Photographing Church Service

Julie · 09-13-2013, 07:07 PM

Flash isn't allowed and I'm supposed to try to remain inconspicuous. I can't be up close and get in peoples' way and draw attention to myself, so I guess I'm going to have to remain towards the back (which is actually a good thing because the area is a little raised/higher up).

I will be taking my K-30 and probably the Tamron 70-200 f/2.8- unless someone would advise against that?
I've also got the 18-55 DAL, 40 Limited, DA* 55, Tamron 90 Macro in my arsenal- which of those would be worth bringing?
Lighting should be decent as it will be during the day and sunlight comes in through a large skylight.

Will also be bringing a monopod, extra batteries, extra memory, and a comfortable strap.

Also, any tips in general when shooting in a church?

Thanks!

tim60 · 09-13-2013, 10:55 PM

Technically, churches are usually a bit dim and have oddly coloured light because of the architectural choice to use coloured glass windows.

Non-technically, the main thing is the persona respect for the fact that the other people there are there for the purpose of worship. Be sensitive about taking pictures of members of the congregation because they may experience things int he church which lead to them having appearance which they do not want recorded. The people at the front are doing tasks which they know to be public activities and so, with permission, pictures of them is fair. Since you will need, from your account of the situation, to be reasonably far back you will need to use fairly long lenses and some peoole may find use of monopod etc to be distracting to them.

I have used lenses up to 1000mm in a church, all hand held, braced against a wall, and speeds down to 1/10. You only get a small hit rate of adequate pictures.

General hint, do not carry too much kit.Find a good vantage poitn from which you can get all the action you want rather than plan to move about.

ofer4 · 09-13-2013, 11:03 PM

Hi, Julie... One thing to consider is noise. While I've experienced that the K-30 is a bit quieter than my K-r, the mirror slap is far from silent. I'm not sure what you've been tasked to photograph, but if possible, you might try to time your shots during the organ or at other times when the congregation is singing/speaking. The noise could easily be distracting during contemplative moments of the service. Good luck!

**Lowell Goudge** · 09-13-2013, 11:33 PM

One thing is for sure, you would never use a K10, it would be like a bomb going off compared to other cameras. Of what I own, the K5 is the quietest.

D not forget to turn off all the exposure and focus beeps too!

Not sure about the K01 but the Q is extremely quiet even when using the leaf shutter in the lens

**rbefly** · 09-14-2013, 02:05 AM

Hello Julie,
Lowell makes a good point, make sure all your 'beeps' are turned off, as well as any (possible) flashing lights.
Your church may be an exception because of the skylight, but generally they're fairly dim. I'd take the monopod and stay towards the rear of the congregation, just keep a low profile. Even with well-lit churches, you could be shooting wide-open at ISO 1600 and still end up with 1/60s-1/100s, marginal for a heavy tele zoom.
I'd definitely take the 40mm, the short end of the tele zoom will be pretty tight for an 'overall' shot. The 18-55mm will be handy for the same reason, but might be a bit slow in max aperture.
A cable release is a good idea with the monopod, I use a rubber band to bind it to the 'pod at a position near the top.
If there's a chance you'll be asked to take additional photos outside (before or after the service) a small flash for fill light would be a useful addition.
Good luck!
Ron

tclausen · 09-14-2013, 02:18 AM

Also, I saw you said you wanted to be in the back as it was a little up high....that gives rather "impersonal" perspectives. I would advice also going for some more "just-below-eye-height" shots, for a more intimate and participative perspective.

**JimJohnson** · 09-14-2013, 06:47 AM

As noted, churches are a wide mix of lighting color between stained glass, incandescent bulbs, and who knows what else. If you can place a white target in the subject area prior to the service with comparable lighting, take a picture then remove your target. Shoot RAW and you can more easily adjust white balance in post processing. Of course, sometimes the mood created by the lighting is better than an accurate white balance - but that is possible in post processing too.

reeftool · 09-15-2013, 05:57 AM

I have shot events in the church I attend and I think lighting is the biggest issue. There are colored lights, candles, and daylight coming in through windows playing havoc. There are colored blinds on the windows that create very strange color casts on skin. It may look nice but can be a nightmare to photograph. I always shoot RAW and end up making white balance adjustments in Lightroom. The ability to use the adjustment brush to correct WB in just certain areas in LR4 and newer is a big help. My most used lenses have been the DA40 Ltd and DA 15 Ltd. along with the 18-55 kit zoom. Longer lenses haven't worked for me except for very close, almost portrait shots. Of course, this will depend on the size of the church and how crowded the worship area is.

