Just wanted to say I hope everyone had a good time today. Our neighborhood had a fireworks war. It seemed every other house in our neighborhood had the “good” fireworks. So the sky was lit up for a while.

Happy 4th everyone.

Miranda’s Bat Mitzvah from Adat Chaim in Maryland

Bat Mitzvah Photography

Madison came to my studio and decided that she wanted to do things her way. She liked being asleep but only for a little while. It was nice to get some of her sleeping and some of her awake. Here are some of my favorites from this session.

Baby newborn photography

Wow I am sitting up in bed actually updating my blog. I have the house all to myself and all is quiet and peaceful in the Barry household. I have decided to make a bunch of updates to my blog. I may make several typos. For one I am typing in the dark and 2 there is this annoying fly landing on my screen every time I start typing. By the end of this there might be fly guts on my screen. Who knows.

So as I listen to my iPod with sounds of thunder and rain coming through my headphones (damn there is that fly again) I am reminded of (other than my A.D.D.) of how much I love photography and creating timeless, amazing artwork. Artwork from a frame on the timeline of their lives will be forever captured in fantastic creativity. Mom, Dad and eventually children will be glad they have of themselves.

This session was no exception to my rule of creating artwork of precious moments in time. Is it too korny to repeat how much I love what I do?!?!

Meet Harper Elizabeth. She came to me right from harrisburg, Pa for her newborn photography session. Mom and Dad were both feeling very fortunate to have her because it was not too long ago she was still in the hospital being watched over to ensure she was healthy after being too anxious to meet everyone. She is beautiful and healthy and enjoyed her session with me. I know she enjoyed it because she slept very well during the session.

Here are a few from what we created from her session.

newborn photography

OK I know I have been WAAAAAAAY behind on updating my blog but I have got so much going on between not missing promised deadlines and looking for a new studio space to upgrade into I have forgotten about all of you and I am so sorry. Things are looking really great on my end but once things settles down I will post more of my artistic beautiful portraits I have created as of recently. You won’t be disappointed. In the meantime here is a sideshow I put together from Jake Goldberg’s Bar Mitzvah from down in Olney, Maryland.

But I saw this video and thought this is perfect to post here. Anyone else in the service industry can relate to this I’m sure.

From: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/05/susquehanna_township_couple_ho.html

When Ted and Lorri Bernstein moved to Harrisburg in 1990, they found it “a drastic change from downtown Chicago” and wondered if their hearts would find a home in a synagogue and the Harrisburg-area Jewish community.

Almost instantly, the Susquehanna Township couple found themselves lovingly embraced by members of Chisuk Emuna synagogue and the broader Jewish community.

“We felt at home right from the get-go,” Ted Bernstein said at the Jewish Community Center during the “Celebration of Lorri and Ted Bernstein” on Sunday. “Everyone was warm and welcoming. They still are.”

That warmth was evident in the celebration, part of the Chisuk Emuna Donor Dinner hosted by Chisuk Emuna congregation in collaboration with the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg. At the Bernsteins’ request, proceeds will go to the rebuilding of Chisuk Emuna, heavily damaged by a fire April 3.

The Bernsteins, parents of two daughters and two sons, have had a familiar presence in the Harrisburg Jewish community for years. With energy, enthusiasm and innovative ideas, both loved and led the Jewish community.

Ted Bernstein said they moved to Harrisburg after his father, the late Mort Bernstein, offered him a business opportunity. His father, who had founded Ollie’s and Just Cabinets, wanted him to be manager of Just Cabinets.

In addition to running Just Cabinets, Ted Bernstein became involved in the United Jewish Community of Greater Harrisburg, now the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg. He served on the board, eventually becoming president from 2002-04. He co-chaired the JCC Preservation Campaign, helping to raise $5 million. He currently chairs the Jewish Community Foundation of Central Pennsylvania, which serves the community’s philanthropic needs.

His wife became active in the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg, Londonderry School, Chisuk Emuna Congregation, Jewish Family Service, Harrisburg Academy, Jewish Home Guild, Susquehanna Tzedakah Society, Josh Klein Bikkur Cholim Society, Hadassah, and National Council of Jewish Women.

She co-founded the Harrisburg Jewish Film Festival and started the Holocaust Education Seminar, the B. Terry Brazelton Lecture, “Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing” and a teen philanthropy program.

“Ted and Lorri and their remarkable children have a precious gift, the ability to love unconditionally,” said Rabbi Ron Muroff of Chisuk Emuna. “The lives of family, friends, co-workers, community members and even strangers have been transformed by the Bernsteins’ love and positive energy. The positive effect of the Bernsteins on the Greater Harrisburg community is proof that a few people can change the world.”

Help! I am outgrowing my home based studio and need your help. I have been creating beautiful portraits right out of my home for quite some time now but just need more space. I am just getting too busy to be photographing out of my home anymore. I think the wife and kids are getting mad at me

“So Josh what does this have to do with me?” Great question. I would like you to put the word out on an insanely ridiculous special I have never done before and probably will never ever do again. I am ONLY doing this for a limited time due to my goal to move in to a new space by June. See I am trying to save some money to really hit the ground running on a new studio so once I decide to either move or not move the special will be over with no exceptions.

Here’s the offer, on my most popular collection for Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, ‘The Platinum Enhanced’ I am offering an unheard of $600 off this collection. This collection includes my amazing Pictobooks Storyboard album which is the absolute favorite among my clients now. It also includes Bimah Portraits at your Temple the week of the event and 4 hours of coverage at your party. Also included are 4×6’s of every photo from the event, a free facebook/myspace CD of all the images, an 11×14,8×10 and a set of wallets AND OF COURSE…me!!!

