Camera Labs

Hello all,

I am new to this photography site and new to photography too! I have a Rebel XSi and have been starting to use it in manual mode but am still not sure what all the options mean!

I am looking to take photos of my daughter who is 10 weeks old and moves her hands and feet a lot! any suggestions on how to get a great shot that isn't so blurry in manual mode or which ever mode would be best. I also only like shooting in natural light, so something that doesn't require flash!

Thank you
JB

To eliminate blur resulting from subject motion, you need to use a faster shutter speed. Exactly how fast depends on how fast your subject is moving, but for a toddler, I might start at 1/60 and "decrease" (i.e. go shorter/faster: 1/80, 1/100, 1/125, etc.) as necessary. You can do this in the semi-auto Shutter Priority (Tv) mode so that you only have to set the shutter speed and the camera sets aperture, ISO, etc.

The "catch" is that, with the kit lens (especially zoomed in), it may not be possible to properly expose a pic taken indoors under ambient light alone. So the first thing you can do to help is to use the lens zoomed all the way out (and then move closer to the subject as needed). The second thing you can do is buy a faster/brighter lens. The 50mm f1.8 II can often be found for around $100 and is generally regarded as a good value.

HTH - Mark

I agree, a 50mm f1.8 would be great for your situation. A fixed focal length might take some getting used to but the extra light it lets in really makes a difference.

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Gear: Canon EOS 50D, EF-S 15-85mm IS USM, EF 50mm f1.8 II, Tamron 70-300mm VC USD

While a faster lens definitely helps, it may be worth checking if 50mm is too tight when shooting indoors. If that is the case, there is the Canon 28mm f/1.8 to consider as well. However it is substantially more expensive than the 50mm f/1.8.

Assuming that you have the 18-55mm kit lens, try zooming in fully and see if you think it's too close and it's not practical to distance yourself from your daughter, the 50mm f/1.8 might not be the ideal solution.

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Bodies: Canon EOS 550D w/ Magic Lantern
Lenses: Tokina AT-X 116 Pro DX f/2.8, Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Accessories: YongNuo Speedlite YN-468 Flash, Neewer Macro LED Ring Light, Meike Battery Grip, YongNuo RF-602 Wireless Flash Trigger & Receiver YongNuo WR-128 Wireless Remote Control

Thank you everyone!
I will try and use a faster shutter speed and consider another lens as well.
When the weather warms up, I plan on shooting photos of her outside, but for now, i'll play around with settings. I place her by a window and shoot from that angle to take advantage of the natural lighting.

Another lens to consider is the 35mm f/2 (old version, not the new one with IS). You can think of that as a wider version of the 50 f/1.8. About twice the price, but still pretty cheap in lens terms

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Canon DSLRs: 5D Mark III, 7D
Canon lenses: 17-40/4L, 24-105/4L, 24/1.4L II, 50/1.4, 85/1.8, 100/2.8L Macro, 70-200/2.8L IS, 100-400L
Other stuff: Canon Extender 1.4x II, Canon 580 EX II, Canon 430EX II, Velbon Sherpa 600R
Apple: MacBook Pro 15", iMac 27", iPad III, iPhone 4S, Apple TV

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