Danielle Chudolij

Portrait photographer

Less than a year

I was born and raised south of Boston, in East Freetown, MA. I currently reside in East Walpole, MA, with my boyfriend, two dogs, and two cats.

I started DC Photography Boston in 2014 immediately after graduating from Boston University. I knew I wanted to own my own portrait business since I graduated high school, but didn't know if it would be my final career. After years of hard work and dedication, I've been able to work as a photographer and business owner full-time since starting my company. I specialize in high school senior portraits that are timeless, fashion-forward, and unique to each client. As my clients have matured, I've been right there with them to photograph their college senior portraits and headshots for work. I've even gotten to the point of shooting their weddings which is both wonderful and terrible (for my vanity).

I've been told so many kind things from my clients over the years that it's hard to keep track! Some things that stand out are how at-ease I can make my models feel- even if they have no prior experience in front of the camera, how much fun my senior girls have on their shoot days from start to finish, and how beautiful all of my clients feel when they see their final photos at their image reveal. One of the best things, though, is when I hear that I offer a lot of value with my sessions, from in-person meetings, to grabbing ice cream in between locations, and displaying the final proof images in print form, not just digitally. My most recent boudoir client remarked to me that she felt like I was with her every step of the way and that she was riding a high from the shoot days after it was done!

The best advice I've ever received is to be yourself, authentically. The clients who repeatedly come back to work with me time and time again, who trust my process, and who tell their friends and family about me organically, are my ideal clients. I only attract those who feel attracted to me and who I am as a person, not just as a business.

I'm a big Harry Potter nerd (the third book is my fav and I'm a Slytherin since you were wondering), but I also really loved Cassandra Clare's works, specifically Clockwork Princess.

A good old-fashioned paper planner is my go-to for organizing. I love the feeling of writing down a to-do list and checking things off physically, not just deleting each one from my phone. I love the planners by Rifle Paper Co.

My most recent win was speaking at the annual Professional Photographers of America Massachusetts (PPAM) conference in February! I was asked to speak on how I work with high school seniors, which was a total dream. Becoming a conference speaker has been on my bucket-list for years now!

I would tell my younger self to be more self-reliant. I think I relied on my parents and first boyfriend for far too much and learned a lot of hard life lessons later in life than most.

In my free time I love to watch TV, movies, and YouTube (mostly in the beauty space), read, and spend time with my fur babies taking walks or just cuddling on the bed. In my larger amounts of free time, I love to travel anywhere and everywhere!

I foster kittens! I have always loved animals of all kinds, but cats hold a special place in my heart. It's been so rewarding to help feral cats learn to trust and become house pets- including my littlest one, Tokyo, who was a foster fail from my first litter. It was bound to happen.