different location an opted for The Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay. This location is magnificent. It has paths, foliage, florals, several houses and a wide array of locations that work as the perfect backdrop for family photos. Although there is a permit fee required for this location, it is well worth the additional cost.

When this client contacted me, I knew I was going to love her and her family. She was hoping to book a family session with her four month old daughter, who was unable to have her newborn photos taken due to COVID. So, she wanted to book a Fall family session to finally capture images of her beautiful daughter. I personally love photographing babies at this stage. They have such adorable personalities and you can really capture sweet moments of connection between parent and child.

It has been a busy Fall season for me and I have been photographing many beautiful families for their Fall and holiday photos. I am loving every single one of these sessions. It has been a blast! One of my favorite locations to photograph families is at the tree farm. I schedule a day of mini sessions at the farm annually and the captures from this location are always my favorite photos from the season. This location is not one a perfect and gorgeous backdrop, but there is something about the tree farm that facilitates natural connection and emotion within a family. The photos have a timeless look and can be used for holiday cards and hang on your walls year round.

I spent the day last week photographing many sweet families at a tree farm out east. My last session of the day took place during Golden Hour, which is my absolute favorite time of day to capture family images. The light was simply spectacular that night and I was able to capture some gorgeous images.

I originally met this family when mom was pregnant with her second child. She scheduled a maternity session with me in my studio and then we were scheduled for newborn photos in the Spring. Unfortunately, we had to postpone her newborn session because of COVID.

Now that the baby is near six months old, Mom decided that she wanted to schedule a Fall family session. She chose one of my favorite locations for her session, which is at a vintage train museum. Although I use this location mostly for holiday photos, it is also perfect for family photos. The train allows for adorable and classic images of the children and the lush foliage is perfect for family photos. I love when families are open to unique locations. Parks, beaches and gardens are all awesome locations at which to schedule a family session, but there are many other options from which you can choose as well. I was so happy mom chose this particular spot.

Photographing a vintage Volkswagon van has been a vision of mine for quite some time, so when I came across this gorgeous restored 1971 bus, I knew I had to create a mini session using it as the backdrop. The bus serves as the perfect backdrop for family photos.

I rented the bus from Long Beach Photo Bus and I can’t say enough positive things about the company and owners. They hare really designed the photo booth to be a true experience. It is not only available to photographers, but for party rentals as well. Head to their site for more info.

I had a blast photographing this family last year in West Hampton. During that session, my client announced to the rest of her family that she was pregnant and expecting her second child. It was so fun to capture their reaction to the happy news. It was so great to hear that they wanted to do another shoot and this time include the newest member of the family.

The family is from Oyster Bay, so they decided that they wanted to shoot at The Planting Fields Arboretum, a place at which they spend a lot of time. This location is not only gorgeous, but holds meaning to them as well., so it was the perfect spot for their family session, which would include all of the siblings, grandparents and grandchildren.

I photographed this sweet family two and a half years ago when their first daughter was born. When mom found out she was pregnant with her second daughter, she contacted me to schedule another in home lifestyle newborn session. Unfortunately, due to COVID, we had to postpone her session. Mom opted to do a Fall family session instead. This was a perfect time to schedule the photos because the baby is now five months old and filled with personality.

Although I love photographing families at the beach, I have to say, I love this time of year equally. The foliage is so gorgeous and I love the hues of the trees, shrubbery and flowers. It all adds such dimension to the images. We scheduled this session at a favorite park location of mine about 90 minutes before sunset. This is always my favorite time of day tp photograph because it is when the sun is at its softest. What is nice about this particular location is that because of the abundance of trees, I can also shoot throughout the day.

As a pet owner, I know how important a pet is to a family. Our fur babies are such an integral part of our family. They bring comfort, joy and love that is unconditional. Many clients bring along their dogs to their sessions and I know how important it is to get a family portrait that includes your pet. When this client contacted me and asked to schedule a photo session with her dog, I was excited to have the opportunity to capture her special relationship with her dog.

We scheduled the session on a warm and beautiful September morning in a dog friendly scenic location. Although her initial goal was to capture portraits of her pup, I encouraged her to also get in the frame with her pet. I wanted to also capture the connection and bond between the two. These are the photos you will cherish.

It is now officially the Fall and the weather has cooled off significantly. I had my first pumpkin spice coffee of the season, decorated my home for Halloween and have begun shooting my holiday mini sessions. Even though Fall seems to be in full swing, I still had time for one last beach sunset session this month on a warm and mild September night.

This client had her third baby six months ago and was not able to have a newborn session due to the COVID closures. She decided that she wanted to get some updated family photos and wanted her son to finally have his photographic debut, so she scheduled a family session with me in late September.

