The Exposure Triangle: ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture

Photographing a newborn in a hospital room is a deeply emotional and fleeting moment. The soft light coming through the window, the tiny fingers, the quiet stillness—it all needs to be captured just right. That’s where understanding the Exposure Triangle becomes essential: ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture.

Think of these three settings as the foundation of every image you create. In the photo of this newborn, natural window light is your biggest ally. To maintain that soft, dreamy glow, you need a wide aperture (like f/2.8 or lower) to let in more light and create a gentle blur in the background—perfect for highlighting delicate features.

A slower shutter speed (like 1/125s) can also help in low light, but be cautious—any movement, even a nurse walking by, can create blur. If your hands aren’t steady or the baby moves, bump up your shutter speed and compensate with a wider aperture or higher ISO.

Speaking of ISO, keeping it low (100–400) is ideal for clean, noise-free images, especially in soft lighting. But don’t be afraid to raise it a bit if needed—modern cameras handle it well.

Mastering this triangle isn’t just about technical precision—it’s about preserving life’s most intimate moments beautifully, just like this one.