Maegan Dougherty Photography » NJ Birth and Family Photographer

Last year around this time we were planning a trip to meet my parents (who live in Montana) in Florida to visit them and my Grandma. Since we drove all the way to Montana from New Jersey and back the summer before, driving to Florida sounded like no big deal, and actually a lot of fun. We decided to make a 12 day trip of it, and take our time to explore the east coast on our way down. We left on April 2nd with plans to stay with my friend in Maryland that night, to be in Jacksonville April 8th, and in Vero Beach on the 10th. We planned to stop at my aunt’s condo in NC for a night, but didn’t have solid plans other than that. We had our camping gear, and were just going to see how things went and figure it out along the way. 🙂 Also, we were doing this trip on a very very small budget.

Day 1: Gettysburg – souvenir pennies, passport stamps, old weapons, Abe Lincoln, a drive around with some stops to walk around. Maryland – Spent the night at my high school friend Holly’s house. Loved chatting with her and her husband and mom. The boys and her daughters had so much fun together. Realized how nice it is to visit with other people while traveling.

Day 2: Washington, DC – more passport stamps, National Air and Space Museum, food, National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, Starbucks (because iced coffee is very important for Daddy), and drove to a hotel for the night.

Day 3: Jamestown Settlement in Virginia. We really enjoyed the re-creation of a Powhatan Indian village. Looked at old ships, and a colonial village. Took a ferry ride and then a five hour drive, with a stop for a Mexican dinner, to North Carolina.

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Another post with North Carolina pictures coming soon!

I hope you’re enjoying today’s mid-March snow day! I’m loving seeing pictures on Facebook of families having a good time together at home. We’ve mostly been watching TV.  On a recent school holiday, I binge watched Amazon’s Just Add Magic (so good!) with the boys, and today’s it’s Daddy’s turn. I actually did go out in the snow today! I usually stay inside while the boys go out to shovel and play.

These pictures are from a fall morning I spent with a family I first photographed when their daughter was a newborn. Each time I look through these, I notice another detail, sometimes an item in the background, an expression on a face, a gentle touch.

The other day we were watching videos from when my boys were smaller, and it was fun to notice little details, like the way I used to always have Jasper’s pacifier on my finger like a ring, the small differences in the way our house looked, and the way the boys have always played so (usually) nicely with each other. I’m so glad to have these memories of my own family captured, and to be able to do the same thing for others.

If you’re thinking about a family photo shoot this spring or summer, please contact me to book soon, especially if you’ll need a weekend. As my weekends start to fill with baseball and soccer and more baseball, I’ll be limiting weekend shoots and booking more during the week.

Enjoy these pictures!

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Erika Kao - March 14, 2017 - 3:15 pm

Great work as usual, Maegan! Loved this glimpse into this family’s life.

When we were invited to a party in the Poconos Labor Day weekend (2016), we decided to make a trip out of it and camp for three nights. We enjoyed the campground activities, went to the party, where Jasper broke his arm, visited a fish hatchery, and went to a campground tricky tray, where we won two fun prizes plus a week’s stay at the campground to use this year!  🙂 On our way home, we stopped to walk by a lake.

I love looking back at these pictures. The raspberries we brought from our garden. The boys playing with rocks and sticks. Exploring the campground. Being the only people at the fish hatchery. Jasper not letting a broken arm stop him from having a good time. Enjoying the fresh air and time together.

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This was such a special day. Husband and wife going back to where it all began, this time with their son and a pregnant belly. Talking about memories of their time together before they were married, and of their wedding. This is the e-mail I received asking what I thought of the idea. I loved it, of course.

“We did most of our wedding photos in Grand Central Terminal. It was special to us. We did a lot of date good-byes there, coffee or drinks while waiting for trains. I have always thought it would be fun to go back for our 10th wedding anniversary and take updated photos of our family – whatever it looked like at that point – in GCT. Well here we are… 10 years later, one cute little boy and one on the way.”

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Erika Kao - February 28, 2017 - 11:56 am

Maegan, what a wonderful idea. I’m totally doing this when my husband and I hit 10 years!

My friend Jennifer…

She is one of the most loving, thoughtful, caring people I know. She is the kind of friend who drops off surprise gifts and sends texts to say she cares, and to remind me that I’m awesome. 🙂 Who wants to bring me a meal when I know I am getting a lot more self care than she is, and I should be the one making her a meal. She thinks of others before herself. The patience and playfulness she shows her kids inspires me. She is a creator and a nurturer and a teacher. She values her children for the people they are, and the love they feel from and for her is completely visible in their interactions.

So to be there for the birth of her third baby was an absolute honor and joy for me. It was leap year, and baby Carter was born on February 29th. Soon he will be one!

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Would you like to see more photographs of Carter’s Family?

Expecting Baby #3
Childhood Summer

Are you expecting a baby?

If you are interested in Ridgewood birth photography at Valley Hospital or your home, or in pregnancy and newborn photography, I would love to connect with you. I photograph births and families in Bergen County and surrounding areas of NJ and NYC.

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