Wedding photographer⛪️: how to properly arrange a photo shoot for an Orthodox ceremony

How to behave in church?

There are very few places where you can talk to God. And there are plenty of people who want to do this. In this regard, a simple human need arises to respect all those who are next to you in the temple.

When you come to church, you can familiarize yourself with the rules that will help you not disturb the people present. These rules apply to absolutely everyone and at all times.

Many people believe that if they came not just to pray, but to witness such important events in life as a wedding or baptism, then they can behave as they please. In fact, this is completely unacceptable. The same applies to photographers and videographers who are present at these special events.

Shooting a baptism

Separately, we should talk about photographing christenings. It is extremely important to first inspect the location of the upcoming ceremony. In order to best capture the ceremony in a small room, you should take with you a monopod, a piece of plastic pipe, a ski pole, a mop, or whatever you find as a support. For shooting, it is best to use ISO settings of 800-1600, with an aperture of F3.5-4. The exposure should be selected according to the faces. During shooting, you need to try to move as much as possible in order to catch all the nuances of the ceremony. The camera should be focused either on the child, then on the burning candle in his hands, or on the priest’s back. Good pictures can be obtained by lowering the camera down to the floor or from above. For example, standing on a stool (if, of course, they allow it). It's a good idea to use small batches. Also interesting will be shots of the altar, and after the end of the ceremony - the priest with the baby and godparents against the backdrop of icons.

Using these simple tips, you will be able to capture ancient Christian rituals that are of great importance in the lives of the perpetrators of these events.

Wedding is one of the most important sacraments of church and secular life.

Violating a vow of fidelity or dissolving a marriage on your own is considered a great sin. Therefore, preparation for the wedding must be carried out carefully, with understanding, acceptance and experience of all the subtle nuances of the action.

First of all, those who want to get married in a church must not only be sincere believers, but also baptized in the religion in which church they are ready to get married.

Features of photography

If a photographer is invited to a wedding, then his main task, in addition to photographing, is the need to become a shadow. To do this, absolutely all photographers wear modest clothes and try not to stand out.

The situation with the temple is much more complicated. Before visiting a cathedral for a wedding, any professional should familiarize themselves with the rules imposed by the Orthodox religion.

1. You must arrive shortly before the ceremony and approach the priest who will conduct it. Be sure to ask his permission to photograph the entire procession. Of course, the bride and groom will discuss this point at a personal meeting with the clergyman. But still, the rules require that the photographer himself personally approach the person who will conduct the ceremony and ask him for permission. Check with the priest for important information regarding flash and other equipment you would like to use.
2. If a photographer works on a permanent basis and often visits the church for professional purposes, then it is best for him to ask the bishop for written permission. With this paper it will be possible to enter local cathedrals and take photographs without hindrance. Of course, there’s no point in being impudent about this either. You need to be as modest and inconspicuous as possible. But in case of conflict, you can always show the priest written permission.
3. The professional is the same person as the rest of the parishioners. This means that he must adhere to all established rules. There's really nothing complicated about it. It is worth arriving 10-15 minutes before the wedding starts in suitable clothes. Under no circumstances should you leave the hall until the sacrament is over. Even if your work is completed in full, you will need to wait until the end of the ceremony and only leave the hall with everyone.
4. One of the most urgent requirements is that a professional will have to move around the room as little as possible while taking photographs. Very often photographers complain about this instruction and do not want to follow it. Priests, with personal agreement, may allow movement around the hall, but this should be done as carefully, quietly and as little as possible. If you move from your seat a few times, it won't be a big deal. And if you change several locations in 10 minutes, you may be mildly asked to leave the hall.
5. Remember an important rule: a wedding photographer turns into a journalist and photo reporter. He is under no circumstances allowed to ask people to stand up straight and pose. The reporter should work silently, not whisper and take only random photographs. If you pay attention, in many photographs from the church, neither the bride and groom, nor the guests look into the frame. This is due to the good work of the photographer. Before actual work, warn both the bride and groom about this. If they want a photo with everyone looking into the frame, this can be done after the ceremony as they leave the church.
6. While the clergyman is reading the Gospel, the photographer should stop his work, stop for a few minutes, lower his head and listen to the prayer. Shutter sounds and unnecessary noise are not allowed at this time.

