How to photograph the baptism of a child.

I’m not a clergyman, and therefore I can’t know all the subtleties of this or that sacrament, rite or ceremony, I don’t even know how to name some of them correctly, but I know how to remove them. Therefore, let believers forgive me for incorrect expressions about what the priest does and how, or what happens during the baptism ceremony.

The introductory word that, in the traditions of the Orthodox Church, the rite of baptism is a very important church sacrament that takes place only once in a person's life, we will omit, because everyone already knows about it, let's get down to business.

Usually, baptismal filming begins 15-20 minutes before the ceremony in the temple. These 15-20 minutes, I recommend taking a baby in a stroller, in the arms of parents, to take general photos with guests. It may happen that at the baptismal ceremony the child will burst into tears so much that it will not be able to stop for a long time, and alas, you will not be able to correct it, and as a result, you will not be able to get normal pictures after the baptism. In any case, you need to get the camera out of the coffer still on the street, in front of the entrance to the temple.

If shooting takes place in winter, I recommend starting shooting directly from the temple, for one simple reason - so as not to freeze the equipment, which immediately begins to fog up in the temple’s warm atmosphere and has to be allowed to warm up for 15-20 minutes. In this case, you need to take general pictures with the temple after the ceremony, because when you take the equipment to a cold street from a warm room, it will not fog up and allow you to shoot further, after which you put the camera in the case and go home or drive away to continue shooting (if it is planned, for example, at a banquet in honor of the baptism). In any case, the camera will have time to stand still, and you will not have to shoot at this time.

In different temples, the ceremony itself can be held in different ways, but the difference itself is not particularly fundamental. Here I will explain how everything goes in a regular Orthodox church or church. And everything goes according to the following plan:

1. The priest explains to the participants of the celebration how everything will go. A good father will tell the photographer where to go, where not to, where it is better to stand, where it is better to shoot - but this is rare. Usually no one explains anything to anyone, it comes to the point that on the set I have to help people at the ceremony to understand what is happening and what needs to be done. For photographers who are filming a baptism for the first time, I recommend ask father where and how you can move around the temple and warn that you are “A cool photographer with DSLRpublishing heartbreaking clangs shutterand". Believe me, all clergymen have long been accustomed to video and photography in their churches and it will not be difficult for them to advise you in two or three words. Those who are especially interested can ask for a blessing for the shooting, I asked about it a couple of times, but I didn’t hear anything other than “Yes, shoot”, and now I just greet the priest and say that I will not interfere with anyone.

2. The child is given to the godfather in his arms, the godparents are put “at attention” in a certain place, and the priest begins the ceremony. At this point, I shoot 1-2 frames per minute, just letting everyone get used to camera shutter sound.

3. The priest reads prayers over the cross, kryzhma (such a special robe for the child that you need to buy for baptism), a font, etc. At this moment, he can light candles over the font. Usually 3 candles are placed above the font. I like to take the moment of burning candles above her. This is a good frame for "dilution" in a photo book or album. Also, the priest still sets fire to 2 candles for the godparents, which they hold during the entire baptismal ceremony.

In fact, only one of the godparents holds both candles while the other is trying to "cope" with the child.

4. Father gives the godparents to read a piece of paper a.k.a. "Symbol of Faith", usually the godmother holds a piece of paper on which they, together with the godfather, read the necessary words. You can make 1-2 common shots, it will look like a kind of "oath". At such moments, I shoot more of the child, while he sits calmly in the arms of his godfather. By the way, there may be not one pair of godparents, but two, or even three! In such cases, they all stand together at the service in front of the priest, usually the priest forgets to transfer the child from one parent to another, as a result, one couple receives more photos with the child than the second. To compensate for this injustice, be sure to take a shared photo only with the godparents and the child, when he is in the arms of different couples.

5. The father makes the godparents renounce the devil. Oh yes, believe me, this is a sight to behold. To do this, he turns them towards the exit from the temple. Usually the photographer is somewhere on the side of the father, in the end it turns out that the godparents turned their backs to him. In this case, I step back a little and take pictures of my parents and father when they are standing in my profile. I do not recommend going around and taking pictures of parents in front, because they need to "spit and blow on the devil" in the end, they will spit and blow on the photographer. In addition, the father can himself “blow” the baby - this moment will fit perfectly into this report. After that, he again turns his godparents to himself and asks to take an oath of combination with God. By the way, godparents in this case do everything for the child themselves, because the child is still small and cannot be responsible for himself. As a result, godparents instead of the child renounce the devil and accept faith in God.

6. The father asks to undress the child. Usually the baby is taken to a special table and stripped there. This is a good reason to take a baby naked, to photograph pleasant little things as mothers / fathers / grandmothers bent over him and try to undress / dress. Usually stripped to the diaper, but sometimes completely. Shoot here as you like.

