How to photograph in a church: wedding, baptism. Orthodox wedding photographer How does the sacrament of the wedding go?

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A wedding is an important step in the life of spouses, because it is after this ceremony that they become husband and wife before God and people. To leave a memory of how your family was born, order photography for the wedding ceremony.

Please note that not all temples allow photography, so permission must first be obtained from the priest.

What is a wedding

During the wedding, God grants the spouses the grace of living together in love and harmony, and also blesses them for the birth and upbringing of worthy children, if they keep all God's commandments. Only Christians who have undergone the rite of baptism and understand that a marriage made in heaven cannot be dissolved on earth can get married.

When is the ceremony

Both newlyweds and families who have been married for several years can get married. Our photographer, invited to the wedding, will help to show the beauty and spirituality of both a young couple and adults.

Usually the ceremony is not performed on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, as well as during fasts and on some church holidays.

How to prepare

The newlyweds choose a temple that will seem cozy and familiar to them, so that the ceremony takes place in peace and joy. A wedding photo session in any church always turns out to be very solemn and atmospheric, which is facilitated by the beautiful decoration of the church and the ceremony itself.

The date of the event is set in advance and all the subtleties of the ceremony are discussed with the priest. The bride and groom confess, take communion and fast for three days before the wedding.

What things are needed

For the ceremony, those who are getting married bring with them:

images of Jesus Christ and the Mother of God;
rings;
wedding candles;
a white cloth (towel) on which the wedding couple will stand.

All these items are family heirlooms and are believed to help in difficult life situations.

How to dress

For the bride, an elongated light dress and a veil or a light scarf covering the head are recommended. If the dress has open shoulders or a deep neckline, then it is better to cover them with a bolero jacket, stole, scarf, etc. It is better to make makeup as natural as possible and not use lipstick, since you can’t touch church shrines with painted lips. The bride always turns out to be the most beautiful in the wedding photography in the church and attracts the main attention.

For the groom, the best option would be a classic suit with a shirt and tie. Those invited to the ceremony are also advised to refrain from overly revealing outfits, jeans, etc.

How is the wedding

First, the betrothal takes place, during which the priest blesses the newlyweds at the threshold of the church. After praying, the priest changes the rings for the betrothed three times and declares them the bride and groom.

After the completion of the betrothal, the couple enter the church and stand on the towel, where the ceremony continues. The priest asks the newlyweds a question: "Is the marriage voluntary on both sides, are there any obstacles to it?" After receiving a positive answer, the priest reads the wedding prayers, and the bride and groom stand under the crowns held by their guarantors.

Next, the newlyweds kiss the crowns, which are then placed on their heads. After the crowns are laid, the newlyweds are declared husband and wife. In conclusion, the priest leads the couple around the lectern three times and leads them to the Royal Doors to bow to the icons of Jesus Christ and the Mother of God.

During wedding photography, our photographer will take into account all the features of the ceremony, choose the most successful moments and shooting angles, and at the same time will not interfere with the ceremony.

11387 wedding photography 0

I welcome you back to the wedding photography course. Yes, yes, again, although we said goodbye to you. There was one more unsaid moment that became obvious after the image of the course was formed, namely, the wedding. Photographing a wedding is no less responsible and difficult than photographing weddings. But here the situation is more difficult for the photographer and there are some nuances and rules. We will talk about them today with you.

What is so special about the sacrament of the wedding, what are the features of photographing this event? Immediately make a reservation that we will talk about a wedding in an Orthodox church. Although many of the following are suitable for shooting other religious rites, other confessions.

Blessing (permission) to shoot

The first thing I would like to recommend to you is that before shooting the wedding, you need to ask the blessing of the rector of the church for the shooting or from the priest who will conduct the ceremony. You also need to check with the rector - is it possible to use a flash and additional lighting equipment, if necessary.

If you are a professional wedding photographer and practice all the time, it is advisable to have permission from the ruling bishop to take photos and videos in the temple, in the courtyard of the temple and near churches. With such permission, it will be much easier to resolve possible misunderstandings or misunderstandings with church employees or individual parishioners.

