A first birthday is the perfect opportunity to update your family photos. Instead of scheduling a first birthday session in the studio, you can schedule an outdoor photo session and include the whole family. Whenever weather permits, I encourage families to go this route. I always leave a little time at the end of the session for either a cake smash or first birthday themed portraits. This recent family took my advice and scheduled their son’s first birthday session on the beach at sunset. They wanted a few photos of a cake smash and the rest of the session to focus on them interacting as a family.

Although I love to shoot at sunset, this is not the only time of day a family session can be scheduled. I know we all love that golden glow of sunset, but your images are not about capturing the scenery, they are meant to capture you and your love for one another. For many families, this is a welcome relief, especially those with toddler aged children, whose bedtime often coincides with sunset.

On the day of a special event, it can be difficult to get yourself and your family ready. Capturing polished portraits of your special day is important and it can be helpful to schedule your photo session ahead of time. Doing so alleviates some of the stress associated with hosting an event, eliminates the need to rush around on that day and it is nice to know that on the day of the party you can relax because you have already captured images of your family together. This is especially true when photographing babies. They can easily become overstimulated on the day of a party, which would mean that the baby could be cranky for those family photos you want captured.

Oh my goodness…the weather this Summer has been so whacky and unpredictable. We are experiencing a very cloudy and rainy Summer here on Long Island, which has caused me to reschedule multiple photo sessions. I have learned from past experiences that when I book a sunset beach session, I have to also include a rain date on the calendar. This means that when clients book, they have two dates already blocked out on my calendar. This gives me flexibility to pivot when the weather just doesn’t want to cooperate. This is also why I have such limited availability for beach family sessions. I try to book only one or two beach sessions a week, so that I can make sure to get your family photographed, no matter what the weather report calls for. We had to reschedule this family’s date twice, as it was a rainy and cloudy week. It was completely worth the wait because the light was perfect on the evening of their session and I just love their collection of images.

I have been photographing most newborn clients in their own homes for  newborn lifestyle sessions, so it has been a while since I have photographed a family in the studio with their newborn. I prefer to photograph the whole family together for newborn sessions, so choosing either one of these sessions is a great option. For those clients who want more of a documentary look to their photos, the in home newborn session is best; whereas for others, the bright, airy and polished look of the studio newborn session is the best option. Both will document you and your family interacting with the baby.

This recent surprise proposal session is about as romantic as it gets. It took place on a gorgeous beach on one of the most gorgeous Summer evenings during a spectacular sunset. My client was out east with his girlfriend. He spent the day on the beach with her, took her out for a beautiful dinner and they ended the evening with a walk along a gorgeous beach with a natural and unblemished shoreline during sunset. However, unbeknownst to his girlfriend, their evening stroll was prearranged and coordinated by both my client and myself.

This recent family session was a special one. My client was born and raised in New York, but moved to England a few years ago with her husband. Her family resides in Long Beach and she was home for a visit for the first time since pre COVID for a visit with her mom. While here, she wanted to do a family session on the beach and include her mom, whom she does not see often, in the session.

When I get asked to do a family session that includes grandparents, I always know that the session will be special. I know how important the bond between grandparent and grandchild is and I love to photograph their special bond. A photo session that includes grandma and grandpa is a great gift for the holidays or any occasion and it is one that not only the grandparent will cherish, but you will too.

Although I photograph families in my studio often and love the look of these sessions, I equally love when I photograph newborns in their own homes. I find that with families with young toddlers, this is the least stressful way to have photographs of your baby taken. This allows you to be I the comfort of your own home, provides ample opportunities to give the big brother/sister breaks and also allows you to feel at ease and relaxed during the session. Plus, there is nothing quite like being at home and having your own unique home decor serve as the backdrop for your photos.

For those of you with little girls, I am sure you are well versed in all things princess. Most of the time, this includes dressing in full princess attire on a daily basis, which often includes being over dressed for most occasions. I, for one, love the innocence of this season of life and I have throughly documented it with my own two daughters and I love when clients ask me to document it for them too.

