Portraits that look like museum paintings. Except they’re of you.
Everything is going so fast. The bump is almost gone, the newborn weeks blur past, the toddler voice you swear you’ll remember forever… fades. And somewhere in the middle of it all, you’re not in any of the pictures.
That’s what I’m here for.
I photograph women the way the Old Masters painted them: warm light, dark backdrops, flowing fabric. Women come to me for the moments they want to truly remember, like pregnancy, motherhood, being in love, or simply wanting to see themselves through my lens.
A built photograph, not a snapshot
Painted backdrops, gowns from my wardrobe, and light shaped the way a painter would shape it. Sessions happen in the studio, or at your home when the light and the space are right for it. We decide together beforehand.
Before I ever held a camera, I trained as a fine artist, studying with the classical realist David Hardy, who taught me to see light and shadow the way the Old Masters did. Photography is simply another medium for painting people.
You leave with something you can hold
Prints, a box you can open, something framed on a wall. Not four hundred files that live on a phone and are never looked at again.
And I film
Before photography, I spent years as a professional video editor. Alongside your photos, I make short cinematic films with the real sound of your life in them. A photo holds how it looked. A film holds how it felt.
See how it works
SESSIONS
Maternity
Editorial portraits of the woman inside the pregnancy, with access to my client closet.
Families & Newborns
Honest, relaxed sessions for kids of any age, from brand new to teenagers.
A film
I could describe what watching one feels like, but you just have to see it.
Hello, I’m Daria
I’m a portrait photographer and a mom of two, based in Connecticut.
I started photographing maternity and motherhood because I know how rare it is for a mom to actually be in the frame with her kids — and when she is, it’s usually a quick phone photo that doesn’t feel like her. I wanted portraits like that for myself, and now I create them for other women.
I guide you through the whole session: I help you pick the gown and fabrics, I set the light, and I show you every movement. A couple of weeks later you don’t just have photos. You have a portrait you’ll hang on your wall and pass down to your children.
Tell me about your session
This season is worth doing properly. You only get it once.
daria@deschainphotography.com
Haley S.
Daria is one of the most talented photographers I have had the privilege of working with. There is such an artistic element to her photos and the way she utilizes fragments of light and color make her photos seem dreamlike. I feel like her style and quality of photography stands out among the rest of photographers and she is truly unique. Not to mention that she is an absolutely wonderful human to work with. I would recommend her for any photos you need or want!