I had the pleasure of getting to capture Moe & Ignace at Avalon Nature Preserve and Duck Pond in Stony Brook a few weeks ago. Moe thought that she had missed her chance at 37 weeks pregnant to do maternity photos but took a chance and gave me a call. I was so happy I was available to squeeze them into my schedule. They were both so fun to work with and Ignace was quite a funny guy! We decided on an evening session and the park was absolutely beautiful when we arrived. The golden hour sun made all the fall colors really pop and shine. After a little walk though the park we decided to get Moe into one of the dresses I have and do just a few more near the pond. She was STUNNING!! And we even had some guest waddle into a couple of shots.
I have know Olivia and her amazing family for 10 years now! It all began when I had just moved to San Francisco after graduating from photography school and happened upon getting a nanny job with their family. Olivia was just two and a half and I had never nannied before or driven around San Francisco. Let’s just say they both took some adjusting to. I ended up nannying for them for FIVE years and they became like family to me. I couldn’t have asked for a sweeter family to work for and grow close too. After moving on we always kept in contact and close – Miranda was one of the first to come hold my Emily after she was born even. Olivia later accompanied Emily in being a flower girl at my wedding. Now living on opposite coast it’s harder to see each other ( thank goodness for Facebook!). When I was in the Bay Area last month for holiday sessions I was able to squeeze in a little session and hang with Olivia and her sweet little labradoodle puppy Dillon. I could not be happier with how they turned out – these two are like peas in a pod!
Family session taken at Hempstead Lake Park on Long Island by Jessica Michelle Photo Long Island Family Photographer
I photographed the Lee family at the beautiful Hempstead Lake Park last month and it was just gorgeous! After several reschedules due to this wonderful spring rain we finally had a sunny forecast and could carry on with our session plans. When we stared the session the sun was perfect and golden just starting to set on the day. I couldn’t have asked for better weather than we received for the Lee’s family session. The two girls were completely adorable and gave me some great smiles.
Elizabeth’s 100th day session celebrating her first 100 days of life.
The 100th day after a child’s birth is a significant milestone in the Asian culture. This was something new to me and was so intriuged to learn more about it when Elizabeth had her session back in February. Unfortunately it was common back in the day for babies to pass away due to sickness and poor living conditions, so the 100th day is celebrated for having survived this difficult period. It’s also a celebration of the parents who survived the first 100 days since it is known to be the most difficult period. I think we can all attest to that! There are many traditional customs that are practiced on this day such as eating red bean cakes for good luck, to the baby being placed belly down and grabbing at different objects placed in front of them that represent different career paths for when they grow up. Whichever one they grab will be the career that they will choose.
We had so much fun with Elizabeth and her family during her session, she is absolutely adorable.
I had so much fun with August and his parents last month. They were visiting family here on Long Island and while in town wanted to do a session! I may have called him the wrong name most of the time but we really had a good time and got a lot of great smiles from him.
I wanted to share some of my favorite images of mothers that I have captured over the past few years. They are the reason for why I do what I do! From maternity mommas to be to seasoned moms of many.
I asked a couple of the moms what they loved best about being a mom and got some wonderful responses. For me its the never ending love and affection from them no matter what – even if I have been “mean mom” they always love to love on me. Im never without a big or kiss or snuggle every day. More answers below from some of the beautiful mommas I’ve captured.
Happy Mothers Day to all the mommas out there
Witnessing all the firsts. Watching the brain grow, milestones, developing Connection like no other Tiny kisses and hugs full of love
The simplest answer, both the best thing and the saddest thing is that especially at this age, she wakes up a different person every day. More aware, more in control, more engaged, but less and less of my tiny baby. I can’t wait to see who she’s going to be tomorrow, but it sucks saying goodbye to who she was yesterday.
Sometimes I even get to photograph grandmas with their sweet grand babies.
It could be because I love photography and seeing the history of my family but it is just as important for you too, for you and your family. In this day of digital everything, printing out photos is becoming a long-lost idea. Technology will change again and again and again and things will get lost as it isn’t meant to be sustainable, it is just data on a disk unless you make a hard copy – A PRINT!
I was set to write this post at the beginning of February but it didn’t happen. We finally closed on our house and have been working on getting it ready for move in! Then rolled in the plague and winter break and I’m finally getting around to posting on this very important topic. Why printing your photos is oh so very important.
What inspired me to create this post was my grandpa, Fred Egenberger: USN Seabees, he passed away just over a year ago at the end of January 2016. Since his passing and visiting my grandma a few times I have collected many MANY photographs. Some I know very well and some I have NEVER seen. Photos of my grandma as a child with her mother, my mom as a newborn, pictures of me from summers and holidays spent at their house. I have boxes and albums full of photos and it is nice to be able to show my children who our family was. It allows me to see the life that was before me and remember my past and my families past.
It could be because I love photography and seeing the history of my family but it is just as important for you too, for you and your family. In this day of digital everything, printing out photos is becoming a long-lost idea. Technology will change again and again and again and things will get lost as it isn’t meant to be sustainable, it is just data on a disk unless you make a hard copy – A PRINT! I am always asked “Do I get all the digital files?” “Will my gallery be here forever?” or told “I just want them for Facebook, Instagram, etc” but none of these are permanent. Prints are forever and can physically handed down to the next generation and the one after that. You can’t hand down your Facebook or Instagram – who knows if they will even be around in 5-10 years… remember MySpace?!
