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Joseph Lieberman | Yale Club NYC

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Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, who represented Connecticut in the Senate from 1989 to 2013 and was chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, spoke to Yale alumni at the Yale Club in New York City. I photographed the event from the sides of the room and from several empty seats in the back of the room.

As an event photographer my job is to discreetly photograph the event as it happens and not to be distracting.

Playing the role of the Yale Club NYC Event Photographer for the evening I really tried to photograph all angles and perspectives. I photograph from the sides of the event, behind the speakers (remote camera), above the audience and through the audience, to make it feel like you too were sitting in the audience as you view my photos.

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Ali + Conor Port Washington Engagement Session

I’ve known Ali and Conor for almost 10 years. So, when they asked me to photograph their save the date photos in a mini-engagement session I quickly said “YES!”. Our location was Ali’s parents house in Sands Point, NY. The house, which is now sold, is special not just to Ali and Conor, but myself. It’s where all of us and our friends hung out throughout college. If we were home from school we were at Ali’s; Winter, Summer, Fall, or Spring.

The house is even more special to Ali and Conor because it’s where they first met. Throughout our engagement shoot we took full advantage of the warm weather. We went out on the dock and walked around the house taking a bunch of photos while the sun slowly set. As I photographed the couple and gave posing tips I reminisced about all of the memories had there.

Shalom Hartman Institute | Full Day NYC Conference

Recently, I captured a full day conference for Shalom Hartman Institute at their Morningside Heights Manhattan, NY office. Most of the photos were candids and some were a bit more staged. The staged photos aimed to show “engagement” and a “shared learning experience”, all of the keywords I often hear in Higher Education Photography. I’ll admit it is always tricky to stage shots during a live conference, however I usually can find 5-10minutes here and 5 minutes there at the end / beginnings of sessions to do my thing.

Long Island Family - Manhasset Family Photographer

That’s a wrap, 2019! My very last photoshoot of 2019 was a super fun family photo session with 9 month old Jayden and his parents, Mina and Jon. Our photo session was at their family’s beautiful and open home in Manhasset, NY.

Mina and Jon’s son Jayden was a lot of fun to photograph. He was super curious and didn’t mind dressing up in his new pajamas.

Photographing families in their home makes for the best photos. Everyone is comfortable and the kids have all of their favorite toys right there. Especially for little kids, home photoshoots are the best, not only because home is where the toys are, but because it’s easy for everyone. We were even able to pause for Jayden’s 30 minute nap and pick right back up again when he woke up.

Family Photo checklist for kids

  • Toys: On family photo sessions I always recommend brining a few toys. Children, young and old, need a distraction. It’s hard to constantly smile photo after photo, and still look happy. A toy break can be a great mood booster and a nice way to relax.

  • Snacks: Even this photographer needs a snack break from time to time. Bring snacks to our family shoot. It’s a huge mood booster and even a bargaining chips to get the kids to pay attention and behave.

  • Budget time: Budget time in to your family photoshoot for snack breaks and time to play. Not all of our photos have need to be posed photos. Sometimes the best photos are of the kids just being kids…. even if it’s on the floor. Posed family photos are great, and so are candids.

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)