Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda
Username  

  New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site
  New Feature: SMS Notification alert
  New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist
  

FM Forums | Nikon Forum | Join Upload & Sell

1
       2       end
  

Archive 2015 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?

  
 
cbbr
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


So this is something just a bit outside of my normal - I will be shooting a very special newborn in about 6 weeks. Indoors with a full trunk studio lights available. I have a fairly complete set of glass, but I'm looking for magic... I may already have it in the bag, but like I said, its not my normal. The "normal bag" is a D600 / 24-70 / 70-200 / 105DC / 50 & 85 1.8G.

What do those of you that shoot people, especially newborns shoot and why?



May 11, 2015 at 09:23 AM
Paul_K
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


IMO getting a picture that is 'magic' of a small child/newborn has nothing to do with the equipment you use.

Common sense dictates that you should not use hard light (simply doesn't work with a baby) and you'll need to shoot with a slightly longer lens (shoving a lens/camera real close in a newborns face will without a doubt frighten it, possibly causing it to break in a bawling session), but that's IMO about all the technical advise that can be given beforehand. And keep the studio nice and warm, babies don't like cold either.

Much more important is how you shoot, like e.g. high standpoint vs eyelevel.
Or expecting you can 'direct' the baby in a pose vs patiently waiting for the special split second and capturing it.

In my experience even babies as young as you mention may not be able to grasp or pay any attention to instructions or directions, but are conscious to sounds, movement/light around them and react to those impulses. Those glimpses of consciousness will create the split second moments that when captured in a picture may be seen as something special. But you'll need to be patient, shoot fast , and a lot,

http://www.pbase.com/paul_k/image/124186566

http://www.pbase.com/paul_k/image/124186573

Of course you can try to emulate or imitate the 'Anne Gedes' style which by some is considered 'magic'. There definitely is a market for that, and is therefor often enough imitated by other photographers , even if some - like me - think it the ultimate sugarcoated kitsch around



May 11, 2015 at 09:54 AM
Chris Dees
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


Besides all the advice from Paul there's (IMHO) only one lens comes in mind; 58/1.4
There's a thread about this lens.



May 11, 2015 at 10:21 AM
T_Gordon
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


Chris Dees wrote:
Besides all the advice from Paul there's (IMHO) only one lens comes in mind; 58/1.4
There's a thread about this lens.


This lens isn't what everyone thinks it's cracked up to be... there's certain situations this very special lens is best for; but, in nearly every situation, it's not very good (Yes I have one).

If you aren't limited by space the 85mm f1.4G does a much better job at catching critical captures when you don't have time for many tries to get it right and I've also seen some spectacular newborn shots with the Sigma 35mm ART.

Paul has said probably all there is to say about setting things up for a great shot. If you haven't already, I'd search the People Photography forum on here as well as flikr and places to get a feel for what you have in mind. There's a lot of great ideas out there!



May 11, 2015 at 10:41 AM
Jason_Brook
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


Posed newborn shots are going to be done stopped down more than likely, so it's a who cares.

I'm not much of a newborn photographer (I didn't do any posed stuff with my own daughter, but plan to with #2). I did this for a friend with the Sig 35/1.4

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7407/12804276514_a05a9aaac5_c.jpg



May 11, 2015 at 11:07 AM
KaBudokan
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


I've always tended to use my 24-70 or sometimes a 50 1.4. I also almost always have a macro in the bag to get close ups of the details. In my experience (which is some, not a ton), newborns don't care about "having a lens stuffed in their face" - they're not conscious enough of what is going on around them.

To do poses, try to arrange to photograph the baby at the sleepiest time - find out when she normally naps (if on a schedule) and ask the mom to feed her not long before that. If you can get the baby really knocked out, then you can get some of the "poses."

If the baby won't sleep right away, go for the candid shots of parents holding her, rocking, her, etc.



May 11, 2015 at 12:15 PM
low325
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


i think most importantly when shooting newborns than lenses is having ample amounts of natural light.

cause youre either going to stop down to get one of those creative full body shots or you wil' be wide open and trying to make the image so dreamy and soft like a baby's butt.



May 11, 2015 at 12:15 PM
nextelbuddy
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


i use the sigma 35 1.4 and sigma 50 1.4 for newborn sessions pretty much exclusively. the 58 1.4G is glued to my cameras 99% of the time for outdoor environmental but when newborns, the framing that I prefer would put me near MFD with the 58 which would give me soft in focus images and that's not my style preferably.

i'll post some images below and what lens was used as well.

hopefully this gives you an idea on focal length and results.

1. Sigma 50 NON Art

DSC_0007 by Shawn Robertson, on Flickr

2. sigma 35 1.4

DSC_0008 by Shawn Robertson, on Flickr

3. sigma 35 1.4

DSC_0190 by Shawn Robertson, on Flickr

4. sigma 35 1.4

DSC_0054 by Shawn Robertson, on Flickr

5. SIgma 35 1.4

2014-07-19_0017 by Shawn Robertson, on Flickr

6. Sigma 35 1.4

2015-03-06_0004 by Shawn Robertson, on Flickr

7. Sigma 50 1.4 ART

2015-03-06_0006 by Shawn Robertson, on Flickr

8. Sigma 35 1.4

2015-05-11_0001 by Shawn Robertson, on Flickr

9. Sigma 50 1.4 Art

2015-05-11_0004 by Shawn Robertson, on Flickr


















May 11, 2015 at 01:09 PM
cbbr
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


Thank you all for the great advice. And Shawn - Wow! as usual. There is a Sigma 50 for sale locally cheap that I may go take a look at (although I will likely still never make it sing like you do). You using strobes for those, or all natural light?




May 11, 2015 at 01:30 PM
nextelbuddy
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


1, 2, 3 & 5 were natural light and the rest were AB400 with a 20x30" fotodiox softbox


May 11, 2015 at 01:44 PM
cbbr
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


Thanks! My plan is to use the AB's modeling lights as "hot" lights with large softboxes as much as possible since the tree cover will kill most of the natural light at the house where we are shooting. Of course they can be triggered as needed also.


May 11, 2015 at 01:56 PM
Access
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


Found this link through google, most of it is pretty good advice.
http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=2091954&seqNum=6



May 11, 2015 at 03:44 PM
cbbr
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


Access wrote:
Found this link through google, most of it is pretty good advice.
http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=2091954&seqNum=6


Thanks!




May 12, 2015 at 08:45 AM
NYCPhotog
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


nextelbuddy wrote:
i use the sigma 35 1.4 and sigma 50 1.4 for newborn sessions pretty much exclusively. the 58 1.4G is glued to my cameras 99% of the time for outdoor environmental but when newborns, the framing that I prefer would put me near MFD with the 58 which would give me soft in focus images and that's not my style preferably.

i'll post some images below and what lens was used as well.

hopefully this gives you an idea on focal length and results.

1. Sigma 50 NON Art

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5498/10575592395_58d98cd31b_b.jpgDSC_0007 by Shawn Robertson, on Flickr

2. sigma 35 1.4

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3745/12063310195_cbfebe2236_b.jpgDSC_0008 by Shawn Robertson, on Flickr

3. sigma
...Show more

Shawn, what was the propping up/setup inside the bucket for the last shot?



May 13, 2015 at 09:24 AM
nextelbuddy
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


in side the bucket on the very bottom I have small weights so it wont tip over and then I have layers of soft cloth. I keep adding more cloth until the baby props up where i like.I have small blanket kind of lining the inside of the bucket too so its not cold against the baby skin.


May 13, 2015 at 11:57 AM
chuhsi1
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


i also wouldn't use a 58mm 1.4. you have to get close and the lens isn't sharp enough in my opinion when shooting up close. i like using a 70-200 for most shots and a macro to capture detail like fingers and toes.


May 13, 2015 at 12:52 PM
cbbr
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


Thanks - I picked up an older Sigma 50 today for that. I'll likely never get the results that Shawn does, but its pretty sharp. I will have several opportunities to use it before I "need" it, and its a great lens, especially for the money. I shot a couple of handheld shots on my porch just to make sure -

http://www.brberrys.com/photos/i-RH4dHNC/0/XL/i-RH4dHNC-XL.jpg



May 13, 2015 at 09:40 PM
Two23
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


For me, babies are all about softness. I'm thinking of a Petzval, or or a Helios. I have a vintage 1922 Heliar lens (uncoated) that is very "creamy" and low contrast, but it's for 4x5.


Kent in SD



May 13, 2015 at 10:49 PM
cambyses
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


You won't regret having Sigma 50 ART for newborn shots. Our own 2nd son was born few days ago, and all our shots so far have been with either Sigma 50 ART or Nikon 58/1.4. The issue with using 58/1.4 on newborns is that one tends to shoot at MFD with the baby's face being off center, and 58/1.4 does not exactly shine in this situation, though newborn shots don't need to be critically sharp, IMO.

Here are some sample shots, the first two with 58/1.4G, and the other three with Sigma 50 ART:








1.






2.






3.






4.






5.




May 13, 2015 at 11:48 PM
fetopher
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · "Magic" Lens for newborn shoot?


I use the Sigma 35mm Art and Sigma 50mm Art for newborn sessions. Perfect pair for the job.

2015-03-04-_D819776-Edit by Chris Fenison, on Flickr

2015-03-04-_D819723-Edit by Chris Fenison, on Flickr

2014-11-18-_D810583-Edit by Chris Fenison, on Flickr



May 14, 2015 at 12:29 AM
1
       2       end




FM Forums | Nikon Forum | Join Upload & Sell

1
       2       end
    
 

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username       Or Reset password



This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.