Temple code of conduct

The second postulate that I would like to acquaint you with is that the photographer is simply obliged to know all the rules and norms of behavior in the temple during the service and the sacrament. He must know where to stand and what is possible and what is not. Otherwise, they can simply ask for a photographer from the temple and they will be right. As they say, they don’t go to a foreign monastery with their charter.

During the shooting, the photographer should move around the temple as little as possible, although this is difficult - the photographer is constantly looking for a shooting point, light, angle. At the same time, try not to cross the line of open gates, not to stand with your back to the gates and not to take a position between the royal gates and those who are getting married.

When moving around the temple, try to create as little noise, creaking, shuffling as possible. Some wooden and ancient temples have creaky floorboards, remember their location and try not to step on them a second time, or bypass this place. Try not to discuss the shooting and the sacrament with your assistant or parishioners, not to break the silence. Don't interfere with those present. In no case, for any reason, do not ask the priest during the ceremony, for example, to pose for a photo. The wedding photographer is just an observer!

During the reading of the Gospel, for example, after the words “Let us be vouchsafed to hear the Holy Gospel...”, it is recommended to stop filming and bow your head and stand calmly for two to three minutes.

In the temple, the photographer needs to dress simply, without bright colors, be sure to wear trousers (jeans are not particularly welcome), have a shirt or jacket with long sleeves, the collar is buttoned or covered. If the photographer is a female, then a floor-length skirt or dress and a scarf are required, a minimum of makeup, no flashy colors, jewelry, baubles, etc. Trousers, stiletto heels, clipping shoes are prohibited (although it is unlikely that the photographer will wear them for many hours of shooting), soft “silent” slippers or soft sports, discreet shoes are better.

Some priests, although they give their blessing to the shooting, still during the sacrament can let go of a few sidelong (I would say - unfriendly) glances towards the photographer. After the service, make it a rule to thank the priest for the ritual performed, express a few words about the ceremony and the beauty of the sacrament - this will please him and will serve as a guarantee of future success if you have to shoot in this temple again. Do not think that the father will not remember you. Most priests remember all the parishioners by sight, and even more so those who constantly shoved a lens in their faces.

Conducting the sacrament for a priest is hard and responsible work, many do it after a long liturgy (or before it), respect what he does, try not to interfere, not to interfere with the action. Do not direct the flash into the eyes of the priest, church servants and parishioners, this can irritate them and interfere with the calm conduct of the ritual. Use natural sources of light, point the flash to the side or up (fill light), and if this is not possible, use diffusers. So you will not blind people's eyes, knocking them out of their prayerful mood, and the shots will come out more tender.

The photographer is just a parishioner

And remember - the photographer in the temple is only a parishioner who is entrusted with the responsibility to capture the sacrament of the wedding, one of the seven miracles of the church. Be worthy of this honor.

In the life of every person there are special events that do not need to be described. This is the wedding and baptism of the child. To receive a blessing, believers go to church and hold magnificent ceremonies for the glory of the health of the child and the happiness of the newlyweds. Naturally, such events are not complete without photography. Today we will tell you exactly how to approach shooting in a church.

I would like to immediately note that for photographers, working indoors often turns into a number of difficulties. In addition, we must not forget about ethics, since the constant operation of the lens shutter will interfere with the holy sacrament. Some organizational questions also arise: is it possible to use a flash, how to behave, is it possible to move freely around the room.

Regardless of the faith of a specialist, he must honor the temple of God, treat everything with respect, and not use foul language. In addition, there are categorical taboos that are forbidden to be violated. These include:
- a ban on moving on carpets;
- a ban on moving in front of the iconostasis and the priest;
- a ban on the use of church furniture;
- a ban on contacting the baby's parents or newlyweds at the time of the ceremony;
- a ban on obstruction of the rite.

We catch a frame
It is extremely important to choose a suitable place for the session in advance. Professional photographers are located on the side of the wedding, behind the back of the clergyman. Movement is allowed, but not frequent. We advise you to take pictures not only from the side, but also from behind, not forgetting about the priest. This applies equally to baptism. Feel free to get on your knees, chicks, if the shoot calls for it. Try to take the face of the baby, mother and priest into the composition.

