Shooting for a baptism

[TacotheTurtle]

Hey guys, I'm going to be taking photos for my little cousins baptism. Do you guys have any suggestions or tips? I'm going to be using my 18-55mm and 50mm. Should I bring my external flash or?

Going to be shooting digital and film

Any advice would be great!

 

[KmH]

You need to check with the officiant at the church before the event. Flash photography is usally not be allowed during the ceremony, but usually is after.

It's also a good idea to scout the location a few days before hand at the same time of day as the event so you get a feel for what the light will be like the day of the event.

Most churches are to dark to use a kit lens without flash. You can't get a fast enough shutter speed because the kit lens aperture is to small at it's widest, particularly at the 55 mm, f/5.6 end of the zoom range.

 

[TacotheTurtle]

I'll try to get there a little earlier to get a feel of the lighting. But it's going to be at 12 when the sun is at its brightest

 

[The_Traveler]

But it's going to be at 12 when the sun is at its brightest

Sun inside?

 

[mfdrookie516]

I think some specifics on the location and configuration might help. I know around here, they do a lot of baptisms in the creek and river, but there are also inside baptisms. There are also differen't types of baptisms.

 

[Newfeeflip]

First post for me I'm not a pro but I just did a baptism and here's a few tips assuming ur inside: - try to get to sit in the front of the church - don't ask anyone if you can move around. Just do it and wait for someone to tell you - most people will see ur big camera and think ur a pro so don't be afraid to get in to take the important shots - turn off the autofocus beep - 50 mm might be too short, but good for low light. Can you rent where you are? I rented the 85mm 1.2 for $40/3 days and the pics came out amazing. No flash needed. - Take detail shots of church - bring lots of memory and take lots of pics - shutter priority and continuous shooting when the baby is baptized Anyways, hope that helps a little and glad I found this site!

 

[bratkinson]

In the Baptist church I am a member of, I have complete freedom where to shoot from during baptisms. There are anywhere from 5-15 people being baptised at each baptism and new member service, usually in the evening. I shoot a couple of shots of each person giving their testimony and, of course, several of them coming up out of the water. I provide prints for each of them. CDs and emails, too, if desired.

Shooting handheld with a flash, I find the 24-105 f4L IS works perfectly. I'm typically at a 45 degree angle to the baptism pool and perhaps 15-20 feet away. Having the zoom lets me frame it exactly as I want, while, at the same time, not obstructing the view of those in the sanctuary. The IS helps this oldster considerably!

Of course, if you are shooting in an unfamiliar church, be sure to ask the priest/pastor beforehand what to expect, where to be, and if a flash is permitted or not. These days, with cell phones and point and shoots, I suspect that flashes going off during baptisms is a fairly common occurrance.

 

[KrisHunt]

I have my own set of tips for baptism photos, but most of them probably won't apply to you, since our baptismal is at ground level, and the church gathers around it. But a few tips you might find useful are:

1. Don’t bother with flash. It limits the number of shots you can take because of the time it takes the flash to recycle. This is particularly an issue during the main action of the baptism, when you will most likely want to fire off a burst of shots.

2. Don’t take pictures of the people on their way down into the water. You probably won't want to keep those anyway, and then there’s nothing to focus on when they’re down in the water (assuming you're using autofocus). Instead, lock focus when they’re about to go down, and take a burst of shots as they come back up. Those are the shots you'll want to keep.

3. There will be a lot of motion as they come out of the water, so use a fast shutter speed. ISO 1600 or more is pretty much unavoidable.