Every newborn session tells a story before the baby even knows he has one. Cassian’s started with a complicated birth and a short stay in the NICU, a few extra days of monitoring that had his parents counting hours instead of just getting to soak him in at home. If you’re an LA mama who’s been there, you already know that particular flavor of exhausted-and-grateful. It never gets less tender.

By the time Cassian made it to his newborn session, he was nine days old, wide awake for exactly none of it, and clearly ready to make up for lost sleep. He slept through almost the entire shoot. (He does not do that anymore. I promise, Mom and Dad, I did not break him.)

Nine Days, and Every One of Them Worth It

The classic advice for newborn photography is to book within the first two weeks, ideally days five through fourteen, while babies are still curling up small and sleeping like the world hasn’t caught up with them yet. A NICU stay can feel like it throws that plan off. It doesn’t have to.

Pro Tip: If your little one spends time in the NICU, you haven’t missed your window. Most babies are still wonderfully sleepy and curl-friendly up to about three weeks old. As a Los Angeles newborn photographer, I build flexibility into every booking specifically for NICU families. I know that your due date is a guess, and your session date should be able to move with real life.

A Home Studio Session (Or Yours, If You’d Rather)

Cassian’s session was photographed in my Los Angeles home studio, set up warm, quiet, and kept exactly the right temperature for a nine-day-old who runs the show. But if you’re picturing your own nursery in the background instead, that’s just as easy. I photograph in-home newborn sessions all over the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita, and greater Los Angeles just as often as studio ones, it comes down to your preference and where you’ll feel most comfortable with a camera in the room.

Green, Neutral, and One Very Dapper Paperboy Hat

Mom knew exactly what she wanted going in: soft greens and warm neutrals, nothing loud, nothing competing with the real star. Cassian modeled the cutest little paperboy outfit, hat included, and somehow made “tiny old-soul newsboy” the most heart-melting look in the studio. We layered in wooden name blocks spelling out C-A-S-S-I-A-N, and I will die on the hill that neutral name blocks are one of the most precious personalized details you can add to a nursery-inspired session.

The Hand Shot That Gets Me Every Single Time

Mom and Dad chose baby-only portraits for most of the session, with just a few hand-detail shots layered in, Cassian’s whole hand wrapped around one of Dad’s fingers, his fist barely covering Mom’s fingertip. Those are the images I find myself staring at longest. There’s something about a tiny hand inside a parent’s hand that says more than a full portrait ever could. It’s the fastest reminder, months and years from now, of exactly how small he once was.

A Lei With a Little Bit of Hawaii In It

This is the detail I keep telling people about. Cassian’s parents met in Hawaii, and it means the world to them, even though neither of them is Hawaiian themselves. When they found out they were having a boy, they leaned toward greenery over florals as a nod to that chapter of their story, which sent us looking for someone who could bring it to life.

We worked with Susan of Peony and Plum on a custom lei po’o for the session. Real maile doesn’t ship outside of Hawaii, full stop, so Susan built this one from ti leaf instead, and then had to shrink the whole idea down to fit a newborn’s head without overwhelming him. It was a genuinely hard ask. She knocked it out of the park. We got to use it multiple ways throughout the session, and every frame with it in there feels a little more meaningful, knowing what it’s standing in for.

Pro Tip: Custom florals and greenery pieces like this take real lead time. If there’s a detail with meaning to your family (a lei, a specific bloom, a family heirloom fabric), reach out to your florist two to three weeks before your due date. Newborn timing is unpredictable, but the best custom work rarely happens last-minute. I can always help to coordinate this as well!

Personal Touches Make the Session Theirs

Beyond the lei, we tucked in Cassian’s own blanket and those neutral name blocks, the small, specific things that won’t mean much to a stranger scrolling by, but will mean everything to this family in ten years. This is honestly my favorite part of doing this work: every newborn session should feel custom to the family in it, not like a template with a different baby dropped in. Cassian’s session gave us a beautiful variety of images, from clean baby-only portraits to the props and personal details that tell his particular story.

Welcome to the world, Cassian Alexander Arroyo. Nine days old, dressed like a tiny newsboy, wrapped in greenery that carries his parents’ love story with it. We are so glad you’re here.

Booking Your Own Los Angeles Newborn Session

Whether you’re picturing a home-studio setup like Cassian’s or a session in the comfort of your own nursery, I’d love to help you tell your family’s story in the first sleepy, precious days. Serving Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita, and surrounding areas.