This is me, Denise Dougherty...I love being behind the camera, being in front of it always makes me a little nervous, so I do know what some of my clients are feeling when they "have to" be in front of my lens; sometimes it's not by choice; they may need a headshot or their family has scheduled this session and they're reluctantly choosing to be a part of it.  I realized during these feelings of reluctancy and anxiety about having photos taken (and other life situations), that I've instinctively allowed my mind to 'go somewhere' to give me a certain feeling and attitude that will help me in this situation.  I have done this for years many times without even realizing I'm doing it; however recently, at 51 years old, I've started to become more aware of how I feel, why I have these feelings, where it's coming from and how it helps me to cope.  My secret is....feel like a kid again, playing around with other kids.  
YES!  This is why I choose my exercise classes that I do, because they give me that feeling that I'm a kid running around a playground again, this is why I allow my mind to go 'there' during my own photosessions when I'm having MY own pictures taken; because I feel more playful, more in tune with what's going on around me rather than focusing on me and my 'flaws'.  
I always tell my clients that I photograph real people; there are rarely if any times that supermodels and chiseled movie stars are walking through my door...infact, is less than rarely, it's like NEVER.  Ha!  I photograph real people and guess what fellow humans, we all have flawless.  We're perfectly imperfect!  It's a rare occassion that someone comes through my door and is not self conscious about some part of their appearance.  
Allowing myself to feel like a kid gets me in a playful mood and I'm not focused on wrinkles, or my puffy, hooded eyelids (which really piss me off, however, my Dad had the same eyelids and I feel like that's a part of him that I carry, so deep down I'm okay with this), or the fact that I'm 10 lbs over what I want to be and that I haven't exercised in a long time so I don't have the muscles that I once had...I'm not focused on any of this for very long, I just allow myself to break down that wall and play.  

The facial expressions in the photos I'm posting here aren't really saying "let's play", however, I was going for a more magazine-style session here, working with new lighting, editing and a new poofy gown for my client wardrobe.  Yes, when you get to my studio, I can dress you up or dress you down, or many even decide to get naked for maternity or boudoir sessions.  It's totally up to you; for this session, I wanted to update my headshot, and I've been playing around with new editing styles, so I wanted to experiment with the editing process that I'm learning about and see if I feel like it's "me" or something my clients would enjoy for themselves.  We shall see, what do you think? 
Anyway, if you've been to my studio, or in front of my lens, you know it could be alot of fun, even for those that are reluctant to get their pictures taken. I offer corporate headshots and have the opportunity to travel to different businesses for headshots sometimes and I absolutely love doing this because I get to meet so many personalities.  Everyone from sales people, to accountants, to CEO's, to administrative professionals to attorneys, builders, hairdressers, realtors, etc.  There are a ton of personalities and some tell me they're NOT smilers.  I always say if you're not a natural smiler, then there's no reason to fake it, but I work on getting a genuine expression from all of the clients that sit in my chair.  Sometimes it's more work than others, but that's the fun of it, and the longer you're in front of my lens, the more we get to talk and the more I get to learn about you and connecting with people is a huge part of my job.  If you're able to chat, connect and feel that playfulness, we can make magic together.  Be open to playing.  We all have flaws...try to embrace it...surrender to it....I can pick myself apart in these photos, but the only one who really cares about the flaws is ME.  Well, if you're out there, caring about my flaws, and picking my photos apart, then I may just use that old Dr. Suess saying about Those who matter don't mind, and those who mind, don't matter.  I've heard that being in your 50's you realize a few things and one of those 'things' is that you learn not to be so hard on yourself...acceptance...it's huge...It's like being a kid again; accepting yourself; not caring about flaws and playing with all the kids around you because all you want to do is connect and play.  
If you're looking for information on our next headshot day, a glamour or boudior session,  please visit www.milliedeephotography.com or call the studio 973.805.FOTO and please follow us on Instagram:  millie_dee_photo.  ENJOY and BE SAFE!  xo  Denise 