7. The father performs the anointing of the child with oil (oil of joy). This is an important and crucial moment for the photographer. I recommend removing it as the priest opens the jars of oil, takes out a brush and smears the baby (usually only a brow). If the father closed the child with himself, I advise you to raise the camera high up, set a wide viewing angle on the lens and perform a couple of common shots from this sacrament. Usually I take 2-3 pictures from this sacrament for a photo book.

8. The most important point! The father takes the child in his arms and lowers it into the font. Although, he can ask the godfather to do this. Here you can take off the baby in the arms of the priest while he follows from the godparents to the font. The result is pronounced shots that emphasize baptism - a child in the arms of a priest. Then the father lowers the child into the font and pours holy water on him.

Attention: it may happen that at the speed of light the father will plunge the child into the font and take him back. I highly recommend take the first dipping burst. Personally, I already know where some dad dips and how I can adjust. But for beginners in this matter, I want to emphasize the fact that the font and dipping of a child is key story of the entire baptismal ceremony. If you fill up these pictures, then fill up virtually the entire baptismal survey. Usually at this time I do the maximum possible and necessary number of frames.

There may be such an option that the font is very small and the father only lightly watered the baby’s head with water. Here, too, you need not to slander and to remove it beautifully. I use flash and "freeze»The droplets of the flash falling drops of water, which looks very unusual and pleasant. I usually take this frame on the cover of a photo book.

9. The father dries the sponge in the water from the font and wipes the child with it. This I almost never shoot, because usually it is done very quickly and more symbolically. Although, often the priest lays a hand on the forehead of the baby and this can also make a good shot.

10. Father smears the baby with ointment, a procedure similar to anointing with oil, with the only difference that a person is smeared with ointment once in a lifetime, and if you "screw up" this shot, it will be technically impossible to repeat it. But using the example of the sacrament of chrismation, you can quickly navigate and not miss anything. Usually, the priest applies oil to some parts of the baby's body, at this moment you can take it off larger to show the process itself.

11. After the font, the priest passes the child into the arms of the godparents, who at that time are holding the kryzhma. This "transfer" can also be removed. The father takes scissors and cuts the baby (more symbolically). From this, too, get a good shot.

13. Father three times leads the godparents around the lectern. You can shoot this moment with a wide angle. A 28 mm focal length is enough for me when shooting with a full-frame camera (the equivalent on a crop is 18 mm). Nothing fancy and usually looks so-so in a photo book.

13. After this comes the sacrament of "introduction" of churching. The father reads prayers over the child's mother, then takes the child in his arms again and carries him to the icons. I strongly recommend making a lot of shots with your own mother, because usually she is your customer, and it is a sin not to take the child with your own mother.

Attention! You can catch a very good shot at this moment. Usually the priest in his arms brings the child up, which looks just amazing. Do not miss this moment! The father brings the boys to the Holy of Holies, the girls do not bring them there. At the same time, he enters one door and leaves another. Going for a priest through these doors is absolutely impossible!

If there is such an opportunity, detain all participants in the ceremony and ask them to take a general picture in the temple near the font. I was thrown a couple of times that you can’t shoot people who have their backs turned to icons. Anyway, be prepared that you can hear such strange conclusions or requests that your digital camera can turn into a film one.

After leaving the temple, take another general shot of all those present, take a wide shot so that the entire temple is visible. Such a picture can even be immediately placed in a photo book or album, it is final - the job is done, everyone is happy.

Work with a videographer

Usually, the baptism is filmed together with a videographer (videographer), who in 50% of cases is the first time at the baptism :). I use a tactic in which I am always behind the operator. This way he will never capture me in the frame. Believe me, it will be much easier for you to cut a cameraman out of a photo than to remove you from a video. I advise you to move around the temple with the videographer in strict synchronization. Determine who sets the pace and point of the shooting and adhere to that seniority. If the videographer is really "oak tree", shoot as you like. Personally, my team and I never observe any nuances or inconveniences when shooting videos and photos.

Sometimes a videographer uses external light on his camera, which highlights the main shooting details. Sometimes such light helps to shoot without a flash. The image below shows a videographer who shoots on Canon EOS 60D and Canon Zoom Lens EF 24-70mm 1: 2.8 L II USM using a monopod and an external light source mounted on the hot shoe of its DSLR camera.

Some videographers put additional light on special studio stands, and also use other equipment: external radio microphones (they record sound from a certain point of the temple without extraneous sounds), tripods, monopods, rails and large 'body kits' for their cameras. Particularly resourceful people put a small video camera in the font itself and record the baby's immersion with a view from the water.

Probably many will be interested in the technique of shooting. I'm using two different shooting techniques: with flash and without flash, which are radically different.