09-13-2013, 07:07 PM	#1
Julie Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Illinois Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,069	Photographing Church Service Flash isn't allowed and I'm supposed to try to remain inconspicuous. I can't be up close and get in peoples' way and draw attention to myself, so I guess I'm going to have to remain towards the back (which is actually a good thing because the area is a little raised/higher up). I will be taking my K-30 and probably the Tamron 70-200 f/2.8- unless someone would advise against that? I've also got the 18-55 DAL, 40 Limited, DA* 55, Tamron 90 Macro in my arsenal- which of those would be worth bringing? Lighting should be decent as it will be during the day and sunlight comes in through a large skylight. Will also be bringing a monopod, extra batteries, extra memory, and a comfortable strap. Also, any tips in general when shooting in a church? Thanks!

09-14-2013, 02:05 AM	#5
rbefly Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Denver, Colorado Photos: Albums Posts: 2,030	Quiet As A Church? Hello Julie, Lowell makes a good point, make sure all your 'beeps' are turned off, as well as any (possible) flashing lights. Your church may be an exception because of the skylight, but generally they're fairly dim. I'd take the monopod and stay towards the rear of the congregation, just keep a low profile. Even with well-lit churches, you could be shooting wide-open at ISO 1600 and still end up with 1/60s-1/100s, marginal for a heavy tele zoom. I'd definitely take the 40mm, the short end of the tele zoom will be pretty tight for an 'overall' shot. The 18-55mm will be handy for the same reason, but might be a bit slow in max aperture. A cable release is a good idea with the monopod, I use a rubber band to bind it to the 'pod at a position near the top. If there's a chance you'll be asked to take additional photos outside (before or after the service) a small flash for fill light would be a useful addition. Good luck! Ron

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09-13-2013, 10:55 PM	#2
tim60 Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2011 Photos: Albums Posts: 8,742	Technically, churches are usually a bit dim and have oddly coloured light because of the architectural choice to use coloured glass windows. Non-technically, the main thing is the persona respect for the fact that the other people there are there for the purpose of worship. Be sensitive about taking pictures of members of the congregation because they may experience things int he church which lead to them having appearance which they do not want recorded. The people at the front are doing tasks which they know to be public activities and so, with permission, pictures of them is fair. Since you will need, from your account of the situation, to be reasonably far back you will need to use fairly long lenses and some peoole may find use of monopod etc to be distracting to them. I have used lenses up to 1000mm in a church, all hand held, braced against a wall, and speeds down to 1/10. You only get a small hit rate of adequate pictures. General hint, do not carry too much kit.Find a good vantage poitn from which you can get all the action you want rather than plan to move about.

09-13-2013, 11:03 PM	#3
ofer4 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Utah Posts: 428	Hi, Julie... One thing to consider is noise. While I've experienced that the K-30 is a bit quieter than my K-r, the mirror slap is far from silent. I'm not sure what you've been tasked to photograph, but if possible, you might try to time your shots during the organ or at other times when the congregation is singing/speaking. The noise could easily be distracting during contemplative moments of the service. Good luck!

09-13-2013, 11:33 PM	#4
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,886	One thing is for sure, you would never use a K10, it would be like a bomb going off compared to other cameras. Of what I own, the K5 is the quietest. D not forget to turn off all the exposure and focus beeps too! Not sure about the K01 but the Q is extremely quiet even when using the leaf shutter in the lens

09-14-2013, 02:18 AM	#6
tclausen Veteran Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 1,397	Also, I saw you said you wanted to be in the back as it was a little up high....that gives rather "impersonal" perspectives. I would advice also going for some more "just-below-eye-height" shots, for a more intimate and participative perspective.

09-14-2013, 06:47 AM	#7
JimJohnson Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Summer:Lake Superior - Michigan Winter:Texas Hill Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,772	As noted, churches are a wide mix of lighting color between stained glass, incandescent bulbs, and who knows what else. If you can place a white target in the subject area prior to the service with comparable lighting, take a picture then remove your target. Shoot RAW and you can more easily adjust white balance in post processing. Of course, sometimes the mood created by the lighting is better than an accurate white balance - but that is possible in post processing too.

09-15-2013, 05:57 AM	#8
reeftool Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Upstate New York Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,553	I have shot events in the church I attend and I think lighting is the biggest issue. There are colored lights, candles, and daylight coming in through windows playing havoc. There are colored blinds on the windows that create very strange color casts on skin. It may look nice but can be a nightmare to photograph. I always shoot RAW and end up making white balance adjustments in Lightroom. The ability to use the adjustment brush to correct WB in just certain areas in LR4 and newer is a big help. My most used lenses have been the DA40 Ltd and DA 15 Ltd. along with the 18-55 kit zoom. Longer lenses haven't worked for me except for very close, almost portrait shots. Of course, this will depend on the size of the church and how crowded the worship area is.