brambor Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 Travis. Congrats. Now to the delivery question. I've gone through it twice with my wife. Just to make you feel better: being in a delivery room with my wife is similar to being tied down and seeing my best friend tied being tortured while you can't do anything about it. Delivery; it's a miracle, allright! Now your honey will need your help. Holding hand, and giving her ice cubes along the way while staying positive and strong will really help her a lot. Taking pictures during this process is not a good idea. After the baby comes out, however, I think it's quite all right to photograph (if you haven't passed out by then). Everyone is relieved and happy and the situation is appropriate IMHO. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglas k. Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 I'm going to disagree with some other posters: the lighting may or may not be bright enough for ISO400; when my daugher was born I used TMZ @ 2000 with fast lenses to avoid using flash, and barely made it in terms of shutter speeds and apertures. I did photograph right up to the birth -- I have one shot of my daughter "crowning," and a shot just as the doctor got her out. And I would recommend a single camera with a single lens so that you can concentrate on the event. My wife was so accustomed to my photography that it didn't bother her in the least to have me taking pics. With that said, there are some shots that I really can't show people, for obvious reasons, but I am glad to have them. Good luck, Travis...Will this be your first? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben z Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 When our son was born his maternal great-grandparents were in their nineties and my father was in his seventies and not well, none of them could come to the hospital as they would have wanted to. So I took a Polaroid SX-70, and although I was not in the delivery room I snapped two shots of him right after they'd cleaned him up. As soon as my wife fell asleep (she'd been in labor about 26 hours) I got in the car and gave one polaroid to her grandparents and the other to my parents, so they could "see" the new baby right away. There were no 1-hour labs open on Sunday in my town back then, that was 23 years ago. True I have no negatives but the Polaroids have not faded and I could scan them today if I want. My mother still has hers in an album, and we have the one my wife's grandparents had. Today, I might find a 1-hr lab open, but I believe given the same circumstances I'd use a digital so that I could e-mail pictures to out of town relatives and friends right away. I might bring my MP and the 50 Lux with a roll of high-speed b&w too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete1 Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 Bring a check book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_kaplan1 Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 Having a couple of bodies loaded up meant 72 pix without having to reload. Those B&W negatives are still just fine after 28 years. Now Jonathan is married, owns a Leica CL with 40 and 90mm lenses, and is custodian of the old family pictures including a portrait of my great, great grandparents on my dad's side from the late 1800's. Correctly processed B&W has staying power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary_jassmann Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 Congrats. I went through this three months ago. I brought a whole bunch of stuff, but wound up just using a canon s50. I recommend your canon A75. Put it on the "P" and fire away. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark-j Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 Congratulations Travis and spouse. I tried this with our last child (#8), and all went well initially. I got some nice shots of my wife and the doctors. 30 seconds after birth all &*#$% broke loose. The camera was forgotten, as were all thoughts of what to do next. GET OUT OF THE WAY. Generally things are nice and smooth. Use one body, one lens, one film, no flash. Load a fresh roll just before the delivery, don't attempt to get the last few frames on the roll. Use 36 exposure rolls. Your camera is the intruder in this environment, please, keep this in mind. Best of luck. Mark J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary_woodard Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 I shot my son being evicted cesarian section with a Nikon F3 and 50mm 1.8. Black and white, if you get it right it will be the most memorable shot of your life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msitaraman Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 I took my M6 for both our kids. Worked well with 400 ASA film and a 50mm for a few pix of the baby, when she was all clean and bundled up. The visual memories have remained far more detailed and vivid than I ever thought they could be, though...None of the pictures comes close in that regard, though they are sweet to have and look at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
streetshooter Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 1DMkII 20mm f1.8 lens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
streetshooter Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 PS Congrats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WM Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Congrats Travis ! Enjoy the moment, and like many said, keep the shooting to the least intrusive way possible, as at that moment, it may well be the least important thing of all. But do take some photos to capture the moments of course ! The miracle of life ! All the best..........I have the same to look forward to in August. I'd go woth an RF and also an autofocus digital, for moments when light gets low and zone focusing might get tough with the RF. But definitely a backup cam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtdnyc Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 So far, everyone has answered from the point of view of the father, the doctor, or the professional photographer. I don't think anyone has answered from the point of view of the mother, and I can't help you there. But I can help you from an unusual perspective: that of the baby. When I was born, 50 years ago, I don't think anyone except medical photographers or the occasional photojournalist photographed births. Most births were simply not documented in pictures. Expectant fathers, in the movies and real life, paced outside in the waiting room. But not in my case. I was born a few weeks prematurely, with minimal labor. Basically, I popped out during dinner, no doctor present. I was delivered by my father. He was a New York City cop, but had never received any training in delivering a baby, had never done it before and, as it turned out, never had occasion to do it again. He tied my umbilical cord with a piece of string. After being born, I