Capturing a birth

[craig_gillette]

<p>"Job 1" for the dad or birth assistant (whatever we call him/her these days) is taking care of the mother. Even with a "normal" birth experience, there's just a lot going on and things can be exciting, busy, stressful, etc., etc. You may not have time or space to be up close and personal with a camera. Without going into much detail, when my older daughter was born, my wife was pulling one arm across my body as the MD (for her own ease of sitting) had squirmed her out of position to hold the bed handles and had me reaching across with the other hand to move the overhead light around so she could see.</p>

<p>A few well chosen pictures are fine, video, well, naw, probably not a lot of demand for shared viewing.</p>

[robert_ades1]

<p>Believe me, my wife wishes will definitely come first, esepcially in labor and delivery. <br>

FWIW, what I'm really interested in photographing is the baby after it comes out, or the baby and mother bonding for the first time. If I have a chance to get anything else and it doesn't intrude or distract, I'd like to do so if possible.</p>

[lizard]

<p>My husband took photos all through the birth of our daughter 18 years ago with a point & shoot. The doctor kept the room quite dark and had a bright light right where he was "working", plus they kept a sheet over all of me except the baby, so in the photos the only thing visible is the baby and the doctor's hands. I don't know how normal it is to do it this way, but it worked great for photos.</p>

[mikal_grass]

<p>I shot the births of both of my children with a Leica M6 TTL, but no flash. The lens was the 50/1.4 summilux or the CV 28/1.9. I used Fuji Neopan 1600 at 1600. The lens was mostly left at 1.4 - 2.0. <br>

Attached is a photo of three nurses standing around my wife right before the real action began. <br>

During the birth of my first child, I dropped my wife's right leg twice, so I could get my camera. The doctor thought it was pretty funny. Anyway, I missed taking photos of the birth, which I don't regret at all. There are plenty of opportunities to take pictures immediately after the birth, while they are cleaning up the baby.<br>

The hospital where my wife delivered did not permit video cameras in the delivery room. I think the doctors are worried about having "malpractice" caught on camera if something goes wrong during the delivery.<br>

Enjoy. Man, there is nothing like having a baby in the house!</p>

<p>Mikal</p>

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[tomorrows_memories]

<p>Having given birth twice (the first time taking 28 hours), I can state unequivocably that I would most likely use the camera strap to strangle anyone bringing a camera into the delivery room. I don't want to mention what I would do with the lens... :)<br>

Please make sure your wife is completely comfortable with this. I love photos after delivery but not during. At that time you need to be focused on supporting her. Best wishes and congratulations.</p>

<p>Glenda</p>

 

[tomorrows_memories]

<p>PS - When my oldest graduated high school, I put together a powerpoint of pictures taken shortly after birth all the way through graduation day. At our small school, each senior has a table set up with mementos of growing up. I played the presentation in a continuous loop on a laptop through out the reception. Everyone loved it.</p>

[sulka]

<p>Gratz!<br>

Reiterating above answers from experience: support first, photography second. Be mentally prepared that you won't take a single shot during the birth, as the action can be intense. I only ended up getting post-birth shots myself, but I'm very happy with the shots, and do remember everything to a level of detail I wouldn't have expected, so no photographic remembrances are really needed. There simply wasn't any moment during the birth itself that presented the opportunity for photography, as I was needed for the more important support duty.<br>

For the post-birth documentation, I would suggest you consider the 5D mark II. I'm finding it's the perfect tool, as I can get the still shots, as well as video when needed. While stills are good for capturing the moment, video has it's place as well, as you will want to have audio capture of some moments too. Photo caption stating your kid is saying his first word isn't quite the same as actually hearing it.</p>

[silverfox]

<p>I personaly would pay more attention to the still images, i think they are more powerful than video in my opinion. I took my D200 along to the birth of my twins last December with a 28mm nikkor prime lens.<br>

I must admit i found it difficult to hold the camera steady, compose the images e.t.c. due to emotions running high and all the theatre staff that were present.<br>

