By Jonathan Ment
Among the subjects I have the pleasure to photograph, at least in recent years, is the occasional bar mitzvah. For those who don’t know, it’s a coming of age celebration marking a lad’s 13th birthday. Some young women celebrate their Bas Mitzvah, but not generally in the orthodox Jewish community.
The bar mitzvah is generally comprised of a service followed by a party marking the passage from boyhood to manhood, at least as I’ve always understood it.
I recently had the pleasure of photographing my second at Melour Resort in the village (Tannersville), within the town of Hunter. On both occasions, I wasn’t actually covering the religious service portion of the celebrations, but rather family portraits and photos of the young ‘man of the hour’.
Like the other orthodox family gatherings I’ve photographed on the mountaintop, this one began late in the afternoon on a Friday in the last few hours before sundown or Sabbath.
There’s a reason for this, I’ve always known, family is converging on the mountaintop for a weekend celebration – but of course they can’t drive after sunset Friday, so most arrive Thursday or Friday afternoon.
The tricky thing, is no one can count on traffic. Sometimes there are bigger issues.
This particular celebration was somewhat muted due to absence. Many family members who would have flown in from Israel (absolutely, several times a year from out of the state to out of the country, folks visit Tannersville) but were unable to do so due to hostilities in the middle east.
What would have been a party for 80 was for closer to 30 and I felt I could read the burden of absence and concern on several faces.
My role here is no different from at a wedding; take the photographs and make the experience easy and enjoyable for those I’m photographing.
In other words, with my camera, a smile and a comforting manner I help bring out the best of any situation.
We can’t change world events or the weather simply because they inconvenience us. We can’t necessarily make up for guests who could not attend but we can do what we’re there to do.
I capture the memories in photos for those who want to look back in years to come and for those who couldn’t be there. It could be a smirk between smiles, a moment of levity between siblings or simply a spread of chopped fruit and nuts.
Don’t you always check out the food when you attend a party?
Of course there’s sometimes something a little different about orthodox Jewish celebrations. As a group, as much as families enjoy a celebration – sometimes singing or clapping hands to get the attention and focus of all for a family photo, many also enjoy their privacy. This is why, I often don’t share photos from these sessions in this blog. I guess that is why I don’t often write about the sessions at all.
But I wanted to write about this one. The timing, coinciding with the first month of the war there, in Israelwas unique. It touched me. And while I won’t share photos of the family, herein are a few from the session.
During the years of restrictions during the height of the recent pandemic, many families found ways to celebrate on line or delayed their celebrations until everyone could be together.
I photographed a wedding or two where parties were moved to outside venues and guest lists reduced to comply with mandates. Those weddings were no less festive than if they’d been indoors with higher attendance. They were just different. I hadn’t realized that comparison until now. A different being, in 2020 families were possibly apart but hopefully safe at home and under these circumstances, those unable to attend were trapped in or near a war zone.
Not exactly just another day in the life of a photographer emotionally, though as I’ve said my job remains the same.
Editing the session prior to delivery and creating the custom album ordered by the young man’s mother, I found myself enjoying the smiles on the family’s faces and reliving some of the sillier moments from our time together.
Have a milestone you’d like to ‘member years down the line? A wedding, special weekend away, a reunion, birthday or perhaps the moment you pop the question? Time marches on.
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Thanks as always for reading and reaching out for your photography needs,
Jonathan Ment Photography
Jonathan Ment Photography 