Taking pictures at a church tomorrow - any tips?

LiNgWiStIkZ

There'll be an after party too in a house. It's all in the morning, for my nephew's christening.

What settings should I use to get the best possible photos? I'm not asking what to do, but have you guys any handy tips for these kinda scenarios?

I have a fujifilm s6500fd bridge camera.

Generally speaking, I tend to be a fan of aperture priority. Have never photographed in a church or such though. If it's gonna be dark then higher your ISO a bit, and play with your flash.


Take a small few practice shots and if you're unsure, take a machine gun approach and take about a million photos. Bound to get a few good ones that way :P

Podgoricka

you might need to mess with the white balance settings cos the church will be so big and it'll prob be painted in some cream colour, you'll get that colour reflecting off everything else, including any white clothes. so they might end up a kinda off white colour. its a frigging nightmare.

Thecageyone

I used a fuji bridge for a good while, one good thing about them is they carry a nice wide aperture. Use the f/2.8 for any close in shots, with an ISO of around 400 and shutter speed of 1/60 - 1/80 and you should be fine. Might even get away with a/100 - 150. Churches aren't the dark, draconian palaces they used to be. They're usually well lit. If you are allowed to, use the flash for the extra shutter speed. but I think you'll get nicer, more natural images without it if the light is bright enough inside.


For group shots or further back, use an aperture between f/5 - f/8, you may want fill flash for these shots. But try a tester or 2 without first. You'll need to pump the ISO up to 800 or more, but not too high or you'll just get horrible noise. And try shutter speeds of 1/40 - 1/60. You're going to need a steady hand! I don't think your cam has IS?

AnCatDubh

hmnnn.... at a quarter to 12 midnight, and you need help for the following morning! :eek:

<just kiddin you>

Well, while the info above is all relevant and not disputed, i'd suggest rather than launching headlong into settings without maybe fully understanding what you may be altering - not that they are terribly difficult to understand, but they do take time to sink in. So I suggest you use some of the camera's shooting modes such as it's portrait mode (for portraits doh!) and concentrate on your composition - and so offer the following for consideration:

* simplify your compositions
* get in there close - don't allow your zoom fool you into thinking it is a good substitute (this helps to simplify and remove distractions)
* watch out for backgrounds and instruct your subjects to ensure they're ok
* separate your subjects from the background by distance - yeah, tell them to move forward. This will help to minimise harsh flash induced shadows.
* watch for distracting elements when you are simplifying the composition
* find your voice and instruct people what to do to match the composition in your head (this, as i'm guessing that you are the designated photographer for the day).
* go to flickr.com and search for christening photos to see actual poses which appeal to you, and copy them like a mad thing.
* for christening, get lots of baby on their own - in the house, on a bed (don't let baby fall onto floor!)
* vary your shooting angle and position from which you are taking shots. Multiple shots of the same scene at various angles will give you choice.

have fun!

Thecageyone

I just went bu this:

LiNgWiStIkZ wrote: »

What settings should I use to get the best possible photos? I'm not asking what to do, but have you guys any handy tips for these kinda scenarios?

I have a fujifilm s6500fd bridge camera.

And knowing a little on how fuji cams behave. But yeah, using full zoom indoors is not a great idea, as those fuji bridge cams lose not only a lot of light, but IQ too, the further you zoom in. The wider end is much more pleasant [or was on my old one at least] so close in shots are your best bet. Also as it doesn't have IS, you're just going to get loads of blurry shots if you're on full zoom a lot indoors in poor lighting.

Probably too late now anyhow Hope you get the shots you're after Maybe come back and show us?

LiNgWiStIkZ

Update: Just got home.


Today was a disaster

From the start, my camera gave me hassle. "Card error" - this happened at the start and a while ago. Missed loads of good shots because of arrogant relatives (not on my side of the family :P) bumping past me and getting in the way of most photos I took. I think i'm too timid to be a photographer!

I had the camera at aperture mode the whole time, 800 ISO (I like grain lol). Most of the time, the lighting was so bad that I ended up in blurry photos, or worse yet. I used flash for a few photos :eek:

I think I need to learn2photo, I am dissapoint :(

Thecageyone

Put it down to experience. Was the church really dark? Or was the camera choosing too fast a shutter speed? In Aperture priority mode what perture were you set at? that's probably where you went wrong. If you had it set too narrow for indoors, like f/8 or so, even at ISO 800 you were never going to get bright shots. If you have some nice ones, but they turned out too dark, I could have a go at bringing them back to life for you if you'd like?

LiNgWiStIkZ

Yeah, probably experience. We all gotta start somewhere!

The church was very dark

Here's a picture I found online:



See the holy water font in the back left? We were there (without the bulletin board and light) and the lights were down very low. Not enough light was set in there, it's a shame. They completely turned it off at one stage, it was terrible.

I had the aperture at its lowest (f/2.8) and the shutter speed was clicking away at slow speeds, around 1/20 (can't think of exactly what, i'll check inabit!)

I'll have a look in lightroom if I can salvage some shots! Even the baptism itself was ruined because of the lighting



EDIT: I must admit that I did use zoom loads, I had to (the priest wanted nobody near them) so the aperture went smaller than expected many times, but I tried to keep it as wide as possible :S

Thecageyone

Yeah, that looks a pretty dark corner. trouble with Christening too, is that if it's not a full on mass, they will save the main lights.

You probably would have gotten away with speeds of 1/50 if you'd switched to manual. I fond A modes on most cameras to be well off in difficult lighting.

Try lifting the exposure a little and adding some fill light in Lightroom. You'd be surprised what you can salvage. I've saved near black out shots in the past. Sure you'll get some grain, but as you said, you like that - and Lightrooms noise reduction is pretty good.

