Lodi, California Newborn Photographer | Rebeca's Newborn Session

There are certain parts of my job that I see over and over again in each session: I don’t think I can tell you how many times parents are truly blown away when they come in only a few weeks after their newborn session for their ordering appointment and cannot believe how tiny their baby once was and how quickly they had grown just in those few weeks. Being able to look back on details that are gone in a blink of an eye is really one of the magical things about photography! This is one of the many reasons that I really encourage parents to book their session before baby has arrived so that we can get you in the studio within 2 weeks after birth. Those fresh features, flaky skin, and shriveling umbilical cord are pieces that are so fleeting and you will likely forget unless you invest in these precious memories.

One of my other favorite parts of my job is getting to know your family and why this is such an important process for you to capture! Every family has an important story to tell and various reasons why a truly special newborn session is so important to them. I say over and over again, working with me and being in my studio is an experience. It’s not something I want to just grab a few quick snaps and push you out the door. This is about you, your new miracle, and your story.

For Rebeca’s family, this was their first baby in over 10 years and their first girl so everything was so special to mom to make it girly and to celebrate this new life. One of the sweetest parts of our whole session was incorporating big brother (who was in love with his new baby) and capturing some gorgeous family shots. Mom really wanted the family shots to be a focus of our session and I was more than happy to indulge! She wore one of my gowns (one of my favorite decisions moms make and another thing that makes these sessions so relaxing and easy for you) and we just really focused on the beauty of their new family.

Lodi, California Newborn Photographer | Camila's Newborn Mini Session

When you book a Rockabye newborn session, you have two options: the Luxe Newborn session (my standard newborn session) or the Newborn Mini Session. Although most of my clients opt for the Luxe, the Mini Session is perfect for those clients who sometimes say they don’t want a full session but still want to capture this time! Not everyone knows really what the difference is between the two and it’s one of my most common questions asked so here it is!

The Newborn Mini Session is an abbreviated version of my Luxe session. The Luxe is multiple setups of baby in props and on the table (fabric) and includes family photos if you’d like them! The Luxe usually runs about 2-3 hours long depending on how baby does. Most babies do great and it can be done in the 2-2.5 hour range to allow for extra feeds, etc. if need be.

The Rockabye Mini Session is one hour maximum and two set-ups total! Camila’s Newborn Mini is a perfect example of this! Mom and Dad wanted some family & sibling shots as well as some individual baby shots of her. For something like this, parent/sibling shots are considered one setup because we are doing multiple shots in front of one drop with everyone. The second setup would be baby alone in a prop where I can also incorporate brother for a few shots!

Sometimes clients wonder, well what if my baby can’t do all of this in under one hour? Ideally, we are shooting your session 5-14 days after baby’s arrival which, even with feeds, will create the best scenario for a sleeping baby. This, paired with the prep tips I give you the morning of and your baby whisperer (me!), one hour is usually plenty for two simple setups. If baby isn’t overly cooperative and is wide awake, I will shoot some awake shots while i’m working to get them asleep. With my experience and expose over the years working with literally hundreds of newborns, I have found ways to beautifully capture your sweet little one in one hour if that’s what you’d like!

Looking for something a bit more? The Luxe is the perfect option for you! Whether you choose the Rockabye Luxe Newborn Session or the Rockabye Mini Newborn Session, I will have the perfect experience for you and your family to capture all of those tiny details and features of baby’s first few weeks of life!

Here is a bit more from Camila’s Newborn Mini Session ~

Lodi, California Newborn Photographer | Kenzie's Newborn Session

Those first few weeks of life with your newborn are truly the times that you want to hold onto forever. Have you ever noticed how quickly your newborn changes even in the first week after birth? Sometimes, I dont even think we realize the changes until you take photos every day and compare them over time: it really happens that quickly! That’s part of the reason that I fell in love with what I do - capturing those tiny features in those first few moments with your baby that you’ll never get back!

Kenzie was mom’s third and final baby so she really wanted to soak in those last moments and details with her since she would never being doing this stage again! When filling out her questionnaire, she hoped for shots with those tiny stuffed animals that I love using, beautiful sibling shots of all 3 of her babies to remember forever, tiny details of her features, and of course, the froggy pose (one of my most requested shots but also, my absolute favorite one to do!).

Not all babies will perform the froggy shot but these days, I’d say I have a really good success rate - maybe about 90%! I had just gotten this gorgeous purply mauve drop in and couldn’t wait to use it on Kenzie with that gorgeous skin she had.

When mom came in for her ordering appointment, she chose all of her digital images as well as some new larger prints for her walls. Digitals are always such a good idea for security and to have as back-up should anything happen to your prints down the road but there is nothing like turning your baby’s sweet face into beautiful art for your home. Don’t forget that you’ll probably almost never look at your images on your computer - they’re really there purely for safe keeping. The joy really comes from getting to see your images on your wall every single day. They are truly priceless!

Lodi, California Newborn Photographer | Anthony & Valentina's Twin Newborn Session

I got this beautiful set of twins last month and gosh, how I forget how much I love twin sessions! The most fun part for me is having twins, like these two, of each gender as it pushes me to get creative when creating setups that are neutral but still beautiful for both!

Twins can be tricky keeping them on the same sleep schedule, eating schedule, etc. I don’t know how parents of multiples do it! We got these sweet babes fast asleep and got right to work. With twins, I always work with an assistant so that I can have an extra pair of hands with me. There’s really no better way to do it.

Each baby took turns being exhausted and konked out and while they were never both fully asleep at the same time, they were both so good, they worked with me and we got some seriously beautiful shots for mom and dad.

Lodi, California Newborn Photographer | Vivian's 1st Birthday Session

This beautiful girl was one of my newborns once upon a time and here she is, celebrating her first birthday! It always, ALWAYS amazes me how much they grow and change in just a year but also, how much I still see that tiny little newborn in them. It’s such a fun gift that my clients give me coming back over and over again so I can watch and see them grow!

Sweet Vivian was just so full of personality and as happy as could be at her session. I was so happy that mom wanted to jump into a few photos with her girl, too! Parent shots always add such a sweet element to the session. The best part for me, though, was listening to Dad gush over his girls. I can honestly say, I know all dads are in love, but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a dad more in love with his baby. It’s pretty clear that Vivian has him wrapped around that tiny finger and it was just so darn sweet!

She rocked the heck out of her session and LOVED her cake as you can see. I recently got that little party hat and I think it was my favorite little piece to the entire session. She killed it!

Here’s more from our session together!

XOXO

Lodi, California Newborn Photographer | Guiliana's Newborn Session

Beautiful little Guiliana is baby #2 for mom & dad and after having one little boy, they were so thrilled to have their girl, too! Momma (a friend of mine from high school) asked for all the girly things and some neutrals and I think that mission was accomplished! I just love when parents give me the green light to use colors and creativity how I want and just trust in my vision. They did just that! We incorporated creams (one of my favorites for girls - so classic), light pinks, and a bit of lavender. I definitely think lavender and pink are her colors. They made her skin stand out so beautifully!

Big brother (one of my newborns from 2 years ago!), despite loving his sister at home, was not feeling it when he got to the studio. Sometimes little siblings take a bit to warm up but after a little convincing (and bribing), we got the sweetest shots of him with his new baby. That shot with his huge grin (check it out right below this!) just melts me. He is truly just the sweetest toddler ever and I was a total sucker for him. The icing on the cake was seeing how much Guiliana is his little girly twin!

Check out some highlights from our session together!

XOXO