I was asked to shoot a baptism... need some advice!

Raphy

UPDATE: December 7th/07

For those intersted... some of the results are here:



http://www.digitalgrin.com/showthread.php?t=78191


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Hey gang... so i'm freaking out... family friend's daughter is having her child baptized in a week. She had contacted me today and wanted to hire me to shoot their special day... I nearly fell off me seat. :huh She said she had gone through my photos online and really liked what she saw and wanted a quote from me to come and do the photos.

I responded by saying that I would be happy to do the photos for free, and that if she had wanted to hire a professional, that she should definaly do so, as i have no experince shooting baptisms or inside a church. I explained that i would love to do the photos but this would be just practice for me and that i don't have the equipment that a pro would have to do the work.... so she might end up with 1 or 2 good photos.

So now that I have agreed to do the shoot... i need some help, advise, and something to calm me down.

ANY input would be appreciated... I'm really excited, scared, and flattered that she asked me to do the photos (especially with the intention of actually paying me to do this)...

My equipment as of now:

Nikon D40
18-55 kit lens
55-200 VR
some extra memory cards
still awaiting my backup battery...

So as you can see i'm not even close to being qualified to do this shoot, hance why i'm aksing for some help from you guys !

Thanks for reading ! :bow :bow :bow

ziggy53

I am mostly concerned about lighting. If you have no external flash, you need to get one. You need to get it soon so you can practice.

If you don't know the place where they are performing the ceremony, you need to visit in advance and take some test images with people at a similar time of day to the ceremony, so you can see the ambient/available light and gauge its direction and magnitude.

If the site is not conducive to bounce lighting, you should use a "scoop" or an off-camera light. If the site is suitable for bounce, build a simple bounce card device or use the "better bounce card" in the links below.

Become practiced enough with your camera's controls so you know how to use it with the least active thought, so you can concentrate on the action and your position relative to the subjects.

Get something in writing, even an e-mail will do. Make sure that the date and time and expectations are spelled out enough so you and the client(s) know exactly what is expected and what the deliverables should be.

Plan, test and review.

On the day, be in charge but don't be domineering. You need to dress the part and command respect from the participants. If you are prepared it will show, and people should respond with cooperation.

Try to be upbeat and fun and that will also show with reciprocated smiles and attitudes.

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=47275
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=47288
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=73307

Good luck,

ziggy53

Additional resources:

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=49999
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=4266
http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=70335

Raphy

THanks Ziggy - your input is much appreciated.

Some thoughts:

ziggy53 wrote:

am mostly concerned about lighting. If you have no external flash, you need to get one. You need to get it soon so you can practice.

Lighting was my #1 concern as well... however, the chances are slim for me to get a flash, as the event is 1 week away and i don't have $200 to smack down right now... it is something i will definately get in the future...

I do have an old canon speedlight from the 70's but somehow i doubt that i'll be able to use that... ... i'm also thinking about making a home-made pop-up-flash diffuser... i guess that's better than nothing !

ziggy53 wrote:

Get something in writing, even an e-mail will do. Make sure that the date and time and expectations are spelled out enough so you and the client(s) know exactly what is expected and what the deliverables should be.

Not sure what you mean 'get it in writing' as my service will be free. I have explained to her that I am just starting out and don't have the proper equipment... she's fine with that...

I did email her about what her expectation are, and we will discuss that before the date.

ziggy53 wrote:

Plan, test and review.

Great advice ! Thanks ! I will try and get to the chuch to practice, and i gotta figure if that will be ok with the priests, etc...

Van Isle

I really want to second and emphasize ziggy's advice:

First: please get a contract in place with your friend, however informal it is. What happens if you suck real bad that day, gear goes down; how will that strain your relationship with your friend, not having any photos? What if you have a few amazing shots and you want to add them to your pro portfolio in the future, but don't have consent in place? These are simple things that can be handled simply, but they need to be handled. Just spend a few minutes reading all the horror stories here of good friends gone bad over a "simple, free" job.

Second: Lighting. Practice shoot on location with whatever gear you can cobble together. Maybe borrow gear from a buddy? Think about cheap hot lights (i.e. lamps you can set up and leave on) to provide the light that you need. Mebbe see if you can rent hot lights?

Finally: review what happens in a baptism so you know what happens and when, and nothing will take you by surprise. You'll be familiar with the ceremony and can concentrate on your shooting plan.

Once you've got a good plan in place, to the best of your ability, and you and your friend have agreed on a deal, HAVE FUN in the shoot!

VI

pathfinder

Ziggy is right about the need for a good flash that you are thoroughly familiar with.

Ambient light frequently is poor, especially in some churches. You might get lucky though with good light too.

If you don't know that ahead of time, and don't have access to a flash, what are you going to do to manage the situation?

Churches are notorious for very low, poor quality lighting. That is why wedding shooters bring their own, in a flash.....

Even when shooting for free for friend, missed expectations can lead to distressed relationships, so tread carefully.

ShepsMom

As everyone else said, you need lighting!! I did baptizing last year, all i had my "pop-up" flash I sent you PM

Raphy

Thanks for all the fedback !... I really don't know what i'm gonna do about the lighting... I think for now I have to assume that i'll be working with the items i have... i'll try to maybe rent a flash from a photography store... but let's assume i'll be attempting this with a pop-up-flash... would a home-made light diffuser be better or worse for this situation?

Thanks again for all the feedback... I know i dont have the proper equipment and i'm probably not qualified to do this, but i made her aware of that and she's fine with it.... so let's hope for the best !

digismile

It's important to ask questions about the baptism itself and find out what the expectations/rules of the church are. Baptismal services can very often be part of a main Sunday service, where several children/people are baptized, so there may be LOTS of people up front. Some churchs may not allow photography during the actual baptism, but will assist in staging photos later.

Some baptisms have just the parents/god parents and baby around the baptismal font, others might have all family and friends gather around. Part of getting things in writing with your friend is to simply ensure that you know what she wants in the end,. i.e. what are the "must have" photos.

The baptism will vary depending on the denomination of the church, but a baptism can contain most of these parts:

1. Child is presented to the officient and congregation.
2. The child is formally named.
3. The sponsors are identified (god parents) and make a pledge to assist in the child's christian development.
4. The baptism by water. (can be the pouring of water over the head, or the slight emersion of the head into a font, etc.)
5. Some sort of presentation of a candle to represent the light of Christ.
6. An official presentation/proclamation of the newly baptized child to the entire congregation.

If you are allowed to photograph during the baptism, you will have the opportunity to photograph the expressions of the people involved as they focus on the baby/child.

as well, Baptisms can be a bit like weddings. People will want several photos of their child with various family members and friends. These are usually staged within the church at the end of the service. They may include:

1. Parents & child (and possibly siblings) with Officient/Minister/Priest.
2. Same as 1, but with the God parents.
3. Add some other members of the family such as grandparents.
4. Any combination of the above as an small group or the entire group.

If there are several children baptized the same day, you will need to work efficiently to stage the photos to allow the minister to carry on with the next family. Space can also be a premium as everyone moves around after.

Did I say work quickly? It's worth repeating. Have a plan. Do your best to follow the plan, but be prepared to go with the flow and keep the moment full of joy and happiness.

Good luck,

Joves

Does the D40 allow for stooping down your on board flash? If so go to the church and, test it ot before the event. You might also think about either a Circular polarizer, set to it lightest or, a 1.0 Neutral Density filter to tone the flash out. But I would try setting the flash before I tried nuetralizing it. But you can try it either way and, see which works best.

Eric&Susan

You could try renting from here:

http://www.borrowlenses.com/category/nikon_flash

I'm sure Max could make sure you get a flash in time. They are really helpfull in making sure that the customers needs are taken care of.

Eric

Raphy

Joves wrote:

Does the D40 allow for stooping down your on board flash?

I have flash compensation from +1 to -3. I will go to the church and test it out, along with my home-made diffuser... (my cir. pl is in the mail and it should be here any day now).

Eric&Susan wrote:

You could try renting from here:

http://www.borrowlenses.com/category/nikon_flash

Thanks - I'll look into it... let's hope they ship to Canada... huh

Thanks for the suggestions everyone !!!

digismile

You should be able to rent from www.vistek.ca right there in Toronto. I have rented from them here in Alberta several times and they are good to deal with

yoyostock

Raphy wrote:

... but let's assume i'll be attempting this with a pop-up-flash... would a home-made light diffuser be better or worse for this situation?

Have you considered the Gary Fong Puffer? (http://store.garyfonginc.com/puf-01.html)

The Puffer is a small diffuser that slips onto the hot-shoe on your camera, creating a diffuser for your camera's pop-up flash. It soften that otherwise harsh pop-up flash and for quick closeups of people, I have found it to be pretty good. Check out Gary Fong's website and you'll see what I'm talking about. I just bought one for the Thanksgiving holiday and gave it a test run...not bad. The glares on peoples' faces were greatly minimized and the harsh shadows were likewise softened. Cost: $20. I'm not sure if it'll be avaiable in your local photo store, but I would say it's not that bad an option if all you have to go with is your pop-up flash.

On top of that...I'd also echo a lot of the things said by Digismile. Depending on the seriousness of the parents' faiths, a baptism service could be a serious and significant religious ceremony for their child. Because of that, some churches discourage a lot of people roving around shooting pictures during the actual baptism. In addition, I would guess that it would not be very welcome to have lighting systems set up. Thus, I would recommend checking with the church to see what the decorum there is and sticking with it - it will show respect towards the church, the baptism, and save the parents' any potential embarassment. Also, Digismile makes another great observation...work quickly and with a plan. I think you'll find this to be the case, the bodies of the pastor/priest/officiant and the parents will basically create a triangle with the baby in the middle...one that, unfortunately, leaves you the photographer out. There will likely be only one line of sight into this triangle - between the officiant (on his or her non-dominant hand side) and the parents. This is where you want to be shooting from. If you are on the officiant's dominant-hand side, you will probably end up with a nice shot of the baby's head and the back of the officiant's hand, instead of the baby's face, the parents, and the officiant. I hope that makes sense.

Good luck though! Don't forget to say congrats to the little one!

Raphy

For thhose intersted... some of the results are here:

http://www.digitalgrin.com/showthread.php?t=78191