Lighting for churches

[BMR]

A publisher is offering me a contract to write a book which will need a number of photographs of church furnishings - perhaps stone reredos, wooden screen, free standing items such as ancient font and perhaps, horror of horrors, stained glass windows.

They say they cannot afford to pay a professional. At the moment I have a Sigma SA 300 ~ and an EF 430. Actually I would prefer using a Digital - but the big question is what do I need for lighting?

[Canuck]

A publisher is offering me a contract to write a book which will need a number of photographs of church furnishings - perhaps stone reredos, wooden screen, free standing items such as ancient font and perhaps, horror of horrors, stained glass windows.

They say they cannot afford to pay a professional. At the moment I have a Sigma SA 300 ~ and an EF 430. Actually I would prefer using a Digital - but the big question is what do I need for lighting?

It is interesting you ask, I have had varied experience doing pics of churches over here in England. I can't explain it but seeing these awesome Norman cathedrals is a vey moving experience...till I ran into a Saxon one dating back to 680AD! Now that was cool! Outside pics are realtively straightforward. Now inside is a whole other ballgame! Now if only I could remember where the pics are, I'd send you some. I have found that underexposing stained glass is the way to go to get all the detail. As for inside it is a mixed bag. Between Norman and Gothic cathedrals, it varies a lot! First question, what kind of weather are we having? This will tell me if I can shoot high/low ISO, and at what speed/aperature. Obviously more light is better to an extent. Heavy overcast weather makes for difficult shooting. 2) How big is it? Can you get the lot in a frame? 3) What does it have in the way of indoor lighting. This can be a mixed bag as in it may cause overexposure , or it may well help you. 4) Can you shot RAW? This can bail you out a lot better than jpeg! Man I could go on for hours! I also recommend a tripod, if allowed. This is all I can come up with at the moment.

Add on...where is this church? I have a 10D and stuff.

[RichardtheSane]

The only equpiment you will need to get the lighting right is a Tripod, ideally cable release and some patience.

THe natural light inside churches can be difficult, but very rewarding to capture. Artificial light can kill the mood something cronic!

[Ken Fong]

I agree with the above comments...go for natural lighting whenever possible. If you have excessive shadows, see if someone can help hold up a reflector (using natural light) to fill it in. When shooting, don't include highlight elements such as bright window in the background if you don't plan on using it...this way, you won't compromise your range. Remember to use your hood because there's a lot of stray light inside churches.

If you really have to use a flash, make sure your flash output is equal or less than the ambient light reading...but you might need an incidental meter to do this.

[stopbath]

Some old churches even forbid flash use.

Stained glass looks much much better with light coming through from the outside. Candle light, and shafts of sunlight through various windows only add to the mood...

A flash could obliterate mood easier than a dead cat. :shock:

[Steveo31]

Haha, dead cat. :lol: :shock:

If you can use flash, I've seen some great multi flash setups to fill in the real dark areas, but it's pretty advanced.

I would just go with ambient and reflectors if you need.

[geisha]

i am copying this from a photography book hope it help,,,

camera on a tripod, with an open shutter with a black card held over the lens. An assistant walks around the church, keeping the same distance from the walls and fires a series of 15 flashes. With each flash, the photographer (you :lol: ) removes the card to allow light to reach the film. The process takes several minutes, but the camera shutter is only open for about 15 seconds.

end result large room is lit up evenly.. churches are usually large
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