Birth photography with D3000 & 18-55mm lens

Hi there, a dear friend of mine has asked me to take photos of her daughter's birth. I want/need a 35mm/f1.8 to do this for a few reasons-- babies can be born FAST and I don't want to miss any good shots, the low lighting factor, the close range (I'll be standing behind her shoulders).

I live in a country where the prices for Nikon lenses are *ridiculous.* I did some price checking last night and the 35mm is literally triple the price I could get it on amazon.com. Triple!!! Not an option for me.

So, my question is: Using ONLY the D3000 and the standard lens, what do you think are my best setting/mode options?

Thanks for the advice!

That lens should have enough wide angle and telephoto range to get good shots. The draw back will be the f/3.5. The delivery room should have good lighting, they usually do. I would try to find out just what lighting you will be working with so you can be prepared. Since you are not likely to be able to do any white balance testing I would use Auto WB. The D 3000 has low noise at high ISO capabilities so you should be able to shoot in the 1250 to 2500 ISO range and still get good pictures. Aperture priority set at f/3.5 is probably your best setting. Take a few test shots before the baby arrives and make adjustments. Your next best bet is to determine if the medical center will allow flash. If they do be sure you have a fully charged set of batteries for a fast recycle.

Some additional thoughts. The close up focus distance on this lens is 11", so standing at your friends shoulder should present no problem with focusing. Another problem to look for is depth of field. At f/3.5 the depth of field will be shallow so you will want the focus point right on the baby. I would set the auto focus mode on AF-C (Continuous-servo). That way you can hold the release button half way down and the camera will continue to focus on the subject with out having to re-focus each shot. I would also use Dynamic area focusing. With these settings you can put the focus point right on the baby and that is where the camera will focus. Good luck.

Thank you, Joseph! This is exactly the kind of specific direction I need.

Someone here at work overheard me say, "I'm looking for advice on how to shoot a baby."

Made for a good laugh!

Thanks again!

BTW welcome to the Nikonites Community.