Welcome, Raeliana Lyra Vo! Raeliana was born on August 18, 2026, at 3:09 p.m., weighing 7 pounds, 11 ounces and measuring 20½ inches long. She is the first baby for her parents, Anna and Andrew, and I loved getting to welcome all three of them into my Elk Grove home studio for her newborn portrait session.

When Anna first reached out, she had some wonderful ideas for Raeliana’s photos. She was drawn to softer colors like pink, white, and sage, along with flowers, leaves, bunnies, and organic textures. There was also one theme that was especially important to both Anna and Andrew: Harry Potter! They’re huge Harry Potter fans—their wedding was even Harry Potter themed—so we knew a Harry Potter-inspired part of her session had to be included.

Raeliana was such a sweetheart throughout her session. While I was wrapping her at the very beginning, she stared right at me and even gave me a little giggle. Once she was wrapped and settled, she slept through most of the first several setups and made it very easy for us to move from one look to another.

Newborn portraits of Raeliana Lyra Vo featuring pink floral setups, a bunny, soft wraps, and her birth announcement details.

A Little Smile Among the Pink Florals

We started Raeliana’s newborn session with the soft pink colors Anna had been drawn to from the beginning. I wrapped Raeliana in a pale pink wrap and placed her against pink fur, adding flowers and a delicate floral headband to complete the setup.

And right off the bat, Raeliana gave me the cutest little smile! I couldn't have asked for a better expression to start her session. She settled beautifully into the wrap and stayed sound asleep while I changed up the florals around her, including one portrait surrounded by larger pink and white flowers.

Raeliana sleeping in a pale pink wrap on pink fur with floral headbands and pink and white flowers during her newborn session.

Peach, Cream, and a Bunny to Snuggle

For another softer look, I paired a peach-pink wrap with a cream fur backdrop and added coordinating flowers. Anna had mentioned that they associate Raeliana with bunnies, so I knew I wanted to work those into more than one part of her session.

We photographed her sleeping beside a larger cream bunny and also tucked a much smaller bunny near her for a closer portrait. These images kept the light, delicate feel Anna loved while bringing in one of the personal elements she had specifically requested.

We also incorporated the little lion plushie Anna and Andrew brought with them. Raeliana is a Leo, so they wanted to include a lion somewhere in her newborn photos as another detail connected specifically to her.

Baby Raeliana wrapped in peach pink on cream fur with flowers and a soft white bunny during her Elk Grove newborn portraits.

A Touch of Green Among All the Pink

Although pink ended up being the main color throughout Raeliana’s session, I was able to bring a touch of green into this basket setup. I used a green floral backdrop behind a wooden basket lined with chunky pink texture, then kept Raeliana wrapped in a pale pink wrap.

We changed the look slightly with both a pink bonnet and floral headbands, and of course, another tiny bunny made an appearance. I especially like how the deeper green backdrop and flowers give this group of images a different look while still fitting naturally with all the pinks used throughout her session.

Raeliana slept right through the bonnet and headband changes, making it easy to give this one look several little variations.

Raeliana posed asleep in a wooden basket with a pink knit layer against a green floral backdrop, wearing pink newborn accessories.

One of My Favorite Setups: The Little Pink Bed

This little bed was one of my favorite setups from Raeliana’s entire newborn session. Anna had been drawn to the bed prop in some of the inspiration photos she shared with me, and I loved how this version came together for her.

I dressed Raeliana in a fuzzy pink outfit with the cutest little bonnet with ears and placed her on a white bed layered with different shades and textures of pink. We started with her legs tucked together on the bed, and then I moved one little leg so that it dangled over the edge. She looked so cute and comfortable curled up there.

The bunnies worked especially well with this setup, too. I used the smaller bunny with Raeliana for one portrait and brought in the larger cream bunny for another. Pink and white flowers around the bed helped pull everything together without taking away from Raeliana.

Raeliana sleeping on a small white bed in a pink outfit and bonnet, surrounded by pink blankets, flowers, and bunny props.