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A reporter during a wedding ceremony should dress as modestly and discreetly as possible. He has at his disposal a floor-length skirt or trousers, depending on his gender. A woman should also cover her head. It is prohibited to use bright makeup and excessive amounts of jewelry.

Priests in almost all cases give the go-ahead for a photo shoot. But still, during the sacrament itself, they may be bothered by excessive movement around the hall and the noise coming from you.

Therefore, it is imperative to approach the clergyman after the sacrament and tell him that you are very grateful for everything. It would be useful to light a candle before and after the sacrament, praying for your loved ones or already deceased people.

Bottom line

Wedding photography is quite a complex and interesting process. A professional in his field should organize his work so as not to disturb anyone, and in the end get an excellent result. The church is already good because it is beautiful and sacred.

Question: “ How to take photographs in a church

? – basically comes down to the question: “?”. However, given the situation in which the baptism or wedding ceremony is being carried out, there are many nuances that cannot be neglected. Firstly, a temple, church or cathedral is a place in which light sources are connected in a very unusual way. As a rule, these are small windows and dim lighting. The only light comes from high-hanging chandeliers and candles. In any case, the photographer will have to face the fact that there will not be enough light to shoot. This, in turn, threatens either raising the ISO and, as a consequence, strong noise, or using a flash, which will be discussed below.

Secondly, a church is a place that is a religious shrine, be it an Orthodox church or a Catholic church. This must be taken into account during photography. Therefore, filming in the church

should be carried out with respect to the holy place.

Thirdly, the photographer has to deal with the difficulty of working in a small room, especially when photographing christenings.

If possible, it is necessary to inspect the future filming location and take into account the degree of its illumination. It is advisable to take your camera with you and figure out what shutter speed you need to set to get the correct one. If there is really not enough light, then you will have to use one of the two options below, in which shooting in the temple

will turn out to be successful. So,

1. Use fast lenses

In this case, zooms like 24-70 2.8 and other expensive 17-35 2.8 are unlikely to be needed. The simplest standard 50 mm lens with an aperture of 1.4 will be more useful here. As practice shows, good pictures can also be obtained with fast and sharp optics - Nikkor AF-S 35mm f/1.8G DX and less sharp - Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor. It doesn’t matter what system is supposed to be used and what aperture is acceptable. If a regular whale zoom with a stabilizer is enough for shooting indoors with poor lighting, then you can use it. If the lighting is very bad, then you will need to raise the ISO to incredible heights. At the same time, it is worth mentioning that you will have to shoot in RAW, and then you will need to suppress noise in a photo editor. But in this way, the atmosphere of the shooting location will be preserved, which is very important. In addition, if necessary, you can set the exposure compensation to minus one third or minus one.

2. Use the flash carefully

If for some reason there is no fast lens, but there is an external flash, you can use it. But working with a flash in a church is even more difficult than working with high-aperture optics. This is due to the fact that the structure is quite high. This circumstance does not make it possible to use an external flash reflected from the ceiling. In addition, the reflected light will not have the most pleasant color cast. The fact is that in the church the walls and ceilings are painted with paintings, icons, or covered with frescoes. So it is better to use a fill light with a card reflector or a special diffuser attachment. A diffuser will help soften the shadows, but you need to be prepared for the fact that the photos will be taken in a head-on flash style. Sometimes you can use the built-in flash with similar results. If you are still allowed to use a flash, then in order to get sharp pictures you will need to close the aperture.

Ideas for the photographer

Wedding is one of the ceremonies that is so loved by photographers.

Love can be explained by several indicators:

1. Natural light - all cathedrals are dominated by bright light that comes from the windows. Previously, temples were built in such a way that they received as much sunlight as possible. This, in turn, allows the photographer to avoid using flash. And even without it, rich photographs are obtained, regardless of the time of year.
2. Location - no need to figure out how to hide imperfections on the walls in a restaurant or shabby stairs in the registry office. Everything in the temple is as light, beautiful and bright as possible. The decoration of the cathedral itself can be considered both as a whole and individually as a real work of art.
3. The atmosphere - nothing compares to the mystery and attractiveness that is in any temple. Rituals of this kind amaze with their inner strength and energy. And the photographs just smell divine.

