I recently photographed a Bat Mitzvah at Temple Beth El in Pasadena with the party at The West Events. As is always the case, it was a joy. I know that it may sound like hype but it’s true that Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs are probably my favorite thing to do. Everyone is always so nice and there is so much love at these events that you can’t help but be happy when you’re involved!

Temple Beth El has a new Rabbi

I’ve done several Bar Mitzvahs at Temple Beth El this year and it’s been extra special because they have a new Rabbi. Rabbi Jenn Margold is my first female Rabbi! I am married to a strong woman and I have two daughters so I’m especially excited to be working with Jenn and she turned out to be great. “Bubbly” is the first word that comes to mind when you meet her. She is always smiling and she absolutely wants good pictures for the family.

My rule has always been that it’s the Rabbi’s house so respect them at all times which means you never know what you’re gonna get. Rabbi Margold jumped to the top of my list immediately after working with her the first time. She is accommodating in every way and understands how important these pictures are to the family. To be clear, I’ve never worked with a “bad” Rabbi but it’s nice when you work with someone who understands that what we do is important. Rabbi Margold gets it.

Jenevieve was incredible. (To be fair, they all are. I’ve never had a bad Bat Mitzvah girl). I was supposed to photograph her brother’s Bar Mitzvah but Covid shut that down.

The West Events is a great venue

The party was at The West Events in Madeira Beach. This was my first time at the venue as it’s new. What a special space this is… near the beach, perfect size for smaller weddings or parties. There’s a great little courtyard with AstroTurf so it’s always neat and clean (I just learned that spell check will capitalize “astroturf” because it’s a brand name). My wife and I used to have a beach wedding business and trying to find smaller venues for smaller weddings near the beach was always hard. I wish The West Events had been around then!

When it was all done I delivered over 300 images to the family. here are just a few to give you a taste of the event and the venue:

This is Rabbi Margold and she looks happy all the time.
Very cool video wall!
I like to stand at the entrance to the party and get a picture of everyone as they come in…
Very cool that there is an outside area!
Beach themed…
One of my favorite candle-lighting shots ever. :)