Bar Mitzvah at The Temple and the Trolley Barn in Atlanta

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Sam's amazing Bar Mitzvah celebration started early one Saturday morning at The Temple and ended the next afternoon at his home in Oakhurst. The highlight of Saturday morning, Sam chanting the Torah and delivering his Dvar Torah, an interpretation of a passage from the Torah, took place away from the camera. (Photography is not allowed during Shabbat services.)

The party on Saturday night was a different story. Friends and family, as well as myself, took photographs of activities from beginning to end. And talk about awesome photo opportunities. Everywhere you looked folks were dancing, throwing confetti, lighting candles or jumping up and down for joy.

Activities slowed a bit on Sunday morning, but food and fun still abounded.

Here's a slideshow of favorites to give you a sense of how the two days went down.

See more of our Bar Mitzvah Photography here.

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Cindy Brown

I'm an Atlanta wedding photographer who takes soulful, quirky and honest photos ...

I'm also an adventurous traveler and all-round nerd. I love to hike with my beagle/cattle dog Roux and best friend/spouse.

I was born in Atlanta, moved around a lot--30 cities and 5 states--and then came back.

After graduating from the Art Institute of Atlanta, I took a job at asmall newspaper in south Georgia, where I photographedhospital teas, pecan farmers, and beauty queens.

I photographed a biker funeral, death penalty protests andTed Bundy while interning with the Associated Press.

While a photographer for two dailies in Florida, I photographed Ronald Reagan, a train derailment and the dedication of a screened-in porch.

An unexpected life turn took me to Vermont where I fell in love with Bernie Sanders and on to Indiana, where I edited photos for a major daily, and nerded out getting a master’s and PhD.

After teaching photojournalism at colleges and universities in Florida, Indiana and Mississippi, I returned to Atlanta to earn myfifth degree--a Master's of Divinity.

My passion for storytelling with my camera and my interest in religious diversity led my to the field of wedding photojournalism.

I have documented weddings large and small, Unitarian and Pagan, indoors and out, Christian and Muslim, in backyards and in churches. The most exotic wedding I have photographed took place in Mexico and was officiated by aMayan shaman.

When I'm not photographing weddings, portraits or corporate events, I work on personal photo projects, visit friends in amemory-care home, and volunteer at a recovery center.