Category Archives: Mitzvah photography

Bar & Bat mitzvah photography

Bat Mitzvah Photography – Prestonwood Country Club – Cary, NC

Wow..  what an fantastic experience this was!  Wedding Photography can relate over to many other type of events or gatherings, Bat/Bar Mitzvah’s being one of them.  When I first met Sami, Rod & Lee, we started discussing all of the different parts of the Bat Mitzvah.  Not just the Hora  or other cermonial aspects of the celebration, but the evenings entertainment, decorations, ideas, etc.  Lee, Sami’s mom, planned this Mitzvah down perfectly and the end result was really spectacular.

There is way too many great things to describe them all, so I will just touch on a few of the events that took place during the reception to give you a good feeling of the events.  After the cocktail hour was over, everyone was allowed into the room and as soon as the dance floor had some traffic, one of the dancers from split second sound breaks into a standing backflip.  Needless to say, that got everyones attention.  From there Sami was announced and she made her grand entrance coming down the beautiful Prestonwood Staircase in the grand ballroom and right into the Hora.

The rest of the evening was literally a blur of activities.  Candle lighting, bread breaking, a cool game called “Sami’s Story” which has people fill out cards earlier answering questions about Sami’s life and winners were given a prize if their name was drawn and they got it correct, pop noggins, slideshows, whew!  I’d like to specifically mention Lee Frankel, Sami’s mom, as she planned the entire event and really did a fabulous job with it.  My writeup is really not doing this justice so I will just go on to the photos.

Ceremony: Beth Mayer Synagogue – Raleigh, NC
Reception: Prestonwood Country Club – Cary, NC
DJ & Dancers: Split Second Sound – Charlotte, NC
Hair & Makeup: Ginger Mullins – Apex, NC
Cake: Prestonwood Country Club – Cary, NC
Video: Amazing Video Creations – Fuquay-Varina, NC
Flowers: The English Garden – Raleigh, NC
Decorations: Triangle Ballons – Raleigh, NC
Books: Paperwhite Press – Raleigh, NC

Sami putting on a hand made prayer shawl

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Sydney’s Bat Mitzvah – Prestonwood CC – Cary, NC

I met Sydney and her parents in March of this year.  They had seen some of my work in Cary Magazine and had wanted to meet with me about photographing their daughters’ Bat Mitzvah.  I had never photographed one before but after doing a little research, I found out it’s similar to wedding photography, of course, without a groom.  :)

The Bat Mitzvah was held at Beth Shalom in Raleigh the morning Tropical Storm Hanna blew thru town.  Luckily for everyone, the storm held off long enough for Sydney’s family to arrive safely and wasn’t menacing enough to call off the Bat Mitzvah.  It was a bit rainy and wet and I did suffer one casualty, my cellphone.  Apparently cellphones and water don’t mix, especially when it lies outside in a tropical storm for 30 minutes.  :)   Anyway, the actual Bat Mitzvah ceremony was an absolute delight to photograph.  Lots of singing and reading of the Torah, which is done entirely in Hebrew.  Sydney did a really, really great job reading and even though I didn’t understand the words, I could tell by the reaction of the attendees that she really did well!

After the ceremony, we had a break in the afternoon and everyone readied themselves for the party of the year at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary.  The room was decorated fabulously with gren polka dot lighting, Sydney’s name projects onto the wall and purple lamps adorned the table, with her initials on the lampshades.  It certainly was awe-inspiring and my hat goes off to Robin, Ira and Caroline (their planner) for having an amazing evening and celebration of Sydneys Bat Mitzvah!

Of course, here are a few photos:

Bat Mitzvah bread - Raleigh, NC

Reading of the Torah - Raleigh, NC Bat Mitzvah

carrying of the Torah - Raleigh, NC

After the Bat Mitzvah - Raleigh, NC

Reading of the Torah - Raleigh, NC

Reading of the Torah - Raleigh, NC Bat Mitzvah

Prestonwood Country Club Cary, NC Bat Mitzvah

Candle Ceremony @ Prestonwood Country Club Cary, NC Bat Mitzvah

Chair Celebration Prestonwood Country Club Cary, NC Bat Mitzvah

Dancing - Prestonwood Country Club Cary, NC Bat Mitzvah


Conga Line - Prestonwood Country Club Cary, NC Bat Mitzvah

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