Meet Rochelle Golden, the owner and creative mastermind at House of Gold Salon, located at 1250 Sussex Turnpike, Randolph, NJ.  She called me asking for headshots for herself and her gorgeous staff and she and I discussed some details in her pre session consultation.  She wanted the photos taken in her salon (DONE), she wanted the hair salon to be the backdrop (DONE), and she wanted them all wearing black (DONE), I offered some suggestions and we created a really fun day and ended up with alot of gorgeous images.  
Rochelle had mentioned that each stylist had their own theme song for their session. I love it! It definitely helped set the mood for their sessions.  Let me say, when a creative gets to collaborate with another creative, well...you get...creative! ha.  Rochelle and her staff were prepared with their theme song and my prep guide, which offers suggestions on how to get ready for your headshot session.

The gorgeous woman pictured above this paragraph is MY hairstylist, Marianne.  I found her through a friend who always walked around with gorgeous hair, even when it was up in a ponytail at the gym, so I finally asked where she goes.  Marianne and I were supposed to meet in March of, you guessed it, 2020, so it took a few months before we actually had the chance to meet. 
I'd learned that right before Covid, House of Gold had moved to their new Randolph location because Rochelle's former salon burned down!  How crazy, right?  The salon burns down, she rebuilds, and then covid hits!  Here we are 20 months later, and the salon is open and full of talented stylists creating beautiful hair for their clients. 

Although I have a beautiful photography studio in the Landing section of Roxbury Township, New Jersey, I occasionally travel off-site for corporate head shot days; depending on the amount of employees scheduled, sometimes I'm there for a few days and/or bring another photographer with me to help with the workload.  It's always fun.  I used to work in the pharmaceutical industry and lived the corporate life, so it's nice to visit sometimes; although the Golden Girls headshot day was nothing near the corporate lifestyle, we were dancing and the music was cranked.  I think the pictures show they felt relaxed, confident, and that they were ready! Ready for pictures and ready for fun!  Yes, I said FUN..headshot days are fun with Millie Dee Photography.  If you'd like to arrange headshots for your business, you can reach me through the website www.milliedeephotography.com or call 973.805.FOTO.   

The parents that visit my studio before their session are busy people.  Mom is usually the one initiating the photo sessions and visiting the studio for a consultation, to learn about what I offer and what I can offer to my clients.  This is an important step.  I'm going to possibly be capturing such special moments in your life; so most of my clients want to meet me before our session to make sure we 'click', that we 'vibe' that we will see each other's visions and be able to create something beautiful together. 
I can say this - the parents that chose me to photograph both their maternity sessions and their newborn sessions are like family by the end of their sessions; we've spent quite a bit of time together by then, we've had many discussions and many laughs have been shared, too.  
Once clients and I meet at the studio, then work together, there's a relationship that builds and a comfort level that is reached and we're able to connect on a deeper level.  For photography, this is a vital step.  Yes, knowing your camera is important, knowing your lighting, posing, editing, being able to think on your feet, etc...it's all important however, knowing your clients and getting them to let their guard down in front of your camera is of utmost importance.  

Styling a session, talking with clients, getting a feel for how you can best suit their needs, it's all part of creating a great outcome; which for me are happy valued clients that are madly in love with the images we create for their photo albums, for the canvases they decide to have proudly hung on the walls of their homes.  
This mom was SO busy leading up to her session, we squeezed her in last minute for a maternity session, that ended up having to be postponed because of bad weather.  She brought this gown with her and I couldn't wait to use it for when she had the baby, too.  We worked it in for both maternity and newborn.  She and Dad had a lot to choose from when they sat down to view their images at their reveal appointment. 
I love seeing the look on family's faces when they get to see those cute snuggly pictures of their baby from their newborn photo session. 
These precious little ones grow a little bit each day, so within a few weeks, they've made so many changes, but mom and dad will have these images to cherish forever now.  
Millie Dee Photography Studio located at 172 Landing Road, Landing, NJ is a newborn baby and maternity portrait studio and currently booking clients February through April 2022.  Please call if you have questions about newborn or maternity photography or to book a session.  