Although Summer is officially over, the weather the past few weeks has been spectacular. We had a few days of cold weather and then a stretch of 80 degree days crept in. I welcomed the warm weather, not only because I prefer warmer days, but also because I had a few nights of family beach sessions on my calendar for this month.

This client was originally on my calendar for a newborn session in the Spring. Due to the COVID closures, I was unable to photograph her, so I was super excited to finally be able to meet this family and capture some two month old photos of her baby. We originally had our session scheduled a few days earlier, but the weather was a frigid 62 degrees, so we decided to use the rain date instead. We made the right choice because not only was the weather spectacular, but so was the sunset.

Little Miss V was an absolute blast to work with. She was such a super cooperative child and sat for all of the posed shots that I took at the start of the session. Once it was time to move down to the shore, she was playful and silly, which is exactly what I want to happen at that point of the session. I always prefer the playful and candid captures from these family sessions.

If you haven’t noticed it yet, the recent forest fires out west have created some hazy skies over the past week. Consequently, the sunset has quite a different look to it lately. I am not complaining because I absolutely love the dramatic look that this unique sky creates.

I usually shoot at golden hour, which is the hour right before sunset, but because of the haze created by the fires, this recent session turned into a “blue hour” session, which is the 20-30 minutes that follows sunset. This time of day is equally as gorgeous. The light is soft and filtered, the sky has a blue and pink hue and it often creates for very visually interesting images.

I have been photographing quite a few extended family sessions lately. These sessions are super energetic and fun. Most of the time, these sessions are scheduled as a gift for grandparents to commemorate a special occasion. I can’t think of a better gift to give to a grandparent because it is one that not only the grandparent will cherish, but you will too.

One of my former clients contacted me early in the summer about an extended family session. After seeing her family photos from last Summer, her in laws decided that it would be a great idea to plan and gift a session for their mother. This particular session included five young children and nine adults, so there were a lot of images to capture during this session. Many of the men in the family are members of FDNY and being that my husband is also FDNY, it made the session even more special.

I went to high school with this recent client and both she and her twin brother are amongst the funniest and sweetest people I know. After photographing this beauty with her family, I realized that her four year old daughter inherited that same gift of humor. Dad also was a hoot to work with. Seriously, I don’t think I have ever had more fun during a session.

Little Miss V was an absolute blast to work with. She was such a super cooperative child and sat for all of the posed shots that I took at the start of the session. Once it was time to move down to the shore, she was playful and silly, which is exactly what I want to happen at that point of the session. I always prefer the playful and candid captures from these family sessions.

It is Labor Day weekend and Summer is winding down, but in Long Beach, September is the absolute best time of year. After this weekend, crowds will dissipate, the weather cools off a bit, and the sunsets change in color and intensity.

I shot my first sunset family session of the month Friday evening and although the beach was a bit more crowded than usual, the session was amazing. We had the most gorgeous and moderate weather, the water was warm, and the colors of the sun and sky were constantly changing in hue and color. Best of all, I got to photograph one of the sweetest families I have met. I am so lucky to work with such awesome clients

When I get asked to do a large group family session, I always get excited. These sessions are filled with energy and laughter. I also love to photograph these because I get the opportunity to document grandparents and their grandchildren together, which is always such a special bond to capture. These sessions are a great gift to give to grandparents for the upcoming holidays and it is one that not only the grandparent will cherish, but you will too.

One of my favorite clients contacted me about a last minute extended family session. Her brother in law was visiting from Hawaii and she wanted to take this opportunity to capture the whole entire family together. It was also the first time they were meeting the newest baby of the family, so it was an extra special visit.

I always tell my clients that getting engaged is the happiest moment one can experience in life. Of course, there are other moments, like the wedding or having your children that are joyous, but those first few moments right after you get engaged are like no other moment in life. It is because of that pure joy that I love photographing surprise proposals so much and I am always honored to be a part of the moment.

Not only does photographing this type of engagement session require the client to have faith in my ability to capture the moment, but he must also depend on my reliability during what is amongst the most intimate and joyous occasions that one can celebrate in life. Because I know how nerve wracking this process can be for a groom to be, my first priority for this type of session is to put the groom at ease and help him to feel confident in my ability to capture the moment. I do this by maintaining open communication throughout the planning process.

I recently photographed a family with six children, the youngest of which are beautiful twin girls. I was amazed at how calm and relaxed mom and dad were and how amazingly happy and connected everyone in the family was. Love really abounds in the family; in particular, amongst the siblings. It was so touching to watch the way the oldest siblings interacted with their younger siblings in such a loving and nurturing manner.

The oldest daughter contacted me about this session because she wanted to gift her mom a session with all of her children. I know I might be biased, but I can’t think of a more meaningful gift for a parent to receive. The images will last a lifetime and will be treasured by not only mom and dad, but all of their children as well.