[i_trax]

Dear All,

I was asked to take some photos of the new born baby by my neighbour / care taker in my apartment ( baby due JAN 2019).
That would be the first time in the digital photography for me ( my kids are 30+ and no grandkids so far).
I have K-1 and a number of cropped bodies, should I consider LED lights / the cube or flashes , those might get baby uncomfortable.
I have wide range of lenses.
Any advice would be very helpful.

kind regards
jack

[Wingincamera]

My experience has been that you will not need any flash or additional lighting. At the most a small whiteboard to reflect some light, but the nursery was so well lighted that I doubt you will need any that. Get in close and fill the screen.

[catfishjohn]

I understand that flash can be very bad for baby eyes. I would avoid using anything but soft reflected light. Just my opinion.

[TwoUptons]

Do you mean ‘in the hospital just born’ newborn? Or ‘home with Mom’ newborn?

That would change how I would approach the shot... and how I would light it...

I would never use a direct flash on a newborn, but something bounced for fill, backlight, or otherwise indirect and at low power might be good.

-Eric

[Marcel K]

Wouldn’t use flash. Get up close with a fast-ish lens (for bokeh) and shoot in RAW. Hospital lighting (White balance) or low light/high iso noise may need some tweaking afterwards. Try to capture the special moment. Enjoy!

[clackers]

Flash is fine, Jack, and a large softbox will create the impression of beautiful diffused window light that can be done at all hours.

But parents who don't know better can be very panicky about their new child and believe all kinds of sensationalist stories. Look at this …

Baby in China Blinded by Camera Flash? Probably Not

and from: FACT CHECK: Blinded by the Light

"In fact, several reputable sources have stated that a camera flash is not harmful to a baby’s eyes. The Orange Regional Medical Center, for instance, encourages new parents to take photographs of their babies in the NICU:
We encourage you to take pictures of your baby. Flash cameras are allowed and will not harm your baby."

All kinds of artistic feels are possible, a combination of the approaches of traditional portraiture and product photography (looking to create both highlights and shadows), this one from How to use studio lighting for newborn photography - Brooklyn NYC Newborn Photographer | Dina Duchan

[mcgregni]

Yes, we're not going to blast a newborn with bare direct flash light ..... That would not produce good looking light anyway. Really, "natural" light photography in hospitals is always going to be a challenge, not least the colour balance issues and trying to get nice skin tones. How many suppossed arty mono baby images have been processed not as planned but rather because the colours looked so yuck!

Flash frees you here, but just use it nicely and softly. A simple bounce with flag technique would be easy in hospitals with white surfaces everywhere. Here's a couple of mine with a single on camera AF-540FGZii, bounced and flagged. These are entirely flash lit images, no natural light at all, and she didn't even blink during a whole sequence of shots, and certainly no negative effects from the flash.....

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Last edited by mcgregni; 12-23-2018 at 02:53 PM.

[MSL]

When I took pictures of my kids I think I tried to avoid direct flash to avoid disturbing them. But I'm sure I did use direct flash on occasion when I couldn't get a shot any other way. But diffuse or bounce flash will lead to much nicer images as has already been noted.

A friend of mine had a photo shoot done as his house of his twins when they were fairly young. If I remember correctly, the first thing the photographer did was crank up the heating so that the kids would be comfortable with minimal clothing. I think she put them in a drawer with a thick towel underneath and other creating poses. (This was some time ago and I only saw the photos briefly).

[R. Wethereyet]

Dear All,

I was asked to take some photos of the new born baby by my neighbour / care taker in my apartment ( baby due JAN 2019).
That would be the first time in the digital photography for me ( my kids are 30+ and no grandkids so far).
I have K-1 and a number of cropped bodies, should I consider LED lights / the cube or flashes , those might get baby uncomfortable.
I have wide range of lenses.
Any advice would be very helpful.

kind regards
jack

Here are some tips from my limited experience Jack:
1. Safety first - keep the baby warm & safe ...
a. If you are shooting at home, have the baby on a large pillow, or group of pillows, & low to the ground
b. Have a spotter for the baby - this can be a parent or a photography assistant. You will be checking the camera & equipment at times and someone needs to watch the baby at all times.
c. A small space heater placed a few feet from the baby will accomplish 2 things: 1) keep the baby warm during the shoot, 2) provide a source for soothing white noise to calm the baby.



2. Download an app for your phone that plays "womb sounds or heartbeats". This will relax the baby and reduce it's stress level.



3. If you can place the baby close to a large window, this will provide a nice soft, natural light source to back light the baby. Then use the LED or a reflector to fill in any shadows.



4. A constant LED light would be good for fill light. Flashes can be used with a softbox on low settings. The flash "may" startle the baby. Constant light sources are preferred.



5. You probably will want to bounce it off a card or through an umbrella to soften it. (make sure the umbrella is well secured).



6. Watch some YouTube videos that show how to "swaddle"/wrap a baby. This may be with a cheesecloth material or just a soft blanket.



7. Do some pre-shoot research to look at poses that you may want to place the baby in, take time to figure out how they positioned the baby so you don't have to work it out "on the fly"



8. Also plan some poses with the parents so they can get directly involved and not just be spectators.



9. Be patient, babies have their own schedule & temperament. Arrange to have the shoot after a feeding & diaper change so the baby will be comfortable.

Best of Luck.
Dave