Rowdiest Mitzvah Ever

I photographed a B'not Mitzvah for Classic Image this past Saturday. The mother told me that most of the kids had never been to a Bar Mitzvah before. So how would that affect the party atmosphere I wondered...
It was the LOUDEST, ROWDIEST (in a good way), CRAZIEST Mitzvah party I have ever been to! The girls were gracious and poised, a delight to photograph.

Justin Jacobson of Totalentertainment was MC. He and his dancers had a blast as well. They threw a really cool glow show. I turned off my strobes and shot some photographs with all natural light (glow sticks). I think this shot turned out really cool!
I asked this little girl if she would spin around for me "like this" I said while spinning around. Nothing like a 240 lb dance instructor. Well she started spinning around like a top. I suppose maybe she's had a bit more training than me. I had about a half dozen shots of her back until I finally stopped her and told her to just spin around once and to make sure she was looking at me when she came around. "click" got it! What a beautiful little dancer.
'till next time...

TJ's Ice Leaves

Another VERY cold day here in Illinois. When leaving for school this morning, my 12 year old son remarked on the frozen window panes along the side of our front door. They can sometimes get an 1/8" of ice on them. "They're horrible windows TJ. I really should get another door. We lose a lot of heat through those windows." "The ice looks like leaves." he said. "OK, go. You're going to miss the bus." After he left, I looked at the energy losing frozen windows, thinking of ways I could insulate them. Then I got down on my knees and looked through them from TJ's height. Wow! beautiful... Despite what you might be thinking, these are straight out of camera with a slight bump in curves. TJ by the way thinks he's anything BUT an artist. He most definately has an "eye" though, and so I'm calling these "TJ's Frozen Leaves"

I used to paint, but I found Mother Nature is a far superior artist than I will ever be, and she shares her art for FREE. Thanks for keeping your artsistic eyes open TJ!

Dolce's Restaurant

I photographed Abby's Bat Mitzvah at Dolce's in Lincolnshire this past weekend. It's a beautiful place to hold a reception.

Abby is a big reader and so each table had a different book and author showcased. It turned out really neat! A prospective client recently commented on a shot of a young girls feet. Anyone who has ever done a Summer portrait session with me knows that I love photographing feet. During Abby's speech, I noticed the AMAZING light being created by the natural daylight coming in from two sides. I turned off my flash and got what I think is my best foot shots to date.
I love the mixture of tungsten, daylight, and rich woods at Dolce's. It creates such a warm glowing atmosphere.
Till next time!