Elana Goodridge is an award winning Bar and Bat Mitzvah Photographer in the New York Metropolitan area. A “fascination with faces and the way people express themselves,” led this NJ mom to develop an interest in photography as a child and ultimately to create a business out of her passion. With more than 15 years’ experience photographing Bar Bat Mitzvahs, Elana Goodridge Photography takes a unique approach to capturing family milestones.
“Events like Mitzvahs and Weddings both include certain ceremonies like candle lighting, cake cutting and speeches. While those moments provide a context and a structure to the event, it’s the emotions that are being experienced that I am drawn to,” explains Goodridge. “One of the unique things about my work is that in those particular moments, I work to capture what the Mitzvah boy or girl and their family are experiencing but then I work to include the reactions from families and friends. By doing that, it creates a greater narrative and allows for reliving that day when looking at the pictures.”
Having worked with hundreds of Bar and Bat Mitzvah families, Goodridge offers sage advice about the big day: “There are so many moving parts to planning an event and it seems that not everything goes according to plan or schedule. That’s when you need to let go and trust that all the work you’ve done leading up to this moment will ensure that those hiccups won’t interfere with the love, joy and happiness of the celebration. Enjoy the day. Celebrate your family because that is by far the most important thing.”
See below for examples of Elana Goodridge Photography’s unique Bar and Bat Mitzvah snapshots.
To learn more about Elana Goodridge Photography visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.
