I heard about a VERY worthy deed by 15-year old Jordan Fromm.  I met his family when I photographed his sister, Jamie’s Bat Mitzvah at the beginning of the year.  His dad recently told me about the charity Jordan formed in 2009, called Shutouts for Kids, when he celebrated his Bar Mitzvah.  So, a shutout, for those who don’t know hockey like myself, is when a goalie keeps the other team from scoring the entire game.  Jordan gets donations based on how many shutouts he gets per season.  To date, Jordan has raised over $30,000 to benefit the Ed Snider Youth Foundation and the Make-a-Wish Foundation.  Truly amazing!

When Jordan’s dad called to ask if I could contribute something to the silent auction at the hockey banquet at Jordan’s school, I said OF COURSE!  So if you are going to the Wissahickon High School & Middle School hockey banquet in a few weeks, be sure to bid on my family session!

If you’d like to help out Jordan’s charity, please check out www.shutoutsforkids.org!

I’m a photographer.  I’m always the one behind the camera.  Every once in a while I panic because I realize I have no recent photos with my babies.   I had planned to try at Thanksgiving, but we were all sick, then at Christmas, but the babies were not having it.  So, for Easter I once again made a wish! Grandpa was happy to help.  There was no screaming this time on the babies’ part. Yay!

And then, the babies had their first Easter egg hunt.  It was chilly but they didn’t care.  They were so giddy to be outside.  They didn’t even know there was anything inside the eggs!

It’s special moments like this that make me so happy to be a photographer.   I get teary-eyed even now just looking back on the (million) photos I took just last year.  I can’t say I ever regret doing a fun photo shoot or having my camera with me so I can remember every minute.

And of course, there is always paparazzi when a Broadway star arrives!

Real stars stay grounded and never forget their friends….

Jamie and her brother gave a special performance to kick off the celebration!

I just love this Broadway alternative to the traditional candle lighting ceremony.

This is where it gets really exciting.  In the middle of Dad’s speech, he surprised Jamie with a special message from one of her favorite musical artists in the world.  Yep, that is really Justin Bieber.  He not only wished Jamie congratulations on her Bat Mitzvah, he sang and danced just for her as well! Way to go Daddy!

Time to party!

What a wonderful family.  They made my job so much fun!

We did some portraits on the Bema with the Torah and some wonderful family shots….

And then we started to have some fun…….

While being a photographer is hard work, I usually have a lot of fun on my photo sessions.    My job becomes even better when I have a fun family AND an awesome location.  Jamie’s mom and I were trying to think of a place near the synagogue where we could do portraits.  I mentioned this barn I’ve been eying up for years and she happened to know the person who owned it.  When we both pulled our cars up next to each other in front of the barn, we looked at each other and clapped giddily.  They didn’t care if it was cold, they were having as much fun as I was.

I include an outdoor portrait session with all of my mitzvah packages.  We usually do the session right before or after our ceremony pre-enactment.  Many times the family will change into what they are going to wear the night of the party.  This family chose a more casual look which matches  perfectly to the location. (And I could ask them to sit on the ground!)

It’s a photographer’s lucky day when she has a fun family, a cool barn & 47 degree weather in January!

Check back soon for a recap of Jamie’s fabulous Broadway-themed celebration!

Doing a portrait session in such a historical place like Valley Forge always give me that stepped out of time feeling.  I had to give this one a little vintage look.

Mommy and soon-to-be big brother!

Having never photographed actual superheroes before, I was, of course, a little nervous.  I quickly found out that superheroes are pretty fun! Also, they are super strong and have LOTS of energy!

Is my job fun or what?

Mom was smart and had Jackson in 3 different layers of clothes.  We just took a layer off to keep changing his looks.

During my sessions, I try to capture all different expressions, not just smiles.  Seriously, can you resist this boo-boo face? That bottom lip is priceless!

I brought some pumpkins too!

Note to self, bring only big pumpkins next time.  The little ones are just too tasty!

NEXT,  Mom pulls out the CUTEST varsity jacket I’ve ever seen! LOVE!!!  I brought along Sophie’s cherished tiny sofa that I keep in my office.  I bought it for photo sessions but then Sophie adopted it to watch Elmo while I work.  I’m surprised she let it leave the house….but I’m glad she did.

My favorite photo….

Jackson’s mom found me through a Google search, as do many of my clients initially.  It’s nice to know that people are actually reading my blog and loving the photos.  If you’re stalking my blog, feel free to leave comments to let me know you’re out there!!!

We had a great time putting little Kali in hairbands, outfits….and no outfits!

Kali’s nursery theme was animals in tutus.  So cute! So, I brought in an animal print blanket for the shoot.  Daddy called it “Kali’s first PETA ad”! BWAH!  I assure you. No hippos in tutus were harmed during this photo session.

Daddy is in the Navy, so Kali is holding Mommy’s keepsake anchor necklace.

Nadia did all of the work on the details to give them a “fiesta” flair.  Everything was so colorful and so fun!  Nadia and Joe gave hot sauce and maracas as party favors to all of the guests.  The personal note tag had special significance considering their journey.

Instead of table numbers, Nadia and Joe used postcards from their favorite places in Texas.  On the back, they wrote what they loved about each place. LOVE! On this postcard, Nadia and Joe described their excursion to  Big Bend, their first excursion since facing cancer.

They even used a decorative chalkboard to display the seating arrangements for the fiesta.

Belmont Mansion is a beautiful location for an outdoor event.  Not only is it a historical mansion in the middle of Fairmount Park that has an amazing view of the city.

This was a really fun event to shoot. Nadia was such a great hostess. She has a great personality and never stopped smiling the whole day!

And then the dancing began!

House of Cupcakes provided treats for the party. Don’t they look amazing?

Thanks Joe and Nadia! I had a great time at your summer fiesta!

Here’s a slideshow of the party:

http://animoto.com/play/tCZspXLbuRThKRuvfxrY8A