A very good friend of mine is pregnant with twins due out in a couple months...she has asked me to photograph her birth! I am excited but a little nervous as well. I have shot a lot of newborns, but this is really different I think. I am not sure what to expect (except a long day or night from start to finish ) not sure about what to expect timing and lighting wise, and I want the photos to still be "pretty" and not have the hospital too prominent (short DOF?) not sure if flash is allowed or if it would be really annoying? I really want to make special images for her , as I know they will be the first photos of her with the babies....Anyone shot a birth and have any insights or examples for me? All help and suggestions welcome.

thanks,
Kate

Rent a Canon 1D series body.... they're weather sealed

I have some stunning images of my daughter's birth. I thought at first that flash would annoy me, but to be honest, I didn't even notice it. I asked my photographer after the fact if she had used flash and she said she was worried she was using it too much!

I'd ask the mother and hospital staff what they prefer and then go from there...

OMG! Haha... Yep, could very well be needed.

Honestly, Kate, making a birth "pretty" is quite as feat. Pretty it is not. But giving your friend special images that she will treasure, you betcha!

I echo Rees' suggestion to ask your friend if she prefers that you not use flash. If she doesn't care, great! But be prepared to discontinue the use of your flash if she does become annoyed by it. I did not use flash for the births I've shot; I just shot at higher ISOs. Hospital rooms don't usually have the best light, but when it comes time to deliver, they do usually turn on a very bright light right over mom's bed. So bright, in fact, that it leaves pretty deep shadows in areas beyond the bed.

Certainly you need to be prepared for what could be a long day/night. You might arrange it so that your friend calls you up to the hospital once they know for certain she is in active labor (of course, active labor can be loooong). Pack some snacks and then head up there prepared to hang out and document things as they happen. Look for those sweet moments between friend and friend's hubby (and other family memebers friends) as they comfort/encourage her. Look for the details such as the baby moniter strapped to her tummy, the machine recording babies' heartbeats and her contractions, the itty bitty outfits waiting for their new owners to wear them home, etc.

Oh, and it gets quite busy down at the end of the bed once baby (babies!) actually emerge, so if you want a good shot of the new little ones as they hold them up and possibly place them on mom's tummy, I've found that it's generally best to stand up by mom's head.

I do have one birth story posted on my website at www.melanieswanphoto.com It is the last of my galleries, labeled "The Allens." You're welcome to check it out.

Good luck!

thanks guys-- I know it will be a long day, especially with double the babies I do weddings so I am used to unpredictable/crappy lighting... I have a 5D and some fast lenses to use...I am hoping not to use too much flash, I will most definitely talk more about it with her and then try to talk to the facility or the doctor as well. I have been looking online and the quality of images I have seen run the gambit...I am just trying to be prepared so I can get some really nice images for her. (I know "pretty" really isn't the word...) but nice bright crisp images..a lot of which probably depends on the environment as well.

Melanie, thanks for the insights, you aliens gallery is really cute. I love the shot of the dad in bed with the mom at the end.

kate

do the bumpty bump. any more examples?

k

Steph does these quite a bit.

She uses natural light, rather than flash, and mainly "head of the bed" type shots.

Here's a few slideshows:

http://www.831photography.com/customers/JacksonSmithBirth/

http://www.831photography.com/customers/ianclark/

http://www.831photography.com/customers/lynseybrooke/

http://www.831photography.com/customers/cl...izabethpearson/

(Yes, it's the same music in many of them, sorry about that!)

Shan

NOT using flash is a HUGE deal to me. I do not want to interfere with an event this intimate and special... so I do whatever I can to keep myself out of the event.

Here are a few links...

http://www.holritzphotography.com/index.ph...nk=25&cat=4

http://www.holritzphotography.com/index.ph...k=164&cat=4

I'd love to answer any specific questions that you might have.

(I have more links, but my blog's being weird.)

Stay at the head end.

Shan and Amber thanks for posting your examples! lovely work.

I will PM you, Amber, and take you up on answering a few questions...That is the kind of images I am aspiring to capture. classic...full stories.

braeden, I will try to stay at the proper angle not to get anything graphic in the images (unless she wants it photographed)

Kate

I convert all the images to sepia to take out the blood and guts factor.

Laurie

I was thinking b&w or sepia might be the way to go for those images as well....she is a photographer too, so she will appreciate it

kate

my friend stacie pottinger does a good number of these and does them beautifully.
she's not an OSP gal, but would probably be open to a phone call or email.
she's very giving and might have some sage advice.

thanks for the link, I will definitely check it out!

kate

I don't know if you already did this shoot but I have a few things to add in since I just gave birth to twins 5 weeks ago. It's a VERY different situation than a standard single baby birth so be prepared!

I know that 50% of twins are delivered via c-section, most doctors will not deliver twins if they aren't both head down so they go for the surgery, so that is going to be a consideration. Also even if they do allow her to try to go for a natural delivery it will most likely be in an operating room. This is required by every OB I talked to while pregnant. The reason is that if baby #2 goes into distress after the birth of baby #1 they might need an emergency surgery to remove the second baby. If the babies are delivered in an OR you will most likely not be allowed in there. The only person allowed in with me was my husband.

I could ramble on forever about the ins and outs of twin birth (having just done it so recently!) but I won't bore everyone on here... feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

I free with Amber NO flash. When you have a woman doing everything possible to concentrate and get through the pain, popping a flash may really upset her. Chris and my friend took turns photographing my labor & delivery of Bella they did a BEAUTIFUL job!!!! http://www.jenstewartphotography.com/bella

wow. baby alana's story made me weep at my desk. you have such a gift for this! i was going to suggest that she check out your blog, but you beat me to it!