Right now, it's after midnight and I am wired because I'm excited to announce Millie Dee Photography is now offering boudoir photography in our Landing, NJ Studio location.
I've been involved in photography for decades, and so there was a time when I did offer boudoir on a semi regular basis, however, that all stopped when I decided to focus strictly on newborns.  Newborn photography is still my number one love, however, what I've found with giving up other segments of photography, is that I really missed it.  
Boudoir photography is a transition from your every day body and mind to a piece of you that gets to step forward for a while and be the well deserved center of attention for a day or two.  My feeling is that all women should experience a boudoir or glamour session in each decade of their life.  Celebrating your milestone birthday, or a promotion, a wedding, or divorce with a photo session is very fitting. 

Funny or not so funny story, years ago when I offered boudoir photography, I was renting studio space in Morristown, NJ where I was part of a co-op and we shared office space.  One early Sunday morning, I went to get the key in our mailbox and it was gone and i started worrying because I had to set up for a session.  So I started knocking on the door ringing buzzers, then shaking the door a bit to see if it would open, and I can see this bag lady walking down the stairs, I was so happy to see her.  She swung the door open and left, and just kept walking down the street, never looking back.
I realized she was the one who took the key and she was staying in the building nice and warm and safe.  I never got the key back and stopped renting space in Morristown.  I couldn't bare the thought of taking this woman's little bit of peace and comfort.  Anyway, now I have a studio space of my own, in Landing New Jersey and I absolutely love it.
I started to experiment with the space and boudoir photography in January/February of this year, however, we got extremely busy with newborn and maternity photography that I had to put the project on hold for a while, however, It made its way back to the top of the todo list in the fall.  Yes, you heard me right, the busiest time of year for photographers and here I am experimenting with boudoir photography.
Well, it worked, the visions I've had, the studying I've done, the practice practice practice has paid off as I  feel confident that I will be able to provide a high quality boudoir experience for my clients.  
I have more of a classic/traditional approach to boudoir I believe.  I love black and white photography especially for boudoir portraits.  Really just clean lines, and simplicity is my style.  
​Millie Dee Photography is going to be offering a Black Friday Boudoir Offer a week from today for Black Friday. Our email list will get the deal a couple of days earlier.  If you're interested in learning more, please visit our website:  www.milliedeephotography.com  
I book a couple of months in advance and there won't be too many boudoir sessions that I can book with my current work schedule of newborns,however, I'm excited to be offering boudoir sessions again and to have my very own studio to work in and host my clients in for these sessions is a great feeling and I can't wait. 
Thanks for reading, Denise  
Millie Dee Photography is located at 172 Landing Road, Landing, NJ 07850.  Our phone number is 973.805.FOTO. 

What is your style?  Are you trendy or classic?  Do you like neutral colors or pops of vibrant colors?  Are you a simply stated kinda girl, more natural and organic or glamorous and dramatic?  These may be some questions to ask when deciding on your maternity session.

Can we talk Pinterest for a second or two?  How many of us browse through the photos on pinterest, tag them and just think 'I want THAT!'  Whatever you type in the search bar is at your fingertips within a tenth of a second.  It's great for ideas however, can I be honest here?  I feel like it's kind of decreased our creativity at times.  The word "inspiration" has sometimes become another word for "copy" and I get it!  We're all sooo busy and it can be difficult to take the time to conjure up some ideas.

That's where I come in.  I want to get you thinking, I want to know what inspires you, your style, what captures your attention?  What 'moves' you?  As a creative, yes, I can sometimes have moments of doubt or lack ideas sometimes, but meeting and talking with clients, helps me to get inspired and to offer something unique for each and every single one of them.  Yes, you may like a certain gown you've seen on my Instagram, however, it looks different on everyone depending on your body type, height, hair, skin, style, etc... so let's create something that suits YOU and your style. 

Women come to me for their maternity portraits for that reason - to create something specifically for THEM.  However, I have my limits, too.  I'm a studio photographer, so I wouldn't be the best fit if you're looking for an outdoor maternity session, however, with the cold months coming up, the studio will be hopping with moms who want their indoor maternity sessions, in fact our studio is already booking through March and April 2022.  

