Noumea
I have the immense pleasure in announcing to you the birth of our daughter, Ozalee, born on the 3rd May 2020 at 4:55 p.m.
I apologies for the lack of content lately but as you now know, my attention was elsewhere. Mother and baby are doing great and arrived home from the clinic yesterday. The beginning of a new chapter in my life and I’m very excited about it. Anyway, I won’t go all gaga on you, suffice to say I’m on cloud 9.
I’m absolutely stoked about this portrait of Ozalee. Things happen quickly at birth and the baby constantly moves. Taken only an hour and a half after birth, I was praying I had gotten the shot. There isn’t a lot of light in the delivery room so I used a high ISO (3200). Aperture was wide open (ƒ/2.8) to let in as much light as possible and shutter speed (1/160th) at least twice that of my focal length (64 mm) to make sure I freeze the moment. I used AF-C (continuous auto-focus) to nail the focus every time. OK, I missed a few times but it worked most of the time. And I got the shots because I used Hi-speed shooting to capture that crucial moment.
I can’t tell you how priceless these photos are. Unlike studio shoots where you have the time to stimulate and grab the baby’s attention to capture expressions and poses, in the delivery room you don’t have the luxury of time. You have to take advantage of every opportunity to snap as many photos as possible. There’s no second chance here. Studio photos are taken a week or more after the birth… you can do them any time. They’re beautiful and amazing too and a must for anyone who can afford to do them. But a photo of your baby seconds, minutes, hours after birth are memories you’ll cherish all your life.
Enough said, I hope everyone’s staying safe and are still using the protective measures. This thing isn’t over yet. Stay safe and cherish the moments with your loved ones.
SONY a7 III
Sony a7 III (body only) a full-frame, mirrorless camera. A great all-round camera.
TAMRON STANDARD ZOOM LENS
Tamron E 28-75 mm ƒ/2.8 Di III RXD standard zoom lens for E-mount cameras.
SONY Z SERIES BATTERY
Sony NP-FZ100 lithium-ion z series battery.
SANDISK MEMORY CARD
SanDisk Extreme Pro 128 GB SDXC memory card. Fast and reliable.
GIOTTO CLEANING KIT
Giotto cleaning kit for lenses includes a rocket blower, a dust brush, pointed and rounded tip cotton buds, a microfibre cloth and a cleaning solution.
UES CLEANING SWABS
UES cleaning swabs for full-frame sensors.