BMW Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 The time is here. My daughter is 30 minutes from leaving the house and heading to the hospital. She'll be induced in the morning. I have a Canon EOS Rebel. I borrowed the 50 mm 1.8 lens. I have no idea what to do. In my mind and heart I want the most precious pictures. I want to be the one to capture that very special moment when she sees her son... she she gazes at him... to capture when his eyes move around hear her face... to capture those precious feet and hands... etc. I am so scared, though! I don't know what to do! I have all day until he is born, during the induction to play with my settings, without annoying my daughter. Please help me out... We'll be indoors, of course... What should I have the f-stop at? What should my shutter speed be? What can I do to try out shots? I wont have a computer to download them to in order to see how they turn out and I lost my glasses, so when I look in the viewfinder, it always looks a little blurry! I have tried shooting all afternoon with this lens and IF it turned out right, I have no idea how or why... I am about to burst into tears... and I'm not even having the baby or hormonal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamee Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Depending on the lighting, I would just shoot in P mode and shoot RAW+ Large Jpeg so as to adjust white balance easier--providing you have software to adjust. It doesn't sound like you'd be comfortable shooting in something else. The 50mm is my favorite lens, but it has a learning curve and I don't think a day is going to be enough to learn its ins and outs in terms of creative shooing with the aperture. Congratulations. Just take a ton of shots and I'm sure you'll have some magical ones in the bunch. You might have better results too, converting to black and white after the fact, very dramatic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Relax!!! Enjoy the fact that you are there. Focus on the moment. If you get the shot, GREAT!! If not, it's okay. The baby will be there tomorrow and the next day, and the next . . . You'll be able to take LOTS of pictures. If they don't turn out, hire a professional! Go to Sears. Get a couple of shots. Most of all, CONGRATULATIONS GRANDMA!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I totally agree with what everyone else has said....but you asked for sample settings, so let me help there. I don't know how much you already know or don't know about how ISO, shutter speed, and f stop play together, but here's a run down. Alright, here's the scoop. There are three things that affect how your pictures turn out. ISO: This controls how much light is let into the camera. The darker the room/area, the HIGHER your ISO needs to be. But....there's a catch. The higher your ISO goes, the grainier the picture turns out (some cameras handle high ISO's better than others). Ideally - you probably want to keep your ISO at 800 or under if you can. 400 is better yet. Aperature (f-stop): This controls two things - light into the camera and depth of field. The lower the number (ex: f/1.4), the shallower the depth of field. For example, at f/2.8, the face might be in focus, but the ears will not. But, with a lower f-stop also comes more light. So, if you're in a dark room, and you've already got your ISO up, drop your f-stop and you can gain some light that way. f/4.0 is a pretty good place to hang out unless you're doing a group or something. Shutter speed: Higher shutter speeds freeze motion better, but let in less light. In general, I try to stay above 1/125, higher if my subject is active or moving. So....what does this all mean??? In general, it means throw your camera in M mode. Take a few pictures and see how they come out. If they're too dark, raise your ISO first - if that doesn't work, try dropping your aperature (aka "opening it up"). If after your first round of shots, the pictures are too light - drop that ISO down. If you get to ISO 100 and it's still too light?? Raise your shutter speed until you get proper exposure. I would also HIGHLY recommend learning to choose your focal points. This will be especially important when you get down in the f/1.4-f/2.8 range, but even above that it's better. You always want your focal point to be in the corner of the eye closest to you. This will ensure that glassy look :) All that being said....in your situation, I would set my aperature (f stop) at f/2.5, shutter speed at 1/125, and then set my ISO at the lowest I could and still have properly exposed pictures. Keep in mind that your camera does not handle high ISO well, and would be best at 400 or lower. If I was finding myself raising to 800 or higher, I would probably drop my aperature down to f/2.0. Just remember that that is a very shallow depth of focus and will create rather dramatic photography (which I rather like for birth photography anyway :) ). Hopefully that all makes sense. If you have questions, feel free to PM me! Congrats Grandma! You must be so excited :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMW Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 Thank you!! I am going to take note of a few things, play with it a bit and see if it's comfortable... If I get frustrated, I will have my lens that the camera came with and I KNOW how to shoot with it and get my desired results for the most part... I'm taking a big breath... it'll be great... I have to give myself permission to not be the photographer that I WILL be some day.... and accept what I am presently able to do... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Fairy Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I shoot with a Rebel and a 1.8. You can do this! Like a pp said, the Rebel isn't the best in low light. From my experience you can take the ISO to 800, and the noise is fixable if you aren't underexposed. You'll get a good idea of exposure when you review your shots, so that should be easy to figure out ahead of time. Then you just have to worry about focus. Good luck, and just practice in the room as much as you can until the "big moment." Congrats, Grandma!!! :grouphug: PS Do you have your camera's manual? Bring it with you if you can! Inductions usually last all day anyway, and the manual can help you figure out your settings while you are waiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Well, gosh, Bee, I have no photography advice, but I sure am excited for you!!! A new baby that you'll have some snugglin-rights to... heavenly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Just take lots of pictures. My brother photographed most of my births, a friend of the family, a Sis-IL and my dd photographed some other family members' births and what we found was that if you take enough pictures you will get some good ones and the great ones all turn out to be candids. Congratulations on the grandbaby. Extra advice: be sure to eat, drink and get plenty of sleep yourself plus continue to take any meds you normally take both before you get to the hospital and especially if you are there overnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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