When Adee entered the studio, it hit me how long it had been. The beauty of repeat clients is the history. Connecting at different points through our journeys. It was incredible to catch up.

What’s interesting is we didn’t talk about business. As curious as I am about how the Real Estate world is treating him, we talked about family. About strengthening bonds, about seeing our children for who they are and adapting to their needs. About prioritizing our time with them. It was lovely.

I do, however happen to know that he’s got a great track record with flipping homes, so if you are an investor, he may be your match: adeeweismark@kw.com

Never thought I'd see the day.
Growing up, I imagined myself on Broadway.

This was not what I had in mind…

But isn’t life strange?

My images are amongst those on a billboard in NYC's TIMES SQUARE. 1500 Broadway and West 43rd Street. Featuring Jodi Wittenberg and Dr. Tate!

Which is insane. And heartbreaking. Because I never thought my work would be used in the Orthodox Union's fight against antisemitism. I hoped it would never be necessary.

Also featuring images by Israel Brass, Danny Diamond, Dina Bookmyer, and Zusha Goldin.

After years in the executive recruitment space, Lee is transitioning to a new angle. With this expertise in his back pocket, he’s now discreetly preparing top CEO’s who are looking to transition to their own new opportunity.

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Let me introduce you to MaxBridge, which assists you in developing and executing a search strategy specifically tailored to your career needs and aspirations. They offer a concierge, results-based approach for the Executive on an adventure.

Lee is confident, focused, and charming. You will enjoy the process, and never doubt you are in the care of talent. Check out his website here.

With 3 kids 2 and under, New York was feeling too small for Daniela and her family. They wanted to move to a vibrant city with space to breathe and a friendly community with playdates for her growing family. Having supportive family already in Atlanta made it more enticing. With her degree in Social Work, she bid adieu to her role as a counselor in a performing arts school, and opened up Spark Teens Coaching.

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“Here at Spark Teens, our mission is simple: to provide tailored guidance and support to teens and their families. Drawing from a foundation of listening, collaboration, and a genuine passion for addressing the unique challenges teens encounter, we are dedicated to sparking positive change by helping teens reach their highest potential with confidence and resilience.”

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Daniela works with teens and their families to focus on an issue, create a plan, and IMPLEMENT it.
Here’s what I can promise about Daniela: she’s incredibly easy to talk to. She’s open, friendly, and vibrant. I know she came in for a branding session, but I felt like we were “out for coffee.” I can imagine being a teen and finding her comforting, safe, and relatable.

Spark Teens Website
Spark Teens Instagram

My first memory of Miri was seeing her push her single buggy past my home on her regular strolls with her husband. Little did I know soon she’d have a double-stroller, and they’d one day make my home/studio the destination to capture her beautiful family.

She began talking to me about a session soon after the birth of her second. She came to the studio to check out the artwork in person, and talk through all our options. As he neared his first birthday, she was ready, and so were her kiddos, with their beaming smiles.

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I know it can be intimidating, bringing littles, hoping it works out. This was the day after the time change, so they were already in their “witching hour,” and naps hadn’t been successful. But when our goal is focused, rather than our goal just being to make them perform for an hour, then we can put our energy into nailing what we need, and stop shooting at the first signs of angst.

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We shot the first images on the trails in the woods behind the studio, and then ran to the front of the house to chase the sun for individuals of the kids.

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Miri had the perfect space for her collection. We had a great time exploring the different sizing and configuration options.

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She loved the funky vibe of the square prints, but wanted a touch more room and emphasis on the whole family. These will be matte floating metals.

Next? I send to print, and then head over there to install them! I can’t wait to see them up. A journey worth every step.

Randy was in a nervous rush, trying to get a headshot in by Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta’s deadline. She had been accepted into the new cohort of “Agents of Change,” and didn’t know a portrait was part of the process. She Googled “Headshots Atlanta,” and found my website.

But there are no accidents. She was dreading the process, but said as she poked around my site, she began to feel reassured. This would not be painful! She was meant to come to my studio, where I would hold her hand through the process.

There is so much to admire about Randy. She, like so many of us, has been dealt some real challenges. But she sees and moves through them. She remains focused, centered, and loving. She sees opportunity and beauty. And in our session, I hope she saw her own beauty.

Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta found a true Agent of Change. Randy has so much to offer the world. Seeing it through her eyes, for even a moment, was changing for me.

