One day, a cello walks into a studio…
The punchline is that beautiful music was made.
Roee (sometimes Roy) was long overdue to update his headshot. We thought it best to do something expected, classic:
…but Roee also wanted something fun…
We were joined in the studio by his fantastic wife, Kelli, who honored me with some BTS images.
Not only is Roee available for weddings, but he gives lessons as well. Reach out to him at https://royharran.com/
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.
“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.”
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.
Rabbi Chaim Lindenblatt is a Rabbi. And an attorney. Which makes sense, as both delve into the application of the law.
After the passing of a friend and colleague, Rabbi Lindenblatt is stepping in, and taking over his practice. He’s a defense attorney, working specifically with the Latin community. He needed an image for their flyer that featured both him and his talented translator, Janet. He wanted something that looked warm, welcoming, and professional.
If you or anyone you know needs their assistance, reach out to rabbichaimlaw@gmail.com
I think most people who know me, know I (and my family) am friends with this family.
But did you know I was their photographer first?
They hired me for a family session, the gallery wrap still stands on their mantle (soon to be replaced by one from this session!!) We didn’t know each other prior, but hit it off instantly. By the end of the session, they were urging me to move to their neighborhood, and join a women’s trip to Israel.
And the rest, they say, is history.
This is my fourth session with the Kahn family. But more than that, this is five years of amazing friendship. From family trips to mad cocktail experiments, we’ve been such a match.
But let’s get to the point of it all. Naomi. While I’m obviously fond of the parents, our daughters are fond of each other. Watching their friendship blossom through the years has been so lovely to watch. And now this beautiful and thoughtful girl has reached Bat Mitzvah, and we are so delighted to celebrate her.
She’s polite, and radiant, and so good with her brothers.
Speaking of brothers… Yosef needed a moment. He had us in absolute stitched the entire session.
Mazal tov to the Kahn family! May we have only Simchas!
Behind the scenes
It was terrifying to take the plunge.
For years, I had been incorporating Kashrut (eating kosher food) bit by bit in different ways, but when I went all in, it felt equally liberating and sad. I was relieved to no longer live in the in-between, to totally commit and have another avenue for connection. But I’m a foodie. There were so many delectable elements I took for granted in my cooking, like a nice wedge of parmesan rather than the powdery stuff. I was saying goodbye to my homemade curries, to exquisite cheeses…
Until The Spicy Peach showed up. Tzippy, Jodi, and Lydia came together to revolutionize the Kosher scene in Atlanta. Not only with an outstanding cheese selection, but with ingredients from around the world critical to recreating international cuisines.
It’s not just that they brought super-fresh sushi, salads, and panini; it’s not just that they shipped in foodie amazingness, but they upped the game across the board. We started seeing the chain groceries stretching a bit.
But these women aren’t just spicy.
They’ve got a lot of heart, too. You see it in the people that come around, the people they employ. They take the community under their wing and provide more than just comfort food, but true comfort.
They also are the real deal southern ladies, with multiple generations here.
Jodi’s story (and my photography capturing her) was told by Faces of Orthodoxy.
And I’ve popped into the store, and not known which of three generations of Schloss/Teller was going to greet me behind the counter.
Want to see the community? Grab a bite, sit at a table out front, and watch as everyone comes by.
Y’all come back now, y’hear?
I call our yearly family self portrait the “annual insanity.” But I can’t use the term anymore, I’m afraid.
Our synagogue is asking everyone to submit family portraits for a mosaic project (which I’m so excited about!). I was editing portraits for two other families at that moment, and I realized I haven’t done ours since the beach two years ago! The shoemaker’s children have no shoes!
I add every year to our wall gallery - how did I skip a whole year??
Even more so, I realized we needed to update ours mere days before my daughter left for her first time at summer camp for a month, so with no time, I grabbed items from everyone’s closet, and hauled my tripod and lights to the front yard.
The top portrait will move to the stairs, and the new gallery wrap will take its place:
This is where I normally post a hilarious outtake. But there are none. Because my kids crushed it. So I guess I can’t call it “Annual” OR “Insanity” anymore!
(But I WILL do better! Every year or bust!)
Update! Galleries updated!
I was thrilled to be hired as the photographer for Faces of Orthodoxy Season 6 Atlanta (backed by the Orthodox Union). They profiled 6 movers and shakers, to tell their dynamic stories, and show the world that Orthodox people are relatable, rather than exotic or strange as seen in the media.
Week three: Jodi Wittenberg
“Shalom Y’all! I guess you can call me a born-and-bred Southern belle. All 4 of my grandparents are from Georgia. My grandmother had bleached blonde hair, hot pink nails & spoke Yiddish with a Southern twang. I grew up traditional; we had the third-row center bench seats in our conservative synagogue. I went to Jewish day schools & camp. A few years after college (I dropped out), the Atlanta Scholars Kollel came to town. My parents got very involved & constantly encouraged me to participate. I got an invitation to one of the rabbi's homes for Shabbat lunch. I parked down the street & pulled on a skirt over my jeans. When I entered a room of 10 single Jewish guys, I thought if this is observant Judaism, then this is a good thing. I co-started a Sunday night singles group at that rabbi’s house, which later became a huge success.
In 1993, I co-founded a family business, a natural food store called Return to Eden. After going on a 10-day learning safari trip to Israel with my rebbetzin, I took a summer break from work & went back to learn at Aish’s new Jewel program. I also knew there was a guy at Aish, Josh Wittenberg from back home, who had a crush on me. As I walked out the door for the airport, I told my parents I was going to marry him. We went on a few dates that summer & that was it! We agreed to go back to learn at Aish for a year, so we ended up being a kollel couple living in the Old City! We now have 3 fantastic kids & a 10lb havdalah plate of candle drippings to attest to our 25 years of marriage.
When we returned to Atlanta, Josh joined me in my business. Return to Eden was a 7500 sq ft. store with 32 employees. I loved introducing new kosher symbols & products to the community & having kosher-tasting tours. I was known for my kosher cheese selection, so after the sale of Eden, I decided to open up a small cheese shop, The Chosen Knish, in my garage. I showed up at Jewish festivals & it grew. I then created a business plan for a new kosher store. I asked my co-president of the sisterhood & her mother if they’d want to open a store in the neighborhood with me. They said yes! We opened The Spicy Peach in January 2014.”
“I love retail because you never know who’s gonna show up that day. I love my store because it's my creation & I truly love my biz partners; they make it super fun to come to work. I love to eat & cook but I REALLY love to entertain! I get my validation from feeding people. One of my favorite challenges is the hunt to find new kosher, exciting food & seeing my customers light up as they buy them. At The Spicy Peach, we offer a lot of specialty gourmet, hard-to-find kosher products. And of course, every kind of kosher cheese you’d ever want. The store is an extension of my home. When I’m making a panini for a customer, I feel like I’m in my kitchen. We also sell takeaway soup, salads & sushi. And we make great tuna fish (a Jodi favorite).
Almost all of our products are trucked down from N.Y. The companies we work with get a kick out of us 3 women in the South who own a kosher store called The Spicy Peach. I like to think that our shop has Southern charm and personality – along with our signature hot pink grocery bags.
Shabbos cooking for me always starts on Fridays at 4 pm & I magically whip up Shabbos lunch and dinner. My Friday afternoons are like a Chopped episode: candle lighting, knives down! Some of my specialties include making good ole’ Southern food kosher. I love American comfort food & I’m great at converting treif to kosher. I have a bbq smoker in my backyard. One day I hope to write an American/Southern kosher cookbook.
I’ll do anything to support my community. I have a really hard time saying no. Making it into the Guinness Book for The Israeli Cookie Flag for Israel’s 70th is one of my hugest highlights. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, I helped spearhead the effort to host over 1000 people from Florida who came to Congregation Beth Jacob for a week. With the support of the OU, we housed, fed & entertained all these people who were displaced. Of all the hosting I’ve done and meals I’ve served, 1000 people, 3x a day definitely tops the list. My biggest regret was that I didn’t make a picture book from this experience – the stories that came out were incredible. I felt like I was walking in G-d’s hand for a week.”
Behind the scenes with Jodi photos by Yelena Hertzberg, who was with me every step of the way.
We have a formula.
In 2018, we did our first Cohen family session. Their three precious girls dipped their hands in the water.
In 2019, we recreated that image.
In 2021, we captured it again.
2023…
We also do a family photo.
And then each year we alternate, Dad with girls, Mom with girls. It was a mom year.
And then individuals of the three girls.
Every year we combine them into an accordion album to gift the grandparents, so they can enjoy them all on the go or displayed on a shelf.
What was cool, as we designed this year, is we continued to build upon what we’ve hung the previous three years. But did so with an intentionality regarding where we want to hang things next year, and the next. Avital has a vision, that she wants to continue to build every year “until they turn 18.” She loves being able to directly compare their growth and their journey. She is creating their legacy, she’s creating it now.
Behind the scenes, thanks to Avital!
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.
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!
I was thrilled to be hired as the photographer for Faces of Orthodoxy Season 6 Atlanta (backed by the Orthodox Union). They profiled 6 movers and shakers, to tell their dynamic stories, and show the world that Orthodox people are relatable, rather than exotic or strange as seen in the media.
Week one: Yelena Hertzberg
“I’m a religious CEO of a Film Production Company which I started with my husband. My story starts in the former USSR. Growing up under communism, I knew that my grandfather baked matzah underground for our community in Belarus & that I was a Jew. We lived 200 km away from Chernobyl & the nuclear disaster affected our family’s health. When I was 9, we got a visa from my grandparents in the States. Seeing my parents make hard choices for us made a lasting impression on me. We made it to L.A. & unintentionally settled in a religious area, Pico-Robertson, where my aunt owned a quadruplex. Like good Russian secular Jews, we put up a New Year’s ‘bush’ near a window. A religious neighbor told us we don’t put up Christmas trees. Slowly, I started realizing more about Judaism.
Early on I knew I had a talent for art. I went to art school for fashion design & was recruited by a top fashion house in L.A. Too busy to date during college, I thought I’d try my luck at meeting someone on AOL. I searched ‘film’ under hobbies and until this day, I have no idea why that was important to me. Elan Hertzberg came up. He was a production assistant & Jewish. We dated for 3 years & then got engaged. My best friend from childhood had recently become religious & was getting married 3 months after us. Participating in all her wedding festivities, we got immersed in this whole new world. It was very attractive to us. We spent every Shabbos for the next year in the Valley Village community & learned so much from the families. We moved back to Pico, took lots of classes, & enrolled our toddler in a Jewish preschool.
Being a fashion designer wasn’t conducive to our lifestyle, so I became a wardrobe stylist for commercials & print. In 2007 when the economy was going sideways, we moved to Charlotte, N.C., a small Jewish community with a film industry. We helped grow the community there, but we were growing faster. My husband produced for Nascar & commuted to Atlanta. We knew we had to move to Atlanta after he spent one Shabbos in Toco Hills. My husband also predicted, correctly, that Atlanta would be the new production capital & we needed to be the pioneers.”
“On our pilot trip to Atlanta in 2011, we walked into a kindergarten classroom at Torah Day School & the children stood up for us and started singing. I cried like a baby. I realized this is what our family was missing. Soon after we moved, the school called asking if I would run a dinner & auction. Somehow they must have found out about my volunteer shenanigans in L.A. & Charlotte! I then joined the board as a fundraising trustee. I’m now the fundraising trustee at Congregation Beth Jacob. I crave making a difference in the community.
I launched my own marketing & graphic design firm. My husband was a sought-after freelance producer for over 25 years. Together with two partners, we started our own film & post-production company, FilmTribe, in 2015. All our partners davened (prayed) at the same shul, so we consider ourselves a 13th tribe. We work with clients from concept to completion. We produce TV commercials, movies, & branded content for clients such as Netflix, MTV & Universal, to name a few.
Integrity drives our work. Everything is done according to our values & Torah guidance. We don’t schedule shoots on Fridays because they’ll likely wrap once Shabbos begins. My husband was directing for The Rock & asked him if they could move the shoot from a Friday to Thursday, to which he responded, ‘Of course.’ Shaq wishes us Shabbat Shalom. Everyone who works with us knows we are religious, that our office has weird scrolls hanging on every doorpost, that we have our own food on set & we don’t hug the opposite sex. We are respected for it & are so grateful for our relationships.
I believe the best way to reach people globally is through film & TV. People watch shows about us & believe them to be true. Hashem gave us the gift of visual storytelling to tell our Jewish story, the beauty of who we are. I think our whole career has brought us to this point to tell our story in the most impactful and relevant way using media. Our next chapter is creating Jewish content that is real & authentic. We have projects in development we’re really excited about. We’ve created a perfect team to tell our story. We think the world is listening.”
Behind the scenes:
BTS: Sara Newmark
From Jewish Matchmaking (see previous post) to Jewish Babies, we’re moving right along the life cycle…
“My story isn’t unique. But I was lucky. I got pregnant via IVF twice in two years and I thank the universe every day. But for others it takes years, losses, and lots of tears and heartache before babies are made, if at all. And with the costs of IVF ranging from $15,000 – $25,000 in the United States, many don’t even have a chance for a chance. So I’ve turned my useless guilt into helpful actions by starting the Jewish Fertility Foundation (JFF). We provide financial assistance, educational awareness, and emotional support to Jewish families who have medical fertility challenges in the communities we serve. As a woman struggling with infertility, I know what it’s like to cry alone. But YOU are no longer alone. JFF is here for you.”
