Graham and Graham have documented over 1000 Los Angeles Bar & Bat Mitzvahs since 2003, at the biggest Southern California synagogues, including Congregation Tikvat Jacob in Manhattan Beach,Temple Israel of Long Beach, Kehillat Israel in Pacific Palisades, Temple Akiba, Culver City, Temple Beth El of San Pedro, Temple Israel of Hollywood, Temple Isaiah and Wilshire Boulevard Temple of Los Angeles.

We've been doing this for so long, we know the rules and customs that come from photographing Bar/Bat Mitzvahs,  at reform, conservative and orthodox temples.

Rabbis and cantors love us, as we shoot on the Sony A7S, the amazing camera with a silent shutter. That's right--no camera clicks from us!

The camera also lets you shoot in ultra-low-light, so getting great shots in afternoon or evening services not a problem for us.

At our shoots, lighting is very important to us, and we also bring along a full collection of gear (to think it used to be just a camera and flash!) to make the room come alive. 

"Working with Jeff was Awesome!! He took amazing shots of my daughter's Bat Mitzvah! Finding a good photographer who takes amazing candid shots is def hard, and Jeff was TERRIFIC!! We can not recommend him enough. A lot of our pictures, we look at and say "where was he standing to take that shot?!"" - Sharon, Los Angeles Bat Mitzvah

"Jeff and Sam Graham spent the day with us during my daughter's Bat Mitzvah. They completely captured the essence of our daughter, our family and friends and the day, including the mood of the service and the fun party that followed. They seemed to know where to be and how to use the correct lighting for all situations. During the event, I felt confident that we chose the right team to take photographs. They were able to take great pictures of everyone there without being in the way. In addition to their expertise behind the camera and complete professionalism, Jeff and Sam are so nice! To top that off, we had the pictures in hand in less than one week after the party." - June, Culver City Bat Mitzvah

"Jeff could not have been better to work with. He is not obtrusive, but is always there. He made sure to capture everything we could want and it was a pleasure to have him with us. Even more so, the quality of his work is outstanding! The hardest part of using Jeff is having to select from all of the wonderful photos. And he was helpful with that also. We have used him more than once, and would not hesitate to use him again." - Todd, Los Angeles Bar/Bat Mitzvah

"We have been using Jeff and his team for our holiday card photo shoot for years now and our last event was the absolute best! He photographed our son's bar mitzvah and I couldn't be more thrilled with his photos - the amount of coverage we got pre-event and during the event was outstanding. I have more beautiful shots than I know what to do with. (And some silly ones too!) -- L.M., Manhattan Beach Bar Mitzvah

"Our friend, Allison, recommended Jeff & Sam as we were looking for a photographer for our daughter's bat mitzvah. Sam did our photo sessions and he is awesome! He listened to what we wanted and put in extra efforts to take our family pictures. They all turned out great!!! Thank you!" - Sumena, Los Angeles Bat Mitzvah

Every B'nai Mitzvah shoot is different, depending upon the synagogue, and their rules. 

For conservative shuls, we tend to meet mid-week, for Bar/Bat and family portraits, and then re-unite again for the party, where we look to have our hosts arrive at least 1 hour early, if they can, so we can do all the different family groupings before the party gets started. 

For reform temples, we will meet on Saturday morning, usually 90 minutes before the start of the service, for our one-hour of Bar/Bat and family photos on the bima, in and around the temple, and some less formal shots outside--hopefully in a garden like setting. 

We like to focus the first half-hour on the Bar/Bat Mitzvah and the immediate family--mom, dad and siblings, plus grandparents, then bring in the rest of the extended mispacha for the second half hour. 

After that, we go to the back of the sanctuary to document the service and then reunite at the party. 

Questions? We've been at at a long time, and have seen it all. We love to chat! Call us at 310-594-8074 or write grahamphoto@gmail.com

Check out our gallery of Los Angeles Jewish Temples: 

--Congregation Ner Tamid, Palos Verdes

--Temple Isaiah, Los Angeles

--Kehillat Israel, Pacific Palisades

--Wilshire Boulevard Temple

--Temple Menorah, Redondo Beach

--Temple Akiba, Culver City

--Congregation Tikvat Jacob Beth Torah, Manhattan Beach

--Temple Israel of Hollywood

--Temple Israel of Long Beach

--Temple Beth El, San Pedro

--Temple Emanuel, Beverly Hills

Los Angeles Bar Mitzvah Photographer 2016-2017

Happy anniversary, CTJ's Rabbi Kalev

From generation to generation, Temple Akiba

Jessie's Studio City Bat Mitzvah

Leo Baeck Bar Mitzvah

Santa Monica Kehillat Ma’arav Bar Mitzvah

Should you be planning a Bar or Bat Mitzvah ceremony and reception in the Los Angeles area, we'd love to put Graham and Graham Photography on your radar.

We have years of experience, going back to 2003,  photographing Bar or Bat Mitzvah's at all the major Los Angeles temples and then some. (Hotels like the Luxe, event venues like Sportsmen's Lodge, even backyards in Malibu and Manhattan Beach.

Documenting these are a specialized form of photography, and rest assured that we know the rules, and get on with the rabbis who enforce them.

As noted, every ceremony is different, every temple has different rules. Some allow you to be there first thing on Saturday morning, while others have a no-photography policy--in which case we meet mid-week for portraits during what's called the "rehearsal."

In a perfect world, the out of town relatives will show up to the rehearsal--but they probably won't be able to, so we'll take every effort to get everyone together for photos, whether that's the morning of, before the ceremony, outside the temple, after the service or immediately preceding the party.

Many are interested in hiring photo booths for parties--we don't do that, but can offer referrals to others who can. We can do the video montage, and video coverage of the ceremony and party, if you like.

Our pricing starts at $1,499 for photography, and unlike the days of old, we don't charge you for getting access to your digital images.

All the high-resolution images are yours--and we aim to deliver them within 2 weeks, often sooner. You'll get a downloadable link to save them to your hard drive, and a link to a section of our website where you can share the photos with family and friends--who can buy prints directly, if they so choose.

Graham and Graham Photography was initially formed as a father/son business consisting of Jeff, a longtime photojournalist and Sam, a freelance photographer, artist and animator.

Sam is now living in Japan, working on cartoons full-time (check out his http://youtube.com/heysamgraham channel) so for now, Graham & Graham is primarily Jeff, who sees no reason to change the name! Other members of the team include Sean, Stephan, Richard and Robin.

Have we answered your questions? Im guessing not--so please get in touch!

Call us at 310-594-8074 or drop us a line here.

Look forward to chatting!