Tips needed for photographing child birth

[amihai]

My wife is about to give birth to our first child in a couple of weeks (it's a girl, and yes, we're very excited... :D )
I would like to take photos in the hospital, but flash photography is a no-no for my wife, and I don't think that the hospital will be too happy about it also.
I have a Canon 10D and currently using the Canon EF 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens. I don't have time to get an additional lens until the big occasion, and as I said, flash is out of the question (I've got the Canon Speedlite 420EX).

Considering the fact that light conditions will probably be poor (Neon light or less), I would appreciate any tips you could give me about taking good photos with this gear, and without using a tripod.

I've also posted this question on the "Talk About Photography" forum.

Thanks...

[Adam Hicks]

Sounds like ISO1600 at f3.5 is going to be about all you can do, although there shouldn't be a lot of motion, so whatever gets you to ~1/100.

Why no flash? What if you used a diffuser so that it wasn't so harsh to her? Or diffuse and bounce from the ceiling...?

[DocFrankenstein]

:shock:

You'd need the 50mm f/1.8 and maybe a 35mm prime. They are gonna give you high shutter speeds.

Umm... Be careful when changing lenses. You may get a spray of bodily liquids on the sensor and mirror. You'd be surprised how far they fly off. :shock:

BTT

[Olegis]

Hey amihai !
First of all - congradulations, the event like a child birth is always very exciting !
Second of all - I guess that you'll have to use a flash, whether your wife wants it or not. Just explain to her that in order to get a decent picture you have to use the flash, otherwise you'll end up with horrible photos (I know, it's always good to exaggerate a little bit :wink: ).

[billsh]

Congratulations. I remember when my oldest son was born. If you planning to take pictures during the birth, my recommendation is DON'T. Enjoy the moment. If you want to take pictures of the mother and baby afterwards, heres a couple ideas.

1. Flash directly in the babies eyes is not recommended. Some people belief it can damage them. That's may be why your wife protests.

2. B&W grainy pictures of special moments are pretty neat. Try 1600 and convert to B&W later.

3. Bounce flash or diffused flash would work great. Show your wife ahead of time how unintrusive it is and she will probably agree.

4. If all fails, just enjoy the day. You will have years to take pictures.

Good Luck

[wintoid]

My big tip is.... remember your camera! Amidst the madness, I forgot to take my camera. No biggie, but it means the only really early photos were all taken by parents and brothers.

[Fredinpa]

Not to through a negative light on anything, but check with the hospital with the policies about camera equipment in the or. The hospitals around here would not all any equipment in the room during the birth of my daughter. From a lawsuit standpoint you have your own pictures of any mistakes the doctor might have made or anything that went wrong and they will not allow that. In the room afterward is ok shoot away and best of luck with the little one, get all the rest you can now it will be in short supply soon.

[scsmith10D]

We shot video and a friend shot digital stills in the delivery room. It may have helped that my wife works there and we are both anesthetists, but no one turned a hair at us doing massive photography and or video in the DR.

(Of course, that was before we got the 10D...point and shoot was the best we could do.)

[PhotoManMike]

Amihai,

Let me start by offering my most sincere congratulations! Your lives will never be the same again!

Now a question: When you say you need tips for "photographing child birth", do you mean you intend to photograph the actual birth? Or do you mean that you want to take pictures of your wife and newborn baby girl in the delivery room afterward?

If it's the latter, ask your wife to reconsider the use of flash. I don't believe I've ever heard of newborn eyes being damaged by a standard photo flash unit at a reasonable shooting distance. I have two children--2 and 4 now--and I took lots of pictures of both post delivery with a Canon 430EZ, some as close as 3-4 feet away, and they were both fine with it. None of the hospital staff seemed to mind either, although you might want to ask your wife's OB if there is a specific policy against it at that hospital.

Best regards,
Mike

[maderito]

Congrats to you and yours.

A couple of thoughts based on some limited experience.

1. Go to the Labor & Delivery floor and talk with the staff. They will let you know what's permissible. Ask the Obstetrician - he/she is in charge of the production. And discuss with your wife. You don't want to look like an obsesessed hobbyist when she needs your support.

2. If flash, learn to use before hand. You can take the P&S route - put everything on Auto and fire away. Nothing wrong with that - but you have other options (already mentioned) for diffusing the light and controlling exposure

3. If available light -- practice, practice. Use fast 35mm, 50mm, or even 85mm lenses. Hospitals have more lighting than you might expect - but you'll still be using wide apertures and thus have small DOF.

4. Think about shooting RAW. It will help handle the mixed lighting problem that you'll run into. Also, baby skin tones are quite different than adults - especially at birth. Getting mom and baby to look their best can require some work in the image editing lab.

5. Have fun and capture some of the wonderful moments.

[ilya]

We had our second boy three weeks ago.

I used omni-bounce and pocket flash, and also bounced flash off the ceiling which worked best.

Even though the doctor was traditionalist, I was able to get his permission ahead of time through a little ass-kissing. the rule where we were is that unless you get permission, you can't include any hospital staff into the picture. Having the nurses and the doctor in the picture adds quite a bit.

I can't imagine not being able to use flash. I've gotten so many beautiful pics at ISO100.

Mother and baby had no issues whatsoever - these are incredibly special moments you're trying to capture for everyone.

Sounds like you just need to talk your wife into it. And get the doctors permission

[Steven M. Anthony]

When your wife is in extreme pain, pushing and grunting, don't let her see you fiddling with your camera!

:lol: