A bar or bat mitzvah is two completely different events in one day, and most photographers shoot both the same way. We don't. Silent, still and long-lensed during the service. Right in it once the hora starts.
The service is a religious moment your family will look at for forty years. The party is a 13-year-old's best night of their life. Shooting both with the same energy is how you end up with a gallery that respects neither.
In the sanctuary: we clear the rules with your rabbi first, then work silent shutter, no flash, long lenses, fixed positions. You should forget we're there. What you get back is the moment your kid's voice steadies mid-Torah portion, and your parents' faces watching it.
At the party: we're on the floor. Candle lighting shot from two angles at once so you get the child's face and the honoree's reaction in the same minute. The hora shot from the ground and from height. The montage. The last song.
The nervous half hour nobody photographs and everybody wishes they had.
Flash-free, silent, long-lens. Torah reading, aliyot, the speech, the blessing.
A planned 30 to 45 minute window, every grouping on your list, done before guests arrive.
Room details while it is still perfect, plus arrivals and the grandparents holding court.
Two photographers, front and back, so you get the entrance and the room's reaction.
Every honoree named and photographed, plus the child's face during each one.
Floor level and elevated at the same time. This is the frame that goes on the wall.
Dance floor, montage, the friends, the last song, and the parents watching from the edge.
Ask your photographer what your synagogue's photography rules are. If they don't already know, they haven't shot there, and the service is not the place to find that out.
The question worth asking before you book anyoneDate, venue, headcount, and what the photos are actually for. We come back with availability and a flat quote, usually the same day.
A short call to lock the run of show. The five moments you'd be upset to lose get named out loud before anyone picks up a camera.
Two bodies, fast primes, on-camera and off-camera light when the venue is dark. We work the edges, not the middle. Nobody gets herded unless you asked for group shots.
A gallery of selects you can post that week, sized for Instagram, LinkedIn and press. Full edited set inside 14 days.
Yes, and we do it the way your synagogue requires. We check the rabbi's rules first, shoot silent shutter, use long lenses from fixed positions and go completely flash-free during the service if that is the house rule.
General photography projects start at $200 per hour. Corporate event photography starts at $275 per hour. Wedding photography starts at $1,200 for four hours; six-hour photography and video starts at $2,350. Your proposal confirms coverage, crew, deliverables, travel and payment terms before booking.
Yes, and we recommend it. A 30 to 45 minute portrait window before guests arrive gets you every family combination while everyone is fresh, dressed and in one place. Send the list of groupings in advance and we run it fast.
Both, with two photographers. One stays tight on the child's face during the candle lighting, one covers the person being honored. During the hora one shoots from the floor and one shoots the chair lift from height.
Yes. Tell us what applies, whether that is no photography during the service, no flash, no electronics on Shabbat, or a specific start time after Havdalah, and we plan the coverage around it without you having to police us.
Yes. The gallery has a simple print ordering option built in, so relatives can order directly without you playing middleman. You also get full print rights to make your own album.
Send the date, the synagogue and the venue. We'll come back with availability, a flat quote and the questions worth answering early.