High Ceilings

<p>What are your recommendations for shooting a wedding in a church/building with high ceilings?</p>

<p>Could you be more specific about what kind of advice you're seeking? (You could be asking about flash or ISO or tripods or swinging from the rafters. The high ceilings could be light or dark. The church could be well-lit or nearly pitch-black.)</p>

<p>I'm guessing you're asking what to do if you can't bounce flash off the ceiling, but the question is so wide open.</p>

<p>You forgot one, Ian--choice of focal length to include ceilings... I agree with Ian, William--please clarify your question.</p>

<p>Assuming your question relates to wedding photography ... most churches do not allow flash photography during the wedding ceremony, so the height of the ceiling and it's color is not relevant. </p>

<p>Where the church usually does allow flash use is during the processionals, and afterwards during the formals at the altar. In both cases bounce flash off a high ceiling is usually difficult at best because of the distance to the ceiling and frequently it is a darker color which drinks light and reflects less back to the subject. There are many threads on how to light formals ... just do a search.</p>

<p>If you want to capture the entire church environment you would use a wider angle lens, or if details are wanted a longer lens like a 70-200 ... the longer lens being useful in churches that do not allow the photographer to approach the front of the church, or relegates them to the rear of the pews behind the last row of guests.</p>

<p>Techniques such as "dragging the shutter, use of a tripod of monopod to capture church environments and ceremonies have also been throughly discussed in other threads. </p>

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<p>I have to disagree with the comment that "most churches do not allow flash photography during the wedding ceremony". Granted, I've only shot 100-120 weddings, all in the Northeast, but I've had maybe one or two at most disallow using flash. After all, just about every other person attending the ceremony (other than the wedding party) is using the flash on their little silver point-and-shoot :-)</p>

<p>Different locations I guess Marc. You are lucky if you can use flash whenever you want.</p>

<p>Not one Church here in Michigan, nor churches where I shot in Boston, Miami, Huston, San Diego, LA, Ohio, or NY allowed flash during the ceremony. Many around here now won't allow lights on stands even after the ceremony.</p>

<p>The Catholic church is quite strict here, and considers the ceremony a wedding mass and wants treated that way. I've had a Priest stop the ceremony because he thought I had used flash, thankfully the "church Lady" was standing next to me and told the priest it was a guest.</p>

<p>A smaller percentage of churches especially Presbyterian and Episcopal now restrict the photographer to the rear of the Church only, even during the processionals ... as do most orthodox Jewish synagogues. No flash and no moving around. </p>

<p>Personally, I don't use flash during the ceremony even if allowed ... to disruptive to the sacrament being played out. Thank God for fast image stabilized lenses and/or tripods : -) </p>

<p>Guess I do better with the satan/devil worshiping crowd....;-)</p>

<p>In texas we cannot use flash except in very rare cases... so ceilings are not in play</p>

 

<p>here in ireland, no problems with using flash that i've come across or heard of. strange hey? different strokes for differnt folks.<br>

take care,<br>

al</p>