Newborn photography lens recommendations

[georgiapeach1979]

Hello! I'm an amateur who does photography as a hobby. A family member has asked me to do newborn pics of their baby in a few weeks. I have a Nikon D5000 and a 18-200 lens. Will this lens work in an indoor set-up or should I consider upgrading? And if so to what lens?

[autofocus]

Can you do it with the 18-200 lens?..I guess the short answer would be yes. Whether it would be the best option, or not is debatable. Not getting any info about your lighting options, or lack thereof is not helping, and could have an impact on the recommendations you'd get. Our lens of choice for newborn shots is our 50mm, room permitting. When parents are included in the shot, or shooting in tight quarters, we will often use our 35mm.

[Doug Sundseth]

The 18-200 is a decent lens (I use it for most of my photography because of its versatility). But it's not a fast lens. That means you need light, a high ISO, or a long exposure.

So, the answer is: it depends.

Brand-new newborns don't move quickly, so you can probably get away with a longer shutter speed than with an older child. If you know your post-processing and have the right tools, you can get away with a higher ISO than if you don't. And if the light is bright, many problems don't even arise.

If those things don't line up right, you'll want a faster lens and maybe added light of some sort.