One More Bunny Before a Little Magic

Before moving into the more elaborate Harry Potter setup, I kept Raeliana in her pink outfit for a simpler series of portraits on cream fur. I swapped her bonnet for an oversized pink bow and curled her little legs together for several different poses.

For the final image in this group, I placed the large cream bunny right beside her. I love the difference in scale between the two of them, with Raeliana looking so little snuggled up next to that oversized bunny.

With the cream fur and pink outfit kept simple, I especially love how much you notice Raeliana's little hands, relaxed expressions, and the way she curled up beside that oversized bunny.

Raeliana wearing a pink newborn outfit and large bow while posed on cream fur beside an oversized white bunny.

A Harry Potter Newborn Setup Made for Their Family

Then it was time for the setup Anna and Andrew had been especially excited about.

Harry Potter has been a big part of their lives, right down to having a Harry Potter-themed wedding, so this wasn't simply a theme they thought would look cute for newborn photos. It was something they genuinely loved and wanted represented in their first baby's session.

I built the scene around a brick backdrop with Harry Potter books, an owl, map, ticket, glasses, and other themed details. Anna and Andrew brought their own Gryffindor and Slytherin scarves so we could represent both of their Hogwarts houses. They also brought the wands they purchased at Harry Potter World, which made the setup even more personal to them.

Raeliana gave us two completely different looks for the two scarves. She was sound asleep wrapped in the Gryffindor scarf, with one of her parents' wands tucked into her hand. When it was time to switch to Slytherin, she needed a diaper change and decided she was ready to see what everyone was doing! She was wide awake for those portraits, looking around with those big eyes while wrapped in green.

And because a Harry Potter setup deserves just a little magic, I added a bit of magical steam coming from the wand afterward with some Photoshop fun.

I loved seeing Anna and Andrew's Harry Potter idea come together, especially because it was so different from all the pink florals and bunnies we had photographed earlier.

Raeliana in a Harry Potter-themed newborn setup with Gryffindor and Slytherin scarves, books, wands, glasses, an owl, and brick backdrop.

Finishing with Pink Lace and Her Birth Details

After all that wizarding excitement, we finished Raeliana's session by returning to the softer pink look that had run throughout so much of her gallery.

I dressed her in a pink lace outfit with a matching headband and photographed her in several poses on the beanbag. By this point, a little extra bottle from Mom was just what she needed, and she was soon back to sleep.

This was also the perfect setup for some of the details Anna and Andrew had brought from home. We used their letter board displaying Raeliana's full name, birthday, birth weight, and length, along with a little “hello world” sign.

And I couldn't finish a session with this many bunnies without bringing out my really big one! I tucked Raeliana between the bunny's arms so she looked completely snuggled into him. It was such a fun way to bring the bunny idea Anna had originally requested into one last portrait.

Raeliana wearing a pink lace newborn outfit with a hello world sign, her personalized birth announcement board, and an oversized cream bunny.

Welcome to the World, Raeliana!

One of the things that stood out to me throughout Raeliana's session was how relaxed Anna and Andrew were, especially as first-time parents. They were so easy to talk with and seemed to genuinely enjoy watching everything come together. They would ooh and awe as I moved Raeliana into a new pose or revealed another setup, while also jumping in whenever she needed them—Anna for a bottle and Andrew for a diaper change.

And Raeliana gave us a little bit of everything: that early giggle while I wrapped her, an adorable smile during our first setup, lots of sleepy portraits, and those wide-open eyes just in time for her Slytherin photos.

Anna and Andrew, thank you for trusting me with your daughter's first portrait session and for bringing so many fun ideas along with you. I loved creating Raeliana's session with you and finding ways to combine all those pinks, flowers and bunnies with a completely different Harry Potter setup that was so personal to your family. Congratulations again on your beautiful baby girl!

To See Other Newborn Sessions:

If you'd like to see how some of my other newborn sessions have come together, you can explore a few more from my Elk Grove studio below. The colors, props, themes, and personal touches change from one baby to another, and I love seeing how each family's ideas give their session a look of its own.

Blog