"I found a fruitful world, because my ancestors planted it for me. Likewise I am planting for my children." ~ Talmud, Taanit 23a
The potato plant.
On the session at home a few weeks before the event, I learned that the Bar Mitzvah boy to be had planted a potato and from it, sprouted a plant. And as were but in the first weeks of summer before Solstice), I felt a profound symbolism in this little plant.
His story is one of family ... and friends he's known since he was a little; it is a collage of sports and music and science and community. A personality that is at once both public and private striking the right balance between outer and inner.
We wove a few of the day-to-day goings on in at home and a few weeks later, came together again on the Bar Mitzvah day for portraits at the Temple, family portraits at the venue and a few details of the setting. I have no words to describe my experience inside Temple Ohabei Shalom ....along the lines of what it translates to - Lovers of Peace. Being surrounded by extended family who gathered to celebrate this milestone ... the laughter, the love, the traditions. Our time together ended two days later at the brunch - a gathering that told the story of how exhausting a rich experience can be. I chose a sample of images to share with the collection of them being custom designed into a larger book that tells the story of the people, the places, the moments, the experience and the boy that was and is now a man.
I am always moved by those who choose me to cover this particular event for I am deeply moved by the emotions and nuances, the preservation of customs, and the profound symbolism this day marks.
The sample of images shown will be folded into the collection and presented in a custom designed book