Looking for the best bat / bar mitzvah photographer? Call Jeff at
(561) 737-5561
Having moved to South Florida from California, I was surprised to see how many Fort Lauderdale Bat and Bar Mitzvahs had winter ski themes. A snow skier myself, I can't help but get excited about photographing a Snow Skiing theme Mitzvah.
I think the first Mitzvah I photographed was over 25 years ago. I was working for a very talented photographer in Los Angeles. Having moved to LA right out of college in NY, I tried to find the best photographer I could, once I did, I begged him to teach me the art of wedding photography. He agreed to train me, but for no pay. Having never, photographed a Bat or Bar Mitzvah, the photographer who trained me figured, Jeff is Jewish, he could figure it out. Since then I must have shot hundreds of Bat and Bar Mitzvahs. Having figured it out how to photograph mitzvahs on my own, I was able to train myself in the art of Bat and Bar Mitzvah photography.
By the time I moved to South Florida, I was a very experienced Mitzvah photographer.
3 Tips for hiring a Fort Lauderdale Mitzvah photographer:
Tip Number 1 - Only hire a full time professional photographer. Today, anyone can call themselves a photographer, a cheap camera, some lucky pictures and a website and anyone can be in business. However, the reality is that, running a photography business, and having happy clients, requires skills in business, photoshop, image management, doing taxes, and owning the best camera gear. It's an endeavor that most hobbyists are not cut out for. Here's an example, of why you should hire a full timer. Whenever, I photograph a Fort Lauderdale bat or bar mitzvah, I back up all the unedited images to an external hard drive, Then the image get burned to a back up DVD and an additional hard drive. When it comes to pictures stored on a computer, any tech will tell you, it's not a question of if your hard drive breaks, it's when. We have a collection of 28 high capacity hard drive, DVD,s and the fastest Mac computers needed to edit, retouch and finish our pictures. We also spend hours and hours retouching and enhancing our images. Could the be done faster and cheaper, sure but then it become a question of, as a photographer, do you want to produce the best images, or just collect extra side money.
Tip Number 2 - Ask the photographer whom you are thinking about hiring to see some complete events, including the pre mitzvah photo session, the pictures on the bema including reading the torah, the family in the bema, and the party pictures, and the portraits of the mitzvah. When looking online at Fort Lauderdale bat and bar mitzvah photographer, it only makes since that the photographer is going to post the best work. As the parents hiring the photographer, you should see everything. Look for sharp, in focus images, look for nice lighting without shadows and hot spots. Today, almost every photographer has an online gallery where they can share all the pictures. These galleries usually require passwords to view the gallery, just ask the photographer you are considering for some of the passwords.
Tip Number 3 - When trying to determine which Fort Lauderdale mitzvah photographers are worth hiring it's important to do your research. You can check our and other photographer reviews at Wedding Wire. I know wedding wire is for weddings, and not for bat or bar mitzvahs, however if a photographer has good wedding photography reviews, you could figure, the photographer, knows how to shoot events in general. You can also determine work ethic, and business practices. In addition, brides who have gotten married are more likely to review their vendors than bat and bar mitzvah parents. I don't know of a website that is aimed directly at collecting reviews from mitzvah parents. The wedding wire network has a review every photographer. The second someone writes a review, the photographer in plugged into the network. Like it or not, reviews on Wedding Wire are there permanently. Could a photographer, fight to get themselves off the network, maybe, but to the best of m knowledge, Wedding Wire, won't remove reviews. Yes, the reviews are not Bat or Bar Mitzvah related, but they are a good way to determine if a photographer is worth considering.
Now that your son or daughter have reached bar or bat mitzvah age, you are probably wondering how to hire the right photographer. Questions such as, What do I look for in a photographer? How do I know the photographer is reliable? How can I be sure the pictures I see in a photographers website look like to pictures I will receive? These are all questions that most parents ask themselves.
Many people choose to hire the least expensive photographer possible. They figure, if the pictures on the photographers website look ok, then why not go for the best price. On the surface this may seem ok, However, parents who choose their photographer based on price only usually find out that that saying, you get what you pay for rings true. How so? First there is the client experience factor.
You will always treasure your child’s bat or bar mitzvah. & Tips for choosing the best Fort Lauderdale photographer.
The best way to relive you child’s bat or bar mitzvah day is by choosing the best bat or bar mitzvah Photographer for your son or daughter’s, mitzvah. A bat or bar mitzvah signifies your child’s first steps into the world of adulthood. This is the real time in which you being a parent would definitely love to remember forever. As a Fort Lauderdale photographer who has been shooting for over 25 years, I can tell you from first hand experience that for many, bat and bar mitzvah pictures become more valuable as time goes by. We I photograph more and more weddings and bat or bar mitzvahs I see that parents treasure these pictures from the past. I can’t even begin to tall you how many weddings I have photographed in which I shot the brides bat mitzvah. Now I hate to date myself, but in talking to the parents of the bride, or groom, they often tell how much they treasure the pictures I took 10 years earlier.
Some of the prior mitzvahs I have photographed have taken place this happy occasion at local venues or the family home, or at a South Florida country club. However the emotional impact that the parents have when re-visiting the mitzvah day through mitzvah photography is always the same. By the way, my advise is to make a high quality album. Digital files get lost, become corrupt or get erased. However, a high quality album will last generations. Later, I’ll talk about how you can tell if a photographer is highly skilled or is just showing a portfolio of lucky shots.
With all the photographer in Fort Lauderdale, you will find that many don’t know how to photograph a bat or bar mitzvah. However, there are those photographers who do. I have spoken with plenty of photographer who prefer to only shoot weddings. Usually this is because they only want to create beauty photography, and don’t see the fun and excitement associated with photographing a mitzvah. For me, I find that capturing artistic pictures inside the temple is fun and nurtures my creative side. Check out these links to some of my in temple creative pictures. Temple Bar Mitzvah portrait. I though this would make for an interesting photo. I love pictures that include textures and patterns. I shot this one at Temple B'nai Torah in, Boca Raton.
Then there is the pre-mitzvah photo session. Pre mitzvah photo sessions include pictures based on the theme of the party, and sometimes family pictures as well. Check out these pictures from some of my pre mitzvah sessions. Picture for a football theme Bar Mitzvah, Beach picture taken for a B'nai Mitzvah, Tennis picture taken for a pre Bar Mitzvah, Love fashion? This pre Bat Mitzvah picture was made into a magazine cover. Check out my Mitzvah gallery and you will see all kinds of cool pictures taken at bat, bar and b'nah mitzvahs all over South Florida.
During the party, I transform into a party / photo-journalistic photographer. Capturing the action, and the special moments requires a completely different mindset than taking family or posed pictures. Still shooting fast, action and party pictures is also something I enjoy.
Would you like to see more from several of the bat and bar mitzvahs I have photographed? Check out these links:
Sam had a fantastic bat mitzvah, at Congregation Kol Tikvah. You can click through to the temple here:
If you check out my bat / bar mitzvah gallery you will see more of my images, also visit my mitzvah blogs.
I hope you have found this article helpful. If you are planning your childs mitzvah, call me at: (561) 737-5561
Location: 10001 Old Club Road, Parkland, Florida 33076.
