I'm just starting out with photography, will probably be getting the Nikon D5200 soon with a standard 18-55mm lens (Amazon Link).

I consider myself very proficient with Photoshop as I use it daily at work (for figures though, not photos).

My question is simple, being new to "professional quality" photography, do you think it is reasonable for me to think I can take my own newborn photos (expecting a little girl in 2 months) and get professional looking results?

I live in one of the most expensive counties in Maryland (and don't make a lot of money) and the photographers are charging $200 a session plus $50 PER PRINT with a $250 minimum on prints.

My dad took my baby pictures and I survived.

But the only way we can advise you about the quality of your work is if you post some pics. If you suck, I'm sure there's talented amateurs in your neighborhood that can do the job for cheaper than the pros.

Without getting too much on a soapbox, the quality of the photo is heavily dependent on the photographer.

I would get a decent fast lens and better still, a speedlight.  Be picky about what's in the background.

A Nikon 50mm F1.4 if you can afford it or the 50mm F1.8. The Sigma 50mm F1.4 gets great reviews. Plus a Speedlight. A reflector is good addition as well.
See just another 1000.00 over your basic kit.

Best advice I can give is take a couple of classes focused on portraits and lighting. Lessons will get you farther, faster than ANY special equipment. Knowing what your doing with the 5200 and kit lens will trump spending $10k on pro lens' and speedlights, etc.

Talent with photoshop won't substitute for a solid image.

All that said, if your desired images have very shallow depth of field, your gonna have to spring for a pro level f1.4-1.8 lens which will run you between $100 and $500ish.

Great suggestions. What do you think about the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8?

Do you think the 1.8 fstop is enough? Is there really a noticeable difference between 1.4 and 1.8?

Thanks guys, still learning

This is how I read your post:

I'm really good at eating hot dogs and Cracker Jacks and have been to the batting cages three times.

If I wore a major league uniform in a major league park with a major league bat and went up to bat against a major league pitcher with a major league slider will I get a major league hit?  

I really want a home run in a major league game, but all these major leaguers have put in years of practice and I don't want to do that and I don't want them to pinch hit for me to win the game.

Do you think I can do it?



No. You'll be lucky to get a foul tip.

The Nikon 50 f1.8 is a genuine bargain out there. Almost always very sharp it will give you a very decent shallow depth of field. The 1.4 is even more shallow but at closer distances you may not (probably won't) have even both eyes in focus. Get the 1.8.

And you may already know this but the skill level of 'pros' covers a very wide range. Take a couple of classes, work hard at studying other baby pics that you like and figure out how they were taken. They'll come out fine. But time is flying and if you seriously intend to do this, don't play around. You have a LOT of learning to do but it's doable.

You're right, I should quit and never try to learn..

What is the purpose of your post other than to point out how inexperienced I said I was from the beginning? Anything to add other than I suck at life and should never try to learn photography? I bet you're a great teacher


How about a "you should read this book" or " you could start here and learn this and then do this" instead of "you'll probably crash and burn so don't bother."

I realize I will not be a professional photographer overnight, but I think investing in a nice camera and lens, learning how to use them and then taking pictures of my own daughter is a much better investment than paying $500 for 4 "really good pictures." You obviously don't agree?

Thanks, great information. My father-in-law is a semi-pro (he is a hobbiest) and he actually has a 50mm f/1.4 link that he is going to let me borrow (and he promised to help with the photo shoot). I like what I've read about the f1/8, but I'll wait until I have enough actual experience under my belt to order one, I'll borrow his for now.

My wife and I have been looking at various poses we like, so if I can talk her into letting her father and I take the pictures, we already have a few poses to use :)


I realize I have a lot to learn, but I have a few degrees under my belt so I'd like to think I'm a quick learner! Plus, I found a great series of tutorials online that are very informative (Link to youtube playlist)

You just seem really focused on equipment. If you posted some of your work, maybe people would see that equipment is actually what's holding you back, not technique.

With a Nikon DSLR you will have the capability to capture stunning images if you use it even half way right.




















 

If you are OK with a refurb camera (my purchases all are) get it at B&H for $500: LINK

I think you will want either a flash or a fast prime as some other people have mentioned. The Nikon 35mm f/1.8 DX is a great lens. I don't have any experience with flash so I will defer to others. ETA: I saw you said you can borrow a prime. Forget what I said and get a flash then.

If you are just starting out you might enjoy this book: LINK

Once you get the camera just start taking as many pictures as you are able. Ask some questions when your having trouble either here or @ dpreview.com and you should be good to go.

The reason I'm focused on equipment is because I have almost no experience with DSLR (other than one I borrowed for a week to experiment with) and I don't own one yet. I will be ordering in the next week or so.

Notice my OP "I'm just starting out" and "I will be getting." That's code words for I know nothing

I don't want to setup myself for failure, would like to get some decent equipment and then learn how to use it.

A lot f good advice guys, I'll be sure and start a "newborn photos" thread in the next few months with some of the things I've learned. Thanks so much for everyone's advice.

D-day is September 26th.

I, as well as a bunch of people on here, point folks towards http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-Edition-Bryan-Peterson-ebook/dp/B004FEFS5E it's fantastic resource.

Cheers,
WH

So I am a decently advanced amateur. By that, I mean I HAVE been paid for some low-end photography like shooting events and things like that. But, for the most part I just enjoy photography, have taken a few classes, and work on both composition and technical aspects some.