LiNgWiStIkZ

Thanks buddy. You're a legend for helping

Looking back on the photos, I can salvage a few with exposure settings but they nearly all have bad composition, blur, etc.

I'm not cut out for church photography

I've shot at 4 baptisms in the last few years, and I absolutely hated every one of them. I think it's the fact that the priests don't like you coming too close, and that it's hard to move around too much while mass is going on. I would have had a few gems today, but the priest told us to stop taking photos until the mass was over!

Freddie59

LiNgWiStIkZ wrote: »

Thanks buddy. You're a legend for helping

Looking back on the photos, I can salvage a few with exposure settings but they nearly all have bad composition, blur, etc.

I'm not cut out for church photography

I've shot at 4 baptisms in the last few years, and I absolutely hated every one of them. I think it's the fact that the priests don't like you coming too close, and that it's hard to move around too much while mass is going on. I would have had a few gems today, but the priest told us to stop taking photos until the mass was over!

It's a hard gig. Did a Christening a few months back for my niece. Even with a 40D, a Speedlite 430, and ISO bumped it was tough going.

Here's one from it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23296461@N04/4632910571/

And that's at f/3.2; 1/30; ISO 250; AND the flash.

LiNgWiStIkZ

Freddie59 wrote: »

It's a hard gig. Did a Christening a few months back for my niece. Even with a 40D, a Speedlite 430, and ISO bumped it was tough going.

Here's one from it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23296461@N04/4632910571/

And that's at f/3.2; 1/30; ISO 250; AND the flash.

Wooo! I'm not alone so I'm better with doing my own stuff. I did some sports photography once too, wasn't the best but it wasn't as stressful as anything in a church. I also did photography for two school plays back when I was in secondary school. I took photos all night, for three nights. Did it again the following year! Did some photos for the legalise cannabis march too, this year. Such a laugh, friendly people


I've got experience in shooting at events, the hardest being the christenings. Wow, typing that out, I have more experience than I remember


I think if you're having fun and enjoying it, your photography just comes out better. Stressing is terrible for a photographer!

Thecageyone

I do feel for the wedding photographer, that must be the most stressful. No wonder they charge so much! All the gear in the world won't help when people are elbowing you out of the way during crucial shots. And they only get one chance at the most important ones.

At our little one's christening we weren't allowed take photos during the mass either. Apart from one 'tog from each family allowed take a couple of shots at the font, where only parents and God parents were gathered.

We had a photographer for the day, and besides the few he got there, we had to make do with plain standing shots after the ceremony. They weren't great at all, it was shortly after I decided to take it up myself.

I imagine at my own wedding, if it ever happens, I'll be at the alter with a dslr

LiNgWiStIkZ

Thecageyone wrote: »

I do feel for the wedding photographer, that must be the most stressful. No wonder they charge so much! All the gear in the world won't help when people are elbowing you out of the way during crucial shots. And they only get one chance at the most important ones.

At our little one's christening we weren't allowed take photos during the mass either. Apart from one 'tog from each family allowed take a couple of shots at the font, where only parents and God parents were gathered.

We had a photographer for the day, and besides the few he got there, we had to make do with plain standing shots after the ceremony. They weren't great at all, it was shortly after I decided to take it up myself.

I imagine at my own wedding, if it ever happens, I'll be at the alter with a dslr

Hahaha, yes. It's annoying when they elbow! I do feel sorry for the wedding photographer. Imagine screaming kids, things to trip over, drunk people falling over you for photos, having to take a picture with perfect timing, having to worry about batteries running out, too! You can imagine that most people at a wedding will think that they know more about composition, etc. than the photographer. This'll probably result in shoddy group shots, wasted time, etc.


Poor, poor wedding photographers! I think we should give them a minute of silence

Thecageyone

Not the ones that charge €3000 though, oh no

LiNgWiStIkZ

Do people actually charge that much? Wow, that's ridiculous :

Thecageyone

I've seen quotes on sites for packages up to that amount. If I could get that up front I go buy all the gear needed to do a cracking job, then of course you're geared up to do more with confidence.

LiNgWiStIkZ

Thecageyone wrote: »

I've seen quotes on sites for packages up to that amount. If I could get that up front I go buy all the gear needed to do a cracking job, then of course you're geared up to do more with confidence.

Was just thinking that.


Fancy arse DSLR + a lovely lens with accessories + a tripod?

I'd almost chance it

Thecageyone

I'd buy a D300s and a good, fast wide angle + zoom. I'd use my D200 as a second body with a juicy lens on each. And a Manfrotto or slik tripod, one cam mounted on that the other in hand. Away we go

kelly1

Do 'togs generally use tripods at wedding? I wouldn't have thought so.

smelltheglove

I'm not a tripod person at all!

For my wedding the photog went into hosp the day before si I had to call around desperately looking, the highest quote I got was 4,200!

Thecageyone

kelly1 wrote: »

Do 'togs generally use tripods at wedding? I wouldn't have thought so.

If I had 2 cameras I would set one up on a pod near the alter with a remote attached, and use the other free hand.

I have seen photographers use tripods yeah, in badly lit churches. Makes sense. A tripod mount means you can whip it on and off in seconds anyhow.

Freddie59

smelltheglove wrote: »

I'm not a tripod person at all!

For my wedding the photog went into hosp the day before si I had to call around desperately looking, the highest quote I got was 4,200!

Yep, one was at €5k and another at €4k in Waterford during the boom.:rolleyes:

Heebie

Was anyone awful enough to say "Pray!" ? =O

squareballoon

For church weddings i use a manfrotto monopod with my 70-200 2.8. It's too heavy for me to use it in bad light if I'm standing up. I wouldn't use a tripod because weddings move too quick for them.