At Home Family Photos With A Professional Long Island Family Photographer

Holiday family photos

My last photo assignment of the 2019 was one of my favorite family sessions of the year. To be honest, family photography is not my number one photography service. I don’t advertise for family photography or “family photographer”, and I don’t talk about my family photography work all that much. However, family photography is my favorite type of photography for a whole bunch of reasons. First, it’s rewarding and relaxing. I can be goofy, and there’s no strict timeline of what needs to happen and when it needs to happen.

happy Family portraits

Photographing this family at their Manhasset, NY home was a ton of fun! Their kids, Ethan and Aria, were so easy to work with. Maybe it was the holiday season that had everyone feeling good or maybe, just maybe, it was the promise of Disney Plus and lollipops that had everyone on their best behavior. Not once did these kids complain.

HOw to prepare for a family photo session and working with a professional photographer.

Mom was prepared for our morning photography session. She had plenty of ideas and examples of what she wanted photographed. Everything was ready for our family photo session.

  • Snacks that were not messy

  • Toys

  • Family photo poses and ideas

Jimmy's Upper East Side Baptism

Jimmy’s family gathered at St. Ignatius Loyola on the Upper East Side, the very place his parents were married, early on a cold Saturday morning. The priest was the same priest who married his parents.

family photos

We took a few photos inside the church before the baptism ceremony began. The ceremony space was tight, but I made do. After the ceremony, we took a bunch more posed family photos throughout the church where we had more. Then, it was off to brunch at nearby Orsay in Lenox Hill.

photographing the BAPTISM luncheon

At brunch, I made sure to photograph the posed family photos we didn’t get to prior, as well as candid photos and some more casual photos. I also used this time to capture friends who were not able to make the baptism service earlier in the day. Unlike the pre-service photos, post service and lunch photos tend to be more casual. These are the “3-2-1 CHEESE!” type shots.

Church: St. Ignatius Loyola

Restaurant: Orsay (Upper East Side)

Caroline and Seven - Central Park Winter Wedding

Congrats Caroline and Sven!

Caroline and I watched the weather all the way up until the morning of her wedding, but the rain was guaranteed.

I have photographed weddings in every weather scenario possible and I always tell clients the weather, rain or shine, is just a part of the day. The same way flowers and an officiant are part of a wedding day, so is the weather. Throughout the service and the posed photos we pushed through some drizzle and several downpours to find many silver linings. To start Central Park was empty.

Never in my 28 years of living in New York City have I seen Central Park empty when photographing a wedding. Being able to photograph a wedding in Central Park or in New York City without a crowd cutting in front of the photographer is an anomaly. We took full advantage of having the park ourselves with not only the service in Wagner Cove, but family photos on Bow Bridge. Caroline, Sven, and I shut down the bridge. Unreal.

Wedding Officiant: Our Wedding Officiant NYC

Location: Central Park | Wagner Cove and Bow Bridge

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Hank + Kristen Madison Square Park Proposal

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Congrats, Hank and Kristen! The plan: After brunch with Kristen’s parents, her sister Kasey, and their friend Alex, would all walk through Madison Square Park where Hank would propose. The Spot: The northwest corner of the park in front of the fountain with the clocktower in the background.

MY PLAN ON HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH A nyc proposal

At 2:30pm just as we planned, the group walked in to the park. As they all approached the fountain, Kristen’s family and Alex stopped, and Kristen and Hank walked ahead.

Hank proposed.

POST PROPOSAL ENGAGEMENT STYLE SESSION PHOTOS ARE MY FAVORITE

After a few candid moments, several posed shots, and a family photo, we captured a great mini-session throughout Madison Square Park. This area of Manhattan really captures the essence of NYC and the Flatiron District. We took full advantage of the perfect late Fall afternoon light, remaining foliage, and the Christmas lights throughout the proposal shoot.

Jonathan Heisler Photography is comprised of Professional New York City photographers specializing in photographing private NYC proposals, as well as engagement sessions and weddings.

LEARN MORE ABOUT HIRING A PROPOSAL PHOTOGRAPHER IN NYC

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Downtown Minyan New Torah Completion

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The Downtown Minyan celebrated the completion of their new Sephardic Torah at their NYU Bronfman Center location. The group welcomed both members of their congregation, as well as the community to take part in the prayer scrolls completion. For me, it was a real honor to have photographed this event. This was the second torah completion ceremony I was able to photograph for the Downtown Minyan and the third torah completion I had the privilege of photographing in 2019.

Event photography is more than photographing great photos. A good event photographer photographs emotion and memories.

After the group finished the last few characters they celebrated and paraded their new torah through Washington Square Park. Knowing my photos will be used in 5, 10, 50, or even 100 years to tell future generations about this moment is what makes my job as an Event Photographer in New York City so great.