Normally this collection is over $3100. For anyone who books a NEW event, existing clients or new clients welcomed, this collection will only be $2500. Conditions do apply to take advantage of this special offer. Again this is for NEW BOOKINGS ONLY and is welcomed to repeat clients or new clients as well.

So to summarize: Josh Barry Photography Inc needs a new studio space and to help raise money I am lowering the price for a limited time only on my most popular collection ‘The Platinum Enhanced’ from $3154 to only $2500. This is not because I am having problems booking at my usual price point. In fact I should be raising the price. Due to my goal to move in by June I am closing this offer down by May 31st.

Please forward this blog post to all of your friends who you know are looking for a Bar/Bat Mitzvah Photographer in the Pennsylvania and Maryland (PA MD) or have them call me at 888-517-6374.

This is the perfect opportunity to save lots of $$$ for you or your friends AND help your favorite photographer.
If a new client books using your name you will receive a special gift from me for being such a great helper.

Here is a portrait from Rachel’s Bat Mitzvah just taken last week.

Tired doesn’t mean that I didn’t have the most fun I have had in a long time photographing 2 rambunctious, very cute and charismatic little boys.

These guys were all over the place and I can’t honestly say HOW I got so many great ones capturing their personality and ‘brotherly’ interaction.

Nathanael, the older brother, is definitely someone who knows exactly who he is and how to use his assets to his advantage. Josiah, the younger brother, I would have to say is probably bullet proof. he is one tough kid. Things that would probably would have made me cry didn’t phase him a all.

I am glad to have been able to create these memories for mom and dad.

Why are Professional Photographers so expensive?

In this digital age where everyone has digital cameras, scanners and home “photo printers”, when people upload their photos to a local drug store website and pick them up a few hours later, we hear this all the time – How in the world do Professional Photographers charge $55 (actually more then what I charge) for an 8×10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drug store?

Here’s why.

Simply put, you’re not just paying for the actual photograph, you’re paying for time and expertise. First, let’s look at the actual time involved. If you don’t read this entire page, at least read this first part.

For a two hour portrait session:

- one hour of travel to and from the session
- two hours of shooting
- 30 minutes of setup, preparation, talking to the client etc.
- 30 minutes to load the photos onto a computer (2 – 4 Gb of data)
- 30 minutes to back up the files on an external drive
- 3 – 4 hours of Photoshop time including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, saving a copy for print and a copy for the internet and backing up the edited photographs
- 2 – 3 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive their order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment and drop package off at Fed Ex.
- For local customers, we also print a set of all of their photos, and meet them at our studio to review the photos and place their order. Meeting and travel time averages 2 hours.

You can see how one two hour session easily turns into more than ten hours of work from start to finish. So when you see a Photographer charging a $200 session fee for a two hour photo shoot, you are not paying them $100 / hour.

For an eight hour wedding:

- I won’t bore you with the details, but an eight hour wedding typically amounts to at least two to three full 40 hour work weeks worth of time. Again, if they are charging you $4,000 for an eight hour wedding, you are not paying them $500 / hour.

Now for the expertise.

Shooting professional photography is a skill, acquired through years of experience. Even though a quality camera now costs under $2,000 taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera.

Most Professional Photographers take years to go from buying their first decent camera to making money with their photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera itself, there is a mountain of other equipment involved, as well as numerous software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website etc.

And let’s not forget that you actually have to have people skills, be able to communicate, make people comfortable in front of the camera – and posing people to make them look their best in a photograph is a skill all by itself.

Think of it this way – the next time you pay $X to get your hair done, a pair of scissors only costs $1.50. But you gladly pay a lot more to hire a Professional.

What about the cheap studios at the mall?

Please don’t compare us to the chain store studios. But if you must, consider all of the time and work that we put into our photographs, compared to what they do. Good luck getting a two hour photo shoot at a chain store. Not to mention they won’t come to the beach! And of course, look at our work compared to theirs. You get what you pay for.

The truth is, most of the mall and chain store studios lose money. In fact, in 2007 Wal-Mart closed 500 of their portrait studios because of the financial drain they were putting on the company. What the chain stores bet on is that you’ll come in for some quick and cheap photos, and while you’re there, you’ll also spend $200 on other things. They don’t have to make money, they are just there to get you in the door.

Conclusion

We hope that those who have taken the time to read this page will have a better understanding of why professional photographs cost so much more than the ones that you get from your local drug store.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Quoted from http://www.caughtonfilmphoto.com/costofphotography.html

Please visit http://chisukemuna.blogspot.com/ to make a donation for the rebuilding of our Shule. There was over one million in damage. almost all of the siddurim (prayer books) have been destroyed and also one of our torah scrolls have been damaged beyond repair.

Thank you for considering a donation at http://chisukemuna.blogspot.com/

Lots of fun yesterday with the Markovitz family down at Or Shalom in Berwyn, Pa. Mindy, Marli’s mom, found me through her sister when I photographed her nephew’s Bar Mitzvah down in Baltimore. Everyone was in good spirits yesterday and made the day so much fun. If yesterday was any indication on the level of fun we are going to have Saturday nght I had better bring my helmet to the party on Saturday. =)

Here are a couple from yesterday. See you on Saturday Markovitz family.

Philadelphia Bat Mitzvah Photographer