I rarely take my kids to professionals, but not because I don't like the pictures better but because getting pictures of my kids in their "natural" environments is very important to me AND is something we do as a family event.

That said - if you are about to shoot a new camera that you are unfamiliar with, the lack of experience with the gear will hold you back some. THere is a lot going on in a digital camera, and some of it (like saturation) you can readily fix in photoshop. However, there is no substitute for getting it right in the camera. My recommendation would be to acquire said camera, and spend a lot of time learning how it works. Make sure to include different lighting situations. Photography is literally all about light - so not only do you need to learn your camera, you need to learn about light. The white balance setting is a million times more important to getting a good picture out of the camera than I ever would have guessed.

You can probably do "OK" with a new camera in program mode, but that won't be the best pictures. The best pictures are when you learn to drive the camera with respect to shutter/aperture - I always shoot in either "Aperture Priority" or "Shutter Priority" depending on the need.

Can you do it? Absolutely. But there is quite a bit to learn relatively quickly.

-shooter

I made the mistake of shooting a family member's wedding. I was woefully inept at doing so, and the pictures screamed it for me. They were fortunate that the videographer was also doing stills.

I have learned a lot since then, but have only done a single high school senior portrait session for money since the wedding. There have been a couple thousand pictures taken inbetween those events learning how to control the camera, as well as my picture composition. My daughter was born 8 months ago, and we tried doing the newborn thing at home, and the model wasn't having it. If the newborn pics are vital to you or your wife, I suggest having the assitance of someone with more experience, or saving up and paying a pro.

Everyone is speaking to the camera and lens.  BTW, that camera will do fine.  If you want to throw some additional money into glass, go for it.

However, you also need to think about PROPS.  Ever wonder what makes those little baby pictures so adorable?  It's the props.  The baskets, the backdrops, the bows, the flowers, the blankets, toys, lighting, books, hats, scarves, etc.  THAT is the stuff you will need to make the newborn photo your wife is expecting.

Two months is a pretty good amount of time to get the camera/lens you want and to practice. I just picked up a T3i a couple months ago and Im still learning and getting better. If you FB there are a ton of Photography groups that have people posting instructions on every topic you can think of. The web is also filled with Photog sites.



Quib could shoot your baby pics with his cell phone and you would be so satisfied you would feel good about paying $50 per print

First off don't get too ahead with "portrait" lenses.  I find for kids you need to engage them close up so you will find that you often won't shoot
F1.4 / F 1.8 ....you would be surprised how shallow depth of field is when distance to subject is very short .

Since we are on the subject , the Nikon AF-S 50mm 1.8 is a absolute bargain. Don't worry bout the 1.8 vs 1.4 for portraits ( for depth of field reasons ) .  One of the differences,  some claim, between the 85 1.8 vs 1.4 is the bokeh

If you want to spend more on a 50mm I would choose the Sigma 1.4 over the Nikon 1.4  

Since you are shooting with DX sensor 50mm might be ideal  , but I find with both crop and full frame , I much prefer the 85mm and 105mm portrait lenses from Nikon . Google image "focal length compression"

If  you want to document your daughter growing up you can't go wrong with any decent DSLR or mirrorless nowadays

If you want pictures you can print and give people I think you do need to invest in lighting

First off, get a decent speedlight , and eventually you will move up to wireless trigger to get the speedlight off camera

As an aside, you will find the speedlight is very handy as fill light outdoors if you want a professional look

IMO , babies look great when shot in high key ( google high key photography babies ) since their skin is so smooth

Here is a friends kid ( she wanted pic for Christmas cards )



What is nice is when shot high key, you can  photoshop the child out as if he was shot on green screen ( not quite as easy but still straightforward )

In order to do this you need a speedlight for main light . The other trick is to use a white sheet ( the sheet I used was all wrinkled but it doesn't matter because you are going to blow out background )

I took the shot on my laundry room floor with a sheet thrown on

All you need is to invest in some  strobes to blow out the background . It could be as simple as "slave strobe" for $20 ( I would use two so you don't see the light behind child )

Zoom vs Prime

I find with kids its difficult with prime since they often crawl towards you  when the mom lets go !  

Not a fan of high key. There is a place for it but I don't think this is it.
I would get David Busch's guide for the D5200. I find his manuals very informative
LINK for Manual

I just wanted to give everyone an update:

I picked up the D5200 with the 18-55mm lens and have been learning all the ins and outs. I got the "D5200 for dummies" book off amazon and have almost finished reading it. I typically hate the "for dummies" books, but this one had good reviews and has lived up to my expectations. It essentially explains step-by-step the functions of the camera and how you can use them properly.

I have already taken some pretty cool pictures of the dog just messing around with the shutter-priority mode to kind of "pause" her walking. I'm reading the "Bryan Peterson Understanding Exposure" book next so I can soon progress to the manual mode and not be too clueless on using the "triangle" to optimize the exposure.



Thanks for everyone's input. I'm curious what everyone uses for light sources. Keep in mind, I just want to photograph my newborn for now so I don't think I will need anything too fancy..

I'm worried if I get a speed light it might cause some shadowing being the light only hits from one direction. Is this a common problem that I will have to worry about? Thanks everyone!

Infants move...a lot. Go with the 1.8 over the 1.4... Congrats on the kiddo too!