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Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church In San Jose – 10 Things I Focus On When Photographing Religious Ceremonies

Baptisms are one of the most important religious moments for young people and their families. And it is definitely a moment that should be captured by a professional Photographer. Understanding how the ceremony unfolds, what the most important moments to photograph are, and how to capture everything unobtrusively are reasons to hire a professional. Here are some images from a recent baptism at Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. As well as 10 things I focus on when photographing religious ceremonies.

All of The Small Details

Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

One of the most important things to photograph are the small details. For a baptism, most of these small details are easy to spot. However, I recommend setting them aside before the start of the baptism – so that your Photographer knows exactly what should be photographed. This was not my first baptism at Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church – so I was familiar with the process 🙂

Family Members AND VIP’s

Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

One of the things that make a baptism special are the friends and family members in attendance. Since the majority of the images that will be taken will be candid, it is important to identify who are the VIP’s. I recommend pointing these people out to your Photographer at the beginning of the event. By knowing who these people are, a little more focus can be paid to them as the event goes on.

Candid Moments Before The Ceremony

Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

Another important time to capture candid moments is as people are arriving to the baptism. This is a great time to capture your friends and family as they see you for the first time.

Important Moments During The Ceremony

Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

Perhaps the most important aspect of the baptism is candidly capturing the ceremony. From a Photographer’s perspective, understanding how the baptism will proceed is extremely important. And since it is a religious ceremony, you will also want to be aware of any restrictions. For example, if you are not allowed to take pictures in certain areas or at certain times. Since this was not my first baptism at Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, I was very familiar with how the ceremony would go and any restrictions.

Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

Family Portraits At The Church And/Or At The Reception

Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Family portraits after the ceremony and at the reception at Campo Di Bocce Los Gatos

Another really important thing to capture are any and all family portraits. If there are a lot of planned family portraits, I recommend writing down all of the groups. That way nothing is accidentally missed 😉 Also keep in mind that if your ceremony and reception are in two different locations, you will want to make sure to gather all of the people who you want to take pictures with at the church, before they head to the reception. Any groups that were not taken at the church can be taken at the reception location.

Decorations & Party Favors

Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

Capturing all of the little details are also important. These items help to document the story of the day. And anything you spend time and money on should be photographed.

Greetings Between Your Guests

Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

Some of the most genuine moments are the greetings and interactions between you and your guests. Similar to the greetings before the baptism, these occur as guests arrive at the reception.

Smiles & Laughter

Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

One of the things I like to focus on are smiles and laughter as you and your guests enjoy the event. I like to move around and capture these moments from a distance. Whenever possible, I like to just be in the background of the event, while keeping an eye on everything that is happening.

Kids Being Kids

Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

Some of the most fun pictures are of the kids playing and having fun. Especially if there are games and activities for them to take part in 😉

The Food & Drinks

Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
Baptism At Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

Last but not least, I also like to take a few pictures of the food. Similar to the decorations, this helps capture a complete story of the day.

Hopefully this blog post helps you to understand how I approach event photography. Thanks!

ABOUT steven

Steven is a full-time wedding, portrait, event, and headshot Photographer in San Jose, CA.

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