Without flash:

Without flash, I shoot at 90% using the “M” mode with the ISO auto control function. This way I can control immediately both shutter speed and aperture and the acceptable ISO threshold. Not all cameras can use the auto-ISO function, with such cameras it is easier to use the aperture priority mode. I take almost all pictures at shutter speeds from 1/50 to 1/125. Exposure 1/125 is very convenient for shooting people, during this time there is no blur in the frame from moving them in the frame. Usually my ISO threshold is 12.800 units. I use spot metering during shooting exposure and focus on one point. In this state, froze exposure on my cameras it’s done according to the area of ​​the focus point, which allows me to get the object I need correctly exposed. I always shoot in RAW, in which it is easy to correct small nuances. When shooting without a flash, I try to duplicate the main frames much more, because due to the satisfied long shutter speeds, I can get blur in some pictures.

With flash:

Of course, I would be happy to shoot without a flash all the time, but the picture with the correct use of the flash is often much better than without it, this is due to the fact that most temples and churches in the middle are very, very dimly lit. There is no problem in the noise of the picture, namely in the fact that the child is usually baptized in the so-called baptismal hall - a small, and, accordingly, poorly lit room. In large temples, such a room is generally located in the basement of the temple. Sometimes, apart from the light of a candle and a small lamp, there is nothing else. During shooting, I use high ISO (usually from 640 to 3200) and still shoot with the flash to achieve the effect described here. Most often, I shoot with a zoom lens, it’s just more convenient than rushing with a fix, and for the reporting the artistic component is sometimes not so important. According to the reviews of my clients, I can say for sure that few people care about bokeh, volume and lens design when it comes to baptism.

To give less light pulses, in the middle of the temple you can shoot in the manual flash power control mode, while the flash will only give one impulse without trial operations. I shoot mostly with the Nikon system and can still use aperture-priority auto without TTL, while the flash will fire automatically without using test pulses. For the participants in the shooting, warn that the flash is used with a diffuser and in no way will harm the eyes of the child. When shooting at high ISOs, the flash gives a low-power flash. The only serious drawback when working with a flash is the glare from the interior of the temple. To combat glare, you just need to choose the right shooting location.

I recommend that you give away some of the material in print. Even if you agreed that the end result will be digital photos, print 2-3 of the juiciest photos in 20 * 30 format on glossy paper (this is not so expensive) and give it to the client and look at the expression on his face. Printed photography is something magical. I, even when shooting under the conditions of TFP, TFCD, try to give a couple of printed pictures. For baptism I’m making small photo books, a photo book is a great thing, think about it.

When shooting a baptism, I do not sign a contract and very rarely meet with the customer before shooting. Usually a meeting is held only if the shooting requirements are very high and the customer wants to see a printed version of the portfolio and more examples of photos than shown on my website. When meeting or by phone / mail / chat, it is imperative to specify the time of the beginning of the ceremony and the venue, dates of delivery of the material, whether the layout of the book will be checked before printing, etc.

Many people still want to film the preparation of the baby at home. I don't like this, because filming there is only 5-10 minutes, while you need to go to the client's home and hang around there for 1-2 hours. Moreover, for a photo book, you don't want to mix shots in the house with shots in a temple or restaurant - baptism is a business carried out exclusively in religious places and nowhere else. The child will still be undressed and dressed in the temple, at this moment you can just catch the necessary frames. Of course, if the client insists, we will shoot both at home and in a restaurant (but - for a fee;)).

It often happens that after the baptism of a child with his mother is taken home, and the whole fun company goes nervous Ray celebrate in some noisy establishment. At the same time, footage from the celebration may not be associated with baptism at all. Believe me, I've seen this before! True, usually everything is more mundane, and in the restaurant guests are waiting for people who did not get to the temple for the ceremony. You need to take general pictures with these guests, shoot the overall atmosphere of the room, after which you can take your leave and go home. I do not recommend staying too long at a celebration in a restaurant, one hour is enough to shoot everything you need. Celebrations in a restaurant are usually held without a host (a.k.a. toastmaster or master of ceremonies), so you will need to organize the 'whole fun crowd' yourself. After the end of the shooting, I will definitely notify you about the time frame for which the photos or the layout of the book will be ready. Usually, as soon as the restaurant finds out that the photographer has done his job and leaves, the bustle begins and exclamations “take a picture of me with your godfather Vasya”, you have to stay for a few more minutes and “finish off all the suffering”.

Usually people ask in no case anywhere to publish photos from baptism and you can’t disagree with them, so it’s extremely difficult to choose something to publish on the site.

Of the specific nuances of shooting baptism, I want to note the fact that young children have a rather unusual skin tone, with a lot of spots. After shooting, you have to conjure for a very long time to make an acceptable "skin tone". And even worse, the skin in newborns is not at all similar in shade to the shades of an adult.

In conclusion, I want to talk about the fact that sometimes shooting baptism is very exhausting, the main reason for this is the crying of the child during the ceremony. In some churches, baptism is carried out immediately for two or more couples. Listen to a whole choir of crying children for 30 minutes, namely, the standard baptismal ceremony lasts so long, sometimes very, very difficult.

You can see the package of services that I offer for photographing the baptism of a child at the link http://www.wedding-photographer.tv/gallerys/photoset-04/krestiny-photo-price.html. Photo reports from the filming of the christening can be viewed on my blog here.

Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram