Mitzvahs are such an awesome combination of ceremony and festive celebration. I have been photographing Bnai Mitzvah events for 5 years now. It is always lots of fun to photograph a Hora dance. But since October 7th, 2023, any celebration of Jewish Life Cycle feels very empowering. It is an affirmation of the Jewish spirit and resilience.
Photographing a Bar/Bat Mitzvah looks different for each family. Some do a small ceremony in their backyard. Some celebrate at Chabad, and others at Reform/Conservative Temples. Some families want only the religious service itself to be photographed. Some want to capture the receptions as well. Either way, it is my sheer honor to capture these events. The kids have been working really hard the months prior to their big day. The entire family is excited. Grandparents, uncles and aunts are coming from near and far. This is the day they cleared their calendar for almost a year ahead.
For a Bat/Bar Mitzvah, I recommend to meet about 45 minutes before the service to take some portraits of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah kid with different combinations of parents/siblings/grandparents as well as the kid alone. I usually start outdoors, in a nice area outside the temple or in the backyard of the family if it is done in their house. After that, we move to the sanctuary to take photos with the Torah, near the Ark and with the Rabbi. We then repeat portraits of the entire family on the Bima.
Typically, in the early morning there is not enough time for pictures with the family friends and the Simcha kid's friends. Such images should be planned for after the service and the kiddush. Obviously, If I am hired to photograph the reception, there is plenty of time to photograph the guests then.
Sometimes, grandparents or other family members are not able to fly in and participate physically. Luckily, nowadays, you can include them via Zoom and I can capture the present family's emotions when hearing grandpa or grandma doing Aliyah on zoom.
Whichever way to choose to commemorate this celebration, remember to clear your calendar for few days after the celebration. The whole family will be exhausted afterward, your kid worked hard but so did you.
Thank you to all of the families who brought me so far on to capture their young adults as they enter into a new chapter of life. Mazel Tov and Am Israel Chai!
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