I would use the fastest lens you have suitable for portraits and keep it quite wide, as you will be up close and it is good to capture all the action. My wife had a C sec so i was positioned at her head so any inapropriate shots were avoided.<br>

I cant comment on the movie capability of any camera asi havent used them. I have had 20D in the past and i thought it was a cracking camera.<br>

Anyway good luck and congratulations.</p><div></div>

[ben_quinn1]

<p>I just bought a G10 for the birth of my son (second child) nect month, ISO performance is terrible, but I thinks its a good compromise. I would not take in a DSLR it will get in the way and will just be too much of an intrusion and they are noisy. For my first child one of the medical staff took my camera and took photos for me, he got some excellent images with my canon P&S - remarkable. He must have had a lot of experience. I also got some video with it. For us it was a c-section so was slightly different. I do treasure the photos and the video but I'm glad I did not get obsessed with it and bring in a lot of equipment.</p>

[robert_ades1]

<p>Ben, I'm thinking of packing an LX-3. It's totally quiet, a backs up to 24mm at F2.0.</p>

<p>Martyn, that's a wonderful shot; the reason I want a camera there.</p>

[egoldstein]

<p>I've taken photos of both of my children's deliveries. A few of the photos would be not the kind to display publicly but do capture some rather raw emotio. It was before digital so it was film. I would use the camera you are most comfortable with and set it to fully automatic. This is not the time to be experimenting with new equipment or techniques. <br>

That said, even if you get the 5D unless you have a lot of time to master it so that you can use it without thinking about it, you may still want to use the 20D due to your comfort level with it.</p>

[vonzo1974]

<p>Hi Robert, Congratulations on your first born, at least that's what I gather from reading here. My experience was holding my wife's right leg up in the air b/c she had an epidural and I guess the docs wanted me to be a part of the action. I was so wrapped up in the moment that I wouldn't have been able to photo or film it. To be honest it's one of the few, very few, times in my life that I can replay in my mind as if it were on video. Personally I would go with one of the following. 1) Have someone do it for you like you did for your friend. 2) Pics before and directly after with your 20d. 3) Video on a tripod sans the crowning shot. This will be an amazing moment in your life and doesn't need to be preserved on video for you or your wife so I would nix #3 unless you think your child will want to see it. High quality photos would've been nice for my son, but as I said each and every frame is ingrained in my mind. Having siad that make sure you enjoy the moment and don't worry about focal length, aperture, etc. Good luck and God bless, Jason</p>

[robert_ades1]

<p>I thought I'd follow up.<br>

My daughter Lauren was born on 3/20/09. I had a Panasonic LX3 on order, or rather, back order, for months and I got tired of waiting. <br>

Running out of time, I noticed that Adorama was selling refurbished Canon 5Ds for $1,399 and I snapped one up. I wanted one of these for years and the opportunity was right.<br>

It was a good move, as I kept it as out of the way as possible. I'm glad I went in this direction -- the quality of the pictures I got of my newborn's first four days of life is really great.</p><div></div>

[William Michael]

<p>Congratulations. <br>

<br>

A long and healthy life for Lauren<br>

<br>

***<br>

<br>

My guess: 24 to 105, at about 24mm on your newly acquired 5D? . . . and ISO1600? . . . pretty smooth combination, isn't it?<br>

<br>

WW </p>

 

[robert_ades1]

<p>Actually, I shot all the birthing sequences with a borrowed 17-40L, which really came in handy. I wanted to catch the environment at 17mm, and I knew at 40 would suffice for closeups . This one was taken by the anesthesiologist, so I'm not sure what focal length was used.<br>

You're correct, this was taken at ISO 1600. Incredibly subtle noise, I must say.<br>

I have to acknowledge those who recommended smaller gear. Had my wife gone through with a vaginal delivery, she would have rammed that camera right up my a## if I'd used it.<br>

Lauren is a doll (isn't everyone's newborn?). I'm just getting used to parenthood.</p>

[William Michael]

<p>:) Cheers, best, WW</p>