Hospital/New Born tips

My wife will be giving birth to our first child within the next 3 weeks and I was wondering what tips people have for taking pictures in a hospital environment. I have a D5000, Sigma 18-50 3.5-5.6 and a Nikkor 70-300 4.5-5.6.

Which lens do you recommend using and what settings? Thanks for all your help.

The Sigma 18-50 3.5-5.6? The Nikon 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 VR is an excellent lens and it's so cheap too. Nikon is almost always better than Sigma so maybe you might want the extra sharpness of the Nikon for some priceless moments? That's talking in terms of zooms. The 35mm f/1.8 would be even better in low light and for portraits. Get that one if you can, and if that's not an option, I'd try to grab a Nikon 18-55 VR. You won't regret it. If it were a 18-50 EX f/2.8 Sigma, then I'd say that one for sure.

With the D5000 you have a friend. In the shutter release settings after the timers and continuous release there is quiet mode. It waits to move the mirror back up until you release the shutter button. Nikon recommends it for babies. It's also less vibration which will help with handheld lowlight shots.

The other thought is B&W. A friend recommended it to us for our child's birth and it was beautiful. Color isn't very flattering when you've got a blotchy sweaty, tired, and somehow still beautiful mama.

Use RAW + JPEG Fine. You can select B&W for quick black and whites, and then you can do what you want with the RAW, leave it in B&W or switch back to Standard.

A fast prime like the aforementioned Nikon 35mm 1.8 will allow you to do more without flash. Less distractions is good. Also if you have friend or family to be there and shoot, let them. Your focus will/should be on supporting your wife. That said give them a camera in P mode and let them get used to it before the day.

Hard to believe it's been 14.5 years since we did it, but enjoy documenting the amazing journey you've started.

jkbraun said:

My wife will be giving birth to our first child within the next 3 weeks and I was wondering what tips people have for taking pictures in a hospital environment. I have a D5000, Sigma 18-50 3.5-5.6 and a Nikkor 70-300 4.5-5.6.

Which lens do you recommend using and what settings? Thanks for all your help.

Click to expand...

The crappy sigma is a bad option but ok....

Here's what I'd do.

Make sure there's an empty and formatted card in your bag at all times. When you get ready to move to the hospital put it in the camera.

When you get to the room in the hospital set a custom whitebalance (from a piece of paper if you don't own anything special for it) since nikon's whitebalance tends to mess up under fluorescent lighting.

Set the camera to RAW+jpg, the RAW so that you have more room to correct your mistakes later, the jpg so that you can quickly mail or print the first few snaps.

Set the cam to auto iso and in P mode. Try a few snaps and see if you get anything decent. Depending on the room set the cam to either matrix or center weighted metering, avoid spot. Set the AF to the easiest mode it allows. Set the camera to continous shooting

Once you know who of the hospital staff will attend ask him/her if they'd be willing to shoot a few frames and show them how to do it (use viewfinder and zoomring on the lens).

When the situation becomes intense remember why you are there, to help your wife, not to take pictures!

Once everything's done shoot a few more snaps.

When you get home backup the card to your harddrive and preferably to a DVD as well.
--
Don't wait for the Nikon D-whatever, have fun now!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_wijnands/

I will concur -- get yourself a fast prime, probably the 35mm f/1.8. Hospital maternity wards are not well lit, and worse so if your little one arrives overnight. I had a D90 and a Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8 at the time my little guy entered the world, and while you don't need a $1300 lens, you do want a lens with a large maximum aperture.

Oh, and don't forget to take time to be a dad -- you'll want pictures, but remember that the moment is special too, so don't get too lost in the photography.

Take the camera and short zoom with you and leave them in the bag! Take a video camera and record the whole ordeal, including you being abused, sworn at, kicked and bitten (should you want to avoid this, advocate epidural but on time...). Once it's all over and a little one is wrapped, take photos.
Enjoy the moment and all the best.

PS : record your wife's face, not you know what - you will all laugh in years to come...

cheap advise: shoot RAW because of mixed lighting: incandescent/lamps/daylight. Your WB will be all over the place in a hospital.

less cheap: 35 1.8: very light to carry and handle and gives you the chance of using on-board flash. I think thatt's all you would need. When using flash, make sure the background is a window or far away, or it will look ugly because of the shadows and reduce flash-output. ideas: Natural daylight for the little one, silhouet in front of sunny window and the same but with fill-flash....

--
------------------------------------------------
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh315/alex_837/
Just trying to get better.....

