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.

Even though I love photographing newborns, the six month sitter milestone session is becoming a favorite of mine to photograph. It is amazing how much your little one grows, develops, and changes in those first six months of life and the half birthday is the perfect time to update your images of your bundle of joy. At six months old, babies have vibrant personalities that are evident; they can sit unassisted, clap, wave, laugh and smile. It is such a pleasure to be able to document all of those precious moments for my clients. I always have so much fun during these photo sessions.

Because of COVID, there were so many families who were unable to have newborn photos taken this past winter. This session is the perfect opportunity to finally capture images of your little one.

Proposal photography has become a large segment of my business. Although I probably get as anxious as the groom does for these, I love surprise proposal sessions so much. It is such a special moment to be a part of, so when a client chooses me to photograph this for them, I take it very seriously and put 100000% into the session. Most of the time, the couple ends up feeling like extended family to me. I just get so happy for them.

This recent session took place in Long Beach. Now, I know I might be biased because I live here, but I really can’t think of a better spot to propose than right on the shore at sunset. When I met the client for his pre session consult, we chose the ideal spot on the beach and came up with a plan to capture the moment. He brought his friend along to the meeting, who was going to arrive early on the day of the proposal to use sand dollars and create a message in the sand saying, “Marry Me?”

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 always love photographing newborns in my private studio space. The studio allows me to capture images of families with a lifestyle approach in a bright and modern setting. These studio lifestyle newborn sessions are geared towards capturing families interacting with their baby. So, even though most of the session is centered on capturing family photos, I do take the time to also capture beautiful portraits of your little one on one of my hand made backdrops. These family images are not only more visually interesting, but will capture the memories you will want to remember years from now when baby is grown up.

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.

When I spoke to this particular client via phone in early July about a proposal session, I knew that this session was going to be really special and I was both elated and honored to be a part of it. He really wanted to keep this plan a secret and had told no one, with the exception of me, about his plans. To avoid arousing her suspicion, his plan was to ask her to marry him on his birthday. I thought this was a genius idea, as no girl would ever suspect this momentous occasion to occur on her boyfriend’s birthday. It also was super romantic.

During our initial phone consult, he had a few ideas on location and I helped him to narrow it down to the site at which he planned to pop the question. There are a lot of things to consider when planning a secret proposal. You have to make sure that the location is one that will not arouse suspicion and is one that is likely for you to visit together. There are also other things to consider and I go over all of these details during the pre proposal meeting that I schedule with each and every client who books a proposal session.

When my goddaughter was born 16 years ago, it was my first experience with a newborn. At that time, I was a mere 28 years old and , quite frankly, knew nothing about babies. I remember getting the phone call that my sister was in labor. I was teaching at the time and after the last bell of the school day rang, I left the school and drove straight to the hospital to meet my parents, who were already waiting there. I can remember sitting in that waiting room for what felt like an eternity and then finally hearing the news that she was born. There are not many moments in my life that are etched as clearly and vividly as this moment, but I will never forget walking down the hospital corridor to the glass paned nursery and seeing that tiny little miracle for the first time. I didn’t know much at that age, but I knew that she was the embodiment of love and God all in one…and a true blessing.

Now, here I am 16 years later and she is a stoic and beautiful young woman. It is like I blinked my eyes and here we are. There is not much this girl can’t do. She is a stellar athlete and scholar, a master baker, crafter extrodinaire and, above all, she is kind, patient and strong beyond compare. We are all so proud of her.

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.

We purchased a 1969 Playmor canned ham style camper back in 2018. When we found her, we knew we had uncovered a true gem. We spent a little over. a year renovating her and it was worth the work because we enjoyed many trips in our little beauty. You can see what she looked like when we first purchased her in this post and the renovation process here and in this last post.

While on camping trips, I am always amazed by the amount of compliments we get from fellow campers who drop by our campsite for a quick tour of the interior. In the age of modern technology, most of the RV’s you see on a campground are modern and massive. Although our camper is tiny, she still attracts a lot of attention.

It has been many, many, many years since I celebrated my 21st birthday, but I can still remember the anticipation and excitement for the huge milestone birthday. It is a moment that is pivotal for young adults and is one that should definitely be commemorated.

I can hardly believe it, but my niece is about to turn 21. It feels like yesterday that I met her for the first time at my husband’s block party. She was the sweetest and most adorable child and it as been a pleasure to watch her grow into a kind and beautiful young lady.

I am excited to announce the first of my series of holiday sessions for the 2018 season.  Not only am I offering a beach holiday session, but for the first time ever, I am offering a  family mini session. Although this session works for just children, I always encourage my clients to get into the frame with their children and this session is the perfect opportunity to get some fun family images.  

The campfire holiday session is not only unique, but it will be an interactive and fun experience for everyone. As a family photographer, my goal is to always provide you with an experience that allows you to connect and have fun with your children.  I chose this particular theme because a camping expedition provides the perfect opportunity for parents to have uninterrupted and quality bonding time with their children.