In order for young people to like the work of a photographer, it is always necessary to have several proven and effective photographs in stock. It is worth mentioning right away that young people will not be allowed to pose, so you should not involve them in the shooting process. Despite this, you can come up with some interesting ideas.

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1. An overview photo card - it can be taken in a temple with a large vault. Ask the priest to climb to the highest point of the temple. During the ceremony, you will take a photograph, taking into the lens the bride and groom, the priest, and the temple itself. It will seem as if you are spying on what is happening from above.
2. Each stage of the wedding is beautiful in itself, so you don’t have to invent anything. Be sure to take photos next to the priest who reads the prayers. The cards also look impressive during the engagement of the bride and groom.
3. Don’t forget about taking a photo together; you can take it after leaving the church. You should all line up on the stairs of the temple and take a beautiful photo against the general background, which will remain with everyone for a long time.

Wedding photography

Don’t be upset if there is not enough space in the church and you can only photograph the backs of the heads of the young couple – this is quite normal. Although in this case the artistic part of the photo is lost. Due to the duration of the ceremony, the newlyweds stand with candles for a long time. Of course, there is not too much variety. However, at this moment you can simultaneously take some great pictures of parents and friends who are overwhelmed with emotion. Do not forget about the interesting places of the temple, as well as church attributes, such as paintings on the walls, candlesticks, etc. Moreover, if all the action takes place in a city like Moscow, the photographer for the wedding and subsequent wedding is simply obliged to capture the rich elements of the cathedral’s decoration.

A photographer can take excellent shots while photographing a wedding - this includes the symbolic binding of the hands of the newlyweds by the priest, the delightful crowns above their heads, and the walk around the altar, which is repeated three times.

It is forbidden to perform the sacrament

• People married to another person;
• Consanguineous and spiritual relatives;
• For those who have entered into more than three alliances;
• Already married and not dissolved the previous union with the bishop;
• Unbaptized; To non-believers;
• Who enters into an alliance not of his own free will;
• At the time of large and strict fasts; on Easter and Pancake week; in the period between Christmas and Epiphany; before the great, church and twelfth festivals; on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; on the eve of or during the period of strict one-day fasts; at night;
• Persons who have clergy;
• Underage; People over marriageable age (women over 60, men over 70);
• If the marriage is not approved by the parents; People with different religions;
• Guilty of the annulment of a previous marriage;
• Civil marriages are considered deprived of God's mercy.

Before the sacrament, the bride and groom fast, confess and receive the sacrament of the Holy Mysteries.

To perform the wedding ceremony you will need:

• Icon of the Savior and Mother of God.
• A couple of rings.
• Candles.
• Blanket under your feet.

Sacrament of wedding

A couple with candles goes out to the center of the temple, steps onto a veil laid in front of the lectern, where the crowns, cross and Gospel are located. Those getting married express their voluntary consent to marriage, which marks the conclusion of a union according to the flesh.

After reading the prayers, crossing the crowns, and allowing the icons to be kissed, the minister places the crowns on the heads of the couple.

They ask the Lord to marry the bride and groom, and bless them three times.

From the cup, the groom and then the bride take three modest sips of wine. Having covered the couple’s joined hands with the epitrachelion, the minister circles them three times around the lectern.

Then the crowns are removed.

The newlyweds bow their heads and final prayers are read.

The couple kisses modestly.

A cross and icons are served for kissing. This ends the wedding of the newlyweds in the church.

What is given to newlyweds for weddings?

The Bible is one of the most popular gifts.

An icon is an impeccable option. This is a symbol of sincerity, affectionate disposition towards spouses, participation in their well-being and prosperity. Parents usually gave icons depicting the Savior and the Virgin Mary. They became a family heirloom and were inherited for generations. Relatives and friends choose images with family patrons.

A symbolic gift will be coins with the faces of saints, which have protective energy.

In case the wedding ceremony and marriage registration are performed on the same day, it is important to present small figurines of angels, wooden decorations with images of saints, and amulets.

Icons, towels, tablecloths, and bedspreads embroidered with threads, ribbons, and beads would be an excellent present.

A bottle of Cahors will serve as an excellent addition or a completely self-sufficient gift.

Bouquets and flower arrangements are desirable, without pomp and tackiness, and not too fragrant.

It is not forbidden to bring sums of money. It is permissible to gift young spouses with quite ordinary things and objects, according to the wishes of the couple themselves.