Proposal sessions always have such a special place in my heart. It isn’t only because I am privileged enough to capture such a special moment in life, but it is also because I really get to know my clients during the planning process. Because I communicate with my clients often during the planning process, by the time, the actual engagement happens, I truly feel such immense joy for the couple that I am photographing. In fact, it is a challenge for me to keep my emotions at bay during the proposal because I just feel so elated for the couple.

When my client told me she wanted a session that wasn’t too posed, I knew that this family photo session was going to be special. She said she wanted to document how much fun her children are at this age. After spending an evening with them on the beach for their sunset session, I can see why she feels this way.

The children, ages three and five, were not only fun, but super cooperative and engaged in the session. They were eager to participate in the fun games I had planned for them during the session and their laughter and happiness shines through in the images. This session really captures the essence of childhood and I think that is what I love best about it.

I first photographed this family when their oldest daughter was six months old. Since then, they have grown from a family of three to a family of five. I see them annually and I always look forward to working with them. It truly is such an honor to watch my clients’ families grow and to be able to document their special moments for them.

This particular session was scheduled to commemorate they youngest son’s first birthday. Mom scheduled a family session so that she could not only get photos of a cake smash, but also images of their entire family together. I love this idea and many of my clients choose to this type of session.

I know that right now everything retro is trending, but long before this trend, I have always had a passion for all things vintage. I like to take on personal projects every few months and for this project, I wanted to shoot something fun that had subtle nod to the 80's. Maybe it was my love of Xanadu or my favorite childhood doll, roller skating Kimberly, that inspired me, but as I rode past Marvel on the Boardwalk, an idea struck me. I needed to shoot a session that involved roller skates and ice cream. I mean, can you think of anything more fun than ice cream and retro roller skates?

I immediately thought of my beautiful niece for the session and she graciously agreed to lace on some skates for the photos. My niece recently turned 16 and we had not yet documented this milestone, so this was the perfect opportunity to finally capture those photos.

Is it me, or did this academic year fly by? It is so hard to believe that the end of June is nearly here, which means the end of the 2021-2021 school year for our children. What a wild ride the last ten months have been. It started in such a state of uncertainty and now things finally feel like they are back to normal.

June is such a great month; not only because the children are done with school, but because it is the kick off for my season of family photos on the beach at sunset. These are my most popular sessions and I understand why my clients love this location. The colors are beautiful, it allows for an uncluttered natural backdrop and there is something about being at the beach that inspires love and laughter.

This recent session was so much fun to photograph. I first photographed this family for an outdoor sitter session just a few years ago. Shortly after the holidays, my client messaged me inquiring about a photo session for her mother, who was about to turn 70. She and her brothers wanted to gift their mom a photo session of the entire family together. Like most families, the last time they had family photos taken was at a wedding and the photos did not include the grandchildren. Their mother’s birthday was the perfect opportunity to update their family photos.

It is so important to document your own relationship with your children, but also their relationship with their extended family. The bonds between grandparent and grandchild are precious and to capture that bond is a gift not only fro the grandparent, but for the whole family to treasure as well. I can’t think of a more meaningful gift to commemorate a special occasion.

We are approaching Summer, which is not only my favorite season, but it is also my busiest time of year for engagement sessions. I truly love surprise proposal sessions. No matter how many couples I capture, each and every couple is very special to me. I know how important this milestone is and I am always honored to be a part of it.

When my client first contacted me, he wasn’t exactly sure where to ask his girlfriend to marry him. He had a few ideas in mind, but wasn’t really committed to a location. I have each and very client fill out a questionnaire when they book me. This questionnaire helps me to get to know the couple and also helps me to narrow down the best location for their engagement. My goal is to try and choose a scenic location that will not arouse any suspicion and is true to the couple’s personality and interests. I suggested a few locations, but this beach in the North Fork felt the most true to the couple and my client’s goals for the session.

This recent session at the arboretum made me giddy with glee. Not only did this session take place on the first truly warm day of the Spring, but it was with one of my favorite families and it was scheduled in the most gorgeous location.

For some people, choosing the wardrobe is the most stressful part of a family session. I don’t want my clients to feel any stress at all about a session with me and I want to make the styling portion of the session simple for you. To help alleviate some of the burden of styling for my clients, I recently subscribed to a wonderful service called Style & Select. It is a website that allows you to coordinate outfits for family photos.