When our favourite MTV VJ from back in the day decided to work with us, we were starstruck, but also a bit nervous. We ask Denise some questions about her pregnancy journey and birthing experience.

As newborn photographers and parents of very young children, the only celebrities we are familiar with tend to be those we grew up watching. 

So when Denise Keller decided to work with us, we were undoubtedly starstruck as well as ecstatic for the opportunity to photograph our favourite MTV Asia VJ from our youth. 

While you would imagine photographing a face and personality who needs no introduction in Asia to be an exciting experience, it was actually a nerve-wracking one for us. The pressure was now on as it dawned on us that we would be photographing someone who had been in front of the camera for most of her life, appearing on the covers of countless fashion magazines.

Our anxieties about the session mostly stemmed from our recognition that Denise would know exactly what happens in front of and behind the lens. After all, she is also a model who frequently works with a production team for her projects, and due to her ample experience, usually gets to have a say in most aspects of the creative process. All of this made the idea of preparing for a shoot with her somewhat daunting.

Fortunately for us, we weren’t going to be photographing her as a model, but as a new mum to an adorable little baby girl, Mia! She gave us her full trust and confidence before and during her session. Phew!  We just needed to get over feeling starstruck and try to focus on doing what we do best. 

Acknowledging that Denise is a first-time mum, who hasn’t been for any newborn shoot, she surely had a lot of questions; “how long would the session take”, ”what to prepare before the shoot” and “what to bring”?

Just like we do with all of the amazing families we work with, we sent her our preparation guide. This is a very important part of the process for us, as it gives mummies—whether they are seasoned moms or first-time parents—a detailed overview of what will likely happen before, during and after their session with us.

We also sent our questionnaire over to her so we could get to know her a bit better, together with a mood board. We talked about colour palettes to ensure both of our expectations, hers and ours, were as closely aligned as possible.

Honestly, we were humbled by how much trust she placed in us so we did our best not to let her down. We picked out all her outfits, as well as outfits for her husband, Robert, and guided her through all the poses. Admittedly, posing a supermodel felt a bit weird, but Denise was as kind and patient as we could have hoped for, and her husband was one of the sweetest daddies we have ever met, too, patiently following our directions while ensuring nary a hair on Denise’s head was ever out of place.

Oh, and don’t get us started on baby Mia. Such an adorable little bub! While she didn’t sleep as soundly as we’d hoped throughout most of her session, she’s definitely a supermodel in the making, staring right at the camera on many occasions with her big, gorgeous eyes. Awake babies are typically fussy and never keep still, but not little Mia, she was as focused on the lens as a true professional.

Well, we had an awesome time photographing this beautiful family, and are already looking forward to the next.