Behind the scenes

Jules enters my world and turns it upside down. She likes to do that. Tell it like it is, make you laugh, shake things up a bit. She moved to Atlanta less than a year ago with a vast knowledge of an insane number of industries, from arts to medical. She made instant friends, and whittled her family into the fabric of the community. Just as she was getting the family settled, her husband was finishing his first year teaching at a new school, she was switching companies, and she was about to jet to Israel for her son’s Bar Mitzvah, her own world turned upside down.

Despite how busy she was, she couldn’t ignore her difficulty breathing, her cough. A scan revealed a 10 cm mass from middle of her chest: lymphoma.

Her community immediately rallied, and you can, too. Will you please daven (pray) for Aviva Ariel bas Dafna?

Her three week Israel celebration for her son was switched to one week, so she can go between chemo treatments. They had planned to take pictures while there, but she felt an urgency to capture this moment, before the start of treatments.

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We’re printing it as a 18x24 floating matte metal, to hang over the mantel in the living room.

Her treatment schedule is brutal, but her diagnosis comes with a 90% CURE rate. Give this lady everything you’ve got!

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My Mother

She asks me to take her portrait.

I ask if she loves it.

She says, “It’s not for me, it’s for you.”

I pretend I didn’t really hear it. Because I can’t really hear it.

Rubbing my back as I fall asleep in my childhood bedroom

Walls covered in the mural she commissioned that would spark stories

She listens. The greatest gift she gave me was that she made space for listening.

She was safe, and she taught me to listen to my own.

But I can’t hear her today.

Sara wanted a session commemorating her son’s upshern (3rd birthday). Originally, she had in mind that we do the session before the party, since they were dressing up anyway. Ultimately, she decided to separate the two, as she wanted a low pressure session where it would be the only thing on her mind.

We shot in their home, moving only a couple pieces of furniture and taking advantage of the lovely light in their space.

We reviewed the images together, then she chatted with her amazing interior designer (I need to get her name and link her here!!), and together, we created a vision, and I edited her images accordingly.

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Left: our design, virtual on the wall, Right: the actual installation

It was tremendous fun creating images to fulfill our final vision.

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EDIT! And then…

Sara reached out, craving one more image. She wanted a color shot, to gift her husband for his office:

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There’s a common scam photographers get, someone asking them to capture a “reunion,” and then pay the other “vendors” for them…

But I knew this one was legitimate, because the call came directly from Ramah Darom, explaining that their retreat center was hosting a family reunion, and that family portraits had been requested. Eliana, who runs the retreat center, said that she was coming to me because she and the family wanted to gift finished artwork to the matriarch for her home, as they were gathering to celebrate her 80th birthday.

I wanted to capture the sun rising behind the family over the lake. The two hour drive in the dark up through the mountains was stunning nonetheless. They really do have the most fantastic venue, and as I trekked, I reminisced about my pivotal time working there.

Ramah had put together an outstanding itinerary for them, featuring truly quality together time. I arrived as they were finishing their breakfast buffet, and then went to fine-tune the location I had in mind.

It was muddy, and there were tire tracks… and I was thrilled that the family was good sports about it, because it was PERFECT.

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I got to know the family a bit. They had ventured in from all over, including California and Israel. They were a vibrant group, whom while diverse, were cohesive under Elaine’s leadership. When she and I had our selection appointment, she took me through their journey as a family. One of discovery, adventure, and risks with a big payoff. She had a clear vision for her family, and this reunion felt for her like the culmination of all her goals and efforts. She has such deserved pride for all that the generations she created are achieving.

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I can only dream of glowing the way Elaine does when I’m 80. To have such sharp and radiating memories, and tangible proof of a life that was worth living. May we all experience such joy.

Stacey is dedicated.

She’s given herself wholly to her family, including her son who needs extra love and time, for years.

She’s finally at a juncture where she’s able to launch herself. Into a new career in real estate, into building new relationships, into exploring her next phase. So I was delighted when she decided to do headshots, that she chose to also do a branding image, and hair and makeup as well. This day was hers. It was about her: reinventing herself.

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I gave her two versions of her branding image. The second is sized as a Facebook banner and fades to white, so she can easily add text and use it on her website and social media.

I wish Stacey so much ease and support. She’s offered it for years, and I hope she receives it for years to come.

When you are testing lighting for Thursday’s headshot clients requesting a specific look, and your sassy 8 year old test subject strikes a pose…

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Lighting for this scenario is trickier than you would imagine. Want to learn more? See behind the scenes!