Lighting Issues
Shooting with or without a flash is a matter of chance. However, we recommend that you refrain from additional lighting in the church when photographing. Don't forget about the exclusive church lighting, which is formed from the fire of candles. Natural church light is an added visual effect that can be spoiled by inept use of flash. Whatever you use, built-in or detachable flash, the light from it will drown out the brightness of the candles.

In this case, it is advisable to use a fast lens. According to experts, the use of this element is enough for high-quality shooting with inappropriate lighting. Of course, we should not forget about ISO and shutter speed. In bad light, set the ISO to the maximum level. However, this measure involves shooting in RAW format and then processing the images in a graphics editor to eliminate noise. The shutter speed will be optimal - 1/60 sec. If exceeded, the pictures will come out blurry and blurry. The optimal shutter speed range should be 1/80 - 1/100 sec. Of course, you can use a tripod, you say. But in this case, you will have to shoot from one or two positions. In addition, some successful shots will not get into the album due to the slow work of the photographer.

An alternative would be a monopod - a single-leg tripod. It will allow you to quickly change locations even with a large crowd of people in order to look for good shots.

If the aperture index is insufficient, you can use a flash with a diffuser in order to soften the shadows and not blind your eyes. At the same time, do not distract the clergyman or guests.

Finally, pay attention to the details, of which there are a great many in chic religious objects.

More and more often, newlyweds want to keep the church wedding ceremony in the church on the photo. It is important that the photographer you invite to the wedding shares your values, knows how this church sacrament goes. Below I will tell you how the sacrament takes place.

How is the sacrament of the wedding

How much does a church wedding cost?

The total wedding budget consists of the prices of what you need to buy for the wedding (list below) and donations to the church or the priest, there is no single price list for such services. It is necessary to discuss everything in the church where you are getting married.

You need to buy for the ceremony: (Temple workers will offer to buy everything for the wedding from them)

Wedding icons. Image of the Mother of God and Christ.
Wedding Candles (pair)
Wedding towel (towel) You will stand on it
Wedding napkins for candles. The wax will flow, and getting on your hands is not very pleasant.

For the wedding ceremony, you must have with you:

Marriage certificate
Passports
Rings
Pectoral crosses, that is, you must be baptized.

About the witnesses decide in advance!!! These should be people close to you and hardy. Preferably taller than you. They will have to hold the wedding crowns over your heads for 30-40 minutes. Now, however, more and more often, crowns are worn directly on the head (train your neck - they are heavy). And witnesses (friends, best men) are also not required now.

Wedding photo session: Clothes for the wedding. Wedding dress.

Outfits should be modest. The bride is traditionally in a light dress (although according to church canons the color of the dress is not specified), below the knees, and a covered neckline with shoulders covered with a head.
The dress does not have to be a wedding dress and it does not have to be white at all. Any color can be.

Witnesses to the wedding

Witnesses are not required. Now more crowns are usually worn on the head. Therefore, witnesses are not needed.
But of course, no one will mind if you invite friends and relatives to the wedding. Their role will be to provide moral support for your decision.

What else needs to be done before the wedding.

Before the sacrament of the wedding, you need to fast for 3 days, go to confession and communion, and it’s better not to have sex while you are fasting.

How does the Sacrament of the Wedding take place in the church.

The ceremony consists of four stages:

1. betrothal
2. Wedding
3. Crown Resolution
4. Thanksgiving Prayer

betrothal

The bride and groom, by tradition, should arrive at the church separately, in the modern world, when a wedding before official registration at the registry office is almost impossible, it looks a little strange, but such are the traditions. First the groom enters the church, then the bride. The appearance of the young to the temple means that the husband receives his wife from the Lord Jesus Christ. The priest who leads the ceremony comes out through the royal gates in full garb. He has a cross and a Gospel in his hands.

