A Christening in Manhattan

I was delighted to have the opportunity to photograph the Christening of Dawn and Joe’s son in this beautiful Manhattan Cathedral.

Isn’t he adorable?

Dawn and Joe are Wonder Years clients, so my goal for the day was to get a few pictures for a spread in the family album I’ll be making for them at the end of the five year plan. So basically, I took the train to New York just to get the three photos above — the album spread background photo showing the cathedral, a close-up of the beautiful baby, and a photo that would show the full Christening gown and the baby’s parents. All the rest of the photos are a bonus.

I did shoot some standard group photos for the family’s gallery, but if you know me at all, you know that it’s the sort of picture above that I love best. That’s 99-year-old Grandma Minnie holding her great grandson. Or is he her great, great grandson? Hmm, not exactly sure.

I snapped this picture just after the Christening was over. Welcome to the newest member of the family!

Ok, little paparazzi break here. We arrived to the church a little early. When we got there, regular Sunday Mass was still in progress so we waited out front on the sidewalk at this Upper West Side Cathedral. On the sidewalk, a church group had set up a small bake sale, you know, brownies, cookies and little plates of cakes.

When Mass was over, and people were filing out, I spotted Alec Baldwin among the crowd. Just like any other church member might do, he walked up to the bake sale and bought some brownies. I whispered to the woman next to me, “That’s Alec Baldwin. Think I should take a picture?” She whispered back, “Shhhhh, be cool. He’s a regular member here. You’re not supposed to notice him.” LOL. I snapped a picture anyway. Just one. Wish I’d given myself an extra second to frame it so you could see the bake sale table. I’ll never make it as a real paparazzi. Ahh, so what? Don’t you love the slicked back hair? Love love love it!

So while I was standing around outside the church waiting for Mass and the bake sale to end, I spotted Dawn walking down the street with her daughter. Aren’t they gorgeous? Wow!

Love this one!

Such a beautiful big sister!

I call this one “Cousins.” I love how the girls fill the center of the shot, are the only thing that has any decent light, and that the people in the sides and background are moving around in chaotic directions. It looks to me like the older cousin has taken the younger one under her protective wing, and that’s probably exactly what was happening.

You really don’t get a lot of chances to take pictures of 2-year-olds actually looking at the camera, by the way, just in case you were thinking of launching a family photography career.

What I love about this shot — the moment just after the actual Christening — is the fact that each person in the shot has something interesting to add to the overall composition. My favorite part is the big sister in the foreground, and her father smiling down at her. That was a lucky accident. I really couldn’t see very well and at the time, I didn’t realize the little girl “blocking my shot” was the big sister! Come to think of it, it was a VERY lucky accident!

The full picture shows the parents, Godparents, baby brother, priest — but I just love how her eyes and hands take over this shot as she peers over the wall at the congregation.

A few days later, Dawn and Joe sent me a beautiful bouquet of tulips to thank me for coming to the Christening. Thanks! The flowers are STILL beautiful!

Congratulations!

Be Sociable, Share!

•