Get on Instagram! everyone said. I dragged my feet, but finally acquiesced.

It finally paid off, and I enjoyed my first session from someone who found me on IG!

Elliot is a law student at Georgia State University. Always thinking through every move, and several moves ahead, not only did he want to review our contract thoroughly (everyone should!), but he wanted to get ahead of the game getting his headshots, knowing that they would be crucial in his next career steps. This is a man both thoughtful and focused- he knows where he’s going and is proactive getting there.

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I guess this just proves that, whether we are 24 or 39, it’s always time move forward, push yourself, and take those extra steps.

Redfin LOVES PHOTOGRAPHIC GALLERY WALLS!!

I received an email from Redfin, the Real Estate search engine, that said, “We are excited to let you know that Shayna Image has been chosen to be featured in Redfin's next blog article, "How to Curate a Photo Gallery Wall in Your Home”". We've selected notable experts in the field to provide homeowners with some creative ways to curate a beautiful photo gallery in their homes.”

Scroll through to read my tips, and also to get some great advice from fantastic print photographers across the USA:

CHECK OUT THE ARTICLE HERE

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It was time! The annual family self-portrait. It was a disaster, as always. Without someone behind the camera, its a silly face free-for-all. I don't want to tell you how many images I had to splice together. But I will. Outtakes below.

We took the settee, one of the exciting new pieces of furniture I purchased for the studio, behind the house/studio. I love having tons of gorgeous, natural spots to draw from for photographic backdrops, all right here.

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How did this image happen? I set up my camera on my tripod, tethered to my computer. My computer was set to fire 20 times 5 seconds apart, and we did three rounds. My light and diffuser were slightly right, triggered remotely by the camera/computer. Then, I took 4 different images and fused them together into this one.

4 different images?? That’s not normally necessary for a client session. But a client session has me behind the camera, coaching. When I’m in front of the camera, this happens…

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I’m dying to see this on canvas. Next step for us is to pick our space, and use my software to see it virtually on the wall, to ensure we’re choosing the correct size. Can’t wait to show the finished product!

Melissa is an artist. Not by trade or practice, but creatively, in her mind. By trade and practice she’s a Maharat, a leader, and a guide. But she gets these incredible creative bursts, and I get to execute them! She saw my headshot, and wanted a twist for herself. My favorite messages are from her, saying “I just had this crazy idea for a photoshoot…” See one here.

Darker, more dramatic background? Or brighter? What do you think?

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We wanted something rich, dramatic, but still as colorful and vibrant as Melissa! The only purple in the original image was in her headband, but I infused the color into our backdrop and her necklace to build cohesion.

Here’s the setup behind the scenes!

Alexandra is an artist. When she reached out to me, there was a perfect understanding of what we are trying to accomplish when you work with me. She wanted us to build art together. She did, however, throw me for a loop when she asked about the process of booking three sessions in a year.

I told her I have a two-session discount that could easily be adapted…but why three sessions? Clearly there was a goal…

She mumbled a bit, talked about capturing different environments… then came out with it: she was expecting!! She imagined a gallery in their home that tells the story of their evolving family through this time: a family of three, a family maternity session, and as a family of four.

I definitely squealed through the rest of our consultation.

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Our session was delightful, learning all about Adam’s work as Executive director of local synagogue Or VeShalom, which I had the pleasure of attending for a few years, and getting Stella’s full spunk. They are such a dynamic family! But what was truly fun was capturing this image, with Stella completely unaware of why we were taking it:

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We’ve been waiting all these months until Chanukah to finally make the announcement. May this family have nothing but joy going forward.

Speaking of going forward… it’s almost time for their second session!!

Tinisha is delightful. Effervescent. Ready to listen and share. Dedicated to her family, her teenage children, and ready to be dedicated to yours as she helps you find your home.

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And a shout-out to LUCY for making the connection!!

Adrienne and I continue to evolve together, both in friendship and artistically, through the years. We first bonded in middle school choir. Decades later, she’s making a living as in interior designer and muralist. And we keep hiring each other! Beginning with murals in my children’s old rooms, most recently she’s the artistic brain behind my photography studio (hire her!) And I’ve had the chance to create her maternity, newborn, and last year’s family picture. Which brings us to this year!

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Mike, who tours with the band, Hinder, playing bass, endures Adrienne’s and my endless reminiscence year after year. He has such a softness with his girls.

Something to keep

For more problems with modern photography, and how I solve them, click here.