He introduces the young people inside the temple in commemoration of the fact that those who are getting married begin from this moment their new and holy life in a pure marriage. The priest blesses the groom three times, and then the bride with two lighted candles, after which he passes the candles to the wedding couple. A burning candle is a symbol of chastity and purity. The priest reads aloud a prayer that the Lord bless the young for every good deed. Wedding rings are placed on the throne, on the right side, as if in front of the very face of the Lord Jesus Christ, in order to receive a blessing for eternal love and illuminate the beginning of a new kind. The priest puts on the ring first to the groom, then to the bride. Do not be afraid and do not try to tell the priest that he mixed up the rings, the exchange of rings just begins.

After the blessing of the priest, the bride and groom exchange rings three times (usually with the help of the priest), as a sign of mutual consent, unanimity and understanding in marriage.

Wedding

At the beginning of the wedding, the young join their right hands so that the groom's hand rests on the bride's hand. The priest covers his hands with epitrachelion, leads them across the rivers to the center of the temple hall with the words of the psalm. The bride and groom stand on a towel.

The priest, being in front of the lectern, on which the cross and the Gospel lie, asks the young people to confirm in the face of God and each other, as well as all those present, their voluntary and unconstrained desire to marry and the absence of any obstacles to this.

The marriage is considered concluded, and the priest performs the sacrament of consecrating the marriage - the wedding. Then comes the most important moment of the wedding. With a crown in the form of a crown, he overshadows the groom with the sign of the cross. After that, the crown is placed on the head of the groom. In the same way, the priest blesses the bride, adorned with crowns, the bride and groom stand before the face of God himself and await the blessing of God.

The holy moment of the wedding is coming. A bowl of red wine is brought. The priest gives the young people to drink wine three times from the common cup. From now on, they should have everything in common - happiness, joy, and sorrow. The priest again joins the right hands of the young, covers them with stole and puts his hand on top of it.

Thus, through the hand of the priest, the husband receives a wife from the church itself, which unites them in Christ forever.

Crown Resolution

At the end of the sacrament of marriage, a prayer is read for the permission of the crowns, so that the Lord, who gave the newlyweds crowns as a reward for chastity and purity before marriage, would himself bless the permission of their crowns and keep the marriage indissoluble. The priest overshadows the young with a cross and, taking candles from them, congratulates them with the joy of blessing for marriage.

Thanksgiving prayer.

The priest serves in front of the royal gates a thanksgiving service to the Lord God, after which he makes a dismissal, naming the names of the saints who patronize the young.

When they don't get married.

on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays;
during the Great, Petrov, Assumption, Christmas fasts;
on the eve of the twelfth, temple and great holidays;
in continuation of Christmas time, from January 7 to 20;
during the Cheese Week (Shrovetide);
during the Easter (Bright) week;
on the days (and on the eve) of the Beheading of John the Baptist, and the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord.

Traditionally, the best time for a wedding is considered to be autumn, winter days from Epiphany to Maslenitsa, summer, between Petrov and Assumption Fasts, and on Krasnaya Gorka (the first Sunday after Easter).

Is it possible to get married while pregnant?

There are no restrictions on this, there are priests who look askance at this. Therefore, it is important to clarify this with the priest. But in my practice, shooting a wedding in pregnant women, even at a later date, is not at all uncommon.

Where to get married?

I filmed weddings in many Moscow churches, and if necessary I can give you some advice. From the point of view of the photographer, it is important that the temple is beautiful and not very crowded. But if you are already a parishioner of a church, then what's the point of changing anything and looking for another one. Here the decision is yours. I had to shoot in churches at hospitals (which are never closed for the sacrament) and in the Elokhov Church, where the hiking trail leads. Everywhere you can make the ceremony look beautiful and majestic.

Makeup for the wedding

The Church has never approved any makeup, but the modern woman wants to be beautiful, so wedding makeup should be almost invisible. Light, soft, transparent. No aggressive or bright colors. No glitter. Hairstyle for a wedding is also a little different from the usual wedding.If you need a makeup artist for your wedding, I will be happy to advise.

And finally, a few tips

1. You are hired for a wedding, ask guests and relatives not to use video cameras and cameras in the Temple. frequent flashes of "soap dishes" will distract the priest and interfere with you.

2. Do not look on the Internet for information on how to behave during the Wedding, it is better to ask the priest conducting the Wedding.

