DIY Birth Photography tips and tricks.
Since the first time I saw a beautiful black and white photo of a minutes old baby in her mother’s arms I fell in love with birth photography. Some of the most gorgeous photos I have ever seen are from some very skilled photographers documenting a little ones entrance into the world.
So when I found out I was pregnant with my first child I was adamant that I hire someone to be with us during delivery. I hired an amazingly talented woman and could not be more happy with that choice.
I wished that I could have hired her a second time, when I had my daughter, but after 12 long weeks on bed rest and hospital bills stacking up it wasn’t in the cards for us. The thought though, of having no photos of my sweet girl moments after arriving in the world made me sad.
You may be in the same position.
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DIY Birth Photography
In order to follow these tips I’ve listed here you will need a couple of things. First of all is a camera, as you probably know, but not any camera, you really need a DSLR. I have a Canon 60D and even though it comes with a hefty price tag, it will be working for you for years to come documenting all your babies milestones.
The lens that we used for these photos was a 50mm f/1.8.
Camera Settings
- The portrait setting will use the pop up flash and have horrible results, and the manual setting requires a lesson that you nor your spouse have the patience to sit through. So, you will go with AV mode.
- Set the aperture to 2.8 (small enough for some depth of field but large enough that you don’t have to be spot on in order for things to be in focus)
- The shutter speed will be automatically chosen since you are on AV mode, so no worries with that.
- ISO should be set pretty high so I would use 1600 or more.
What To Photograph
Things: Monitors, clock, signs, room numbers, IV/IV bags, etc.
Ease The Burden
- Remind him of the goal, which is to capture moments, not take magazine-worthy portraits. Nothing else matters but having lots of pictures of your precious new babe. Do not worry about the quality here.
- You’re can edit everything in the end, so things like lighting and color can be fixed later. Photoshop Elements is a great, inexpensive software that works amazing.
A Final Word
The motto for picture taking is this: You can delete what you don’t want, you can’t, however, go back and retake the picture. The moments pass quickly. Don’t worry about perfection.
Liz is a just a mom trying to keep it real about how little she sleeps, how often she gets puked on and how much she loves them. You can find her here every day writing about real-mom moments.
Awesome post! I need a better camera….
Beautiful pics. I’ll have to have hubby take some when we have another kiddo.
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So dad gets to be in none of the pictures? He is just as much a part of the process as mom.
Amen! While these are beautiful moments, I feel like a big piece of the story is missing. 🙁
I am so sad for this baby that she has no pictures of her daddy’s face as he meets his daughter for the first time, as he cuts the cord, cries with joy, follows her to the warmer and comforts her with his voice, and announces to the anxious family members in the waiting room the fabulous news that they have a beautiful, healthy baby girl. Those are some of THE most important pictures — the pictures with Daddy are JUST AS IMPORTANT as those with Mommy. Ina Gaskin, a world-renowned birth expert, says in her book Birth Matters:
“I have observed (and have had several fathers report) that being the photographer of the labor and birth often has the effect of separating him from the feelings and the reality of the event. Maybe it feels safer for him at the moment, but while he may be happy to have a few photos, he oftens feels a sense of loss from having separated himself from the immediacy of this important event in his life.”
You could totally take your own wedding pictures, too!
We’re so sad for the baby? Sad for the baby. We are SAD for the baby because a loving couple want to document every little moment of the birth of their child. Wow.
So Moms, you’re just giving birth to a human. You should totally be able to photograph everything, too. You haven’t heard of multi-tasking?
My favorite picture from my last birth is the midwife hold up our baby so we could find out the sex. The looks on our faces! My husband is beaming, I’m so excited.. It’s such a beautiful moment. I’m glad that I hired a photographer. I wouldn’t have anything like that had I handed the camera to my husband and expected him to support me AND take all the photos
I certainly don’t think that having your spouse take photos is comparable to a professional birth photographer. I do think though, that if you are unable to afford one that you can still capture some very important moments on your own. I’m just telling you my story on how we did that. I would much rather have a few photos taken by my husband than to have had nothing at all, which was our (and many others) alternative.
Sher — no one expects Mom to photograph the event. That’s so ridiculous it didn’t even cross my mind someone might interpret my comments that way! I (and it seems many others here) are advocating for a professional birth photographer. And if that’s truly not affordable for you, I would still find someone else other than Dad to hold the camera. He deserves a birth experience, too. And if he’s having to play photographer, he’s removing himself from the immediacy of the event, not able to savor the joy or really BE with his wife and newborn baby. And that, to me, is sad. And yes, I’m still sad for the baby that she has no pictures of her daddy’s face as he meets her.
I suppose you feel bad for almost every baby then, including yourself, since the majority of people do not hire someone and this service is relatively new. My husband was very much a part of the birth and his experience was not lacking just because he had a camera draped around his neck and snapped a few photos. You’ll notice if you read the post that I did hire a photographer with my first child and said it was a great decision. Since you are a photographer you feel the need to protect your craft and I understand that, but in no way am I comparing the two or disregarding birth photographers. You can stop feeling sorry for my daughter and move along now.
I agree with what you said. Especially having a c-section. You can’t have a photographer come in. My husband and my 2nd person (mom, sister, whoever it is) take pictures. It’s great. My guans has gotten some really great pictures and he felt great to be a part of it in that way. Seeing it up close and personal. Don’t let the bad comments get to you.
Sorry, Husband not guans
Good article. For editing purposes I suggest Lightroom over elements any day though.
Don’t think the camera itself matters really, as long as you can take raw pictures ?
Just my two cents 🙂
Thanks for posting this! With all of the expenses that come along with a baby, I too can’t work a professional photographer into the budget. This is also helpful for people who haven’t established a relationship with a photographer don’t feel comfortable having a stranger in the room. Your photos are lovely and I greatly appreciate the tips!
I have a Nikon DX and tried using the settings you suggested and if I zoom in at all everything is blurry. What do I do?
Some of the comments on here are ridiculous. Your husband did an amazing job of capturing your new baby and that in no way should make people feel “sad” because your daughter doesn’t have a lot of pictures with him. If anything, your daughter will know that her dad went above and beyond with out being a professional to document these moments for your family. That is special!