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  • About Shira

    I am an international photographer based in New York, an award-winning member of the prestigious Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) , ISPWP, and a member of the Best of Wedding Photography Association. My work has been published and acclaimed internationally, appearing in Brides Magazine, Anhelo (Japan), The Knot, and The Knot China. I have also been featured on many industry-leading blogs such as Grace Ormonde, Style Me Pretty, WellWed, Essence, Bride's Cafe, Brooklyn Bride, OneWed, Merci NY and more. Originally from Israel, I have had the pleasure of photographing many American, French, Yemenite, Ethiopian, Korean, Indian and Moroccan weddings and events. I have photographed in New York's most legendary spots like the Waldorf-Astoria, The Plaza, The Pierre, Gotham Hall, the Hamptons, and more. Through my photojournalistic style, I aim to capture the spontaneity, joy, emotion and ambiance of the important day with photos that present an unfolding story. My incredible clients have taken me all over the world to photography their weddings; including India, Canada, the Caribbean, etc. I am free to travel throughout the US and internationally, and am available for a wide variety of events. Feel free to look at my website.

    Also, here are a few testimonials from some of my wonderful clients.

  • My Blog

    Welcome to my blog!   This blog showcases not only my work from many of the beautiful weddings I am privileged to photograph, but also reveals glimpses of my personality.    Here is an opportunity to share some great moments  as well as give clients,  guests and friends the chance to comment. I also hope prospective clients will be able to not only explore my photography and style, but will also find inspiring ideas, recommendations , and tips for their own wedding planning.   I myself got married five years ago and I remember how overwhelming it all was- especially picking the right photographer!  :-)

Posted in Engagement Shoots

Allyson and Josh decided to shoot their engagement in Central Park and the Meatpacking District. I am working right now on their slideshow, but I wanted to give them a sneak-peak of the photos by posting some quickly to my blog. Allyson seemed really excited to see some and I wouldn’t spoil it by showing her the camera viewfinder during the shoot! -even though she tried to peer over my shoulder :)   I am really happy with the photos- Allyson and Josh look great and the photos reflect their personalities and special relationship.

I always encourage couples to send me the stories of how they met. By hearing their stories, I always feel closer to them on a personal level
and this helps me capture them with the camera.

This is their story:

Allyson told me that she met Josh a few years ago as he was one of her younger brother Ross’ closest friends at college. He was hard to miss at 6’4 but they barely had any conversation between them whenever she visited Ross. Then on March 25, 2007, while in Philadelphia for Ross’ wedding, she finally took notice of Joshua. They began dating about a month later, following of course,  Josh’s all important call to Ross to ask permission to date his sister! A year and a half later, almost to the day, Josh proposed. As Allyson wrote about their relationship “It’s funny how a person can meet someone at one point in life and be blind to the love that would come years later.”

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Posted in Engagement Shoots

Michelle & Thomas decided to take their engagement session in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. I have to say that planning an outdoor session in the NY area at this time of year is not easy with ever changing weather and light conditions.  I always want a perfect day for the couple. Luckily, when the day arrived it was a splendid one and the gorgeous and famous cherry blossoms had made their Spring appearance.

I would like to share our fun adventure that day that included those cherry blossoms, lots of kisses and smiles, and a tough investigation by security guards in the main office of the Gardens :)

I am not sure if everyone knows, but the Brooklyn Botanical Garden has an unusually strict protocol with rather expensive permits for professional photography. After we presented the guard with our 45 minute pass, he pretty much trailed us everywhere to make sure we stayed within our allotted time. “Five minutes left”… “one minute left,” he regularly reminded us.

After he escorted us out, it seemed quite unfair that we had this very strict expensive permit to shoot and everyone else (on what was evidently a free open day in the Gardens) could stay as long as they wanted. We wanted MORE than 45 minutes in the Gardens. So, we decided that we would sneak back into the Gardens through the parking lot and continue our shoot :).

That worked out quite well and we got a nice number of extra shots, at least until  we foolishly asked another guard for directions to a nice bridge we saw. The guard immediately hauled us off like petty shoplifters to the main office to provide an explanation. We tried to plead that we were actually just friends and that I was “not” a professional photographer. The manager eyed my belt, loaded with equipment and two heavy cameras hanging from my neck, and was more than skeptical. In the end, somehow, me (“the amateur” who just happened to have a lot of professional equipment) and Michelle and Thomas (who also had been magically transformed to two out-of-towners who had come ALL this way to the Gardens), were permitted to re-enter and shoot for a little bit longer.

After the Botanical Garden, we headed up to the Brooklyn Bridge and had a great time. It was especially nice to get to know Michelle and Thomas, who are extremely nice, warm and sweet. For me, it’s so important to do an engagement session before the wedding, as it really helps build a relationship that lets the couple feel more and more comfortable with me and the camera.

I really look forward to their wedding in the Brooklyn Museum in October. It’s going to be beautiful!

After I sent Michelle and Thomas the slideshow that I made, I received from them a very nice email that touched my heart:

“Thank you so much for the slideshow! The photos came out so gorgeous and we absolutely love them!! There is no doubt in our minds that we have picked an amazing photographer. We had a lot of fun that day and you really captured that so well.
Thanks again, so much!
Michelle”

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Posted in Weddings

Victoria and Alan’s story contains the element of every great romance – inescapable destiny.
Yes, there are some who believe only in placing one’s fate firmly in the hand of coincidence, but such skeptics are usually not my customers ;)

Victoria and Alan were introduced to each other in NYC by a mutual friend, though Alan first eyed his wife-to-be a few months earlier
at a wedding. Both of them were born and raised in Argentina. They grew up in the same city and had lived four blocks away from each other for a big portion of their lives, yet they never met, and only discovered this fact when they went on a trip to Argentina last year! Incredibly, Alan played rugby at a very small local club, where Victoria and her parents were members and spent large parts of many summers and weekends. Still, the time for their path to cross had not yet come.

Victoria and Alan married at the beautiful Harold Pratt Mansion.
A funny moment was when one of Victoria’s daughters fell asleep during the hair styling and they only made-up one side of her head until she woke up. You can see the sleeping beauty in the first pic below. The bridal preparation was at the Wedding Cafe and the make-up was done by Lilly Rivera at BridalGal.

Argentina, of course, is a great mix of people from many cultural backgrounds from its long immigrant history.
Alan comes from a Scottish/Irish background and Victoria is Italian/Spanish, but went to a Scottish School growing up.
Those meaningful cultural attachments are reflected in the photos, since Alan wore his kilt and
they entered and exited the ceremony as a Bagpiper fittingly played.

Here is a short slideshow of the event for you to watch:

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