-Elana Frank, CEO & Founder of Jewish Fertility Foundation
Jewish Fertility Foundation helps hopeful parents by providing financial assistance, emotional support, and infertility education to those struggling to build their families.
I’ve been fortunate to know Elana a long time (since the 90’s!) and her journey is simply amazing. Even more stunning is watching her help so many others along their journeys, and to watch her reach stretch to other cities, and JFF continues to expand.
Elana, Jewish Fertility Foundation, and all the families they are assisting should continue to have much success and their every wish fulfilled.
I like to have a sense of who a client is, and the type of work they do, when they come in for a headshot. Emily told me she was working with the top executives of many massive companies, and she needed to look sharp. But I couldn’t quite make heads or tales of what she did, until she was in my studio, filling me in, and blowing my mind.
Emily is changing the world.
She is working to create a space that enables face time between the major components of the heath industry. What if the city’s top leaders in government, philanthropy and healthcare were all in a room together on a consistent basis, communicating and collaborating freely, rather that maneuvering thoughts through a long and beurocratic pipeline? What if the brilliant minds developing the next wave of medications had a cubicle next to someone at the CDC, someone in the field of Health Equity, The American Cancer Society, and Johnson & Johnson?
Emily is the force making it happen. She is working to create a space to aid in communication between all the sectors in the healthcare field. Helping to make emergency response swifter, and tackling the problems before they exist.
We are rooting for you, Emily!
Eric is a busy guy. I’ll just give over the titles listed in his LinkedIn: CEO at Bigger Cup Consulting: Business Coaching for C-Level Executives & Founders | Reach for A Bigger Cup & Achieve your Goals | CEO at First Avenue Mfg – Made in USA Bedding | Co-CEO at iAssay, Medical Device Startup
Which says nothing about his active involvement with his family and community. We were definitely looking to have an efficient system and turn-around. Good thing that’s standard by me!
The interesting tool he brought to expedite the process? His fantastic wife! It was great to have her eyes as we made adjustments and his final selection.
I was thrilled when Eric wrote me: “This version is perfect, super happy with how this turned out, the speed, and the ease of the whole process. Thank you! Feel free to use me as a reference.”
Some were on their way in. Some were on their way out. But it’s so rare they are all together, Robin wanted to make sure she had it to remember.
Some were moving to Israel, some were off to camp and then Seminary. Great grandma down to newborn baby, Robin has it all to keep and admire daily.
Robin is passionate about art. Her touch is in every inch of her home. This is another way for her to show who she is and who she loves.
Our virtual gallery design. Art is not yet actually on her wall.
The actual gallery, installed!
If you live in Atlanta and haven’t met the Kosoff family yet, YOU MUST.
Warm, friendly, and hilarious, your life needs them. Birmingham’s loss, Atlanta’s WIN.
And it’s all of them. Sometimes you find you click with a family member or two. But 5/5 Kosoffs are awesome.
We were very focused on this session. They needed a family portrait for their holiday card. We set it up, made a few adjustments as we went, nabbed the image they were going for, and were done. Too soon. I would have been good with hanging with them a while longer.
Adrienne and I go back to middle school, and all these years later continue to play together. I photograph her maternity and newborn, she paints murals on my children’s walls. I capture her family as it continues to grow, she helps design my photography studio. I respect her as an artist, and am delighted to continue to call her a friend.
Her husband plays, too. He’s a musician with the band, Hinder, and plays beautifully with their girls.
Who else plays? Their little one and Ben! Since we were in studio, my kids were excited to see Adrienne again, and snuck their way in. Adrienne’s younger daughter begged to play with Ben in our playroom, so after our session, the adults got to catch up, while the littles indulged with toys. There’s something so striking and precious about peeking in and seeing your child playing with the child of a lifelong friend.
Michael was a referral of a referral of a referral. I’m grateful!
Sooo I thought he was an architect.
Because he forwarded two pages of instructions from his architecture firm, Array Architects, on requirements for our images: 6 shots, black background, dark suit, horizontal, waist up, 3 expressions (neutral, slight smile, smile) and two body positions for each (full on, turned slightly)
Obstacles: 1. Dark on dark is technically challenging. The goal is to create separation between the client/suit and the background. 2. I’m ace at getting relaxed smiles from my clients. Telling them not to smile? Not my forte.
Here’s how the shot was set up. Notice the light peeking over the top? That’s called a hair or rim light, and it creates the separation. You will also notice that we’re shooting on grey, not black, in a bright room. I set my camera settings to cut ambient light and darken the backdrop, so the only light at play was that which I deliberately introduced to the scene. I love shooting on grey- I can create anything I want with it!
I’m grateful that the firm was thrilled with the results! The kicker?
Michael is NOT an architect! He’s a Healthcare Strategy and Business Development Executive! He’s currently advising Array Architects in their current project with Northside Hospital. (Which is full circle, as they were one of the buildings I photographed behind the scenes as an artistic installation for a HVAC firm a long time ago.)
He explained the type of analysis he provides to heathcare centers (he gave a fascinating example of a hospital purchasing hospital beds, and the way he advises them that incorporates not only their current numbers and projected growth, but the trends of the industry, which is moving towards remote locations and away from, say, needing a massive amount of beds…)
So Michael is not an architect, working for an architecture firm, and blowing my mind.
I’m grateful that this is my fourth session with Joey and Esther. I got to capture them with their parents, once they became engaged, a wedding re-do, and most recently with their sweet baby. He’s the most good-natured 11 month old! A true people person, eager to connect and beaming ear to ear. We’re keeping him off social media at this point, but I’m grateful to share this sweet family with you here.
Joey and Esther kept gushing about how all the grandparents were going to need prints of their sweet baby. They loved this image, saying it truly is the essence of their son. I can’t wait for him to see these as he ages, always with a proud sense of self, and then show his own children one day.
Lisa reached out in a rush for a headshot. She’s joined a new legal firm as Partner, and needed an updated shot to accompany the press release.
She gushed about her friend, Laura. She said Laura was one of her first friends upon moving to Atlanta 25 years ago. She had loved the headshot I did for her dearest friend, so when she needed one for herself, she reached out for the referral. (Thank you, Laura!!)
Lisa had experienced a challenging day when she arrived, including her makeup artist cancelling with a possible case of pink eye. She was exhausted, and frazzled, and amazing. Regardless of it all, she came in with a rush of energy, and allowed herself to completely relax in front of the camera. This shot was the second image we took! Nailed it! I love her glasses and stacked necklaces: She wanted to stay true to who she is, give people a taste of who they will meet when working with her.
I asked that she send me some information about what she does. She sent the pending press release. It was so impressive, I couldn’t whittle it down to a sentence or two. Read on about this dynamic lady, and her Woman-led Law Firm!
FORMER NOKIA SENIOR COUNSEL LISA ROVINSKY JOINS CULHANE MEADOWS AS A
PARTNER IN ITS ATLANTA AND BOSTON OFFICES
ATLANTA, GA — Culhane Meadows is pleased to announce that Lisa Rovinsky ( lrovinsky@cm.law ) has joined the firm as a partner in their Atlanta and Boston offices.
Lisa has had two distinguished legal careers. Starting in advertising and marketing law, she served as Vice President & Counsel for Mastercard International and Chief Marketing Counsel for The Coca-Cola Company. She left Coca-Cola to go into private practice at the law firm Alston & Bird, moving on to become Senior Counsel at Nokia. Her move to the telecommunications giant refocused her career towards technology law and she has continued to build on that experience, working with a variety of technology-based startups.
“Lisa is an outstanding addition to our Technology and Corporate practices, “ says Kimberly Verska, Co-managing partner of Culhane Meadows, “Having worked with her in the past, I know that her creative and practical approach to problem-solving is a great fit for our firm.”
Culhane Meadows Co-founder and Co-Managing Partner James Meadows agrees, “During our time together at Alston & Bird I knew Lisa to be an advocate and mentor to women attorneys and a passionate proponent of diversity. Finding a partner who fits so well with our business and cultural goals, and who adds a wealth of experience to our team, is exciting.”
“I’ve followed the growth of Culhane Meadows for years and have had the good fortune to work with some of the partners throughout my career,” Lisa adds. “When I began to seriously consider joining the firm, one of the drivers was how impressively innovative Culhane Meadows is, and how they use technology to benefit both their attorneys and the firm’s clients. I’m looking forward to collaborating with such a forward-thinking group and the clients who value their innovation.”
Lisa graduated summa cum laude from Tufts University and attended Harvard Law School.
_______
Culhane Meadows is the largest woman-owned, national full-service law firm in the country (WBE) and has over seventy partners who work virtually from eleven offices around the U.S. Built to be fully remote from founding, Culhane Meadows serves client that range from startups to Fortune 100 businesses, offering outstanding efficiency and sophisticated legal knowledge from partners who are former BigLaw attorneys or in-house counsel, and have years of experience in creative problem-solving.
I have lots of great things to say about Daniel Wachtel (and his family.)
He is (They are) generous and welcoming. Accepting and genuine. He loves their community, staying active, and attending concerts.
Pretty much the type of person you would turn to when you need help. When you are struggling and need guidance. When you are ready for change.