I would suggest to you even if you're just curious with some questions and on the fence about booking a session, call and ask your questions.  I'm happy to talk to you about maternity and newborn portraits and discuss creating something beautiful for you to cherish forever.  These really are the first portraits of you and your baby. What a wonderful idea it is to celebrate this time with professional portraits. 

Millie Dee Photography Studio is located in the Landing section of Roxbury Township, Morris County, New Jersey.  click here for more information and to contact us:  www.milliedeephotography.com.  172 Landing Road, Landing, NJ 07850.  We currently offer visits to the studio by appointment only.  
  

Since Covid, it's been a bit challenging to reach you moms about portraits and here at the studio, we are constantly receiving calls from moms who've already had their baby and are looking for photos and from moms very late in their pregnancy looking for photos.  I'd like to first mention, I feel any day is a good day for photos, however, if you want to get the most out of your experience and are looking to hire a small business photographer, then I'd suggest booking early.

Many of us do not share the same business model as JC Penney, where you can schedule a session last minute or just walk in.  Many of us schedule months in advance and although we try our best to accommodate last minute sesssions, we cannot always do that, so I've created this short video to give you some information about booking.

I'm happy to answer any questions you may have about newborn or maternity photography, so please reach out.  Millie Dee Photography Studio is located at 172 Landing Road, Landing, NJ.  Our website is www.milliedeephotography.com.  If you'd like to stop by the studio, our studio doesn't allow walk in visits currently as the safety and health of our valued clients is very important to us, however, we'd love to schedule a time for you to visit so please reach out.  

Please also feel free to share this video with expectant mothers to offer some information to them on booking.  

Be well everyone!
xo
​Denise

Oh, this beautiful first time Mom called me to inquire about newborn portraits for her baby girl that's already been born into this world.  She's already a few weeks old.  I was able to push some appointments around in my schedule to accommodate this wonderful family.  My assistant and I worked with them for about 3 hours and the baby couldn't have been any better.  
Since covid, we're in a world where people aren't really sitting in waiting rooms, spending too much time at stores and there certainly isn't any reading material anywhere out to be read, so it's been a bit difficult to get information to expectant moms about booking newborn portraits.   Moms are calling after the baby is born because how are they supposed to know those sleepy baby poses are usually taken within the first 2 weeks of life?  
So, if you're an expectant mom and wondering when you should book your portrait session, I'd say atleast 2-3 months in advance of your due date.  I book up to 6 months in advance right now, so the earlier the better especially if there is a certain photographer that you'd like to work with.

Here she is just chllin'.  I'm so happy we were able to capture this for Mom & Dad.  Not every baby will do this and there's alot of BTS & safety measures that are involved in this pose, including always using my assistant to be with the baby.

Mom and Dad and baby were here recently to view their final images and Mom even brought me some of her delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies.  So Yummy.  I can't always accommodate families last minute, however, I'm grateful to do it when I can and so grateful this family chose to call me and now they'll have these gorgeous images forever.  

If you are an expectant mother and have any questions about newborn photography, I'm happy to answer questions for you as I know it's been difficult to gather information about newborn photography unless you inquire.  Feel free to call Millie Dee Photography Studio 973.805.FOTO.  I currently host clients at the studio by appointment only, so please call or visit the website to schedule an appointment to see what we offer our valued clients.

Thank you,
​Denise

Peak Foliage is October 17th this year I believe, so it's going to be beautiful at the campground for your annual family photos.  Kelsi and I have finally secured a unique  location for this year's Fall Foliage Mini Sessions.  We love Waterloo, however, they haven't been selling their permits over the past several years and if you know me, I won't bring families to a location without having full permission and renting the space out.  