was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. The doctors refused to place me in the baby ward because I hadn't been born under sterile conditions. Several New York newspapers, apparently aware of the dispatch of an ambulance to pick up a baby delivered by a cop, sent reporters. The fact that the cop turned out to be a WW II veteran, and the baby was his own son, made it a natural tabloid story. And the Daily News sent a photographer. To this day, my mother carries in her pocketbook a story clipped from the News headlined "Iwo Jima to Stork's Aid A Mere Cinch." (Gotta love those headline writers.) Next to the story is a large photograph of her cradling me in her arms, taken, I presume, shortly after we arrived at the hospital. So, Travis, to answer your question: if you want a picture that your family will treasure forever, hire a guy with a Speed Graphic and make sure he wears a fedora. Then just sit back and enjoy the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug_landrum Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Congratulation Travis. You remind me that I had only one shot at this kind of shoot. My son is 18 years old and a senior in high school. There are three pointers that I have for you. First, take some good equipment that goes full idiot and takes acceptable shots. Eighteen years ago, I used a Canon T-90,Canon dedicated T-90 flash and a 50mm f/1.8 FD lens and basic print film. That was before M6, R6, R7 and a whole bunch of Leica lenses. I used green, green green. I just went idiot, focused and shot. I still love the snaps. Second, prepare for a scrub. Think it out. If you were a surgeon, what do you do to get sterile. My wife needed an unplanned Cesarian section. I was allowed into the operating theater because the surgeons were amazed watching me get ready and sterile that I did it right. Now I have pictures of innards that nobody wants to see. Third, look at your child and bond as soon as you can. My son is the same kid that popped out 18 years ago. There is something about the first few minutes after birth that you can see in your kid forever. All the best. Fatherhood is so blessed. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maik Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Hi Travis and congratulations! wow, not a single off-topic or provoking post so far. So congratulations to all. I'll join in with the others that wrote don't bring a camera to the OR for the delivery. Help your wife, she will be grateful for that and be prepared to be experience your wife like you have never before. Wait until the stress is over (maybe one hour) and then take some pictures of your wife and the baby. Be sure to give your wife a few minutes to make herself ready to be photographed, she'll appreciate that later. I waited until we were taken from the OR to our room and then took some pictures there. I had a single body with 35mmm lens and some fast B/W film and that just worked fine. Hope everything goes well, good luck! Maik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_p._schorsch Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 What gear? I would go with a large forceps. Oh don't forget to boil water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony_brookes5 Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Hope everything goes well but I wouldn't take a camera with me. I've been there four times and it is not a time for photographs especially if a problem arises. Enjoy the occasion and support your wife. My personal view is that you will belittle the occasion by taking a camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r.m. Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Travis, how exciting!! I have to agree to a certain extent that you may wish to be more focused on the experience of your daughter's birth than worrying about angles, lights & lenses. Your wife may want and need you by her side. It's a very emotional experience, to say the least. My husband brought a camera into the delivery room when Meredith was born and never even picked it up until after she had been delivered, checked & cleaned. I have an incredible shot of her screaming while the nurse held her head up for the photo. It is one of my absolute favorites! I feel so lucky to have it. Whatever you decide to do, best wishes to you and your wife! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r.m. Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Are you having a daughter? I don't know what possessed me to presume that??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_elwing Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 One camera, M Leica, one lens, probably 35/f2 or faster, although I use 50, Fuji 800/36exp colourneg, with one colour correcting filter (80A?)if necessary; otherwise consistently overexpose to get saturation. Could carry one other lens in your pocket 50 or 28 and another roll of film for luck. Taking too many pics is just a sign that you are being useless. If the staff encourage you to take lots of pics it means they think you are being useless and are trying to distract you. Just kidding. Never got pics of my children; wasn't into photography then, but took enough of grandchildren being born. My daughter did appreciate them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce_rubenstein Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Congrats! I've done this twice. Both times with a single body and a 50mm lens. A wide angle would come in handy for some shots. I didn't even bring a flash, because it could be fery distracting for the staff, in my opinion. It's not an assignment shoot, it's better not to be moving all over for the perfect shot and you don't want to experience the whole thing through a viewfinder. A roll of film was all I needed. This is one of the shots of my younger son.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brett_davis1 Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 I recently took pictures of the birth of my niece; I took only a Nikon N70 (very quiet) and a 50mm, manual-focus lens. 400 ASA film, No flash. The shots turned out great. I didn't shoot the actual birth process, respecting the wishes of the mother, but took several rolls once the new arrival arrived! My brother-in-law had a digital and my wife used that some, with flash. Didn't seem to bother the baby at all. She had lots of new things to attend to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_stevens3 Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 Good shoes or sneakers. Lots of pacing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travis1 Posted March 15, 2005 Author Share Posted March 15, 2005 first child- girl: thanks for the wonderful thread and stories: god bless you all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger_michel Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 nikon fm3a with 50mm f1.2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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