Settings for newborn & Northern lights

Padgette

Hoping to get helpful info on shooting pictures for a newborn indoors. I live in Alaska so natural sunlight is limited during the winter with 23 hours of darkness! I would also like best settings for the northern lights up here. I just purchased a Nikon D3200 and I hope to improve my photos!

ohyeahar

Newborns don’t tend to move much or very fast. So for now, you’ll probably be ok with using relatively slow shutter speeds like 1/60. Bump that speed up as your child grows and moves faster. I used to photograph my son at 1/125 when he first started to walk. Now I need to use at least 1/250 to keep up with him!

Take advantage of this time when your child is pretty much asleep ALL the time. You’ll be able to pose him/her however you want. Be creative but of course, exercise caution. Safety first!

Take close-ups. Those tend to turn out really nice. Hands or feet often work very well.

Try not to shoot down at your child. Get down to his/her level for a more intimate looking shot. For example, imagine these 2 shots:
Shot 1: Child is sleeping face up. Shot is taken from above.
Shot 2: Child is sleeping on his/her side. Shot is taken where the camera is level with the surface of the bed.

Not sure what else I can suggest other than to follow the general guidelines for low-light no flash shooting.

In terms of gear, if you don’t have one already, then you should get a fast normal prime lens.
35mm f/1.8G DX
50mm f/1.8G
Get either one or both. These are among the best bang for buck lenses available. You get a 3-stop advantage over your 18-55mm kit lens making it perfect for shooting in low-light without flash.