Many people are surprised to hear that we photographers have to pay to use many of the beautiful spaces through out New Jersey to bring families there.  We also need to show proof of insurance.  I'm always happy to oblige, however, some of the places have very strict rules.  Kelsi researched a location that would only allow two families per day, others allow us to just be in certain parts of the grounds, there are so many beautiful places and most have rules....many have strict rules (which makes me think what happened in order for the place to have to put these rules into effect), but anyway, I digress.  

Some of the locations we research have old buildings, or beautiful gardens that need constant upkeeping, so we understand and respect all the guidelines, however, sometimes, it's just not feasible to utilize those spaces, so, Kelsi came up with a great idea in using The Great Divide Campground located at 68 Phillips Road in Newton, NJ. 
These photos are from Waterloo, I will be sending out photos of the Great Divide and all of the beautiful areas it has to offer soon, as Kelsi is at that location as I write this getting some great photos and ideas for your sessions.  

Kelsi is excited to work with all of our returning families and new families for sessions this year.   We've already started booking these sessions, and have several available still for both days, October 23 & 24th.  

​The Great Divide Campground has so much to offer, for us, it will offer great foliage, there's a small beach, a barn and some great walking paths that will all be gorgeous for your family portraits this year.  If you haven't been there yet, check out their website by clicking on their name above.  This fall they're offering a haunted barn and zombie crawl along with us being on site there for family portrait sessions.  

In order to book your session, PLEASE CLICK HERE, which will bring you directly to the inquiry page of  MILLIE DEE PHOTOGRAPHY's website.  We also have Santa coming to the studio very early this year, October 9th if anyone is interested.  We only have 1 session left for that day, however, right now we have several for the fall foliage weekend.  

Two packages are being offered:  $400 will include a 30 minute photo session and 5 digital images plus a print release form.  $550 includes a 30 minute photo session and 10 digital images plus a print release form.  We're always happy to assist with any questions, such as what to wear, what to bring and  how to prepare for your photo session, so please don't hesitate to contact us with questions.  You can either call the studio at 973.805.FOTO (3686) or CLICK HERE to be connected to the inquiry page on our website.  We would be honored to have the opportunity to photograph your family for your 2021 portrait session.   Thank you, Denise & Kelsi. 

We have such a special session planned for your littles this year at Millie Dee Photography Studio.  Santa will be visiting the studio for one day only this year, he's so busy, but we were able to get him really early, October 9, 2021.  Why so early?

Well...with everything still a bit crazy in the world, we thought it may be a good idea to get him in and see the kids before the start of the indoor days, when the germs seem to start to be an issue.  I am in no way wanting to rush the holidays, don't get me wrong, the holidays are wonderful, but I love Halloween and Thanksgiving just as much as Christmas, but I love my clients and families, too and I'm just trying to do a little part to keep everyone healthy, Plus, Mom, you can get your holiday cards and gifts started early this year.

We have two sessions left as of September 14th, so if you're interested, I wouldn't wait long to book.

This is the background we're using and he will sit with your children for twenty minutes.  Please don't hesitate to call Millie Dee Photography Studio, 172 Landing Road, Landing, NJ 07850 at 973.805.FOTO (3686) for more information on this special event.

We will also be offering outdoor mini sessions on October 23 & 24th to take advantage of the beautiful NJ fall foliage.   We're currently booking for these sessions as well.

Thank you!  We are excited to kick off the season a little early this year.

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Ahh, So many parents having their second baby have requested sibling photos.  "My child is two, do you think they'll cooperate for some photos?"... Honestly, we never know.  I know that's not what you want to hear from your photographer, right?  

We have a few tricks up our sleeves that we try during a session and most of the time we get atleast a few if not a bunch, however, you know your child best.  I'd say most, not all but most kids will take direction from someone other than their parents fairly well.

I don't have magical powers, however, I have worked with children for many years, I even have two teens of my own, so I've 'been there'.  We always try if the parents want them because not only the parents, but the entire family, including the kids in the photos will cherish them their entire lives.  

They're so precious and so important.  They're all included in your session with Millie Dee Photography, too.   If you're interested in inquiring about newborn photos, please don't hesitate to reach out, visit our website for more images and to inquire: www.milliedeephotography.com
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