What you can hand down is a physical print in all of the forms it is offered in.
I urge you to get prints of your photos from your sessions even if it is just one, please order prints! When you order prints though me you receive archival photos printed on high quality paper and is printed by a professional lab that makes sure the print looks exactly like the image does on the digital file. My favorite product to offer satisfies both the want for the digitals and the ability to have prints. It is a keepsake box with all the images from your session printed in 4×6 size and all the images on a custom USP drive so you can share them digitally.
Some of the oldest photos in the collection – I think this could be my grandmothers parents and older siblings. I am guessing from about 1923 since there is a “23” on the back and pairs up with the ages of kids. Grandpa at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where they were building the base that is there now. Grandpa and his comrades and images of Guantanamo being built. The back reads Corpus Christy, Texas 1947 – Grandma is the one on the left in the one of 2 women. The other one reads ” Rodd Field Party – Boy, it was drunk out that day 4-21-52″ I can’t get over the light in this one and how young grandma is reads “Mother and Child – Bernard 4 weeks” My mom as a newborn – 6 weeks old and from what I know this was the first time my grandpa was meeting my mom since he was deployed during the time of her birth. I see so much of my little guy in this – my mom about age 2 ME and grandpa – this is how I remember my grandparents. This porch was a central hang out at Grandma and Grandpas.
Before having a cell phone was a big deal and a way of capturing everything I was always going to photo booths. The color one was from a cross country trip with my husband – we had only known each other for 3 months and he moved cross country … to be with me! You can’t tell but this is a print – and one of my very favorite shots ever of us.
When starting the project I wondered how I would share the images everyday and pretty easily decided with Facebook and Instagram would be the best, but then wondered what about ALL of the other ones that didn’t make the cut for the ONE image I was set to share a day.
When starting the project I wondered how I would share the images everyday and pretty easily decided with Facebook and Instagram would be the best, but then wondered what about ALL of the other ones that didn’t make the cut for the ONE image I was set to share a day. There are so many more that I love but didn’t want to over saturate my feed with outtakes or the likes. So I made the choice to edit them and set them aside each day and that I would then compile them into a post here. So at the end each month I will be adding a full post of outtakes – they are just as funny, sweet, moving and crafted as the others!
January 2017’s portion of my 365 project. Capturing the everyday life happening around me.
In December I decided starting January 1st I would embark on a 365 day project. It is where you take a photo everyday and can be anything you want YOUR project to be about. I was inspired to do this because I always feel I’m not doing enough of my own family as I am for everyone else that hires me. Even more so I don’t have very many of my little guy so I am aiming to do more of him though this project.
SO here are the first 31 days (minus the one day I missed) of 2017. Hope that you guys enjoy it – you can keep up with me on a daily basis over on my Instagram and Facebook page too.
Just 2 weeks ago I made the trip back to California for a handful of my very favorite clients!
Just 2 weeks ago I made the trip back to California for a handful of my very favorite clients! I was so happy over the summer (yes, SUMMER) when a few of my fav families reached out asking if I was ever going to come back at any chance to do photos. They were sad that I wasn’t there any longer after moving to Long Island to do their yearly holiday photos. After calling a few more clients to see if they too they would be interested in booking in advance if I were to come back – the trip was in the works!
It took me about a month to pick the perfect location, because all of these clients had shot at all my other go to favorites and only had 2 days to do sessions I had to come up with ONE new stand out location. IT was – you might recognize it because I have used it once before for my own little guys first birthday session. The infamous “Cypress Tree Tunnel” in Point Reyes! It was as gorgeous as I remember it being and upon almost everyones arrival they too gasped with joy and amazement!
Here are a few from each family that were my very favorite! Enjoy!
This is what you get when you ask a 3rd grader how many girlfriends he has!
And lastly – My absolute favorite from all the sessions!
I don’t know what it is about this photo but I keep getting chills every time I see it – I LOVE IT. Odessa is a friend and fellow photographer, so she gets when sessions kinda go off the tracks and I really felt like this one was headed there – miss Addie was just not having any part of being in photos with or with out her sister Lulu (who was a total ham).
I am working hard on capturing a little bit more of the lifestyle aspect of each session as well at the posed shots. And this shot just really yells that to me, the “pose”, the light the moody-ness of it all.
To see more of what I offer please check out my website. Can’t wait to work with you!
The 100th day after a child’s birth is a significant milestone in the Asian culture. This was something new to me and was so intriuged to learn more about it when Elizabeth had her session back in February. Unfortunately it was common back in the day for babies to pass away due to sickness and poor living conditions, so the 100th day is celebrated for having survived this difficult period. It’s also a celebration of the parents who survived the first 100 days since it is known to be the most difficult period. I think we can all attest to that! There are many traditional customs that are practiced on this day such as eating red bean cakes for good luck, to the baby being placed belly down and grabbing at different objects placed in front of them that represent different career paths for when they grow up. Whichever one they grab will be the career that they will choose.
I had so much fun with August and his parents last month. They were visiting family here on Long Island and while in town wanted to do a session! I may have called him the wrong name most of the time but we really had a good time and got a lot of great smiles from him.
Jessica Michelle Photo 