DON'T make the mistake I did with our next to the last grandchild. As I have good equipment, I decided to use my 1.4 lens for available light as the room had fair lighting in daylight. After seeing a whole bunch of point and shooters get better results than I was I finally went to the car and got my flash. Now I got some great shots. Also the hospital has a photographer that takes pictures of infants and she did not even think about available light. She used flash from point one. Don't try to ignore the light thing, light is what makes great images.

wijnands said:

jkbraun said:

My wife will be giving birth to our first child within the next 3 weeks and I was wondering what tips people have for taking pictures in a hospital environment. I have a D5000, Sigma 18-50 3.5-5.6 and a Nikkor 70-300 4.5-5.6.

Which lens do you recommend using and what settings? Thanks for all your help.

Click to expand...

The crappy sigma is a bad option but ok....

Here's what I'd do.

Make sure there's an empty and formatted card in your bag at all times. When you get ready to move to the hospital put it in the camera.

When you get to the room in the hospital set a custom whitebalance (from a piece of paper if you don't own anything special for it) since nikon's whitebalance tends to mess up under fluorescent lighting.

Set the camera to RAW+jpg, the RAW so that you have more room to correct your mistakes later, the jpg so that you can quickly mail or print the first few snaps.

Set the cam to auto iso and in P mode. Try a few snaps and see if you get anything decent. Depending on the room set the cam to either matrix or center weighted metering, avoid spot. Set the AF to the easiest mode it allows. Set the camera to continous shooting

Once you know who of the hospital staff will attend ask him/her if they'd be > willing to shoot a few frames

Click to expand...

Sure, give em $10 and they'll gladly jump into the cradle , then you can snap a few test pics.

Pick up a 50mm 1.8 ..... they're cheap, light, and excellent for non flash photography. Unless things have changed they won't want you using flash at the window for the nursery so a 1.8 lens will come in handy.

wijnands said:

and show them how to do it (use viewfinder and zoomring on the lens).

When the situation becomes intense remember why you are there, to help your wife, not to take pictures!

Once everything's done shoot a few more snaps.

When you get home backup the card to your harddrive and preferably to a DVD as well.
--
Don't wait for the Nikon D-whatever, have fun now!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_wijnands/

Click to expand...

--
'I don't necessarily believe everything I say'!

Ring A said:

wijnands said:

jkbraun said:

My wife will be giving birth to our first child within the next 3 weeks and I was wondering what tips people have for taking pictures in a hospital environment. I have a D5000, Sigma 18-50 3.5-5.6 and a Nikkor 70-300 4.5-5.6.

Which lens do you recommend using and what settings? Thanks for all your help.

Click to expand...

The crappy sigma is a bad option but ok....

Here's what I'd do.

Make sure there's an empty and formatted card in your bag at all times. When you get ready to move to the hospital put it in the camera.

When you get to the room in the hospital set a custom whitebalance (from a piece of paper if you don't own anything special for it) since nikon's whitebalance tends to mess up under fluorescent lighting.

Set the camera to RAW+jpg, the RAW so that you have more room to correct your mistakes later, the jpg so that you can quickly mail or print the first few snaps.

Set the cam to auto iso and in P mode. Try a few snaps and see if you get anything decent. Depending on the room set the cam to either matrix or center weighted metering, avoid spot. Set the AF to the easiest mode it allows. Set the camera to continous shooting

Once you know who of the hospital staff will attend ask him/her if they'd be > willing to shoot a few frames

Click to expand...

Sure, give em $10 and they'll gladly jump into the cradle , then you can snap a few test pics.

Click to expand...

Or you could plunk on a coat on the bed which will be close enough to fire a few test pics to see if reasonable shutter speeds are an option.

Perhaps things are different in the USA but where I live most nursing staff working maternity will gladly take a few pics of the parents and there newborn.

Ring A said:

Pick up a 50mm 1.8 ..... they're cheap, light, and excellent for non flash photography. Unless things have changed they won't want you using flash at the window for the nursery so a 1.8 lens will come in handy.

Click to expand...

Depends on the size of the actual delivery room if that would work in there.

--
Don't wait for the Nikon D-whatever, have fun now!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_wijnands/

Another vote for the 35mm 1.8. Also, if you can, get the SB400 and use it to bounce flash off the ceilings/walls. Between the two of those, you will have everything you need to get great shots of your child (which will often be indoors in low light). It's a great investment.

To be honest, I ook along my Panasonic FZ28 compact to my second's birth, two and a half weeks ago. I'm pretty much into phoography, but some moments are more important to be experienced than to be captured. You'll have plenty of opportunities to get some nice shots in the days after -- it's really more important to be there for the new mother and baby...

(I do have a few snaps, by the way, but they're not too flattering. I think they're the best in the world, though, of course. )