3. During the wedding, do not look into the lenses. You came to the church not to be photographed, but to get married. Photographing you is the job of a photographer. If later time and the rector allow, then it will be possible to take several staged photos in the Temple

4. Try to keep the candles so that the flame is no higher than shoulder level, try to keep the candles even. Be careful with the veil.

Photographing a wedding is no less responsible than photographing weddings. But here the situation is more difficult for the photographer. There are nuances and rules here.

1. Before shooting a wedding, the photographer must ask the blessing of the rector of the church for the shooting. If the rite is not performed by the rector, it is enough to ask the blessing of the priest who will conduct the rite. You also need to check with the rector whether it is possible to use a flash and additional (necessary) lighting, if necessary.

2. When doing this business all the time, it is desirable for the photographer to have the permission of the ruling bishop to take photos and videos in the temple, on the territory of the temple courtyard and near churches. With this permission, it will be much easier to resolve possible conflicts with the employees (clergy) of the church and individual parishioners.

3. The photographer must know all the rules and norms of behavior in the temple during the service and the sacrament. He must know where and what is possible, and where and what is impossible. Otherwise, the photographer may be asked from the temple in a soft or rough manner, and they will be right. As they say, they don’t go to a foreign monastery with their charter.

4. During the shooting, the photographer should move as little as possible around the temple, if necessary, do not cross the line of open gates, do not stand with his back to the gates, do not take a position between the royal gates and those who are getting married.

5. When moving around the temple, create as little noise, creaking, shuffling as possible. In some rural and ancient temples there are creaky floorboards, try not to step on them a second time, or bypass this place. Try not to whisper, sneeze, or break the silence. It is forbidden to interfere with the parishioners present. And it is even more impudent to ask a priest to stop and repeat this or that episode, to ask to pose for a photo. A photographer at a wedding is like a reporter, just an observer.

6. While reading the Gospel, it is recommended (in some cases required) to stop filming, and bow your head, stand like an ordinary parishioner. After the words “Let us be vouchsafed to hear the Holy Gospel…” it is better to stop and stand calmly for two or three minutes.

In the temple, the photographer needs to dress simply, without bright colors, be sure to have trousers (jeans are not particularly welcome), have a shirt or jacket with long sleeves, the collar is buttoned or covered. If the photographer is a female, then a floor-length skirt or dress and a scarf are required, a minimum of makeup, no flashy colors, jewelry, baubles, etc. Trousers, stiletto heels, clattering horseshoes on shoes are prohibited, soft “silent” slippers or soft sports, discreet shoes are better. Before the service, it is advisable to put a candle, cross yourself on an icon or several, show those present with all your appearance that you are not only a photographer, but also a believer. This calms and pacifies the parishioners and clergy.

Some priests, although they give their blessing for shooting, all the same, during the sacrament no no yes, they will let go of a few sidelong (I would say, unfriendly) glances in the direction of the photographer. After the service, make it a rule to thank the priest for the ritual performed, express a few words of admiration for the rite and the beauty of the sacrament, this will be pleasant for him as a person and will serve as a more pleasant meeting if you have to shoot in this temple again. Don't think that he won't remember you. Most priests remember all the parishioners by sight, and even more so those who constantly stuck a lens in their faces.

Conducting the sacrament for a priest is hard and responsible work, many do it after a long liturgy (or before it), respect what he does, try not to interfere, not interfere with the action. Do not direct the flash into the eyes of the priest, church servants and parishioners, this can irritate them and interfere with the calm conduct of the ritual. Use natural sources of light, turn the flash to the side (fill light), and if this is not possible, use diffusers, or simply attach a sheet of white paper folded in half or three to the flash. So you won’t blind people’s eyes, knocking them out of their prayerful mood, and the shots will come out more tender.

Remember - you are only a parishioner in the church, who has a huge responsibility and trust to capture the sacrament of the wedding. One of the seven miracles (sacraments) of the church. Be worthy of this honor, and with great responsibility and joy do the assigned work.

And one more thing .. It will be very pleasant and joyful for young people if, after shooting a civil wedding (when they ask you to shoot a wedding as well), you make a feasible discount or do not take money for these services at all. Remember that the scripture says: "To God - God's ...".